EDITOR’S NOTE: Stay tuned to FloridaHSFootball.com and FloridaHSFootball.com social media channels for more from this event including photos and video interviews over the weekend and into Christmas Day recognizing all the athletes that earned their spot on the Jaguars PREP All-PREP Top 25 team!
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For the Jacksonville Jaguars, making an impact on the community and the surrounding market has become a key focal point for the NFL’s 30th franchise, which just recently celebrated its 30th anniversary when the city of Jacksonville which was awarded the franchise on November 30, 1993.
In those 30 years since the awarding of the franchise, the Jaguars have made key strides to be a spotlight to those active in not just the youth football space, but also in the high school football and girls flag football space and that was evident on Wednesday evening as the 2023 Jaguars PREP All-PREP Top 25 team was honored at EverBank Stadium.
The Jaguars PREP All-PREP Top 25 team which was selected based on a collaboration of the Jacksonville Jaguars Community Foundation and the Jaguars’ TV partners at Action News Jax has recognized 75 athletes over the last three years since the start of the event that also includes recognition of a Player of the Year and a Coach of the Year.
THE RECOGNITION
Each of the athletes, selected based upon their athletic performance from the 2023 season, was able to be a part of the recognition event that included being able to be recognized inside the Jaguars’ Team Meeting Room inside EverBank Stadium and along with getting the experience coming out of the locker room with the laser light show that is traditionally played for the Jaguars athletes for home games. After the players and the parents were able to tour the locker room which is now primarily used for game day use with the team having since moved their primary locker rooms inside the Miller Electric Center which is the Jaguars’ all-new training facility next door to EverBank Stadium.
All the players that were recognized on the Jaguars PREP All-Prep Top 25 team were also given a Jaguars Care Box which included a lot of Jaguars swag along with a customized Jaguars jersey with their last name and the number they wore for their respective high schools. Also, everyone who attended the event along with family and friends was treated to Whataburger which is one of the big sponsors for the Jaguars PREP All-Prep Top 25 team. The Coach of the Year and Player of the Year also received custom cleats honoring their recognition along with a huge goodie box from Whataburger.
“It is always great to amplify the accomplishments of these young men. We look forward to every single year. High school kids are hard to impress, but I think we do our best job of giving them that gameday experience, getting them swag, getting them former legends and players to come – we had Calvin Ridley stop by to say a few words – ultimately kids want to be a first-round draft pick. They want to be recognized, they want that presence,” said Adriel Rocha, Jacksonville Jaguars Vice President of Community Impact and Football Development.
THE LEGENDS
As with any Jaguars event, especially in the high school space is starting to include hearing from some guest speakers including current athletes and legends of the Jaguars from over the last 28 seasons since playing their first game in 1995.
Two of the legends that spoke to the team were Kevin Hardy who played for the Jaguars from 1996 until 2001 at the linebacker position and Reggie Hayward who played defensive end for the Jaguars from 2005 until 2009.
What made both unique in speaking as both of their sons, were recognized among the Jaguars PREP All-PREP Top 25 athletes with Kevin Hardy’s son Camden Hardy who plays at Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville), and Reggie Hayward’s son, Sam Hayward playing at Providence (Jacksonville) under head coach Mo Williams who is another Jaguars legend.
“I took on Legends about a year and a half ago and these are all players I grew up watching, but when you find out about opportunities and stories like these of former players kids in our market playing high school football and excelling, you got to find ways to get them involved. I think Kevin and Reggie are great legends in themselves and for them to have that connection to players, we had to make sure that happened here today,” Rocha said.
You can hear what both Kevin Hardy and Reggie Hayward had to say to the All-PREP Top 25 athletes here:
COACH OF THE YEAR
For Braddock, he was surprised with two tickets to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas in February of next year, along with a $2,500 check to be awarded to the Yellow Jackets program for being named the Jaguars PREP All-PREP Coach of the Year. The donation will help the Yellow Jackets support any needs the program will have going into the 2024 season.
Also, for his effort, Braddock was named the Jaguars’ Don Shula Coach of the Year Nominee which all 32 NFL franchises will nominate a coach for the recognition to be recognized as one of the top high school football coaches of the year in the nation.
“It couldn’t have happened to a better guy,” Rocha said. “I have only been involved in the youth and high school space with the Jaguars for three and half years now. I remember Coach Braddock being one of the very first coaches I met. He was up here picking up donated cleats for his football program asking me how they could be involved in our programs and how he could support them, so to now see this full circle, giving back, him giving back, is awesome!”
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Wyche finished the 2023 season with 1,812 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns. Wyche also had 17 receptions for 306 yards receiving and three touchdowns for the Mustangs as a senior. Wyche is uncommitted currently and is looking at all his options for playing at the next level.
“He is very much well-liked and respected by his team and his opponents,” Rocha said when explaining Wyche’s selection as Player of the Year and knowing the right decision was made in the selection.
