The upcoming 2026 Ohio high school football season will bring many big wins and championships to various schools. There will also be individual awards. None bigger than Ohio Mr. Football, which will be awarded for the 40th time in December.
The Ohio Prep Sports Media Association votes on the award, which the Ohio High School Athletic Association announces during the state football championships. The voting mimics the Heisman Trophy selection process, in which each voter selects three players who are given points based on those votes.
All players are eligible to win the award. Usually, seniors win it but occasionally juniors do, most recently Moeller quarterback Matt Ponatoski in 2024.
Each district in Ohio ‒ the Northeast Lakes, Northeast Inland, Northwest, Central, East, Southeast and Southwest ‒ submits at least one finalist for the award and is allowed two.
The Southwest District includes the Cincinnati area plus Dayton and surrounding areas including cities such as Xenia, Troy and Piqua.
With the season about to begin, here is a look at 25 players in Ohio who could have the best chance to win it. This is not a ranking of all the best players. This list takes into account not only recruiting rankings and college commitments, but also 2025 personal and team performance and the position they play.
Running backs have won 25 of the previous 39 Mr. Football awards, and quarterbacks, 11. Running back Grady Kinsey of Gnadenhutten Indian Valley won it in 2025. The list of past running back winners includes some who played other positions, most notably Charles Woodson, who won the award in 1994 and became a Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back.
Only one player listed as a wide receiver has ever won it: Bam Childress of Bedford St. Peter Chanel in 1999. He signed with Ohio State University as a defensive back but was later switched to receiver and finished his OSU career on offense.
Only two defense-only players have won Mr. Football, both linebackers, the last Dante Booker of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary in 2013.
Ace Alston, Cincinnati Anderson, sr., DB
As noted, it’s rare for a defense-only player to win Mr. Football, but if there’s a chance someone can break that trend, Alston is on that list. The No. 5 player in Ohio for the 2027 class, according to 247Sports, Alston is the No 10 cornerback in the country and a Notre Dame commit. He recently made USA Today’s Top 100 senior football players list. Anderson has reached the Division II state final the last two seasons, with Alston combining for 99 tackles and five interceptions in that span.
Jamier Brown, Huber Heights Wayne, sr., WR
The star receiver and Ohio State commit had left Wayne to transfer to Sunbury Big Walnut in January. He helped the Big Walnut boys track and field team share the Division II state championship this spring. He won the 100 and 200 meters and ran on the first-place 400 relay. However, in August, he returned to Wayne and re-enrolled there. His eligibility for the 2026 season was uncertain as of Aug. 11. His court case against the OHSAA for NIL rights made statewide headlines. He made the All-Ohio first team last year in Division I for Wayne with 1,007 yards and 10 touchdowns on 73 receptions.
Brady Bowman, Shelby, sr., WR/RB/DB
Bowman was first-team all-state for the Division IV state runner-ups after 1,630 yards and 24 touchdowns on 83 receptions.
Nolan Buirley, Sunbury Big Walnut, sr., RB
Buirley rushed for 2,277 yards and 30 TDs last season, helping the team to the Division II state semifinals for the second straight year. He was co-offensive player of the year in Ohio and has committed to Northwestern.
Gage Croley, Goshen, sr., RB
The Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference-American Player of the Year last season, Gage Croley was second-team All-Ohio with 2,007 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns in 11 games. Another big season for him and the Warriors could put in contention to get on the ballot in the loaded Southwest District.
Devlan Daniel, Cincinnati Indian Hill, sr., QB
Daniel repeated as Cincinnati Hills League Offensive Player of the Year last season and was first-team in the district and the state for Division IV. He passed for 1,192 yards and 13 touchdowns last season and ran for 1,116 yards and 21 more scores. A Mississippi State University baseball commit, he will need a big offensive season to contend for a spot on the ballot. Indian Hill moves up to DIII this season.
R.J. Day, Columbus DeSales, sr., QB
The son of Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has DeSales in position to contend for a state championship in Division III. He made the All-Ohio second team last season in DII with 2,710 yards passing. He is DeSales’s all-time passing leader and has committed to Northwestern University.
Kaden Estep, Cincinnati Elder, sr., QB
Kaden Estep led Elder to its first 10-0 regular season since 1991 last year, completing 190-of-280 passes for 2,430 yards and 15 touchdowns while running for 924 yards and 10 more touchdowns. The Miami RedHawks commit was the Greater Catholic League-South Offensive Player of the Year, first-team all-district and first-team All-Ohio.
Brayton Feister, Massillon Washington, sr., LB/RB
The only junior on the Mr. Football ballot last year, he has transferred to Division II title favorite Massillon Washington from Akron Hoban. Last year, he had 102 tackles (32 for loss), two interceptions, four forced fumbles, nine sacks and two defensive touchdowns. On offense, he ran for 895 yards and 13 touchdowns on 92 carries in nine games. The four-star athlete counts Oregon, Penn State and Michigan among his dozens of offers. 247Sports has him committing to Oregon.
Jeremiah Fuller, Toledo Central Catholic, sr., RB/DB
Fuller was first-team all-state after scoring 29 touchdowns to help TCC to the Division III state final. He has several Mid-American Conference scholarship offers.
