Florida football: Three 2024 Gator commits earn Gatorade Player of the Year
By Will Thomas
Florida football lost some key members of their 2024 recruiting class close to and during the Early Signing Period, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of their fans.
But the Gators also held on to some elite talent that has the ability to come in and make a difference on day one.
Each year, Gatorade crowns one football player from each state as its Gatorade Player of the Year.
This season, three Gators' signees are going home with that honor.
Florida football: The best of the best
The three Gators who took home Gatorade Player of the Year honors were DJ Lagway (Texas), Kahnen Daniels (Mississippi), and Aaron Chiles (Maryland).
We've talked a good bit already about the ridiculous numbers that Lagway put up this season, but let's just go through them one last time.
In 13 games he completed 290/402 passes (71.1%) for 4,604 yards and 58 touchdowns while throwing just eight interceptions. He also ran the ball 99 times for 957 yards (9.7 avg) and 16 touchdowns.
He lead Willis to a 12-1 season, including going 8-0 in their district.
Kahnen Daniels played both QB and RB for West Point High School in Mississippi and brought them to an 11-4 record, which ranked them 12th in the state, and a 4-1 district record.
Aaron Chiles had an incredibly productive season for Good Counsel in Olney, Maryland. He totaled 74 tackles with 15 TFL, 10 sacks, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
All three of these guys are program-changing players, which is reflected in the recognition that they got during their senior seasons.