6 players named finalists for 2023 All-American Bowl Player of the Year

Here are the six players who have been named finalists for the award this year.

Now that football season is over, it’s time to hand out some hardware. The biggest individual award in high school football is the All-American Bowl Player of the Year award.

Here are the six players who have been named finalists for the award this year, per NBC Sports.

Andrean (Ind.) LB Drayk Bowen

Bowen (6-foot-2, 225 pounds) did a bit of everything in 2022, totaling over 2,000 all purpose yards, 29 touchdowns and 144 total tackles. He’s on his way to Notre Dame next.

Mill Creek (Ga.) DB Caleb Downs

Downs (6-foot-0, 195 pounds) is the top safety in his class and No. 1 overall in Georgia. He also filled out the box score on both sides of the ball, posting 20 rushing touchdowns and 83 total tackles. He will be going to Alabama next year.

American Heritage (Fla.) WR Brandon Inniss

A top-five wideout in the 2023 recruiting cycle, Inniss (6-foot-0, 190 pounds) is joining Ohio State’s potent receiver corps. He racked up 73 catches, 1,336 yards and 15 touchdowns as a receiver and had another 500+ yards as a kick and punt returner.

King (Mich.) QB Dante Moore

A five-star quarterback who’s ranked No. 11 overall in his recruiting class, Moore (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) has flipped and signed with UCLA after initially committing to Oregon.

Manteca (Calif.) LB Blake Nichelson

Nichelson (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) got it done on both ends, posting 41 touchdowns from scrimmage, 4.5 sacks and seven passes defensed. He is on his way to Florida State.

El Campo (Texas) RB Rueben Owens II

Ranked the second-best running back in his class, Owens (5-foot-11, 190 pounds) scored a remarkable 46 rushing touchdowns this season. He has signed with Texas A&M.

The winner will be announced on Friday night, Jan. 6 at the 2023 All-American Bowl Awards Show.

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Breaking: Oregon 4-star LB target Blake Nichelson announces commitment

4-star LB Blake Nichelson, the No. 11 linebacker in the 2023 class, announced his commitment on Tuesday night.

It was a tough break for the Oregon Ducks on the recruiting trail on Tuesday, with 4-star linebacker Blake Nichelson announcing his verbal commitment to the Florida State Seminoles rather than staying on the west coast and coming to Eugene.

While the recruitment was believed to be close, it comes as a bit of a surprise that Nichelson didn’t choose the Ducks, since he did make a trip to Eugene for an unofficial visit over the weekend to see the BYU game.

Nevertheless, Nichelson, who is ranked as the No. 11 linebacker and No. 132 overall player in the 2023 class, will be heading to Tallahassee next year rather than coming to Eugene.

Film

Blake Nichelson’s Recruiting Profile

Wisconsin offers 2023 four-star LB Blake Nichelson

Wisconsin hands out a new scholarship offer to a LB in the 2023 recruiting class:

On Wednesday, Paul Chryst and his coaching staff extended an offer to 2023 four-star outside linebacker Blake Nichelson out of Manteca, California.

Per the 247Sports composite, Nichelson is the No. 245 overall prospect in the 2023 class, the No. 18 LB in the country, and the No. 16 player in California.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pounds LB currently holds offers from Florida State, Oregon, UCLA, Arizona State, California, Nebraska, USC, Utah, Washington, and several other Power 5 schools.

According to MaxPreps, Nichelson ran for 2,231 yards and 36 rushing touchdowns on offense. On Defense, the junior LB totaled 49 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, seven sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception.

You can watch his HUDL film here.

The California native announced his scholarship offer from the University of Wisconsin via his Twitter account:

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