Gators QB commit Will Griffin named Florida's Gatorade Player of the Year
On Friday, Gatorade announced its Florida Football Player of the Year and the honor went to one of the most productive quarterbacks the state has seen in years.
That player is Florida Gators commit and 4-star quarterback, Will Griffin, who signed with the SEC program on Wednesday.
Griffin closed out his high school career with more than 12,000 passing yards and 143 touchdowns, finishing No. 2 in state history in career scoring throws.
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound senior led Jesuit to an 11-2 record and a Class 4A regional finals appearance this fall. He threw for 2,534 yards and 37 touchdowns with only two interceptions, including a stretch of three games with four touchdown passes and two games with five. His efficiency helped Jesuit build big early leads, which limited how much the Tigers needed to throw later in games.
“Will had one of the great prep football careers in Florida history,” Jesuit head coach Matt Thompson told Gatorade.
Gatorade’s Player of the Year award is one of the top honors in high school sports. Now in its 41st year, the recognition highlights excellence in athletics, academics and community impact. Griffin joins a long list of notable past winners, including Peyton Manning, Nick Singleton, and Keelon Russell.
Griffin, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, is the No. 243 overall prospect and No. 16 quarterback in the 2026 class. He is also the 34th-ranked senior in Florida.
History of the Gatorade Player of the Year award
Press release from Gatorade Player of the Year
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one state winner from each of the 50 states and Washington D.C., in 12 different sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls track & field. In total, 610 high school athletes are honored each year.
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From the pool of state winners, one national winner is selected in each of the 12 sports. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the winners in each sport.
As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $6.4 million in grants to winners across more than 2,200 organizations.
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