CHICAGO — In its 31st year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, has selected Jake Fromm of Houston County High School as its 2015-16 Gatorade Georgia Football Player of the Year. Fromm is the first Gatorade Georgia Football Player of the Year to be chosen from Houston County High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Fromm as Georgia’s best high school football player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award announced in December, Fromm joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.), Wes Welker (1999-00, Heritage Hall HS, Okla.), Terrell Suggs (1999-00, Hamilton HS, Ariz.), Anquan Boldin (1998-99, Pahokee HS, Fla.) and Jerome Bettis (1989-90, Mackenzie HS, Mich.).
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior quarterback threw for 4,099 yards and 36 touchdowns on 250-of-424 passing this past season, leading the Bears (11-2) to the Class AAAAA state quarterfinals. The returning Class AAAAA Offensive Player of the Year as named by the Georgia Sports Writers Association, Fromm is just the fourth prep quarterback from Georgia to surpass 4,000 passing yards in a single season, joining 2009-10 Gatorade Georgia Football Player of the Year Hutson Mason, 2013-14 Gatorade Georgia Football Player of the Year Deshaun Watson and current Minnesota Vikings backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke. Fromm’s 8,835 career passing yards also rank fourth in state history entering his senior season.
Also a baseball standout, Fromm has maintained a 4.00 GPA in the classroom. In addition to donating his time as a peer tutor and youth sports instructor, he has volunteered on behalf of his church, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Special Olympics.
“I’ve coached high school football for more than 30 years and have seen many great players,” said Kevin Kinsler, head coach at rival Northside. “In my opinion, Fromm is as good as any I’ve seen. His numbers speak for themselves, but he plays the QB position with a maturity way beyond his years. His success has as much to do with his knowledge and development as it does with his God-given talent. His command of the offense he runs is remarkable, and his exceptional physical skills allow him to master that offense.”
Fromm has verbally committed to play football on scholarship at the University of Alabama in the fall of 2017.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.
Fromm joins recent Gatorade Georgia Football Players of the Year A.J. Gray (2014-15, Washington County High School), Deshaun Watson (2013-14, Gainesville High School), Taylor Lamb (2012-13, Calhoun High School), Kenyan Drake (2011-12, Hillgrove High School), Brian Randolph (2010-11, Kell High School), Hutson Mason (2009-10, Lassiter High School), Branden Smith (2008-09, Booker T. Washington High School) and Tavarres King (2007-08, Habersham Central High School) among the state’s list of former award winners.
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