Who is the fans’ choice to the preseason All-South Mississippi Football Team?
High school football is just one month away from returning to the Mississippi Coast.
The new campaign is shaping up to be a compelling one, with rising stars clashing with established prospects across the area.
Now is your chance to write the prologue for the season’s story and name the Sun Herald Fan’s Choice Preseason Player of the Year. Ten players from 10 schools are up for the honor and will be spotlighted in the upcoming All-South Mississippi preseason team.
The poll is not an exact science and you can vote as many times as you like. The poll closes at noon on July 29.
Get to know the players here:
- ATH Jordan Walley, D’Iberville: Walley was impossible to miss as a sophomore. He threw nine touchdown passes, rushed for three more scores and picked off five passes at corner.
- RB Branden Gautier, George County: Gautier was George County’s first 1,000 yard rusher in a decade as a junior and will be the centerpiece of the Rebel offense this season.
- RB Cooper Crosby, Gulfport: The only player in his district who matched Crosby’s 7.6 yards per carry in 2024 was teammate Dakoreyon Payton. With the latter graduated, Crosby is set to take on a bell cow role.
- QB Kaison Koenenn, Hancock: Koenenn was an electric spark plug for the Hawks a year ago, leading all Coast quarterbacks in rushing with 1,270 yards and 15 scores. Now he’s paired with a new offensive-first head coach in Michael King.
- QB Sharroid Whitehead, Ocean Springs: Whitehead took over quarterback duties in district play and led the Greyhounds to another region title with 1,061 rushing yards, 669 passing yards and 21 touchdowns responsible for.
- DB Tylan Wilson, Pascagoula: One of the top prospects in the state and freshly committed to Texas A&M, Wilson was a disruptive force as a junior with six interceptions and three forced fumbles.
- QB Paris Trivillion, Pass Christian: Trivillion only a few months of quarterback training heading into his sophomore season, but was still one of four Coast quarterbacks over 2,000 passing yards and added 767 yards on the ground with 27 total touchdowns.
- EDGE Nolan Wilson, Picayune: Wilson has one varsity season under his belt and his already a top-100 ranked prospect and an Alabama commit. The rising senior had six sacks and seven forced fumbles in 2024.
- RB Ty Keys, Poplarville: Keys is among the state’s top prospects in the 2027 class and is coming off a season that saw him rush for 565 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing eight games due to a shoulder injury.
- RB Jordan Stapleton, West Harrison: Stapleton doesn’t need his senior season to leave as the most prolific rusher in West Harrison’s short history, but the back has more to add to his 3,000-plus yard Hurricane career.
This story was originally published July 21, 2025 at 3:14 PM.
Scott Watkins
Sun Herald