More State Football Players of the Year

Akili Smith Jr. from Lincoln of San Diego (left) will go down as the State Senior Player of the Year for the 2024 season. At right is State Sophomore of the Year Ryan Rakowski from Palos Verdes of PV Estates. Photos: Scott Kurtz / Cal-Hi Sports.


Check inside this post for the honorees who have been chosen among juniors, sophomores, freshmen, medium schools and small schools. And since Mr. Football is a junior and from a medium school, we also have additional honorees this time for large schools and seniors.

To see who has been named Cal-Hi Sports Mr. Football State Player of the Year, CLICK HERE.

To see who has been named Cal-Hi Sports Defensive State Player of the Year, CLICK HERE.

For a list of our all-time players of the year for juniors, sophomores, medium schools and small schools, CLICK HERE.

We hope you enjoy this free post on CalHiSports.com. Please check out joining our Gold Club today so you can see those lists and many others that don’t exist anywhere else plus all of our upcoming all-state teams. For details, CLICK HERE.

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Congratulations to the following additional Cal-Hi Sports State Players of the Year for the 2024 football season (joining overall honoree Brady Smigiel of Newbury Park).
NOTE: Brady also would be State Junior of the Year and State Medium Schools Player of the Year.

STATE SENIOR OF THE YEAR:
AKILI SMITH JR.
(LINCOLN, SAN DIEGO)

When a junior gains the very top Mr. Football honor, we have always made the additional choice of placing a State Senior of the Year on all of our various all-time lists. For the 2024 season, that has gone to the senior quarterback for the Hornets, who was the top player for a squad that won the CIF D1-AA state championship after wins against Newbury Park and Pittsburg.

Akili is the son of former NFL quarterback Akili Smith, a Lincoln grad who was the No. 3 pick in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Akili Jr. is already at the University of Oregon, which is also where his father played.

It’s not quite the same as in 2022 when Lincoln won the CIF D1-AA state title and running back Roderick Robinson was Mr. Football, but we believe Smith is deserving of a statewide honor.

The strength of Akili’s case for high postseason honors is the game he had for Lincoln when it defeated Newbury Park, 34-27, to win the CIF D1-AA Southern California regional title. He threw a game-winning TD pass with 21 seconds left to Courtney Miller-Thompson and finished 15 of 27 passing for 267 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed eight times for 89 yards and one score. Brady Smigiel had 211 yards passing and three TDs with one TD rushing in the same game for Newbury Park.

That outing, however, was the best of Akili’s season. In the CIF San Diego Section Open Division playoff games, while Lincoln won twice, Smith only had 90 and 82 yards passing in each game. That was one of the main reasons, it seems, why a committee of section coaches and three media members voted for Granite Hills of El Cajon running back Max Turner as the section’s offensive player of the year. That vote also was conducted after Lincoln’s CIF state championship game.

In the state final vs Pittsburg, Smith only threw 11 passes, but he completed six for 172 yards and three scores. He added 40 yards rushing on eight carries with one TD. He did not have to throw it much in many games since the Hornets had a strong, balanced rushing attack. He had the final TD on a run that put Pittsburg in a dire spot (the Pirates couldn’t get a two-point conversion in the final seconds that would have tied the score) and bowled over a defender to get it. The Hornets ran the ball on every play of their final scoring drive in that 28-26 victory.

We would have Smith higher than Turner in our voting, but not enough to be State Player of the Year. It also should be noted that Akili did get the Silver Pigskin award from TV station KUSI, a San Diego-based outlet that hosts a banquet every year to honor top players in the region.

For the season, Akili had 2,478 yards passing and 24 TDs plus 508 yards rushing and four scores. He came to Lincoln after starting as a freshman at Vista Murrieta of Murrieta in the CIF Southern Section. The Hornets went to the CIF San Diego Section Open Division playoffs in 2023 just like they did in 2022 and 2024, but fell in overtime in the title game to Granite Hills.

The last senior of the year of the state came in 2015 when then junior running back Najee Harris of Antioch was selected Mr. Football State Player of the Year. That was senior running back J.J. Taylor of Corona Centennial. In 2017, Mater Dei’s J.T. Daniels played as a junior all season, but reclassified to the Class of 2018 not long after the CIF state championships and before postseason honors were doled out. There was no senior of the year selected.

Smith did well in 2024 spring and summer camps and showcases where his commitment to Oregon became finalized and he was a participant (one of 24 in the nation) at the annual Elite 11 showcase. He has not been as highly ranked nationally in the Class of 2025 QBs as Smigiel and Folsom’s Ryder Lyons are for the Class of 2026. That doesn’t mean that someday, though, Akili will be doing things in college and beyond superior to any of those nationally in his current class or Smigiel and Lyons. His own dad is proof that much improvement comes after high school.

Ryder Lyons suffered a finger injury on his non-throwing hand in Folsom’s first game this season, but it was another outstanding season for the mobile junior quarterback. Photo: Mark Tennis.

