Record number of Chattanooga-area players named Tennessee Titans Mr. Football semifinalists

A record number of Chattanooga-area players have been named Tennessee Titans Mr. Football award semifinalists.

The TSSAA released the list of five semifinalists for each of the state's nine classifications and five total for the kicker of the year award Thursday morning, and 10 area players were included, eclipsing the previous high-water mark by three.

The list will be cut to three finalists in each class on Nov. 26, and award winners will be announced during a Dec. 10 ceremony at Nashville's Nissan Stadium, home of the NFL's Titans.  Only the regular season is factored into determining the finalists and overall winners; playoff statistics and performances are not a part of the selection process.

Among this year's semifinalists are Baylor sophomore running back David Gabriel-Georges and junior quarterback Briggs Cherry in Division II-AAA, Boyd Buchanan athlete David Green in DII-AA, Marion County athlete Sam Pickett in Class 2A, and Whitwell athlete Bennett McDougal and South Pittsburg twosome Dayon Cooper and Jamychal Buckner in 1A.

Also, three of the five names on the list for kicker of the year are local players: McCallie's Elliott Arnold, Baylor's Philippe Laforge and Boyd Buchanan's Ethan Lane.

There have been seven area players to earn semifinalist honors in a single season twice previously, in 2018 and 2019, and in the past seven years — since the TSSAA expanded to nine classifications — a total of 44 players from 13 area schools have been named semifinalists.

With the TSSAA playoffs beginning this week, all eight semifinalists from the area have helped their teams become state championship contenders as Tennessee programs begin the hunt for a spot in the BlueCross Bowl title games that take place Dec. 5-7 at Finley Stadium.

In his first season with the Red Raiders, Gabriel-George has established himself as a bona fide superstar, averaging 9.5 yards per carry in rushing for 984 yards and 13 touchdowns. After opening the season as the second backfield option behind Ole Miss commitment Shekai Mills-Knight, Gabriel-George's skill has helped him become more of a focal point.

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2024 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football semifinalists

His list of scholarship offers reads like the list of the nation's top College Football Playoff contenders. It includes Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon and Tennessee, as well as Auburn, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Southern California, Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt.

Cherry, a junior who took over as Baylor's starting quarterback this season, has completed 132 of 190 passes for 1,953 yards and 24 touchdowns against just two interceptions for an offense that has averaged 37 points per game despite the Red Raiders playing a brutally tough schedule.

Boyd Buchanan's Green, a junior, has rushed for 846 yards and 12 touchdowns despite sharing carries as part of a loaded group of running backs for the Buccaneers. His average of 11.1 yards per carry is the highest average among all Division II ball carriers with at least 500 yards, and he has yet to fumble the ball on 76 carries. He also has 65 tackles (including seven for loss), has a defensive touchdown and has returned a blocked field-goal attempt for a score as well.

Pickett, who was a Times Free Press Dynamite Dozen selection in the preseason and has scholarship offers from 11 college programs, has accounted for 1,564 total yards and 27 touchdowns for Marion County. He also has three interceptions and six pass deflections on defense, and he helped the Warriors win their second straight Region 4-2A title.

McDougal is a senior who has played every offensive skill position for Whitwell and is also the team's leading tackler on defense. He has compiled 1,165 yards and 16 touchdowns on offense, he has 52 tackles (including three for loss) and an interception on defense, and he has even returned a kickoff for a score.

South Pittsburg, which has played in three of the past four Class 1A state title games, has had at least one semifinalist for six straight seasons. This is the third time in five years the Pirates have two in the same season.

Buckner, a junior who earned all-state recognition last year after leading the Pirates to the 1A title, has overcome an injury that slowed him earlier in the season to accumulate 1,034 total yards — averaging 7.7 yards per carry while rushing for 794 — and also has 50 tackles and three interceptions on defense.

In his first season playing for South Pittsburg, Cooper, a sophomore quarterback, has compiled 1,260 offensive yards, including 895 rushing (8.6 per carry) and 14 touchdowns. He also has 25 tackles and an interception on defense.

Contact Stephen Hargis at [email protected].