Oak Ridge High School senior Tee Higgins, right, was named Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Class 5A Back of the Year during a ceremony at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. Also pictured are Amari Rodgers of Catholic, center, Class 4A Back of the Year, and Cordarrian Richardson of Trezevant, Class 2A Back of the Year. (Photo by ORHS Principal Martin McDonald)
Note: This story was last updated at 5:05 p.m.
Tee Higgins, a senior at Oak Ridge High School, won a Tennessee Titans Mr. Football award for the second year in a row.
Higgins, a Clemson commitment, won the award on Monday at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. He’s the first Oak Ridge football player to win the award in back-to-back years.
Other area players that won Mr. Football awards in Division I were Josh Silvey of Greenback (Class 1A Lineman), Tykee Kellogg of Alcoa (Class 3A Back), Cade Mays of Catholic (Class 4A Lineman), and Amari Rodgers of Catholic (Class 4A Back).
The Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Awards were presented to the top 16 backs and linemen in eight classifications of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, or TSSAA, on Monday, November 28, at Nissan Stadium. The top kicker in the state, regardless of classification, was also recognized with a Mr. Football Award.
Four semifinalists were announced in each category and each classification on November 4. The four semifinalists for Class 5A Back of the Year were Higgins, Caden Harbin of Halls, Jordan Mason of Gallatin, and Jacob Murprhee of Dickson County.
The finalists were announced November 15. Higgins and Mason were the finalists for Class 5A Back of the Year.
Higgins, a 6-foot-5 wide receiver who also plays basketball, had 64 catches for 945 yards and 17 touchdowns during the regular season and first-round playoff game against Walker Valley, which ended Oak Ridge’s season. He became the all-time leader in career receiving yards for the Wildcats during the season-opener against Clinton.
In 2015, when he was also named Mr. Football Class 5A Back of the Year, he had 46 catches for 841 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Higgins, a top football and wide receiver prospect who has also played cornerback and punt returner, is only the second Mr. Football from Oak Ridge. There have been other Mr. Football finalists, but only won other player has won the award. That was Greg Woofter, who won the Lineman award in 1998. The last finalist that didn’t win was Spencer Gulmire in 2005.
A committee of statewide sports writers selected winners based on performance in the 2016 regular season. Academics and character were also taken into consideration. High school head coaches and members of the media nominated the finalists.
There are six classifications in Division I and two in Division II. With “Back of the Year” and “Lineman of the Year” for each classification, as well as the “Kicker of the Year” award, that makes for a total of 17 award categories.
See the 2016 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football semifinalists here.
See the 2016 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football finalists here. Besides area players already mentioned, they included Chase Kuerschen of Catholic for Class 4A Back of the Year, Kayne Roberts of Greenback for Class 1A Back of the Year, and T.D. Blackmon of Maryville for Class 6A Lineman of the Year.
See the 2016 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football winners here.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
Oak Ridge High School senior Tee Higgins was named Mr. Football Class 5A Back of the Year during a ceremony at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. Higgins is pictured above in the Tennessee Titans locker room with his mother, Camillia Stewart. (Photo by ORHS Principal Martin McDonald)
The Tennessee Titans Mr. Football finalists are pictured above at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. (Photo by ORHS Principal Martin McDonald)
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