STATE LARGE SCHOOLS PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
RYDER LYONS (FOLSOM)

This is the second straight year in which Ryder has collected a state player of the year honor. Last season, he was the State Sophomore Player of the Year after leading Folsom to the CIF D1-A state championship. We do not have any co-players of the year (never have and never will) but we do look for ways of honoring multiple deserving players and we viewed it as a close call between Brady Smigiel, Ryder, Akili Smith Jr. and a few others for Mr. Football. San Diego Lincoln and Folsom are both large schools but instead of listing Akili twice it became a better option of listing Akili for seniors and Ryder (a junior) for large schools. Smigiel’s team at Newbury Park technically for us this season was medium schools.

After Lyons had that sophomore season in which he passed for 3,578 yards and 38 TDs plus he rushed for 929 yards and 23 scores, the numbers were lower for 2024, but that was mainly since Folsom played two less games. In 13 games, Ryder threw for 3,011 yards and 46 touchdowns. He had 585 yards rushing with 14 scores. For total offense in two seasons, Lyons now has 7,063 yards and 121 touchdowns. There also is one TD catch.

Lyons had a season high of 513 yards passing and eight TDs in a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D1 playoff win vs Downey of Modesto. That also came during an amazing stretch in which he passed for 33 touchdowns in just six games. Folsom and Lyons also had a regular season upset loss (22-21) to Serra of San Mateo that greatly impacted the NorCal season as that turned out to “clear the path” for De La Salle of Concord to eventually get the NorCal spot for the CIF Open Division state final.

In the three major recruiting network national player rankings, Ryder has been near the top of the quarterback lists for the Class of 2026 since the end of last season by Rivals.com, 247 Sports and ESPN. Smigiel has been near the top as well, but others from around the country have been coming up, including North Carolina’s Brandon Faizon (now No. 1 by 247Sports).

Before Folsom played Pittsburg in the CIF D1AA NorCal regional final, Lyons was named the Gatorade State Player of the Year. Due to various deadlines and p.r. commitments, the Gatorade picks are almost always made before the season is over and unlike the NFL and for Heisman Trophy voting most high school honors (such as Mr. Football) are done when all games in a season are played. Ryder didn’t have one of his best games vs Pitt. He had two fumbles and the Pirates rallied from a 21-0 deficit to post a 28-27 win. If either Lyons or Smigiel had led their teams to the CIF D1-AA state title, it would not have been a tough choice for Mr. Football.

Local honors are checked prior to doing all of our statewide player of the year selections. We did not go along with choosing Max Turner of Granite Hills ahead of Akili Smith Jr. in the San Diego Section and also would not agree with the Sacramento Bee choosing Grant of Sacramento defensive end Jeremiah Tuiileila ahead of Lyons.

Unlike Smigiel, who has committed to Florida State, Ryder has not yet made a college commitment. His older brother, Walker, a tight end, played at USC last season, and served a mission with the Mormon church before that. Ryder has publicly stated he intends to do the same. USC is among the many who are on his list of offers. He’s currently playing basketball for a Folsom team that is among the best in the SJS and it will be an interesting spring and summer after that. The Elite 11 with him and Smigiel and probably several other top QBs from California could be epic.

STATE SOPHOMORE OF THE YEAR:
RYAN RAKOWSKI
(PALOS VERDES, PV ESTATES)

It ended up being too hard to deny Ryan from getting this nod after he tied the CIF state championship game record by throwing six touchdown passes to lead Palos Verdes past previously unbeaten Twelve Bridges of Lincoln, 55-19, in the CIF D2-A state championship. That’s a record for all divisions and all state finals that have ever been played. Rakowski tied the record of six first set in 2014 by Jake Browning of Folsom.

It’s obvious that Ryan is not the most highly regarded sophomore quarterback in the state. That would be Brady Edmunds of Huntington Beach, who has committed to Ohio State and had over 3,000 yards passing in less games played than Rakowski. But here’s the rub on why it has to be Ryan. Edmunds and his team from Huntington Beach lost 45-14 to Summit of Fontana in the CIF Southern Section D5 playoffs. Palos Verdes, with Rakowski, won the CIFSS D5 title (same division as Huntington Beach) and then the young man goes on to throw for those six TDs in the state championship.

It wasn’t just the six TD passes that Ryan threw vs Twelve Bridges that stood out. He also completed 20 of 25 passes for 368 yards (one of the highest totals for years in a CIF state final) and he rushed for 53 yards on nine carries. For the season, the Sea Kings’ sophomore passed for 2,809 yards and 24 TDs with six interceptions. He also had an impressive 673 yards rushing with 10 more scores.

Like Edmunds, Rakowski started last season as a freshman. He helped Palos Verdes go 10-0 in the regular season before it lost to eventual CIF D1-AA state champ Mission Viejo in the opening round of the CIFSS D2 playoffs. Rakowski had 1,866 yards passing.

And despite him not possessing the great QB size of a player like Edmunds, Ryan is still growing and he also has definite D1 college interest. He has eight colleges currently showing on his list with offers, including those from Arkansas, Baylor, Ole Miss and SMU.