NIKE THE NEXT ONES
Ffrench, who signed with Alabama earlier in the day on Wednesday was surprised with the recognition and was surprised when Jaguars’ wide receiver Calvin Ridley made an appearance during the recognition of the Jaguars PREP All-PREP Top 25 team. Ridley spoke for a couple of minutes and wanted to honor Ffrench who he had in a previous event with the Jaguars.
Ridley spoke to those in attendance about his path to the NFL and how similar Ffrench’s path is so far as Ffrench is currently a five-star wide receiver in the 2025 class by 247 Sports and is a hard commit to Alabama. Ridley played high school football in Florida at Monarch (Coconut Creek) before signing with Alabama before playing in the NFL first with the Atlanta Falcons before being traded to the Jaguars.
However, the connections are deeper than that as Rocha has seen first-hand the growth and development of Ffrench as an athlete.
“My connection with Jaime goes back a few years now. When I first took over youth and high school football for the Jaguars, he was a part of our 14U NFL flag team. I had a chance to meet him them then. We actually brought him out to Vegas for a competition and I have stayed in close touch with him and his mom, so whenever I worked with Nike and we found out Jaime was our nominee, 100% behind it,” Rocha said.
For Rocha, what Ffrench has done both on and off the field was recognized by him and the selection could not have happened to better athlete for the nomination to The Next Ones.
As for Ffrench, he had 62 receptions for 1,247 yards and 14 touchdowns in helping guide Mandarin to an appearance in the Class 4M state championship game where the Mustangs finished as the Class 4M State Runner-up.
JAGUARS ALL-PREP TOP 25 TEAM
Senior (2024)
Presbyterian College signee
49 pancake blocks
Senior (2024)
Uncommitted
Defense: 110 tackles, 15 TFLs, 6 PBUs, 2 sacks; Offense: 53 car, 555 yds rushing, 11 TDs
Junior (2025)
Uncommitted
Huge background in wrestling and shows up and finishes according to his coaches.
Senior (2024)
Uncommitted
Led Florida in rushing with 2,198 yds, 302 car, 26 TDs
Senior (2024)
Vanderbilt signee
44 tackles, 14 TFL, 6 sacks, 1 INT, 1 PBU, 3 FF
Senior (2024)
Louisville signee
143 tackles, 16 TFL, 3 sacks, 6 hurries, 2 INTs, 3 PBUs, 1 FF
Senior (2024)
Marshall signee
134 tackles, 20 TFL, 3 sacks, 2 PBUs, 1 FF
RB Jaden Dailey, Camden County (Georgia)
Senior (2024)
Uncommitted
171 carries, 1,358 yards rushing, 14 TDs
WR Jaime Ffrench Jr., Mandarin (Jacksonville)
Junior (2025)
Alabama commit
62 rec, 1,247 receiving yards, 14 touchdowns
SAF Shamarion Gibbs, Yulee
Senior (2024)
Uncommitted
94 tackles, 14 TFL, 2 sacks, 6 INTs, 7 PBUs, 4 FF
Senior (2024)
Michigan signee
3.96 GPA, Under Armor All-America Game selection
Senior (2024)
Uncommitted
78 tackles, 10 TFL, 6 sacks, 5 hurries, 2 INTs, 1 PBU, 1 FR, 2 FF
Senior (2024)
Wake Forest signee
Stats for 2023 unavailable
Junior (2025)
Uncommitted
Three-star ranked EDGE athlete by 24/7 Sports, 45 tackles, 15 TFL, 8 sacks, 8 hurries, 1 FF, 1 blocked punt
Junior (2025)
Wake Forest commit
2,702 passing yards, 23 TDs, 3 rushing TDs
Senior (2024)
LSU signee
2,242 passing yards, 26 TDs, 5 rushing TDs
Senior (2024)
Uncommitted
61 tackles, 1 TFL, 6 INTs, 8 PBUs, 2 FR
Senior (2024)
Bryant signee
103 tackles, 14 TFL, 3 sacks, 3 INTs
Senior (2024)
FIU signee
239 carries, 1,558 rushing yds, 27 TDs
QB/ATH Dae’jon Shanks, Bradford (Starke)
Senior (2024)
Uncommitted
1,360 passing yards, 18 TDs; 1,104 rushing yards, 14 TDs
Junior (2025)
Uncommitted
68 rec., 1,348 yds receiving, 16 TDs
Senior (2024)
Western Kentucky commit
2,348 yds passing, 26 TDs, 266 yds rushing, 3 TDs
OL Solomon Thomas, Raines (Jacksonville)
Junior (2025)
Uncommitted
Helped the Vikings to a district championship in 2023
RB Tiant Wyche Jr., Mandarin (Jacksonville)
Senior (2024)
Uncommitted
197 car, 1,812 yards rushing, 26 TDs. 17 rec, 306 yds, 3 TDs
