Every season, Dave Cambell’s Texas Football produces a watch list of high school football players who demonstrate outstanding performances. At the end of the season, ten finalists will be selected and the winner will be voted on by the public. The 2021 winner will be announced prior to the Texas Bowl.
The annual award recognizes the top player in Texas High School football as identified by fans. Each week, new players may be added to the list by fans. The award is a major help to young student-athletes looking to gain ground and earn a scholarship to a college team.
The annual award is a great opportunity for players from smaller schools to get recognition and also lets fans see who some of the biggest up-and-coming stars in high school sports are. Dave Cambell’s Texas Football Magazine established the award in 2007.
Five award recipients have made it to the NFL, including Quarterback Garrett Gilbert who was released by the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday. Gilbert won the award in 2008 as a quarterback for Lake Travis High School in Lake Travis, Texas. He was a third-string quarterback for the Cowboys in 2020 but failed to secure the QB2 spot this preseason.
Other award recipients include Kyler Murray, the emerging star QB for the Arizona Cardinals. Murray is the only two-year award recipient having won in both 2013 and 2014. Murray grew up in Bedford, Texas, and attended Texas A&M before transferring to the University of Oklahoma.
2020 Award Winner Jonathan Brooks is enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin. He graduated from Hallettsville High School. He rushed for 3,849 yards and 65 touchdowns in his senior season. He was a three-star recruit in 4A Division I play.
The list currently includes the following players:
- QB Cade Klubnik -Austin Westlake
- DL Omari Abor -Duncanville
- QB Kolt Schuckers -Lindsay
- DL/RB Dalton Brooks -Shiner
- WR Dillon Bell -Houston Kinkaid
- WR Caleb Burton -Lake Travis
- WR Jalen Hale -Longview
- RB Seth Davis -Katy
- QB Josh Hoover -Rockwall-Heath
- ATH Ollie Gordon -Euless Trinity
- RB Xavier Wishert -Tuscola Jim Ned
The Mercari Texas Bowl will be held at NRG Stadium in Houston on January 4, 2022. As in previous years, the match will pit an SEC team against a BIG-12 team. Fans can vote and nominate players to the list by visiting Dave Cambell’s Texas Football website.