Rakowski already has been named the CIFSS D5 Offensive Player of the Year and the South Bay Daily Breeze Player of the Year. He’s the first-ever State Sophomore of the Year from Palos Verdes and is the first from the South Bay since Derek Sparks from Banning of Wilmington (LA City Section) in 1988.

QB Koa Mala’ulu operates the St. John Bosco offense as a freshman during CIF Southern Section D1 championship vs Mater Dei. Photo: Scott Kurtz.


STATE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:
KOA MALAU’ULU
(ST. JOHN BOSCO, BELLFLOWER)

This was the easiest among all of this year’s player of the year honors to decide. It had to be Koa after the crazy season he had in becoming the starting quarterback for the Braves midway through the season and how well he did for them in the CIF Southern Section D1 playoffs.

This is only the third year in which we’ve had a State Freshman of the Year. Malau’ulu follows Brady Smigiel of Newbury Park for 2022 and Zac Benitez from Granite Hills of El Cajon for last season.

In the 22 years that Jason Negro has been a head coach at St. John Bosco and Trabuco Hills (Mission Viejo), he had never started a freshman until a game last October between the Braves and nationally ranked Orange Lutheran. It had to be Malau’ulu due to an injury to the team’s No. 1 QB at the time, Matai Fuiava. The young signal caller had played in Bosco’s other games earlier in the season and came up big against the Lancers as he rallied the Braves from several deficits in a 28-24 win. He completed 20 of 22 passes in the second half alone and finished 24 of 32 for 272 yards and four TDs.

Fuiava played the next week in a Trinity League game vs Santa Margarita, but suddenly left the program after that for Kakuku High in Hawaii. Koa took advantage of the opportunity to be the QB1 of the Braves and in his first start in the role (which came in a game played at SoFi Stadium) he passed for 217 yards and three TDs in a league win against Servite of Anaheim.

Reality bit hard in Malau’ulu’s first start going up against national No. 1 Mater Dei of Santa Ana. The Monarchs held him to just 106 yards passing and intercepted him twice in a 59-14 mashing. But he and the Braves didn’t let that game get them down and they were able to fight their way for a rematch in the CIF Southern Section D1 championship. Koa was much improved in that matchup. Mater Dei still won, but the 31-24 score was its closest of the season. Malau’ulu ended 15 of 27 passing for 322 yards and two TDs.

For the season, Malau’ulu wound up with 1,812 yards passing and 19 TDs. He added 40 carries for 202 yards rushing and three scores. He already has several D1 college offers, including Texas Tech and Arizona State. Considering all of the elite receivers coming back next season for Bosco and with a full summer getting ready, Koa figures to be a candidate not just for State Sophomore of the Year for 2025 but perhaps much more.

Robert McDaniel tries break a tackle during game last season vs Ripon. Photo: Sean Kahler / Manteca Bulletin.


STATE SMALL SCHOOLS PLAYER OF YEAR:
ROBERT MCDANIEL
(HUGHSON)

It wasn’t the magical ending that Robert and his Hughson teammates wanted with a loss to St. Vincent de Paul of Petaluma in the CIF D4-AA regional finals, but the UCLA-bound quarterback was noticeably hobbled with an ankle injury and he still did more than enough during a 14-1 season and a three-year career to make him a solid choice to be the annual Cal-Hi Sports State Small Schools Player of the Year.

McDaniel is the first from Hughson High to gain the top small schools player honor in the state. He’s not the first from a small school in the southern part of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section to get it. Just two years ago, two-way standout Ryker Peters of Escalon was the honoree (a player that Robert faced as a sophomore). Louis Bland of Modesto Central Catholic also gained the honor for 2007 and in 2005 there was a quarterback from Hilmar, Nathan Costa (who later played at Oregon and who is the QB from this area that McDaniel has been most compared to), that was selected.

In 13 games played this season (Hughson had to take a forfeit win in one of the scheduled games vs Modesto Christian), Robert passed for 2,889 yards and 34 touchdowns. He likely would have gone over 3,000 yards if the missed game had been played. His season high of 427 yards and five TDs came in a memorable 52-51 shootout win vs Sonora (which would later win the CIF D4-A state title). He had 240 yards and two TDs in a win over Sutter in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D5 championship.

The career totals more separates McDaniel from many other small school quarterbacks. He had 7,860 yards and 96 TDs in 44 games. The yards and TDs will be good enough for career state listings in both categories.

Robert had a commitment to Cal not long after the 2023 season ended. He switched to Arizona when current head coach Brent Brennan got the job there. He didn’t flip to UCLA until a couple of days before this year’s signing date in December (which also was before the season ended). Last June, McDaniel was called off a practice field when a spot opened up at the annual Elite 11 quarterback camp in Southern California. He quickly gathered his things and went down to the camp and by the end of it proved he belonged among many of the other top-ranked QBs in the nation (including San Diego Lincoln’s Akili Smith Jr.).

Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports


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One Comment

  1. Pat Doherty
    Posted January 17, 2025 at 7:49 am | Permalink

    Walker Lyons returned from mission in July this year and played the full season at USC. Since USC is not a big tight end passing team (unlike Georgia), Walker had limited catches this season.

    Thanks for all the great reporting.

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