Brysen Hall, Wadsworth, jr., QB
The four-year starter was Division II All-Ohio first team last season after throwing for 2,490 yards and 29 TDs, helping his team to an 11-1 record. Hall could be the fastest riser this summer, with offers from Pitt, Syracuse, Kent State, Toledo, Miami, UConn, USF and Buffalo. The three-star standout has interest from Penn State, Ohio State and Notre Dame. He’s ranked 23rd in the nation at quarterback and is No. 7 in Ohio regardless of position, according to 247Sports.com.
Tristin Hughes, Rocky River, sr., WR/S
He had 1,332 yards and 17 TDs on 75 receptions on offense, plus 391 yards and 10 TDs on the ground. On defense, he posted 65 tackles with three interceptions. He has committed to the University of Kentucky.
John Johnson, Hoban, sr., WR
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Johnson committed to Bowling Green on June 5 over Kentucky, Toledo, Miami (Ohio), Western Michigan, Kent State, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Ball State and Marshall.
Jordan Karhoff, Columbus DeSales, sr., TE
A consensus four-star and top 10 recruit statewide from multiple services – No. 4 by 247Sports and No. 6 by On3 – the 6-foot-5, 215-pound tight end and Virginia Tech commit caught 31 passes for 548 yards and five scores a year ago. Karhoff also was a force on defense with 56 tackles, including 37 solo, 17 for loss and 6 ½ tackles. He was named first-team All-Central District and third-team all-state.
Cartae Ligon, Chillicothe, jr., RB/S
He is the Southeast District’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year after scoring 27 touchdowns on 2,580 all-purpose yards. He had 70 tackles on defense and was first-team all-state in Division III. He holds offers from Auburn, Indiana, Miami and Michigan.
Kenyon Norman, Lakota West, sr., RB
Norman earned All-Ohio honorable mention, all-district second team and All-Greater Miami Conference in 2025 as a running back. The 6-foot, 195-pound, three-star athlete is committed to Northwestern and is ranked 32nd in the state per 247Sports.
Savior Owens, Massillon Washington, sr., RB
An All-Ohio first-team pick in Division II, the senior rushed for 1,572 yards and 12 TDs and is a Michigan State commit. Owens committed to Michigan State on Jan. 25 over Wisconsin, Bowling Green, Kent State and Akron. The three-star standout is ranked 89th nationally at running back and is No. 44 in Ohio regardless of position, according to 247Sports.com.
Lane Ratliff, New Lexington, sr., QB
The 6-1, 200-pound Ratliff, a lefty with an offer from Charlotte, is an explosive dual threat who accounted for more than 2,200 yards of offense in the Panthers’ spread offense during an 11-2 season in 2025. He averaged more than nine yards per carry.
Owen Scalf, Cincinnati Anderson, sr., QB
In his junior campaign, Owen Scalf was first-team All-Ohio after going 407-for-564 through the air for 4,961 yards and 41 touchdowns while getting 677 more yards and eight scores on the ground, leading the Raptors to the Division II state final game and a 14-1 record.
Eli Stumpf, Sunbury Big Walnut, sr., QB
The senior threw for 2,436 yards and 31 TDs last year to help Big Walnut reach the state semifinals. He is a Michigan State commit and Ohio’s highest-ranked QB in the senior class by most recruiting services.
Kei’Shjuan Telfair, Euclid, sr., CB/WR
Another highly ranked defensive back and top-five overall in Ohio by 247Sports, he has committed to Penn State as a defensive back and has 14 career interceptions. He had 30 catches for 650 yards and nine TDs on offense. Telfair made the All-Ohio first team in Division II.
Monsanna Torbert Jr., Cincinnati Princeton, sr., QB/CB
Now at Princeton after starting his career at Taft, Monsanna Torbert is a University of Michigan commit at cornerback with the state’s No. 6 ranking in the class. Torbert has been a standout quarterback after throwing for over 3,600 yards and 50 touchdowns with another 1,000 rushing yards over the last two seasons. He could help Princeton be a state contender in Division I.
Leevi Wade, Dresden Tri-Valley, jr., RB
Wade, a 5-foot-8, 185-pound running back, produced 242 carries for 1,668 yards and 29 touchdowns in the regular season, then eclipsed the 2,000 mark after a pair of Division III, Region 11 playoff games. He was first-team All-Ohio and became the first sophomore to win the Times Recorder Prime Time Offensive Player of the Year in the award’s 30 years of existence. Among his highlights was a 46-carry, 260-yard effort in a double-overtime win against Thornville Sheridan that gave the Scotties a share of the Muskingum Valley League-Big School title.
Christopher Wallace, Springfield, sr., QB
The Wildcats could be a state-title contender again in Division I with Wallace at QB. He made the all-state third team after throwing for 2,348 yards and 24 TDs to 10 interceptions.
Kellen Wymer, Liberty Center, sr., OL
No offensive lineman has won Ohio Mr. Football but if one can make the ballot this year, it will be him. The Ohio State University commit led his team to the Division V state championship and is ranked second in Ohio among all players in the Class of 2027 by 247Sports.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: A look at 25 top contenders for Ohio Mr. Football in 2026.
Reporting by James Weber, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By James Weber, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
