Rivals 2025 North Carolina high school football Player of the Year honors

The high school football season around the country has wrapped up and with that comes honors for coaches and players from the 2025 season. One state on the East Coast that has produced some impressive talent and teams from around the country is North Carolina high school football.

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s (NCHSAA) state finals ended a couple weeks ago and we decided to get right to it when it comes to end of the year honors.

We continue into the Tar Heel State for North Carolina high school football as Rivals looked through the season and selected award nominees from this past season. Who were the best players for the 2025 North Carolina high school football season, though?

Rivals give you the North Carolina high school football honorees for the 2025 season.

Player of the Year: Lan Farmer, QB, Shelby

There was really no topping the kind of numbers that led to a North Carolina state championship like Lan Farmer had for Shelby this past season. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound signal caller was the engine that made the Golden Lions move en route to 801 points scoring a winning a Class 3A state championship. Farmer through the air completed 234 of 332 passes for 4,228 yards, 56 touchdowns and only seven picks. He was second on the team in the rushing department as the quarterback amounted to 467 yards and 15 scores. Farmer’s best game was his last one as a high school quarterback as Farmer completed 20 of 27 passes for 458 yards, eight touchdowns and added two more on the ground to make it 10 in a 84-41 win over Kinston. The kind of production the senior amassed might be some of the best all-purpose wise numbers for a quarterback in the country.

Offensive Player of the Year: Tyreek Copper, WR, Kinston

It’s a rarity to see a high school football wide receiver haul in over 100 catches in a season, but how about a senior doing so and surpassing the 2,000-yard plateau in the process? Copper, a North Carolina State signee, did so, though coming just short of winning a Class 3A state championship against juggernaut Shelby squad. The future Wolfpack wide receiver finished his sensational senior campaign hauling in 105 passes for 2,242 yards and scoring 33 touchdowns. Copper also added 348 yards in return yards for Kinston, capping one of the best statistical seasons for a pass catcher on the East Coast.

Defensive Player of the Year: Quinton Cypher, LB, Millbrook

The Ohio State commitment is quickly turning into one of the nation’s best linebackers and there’s plenty of reasons why universities have flocked over to North Carolina to check him out. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Cypher led a Millbrook team that fell in the state’s Class 8A title game to William A. Hough, 21-0, but the junior for the season had himself a tremendous year. Cypher concluded 2025 by compiling 181 total tackles, 48 for a loss, 5.5 sacks, five pass breakups, four interceptions, three forced fumbles and three recoveries.

Coach of the Year: Mike Wilbanks, Shelby

Whenever you lead a high school football program to something they haven’t done in 111 years, it’s hard to ignore that kind of accomplishment and not reward it with an honor. Shelby head football coach Mike Wilbanks pulled off something no two teams had done since 1914 and that’s the most combined points in an NCHSAA state title game, setting a new record for the most ever at 125 points in a 84-41 win. The previous mark of 117 points was set back in 1914, the year that World War I started, by Raleigh High School. Wilbanks led this Shelby team on a dominating 13-3 run, with the team scoring 801 points through 16 games, averaging 50 per game. Shelby is no stranger to state titles, winning their 13th, but this specific one came with a state championship record and showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

How to Follow North Carolina High School Football

For North Carolina high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Tar Heel State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the North Carolina high school football excitement across the state.