CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The winner of the 2022 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Award was announced at Nissan Stadium on Wednesday, and it’s Clarksville Academy’s DJ Merriweather.

Merriweather, who has also been named Clarksville Now Player of the Year, helped lead Clarksville Academy to a 7-4 record while clinching a playoff berth during the 2022-23 season.

The senior quarterback broke the record for most passing yards in a season for a Clarksville Academy quarterback. Meanwhile, Merriweather helped two of his receivers, Jacques Wyatt III and Cooper Wallace, break the all-time receiving yards record at their school.

Clarksville Academy Head Coach Scott Murray shared on Twitter just how proud of Merriweather he is.

“Here he is Cougar Nation. Mr. Football DJ Merriweather of Clarksville Academy. Mr. Football on the field, in the classroom and in life. I will never be able to explain what you mean to me, my family and our program. You are Clarksville Academy, E.L.I.T.E and you are my son.”

2022-23 statistics

After breaking down the numbers, it’s clear why Merriweather came away with the Mr. Football Award. He accounted for 3,259 yards on the season, which includes passing for 2,211 yards and rushing for 1,048 yards.

In addition, Merriweather threw for 30 passing touchdowns and ran in for 14 rushing touchdowns. That means he accounted for 44 touchdowns for the Cougars during this past year.

Jared Curtis out of Nashville Christian School and Kevin Finch out of University School of Jackson were the other two finalists for the Division II, Class A Mr. Football award. According to Max Preps, the data below showcases their statistics on the year and how they compared to Merriweather.

Quarterback: Jared Curtis, Nashville Christian School – Curtis accounted for 2,766 total yards, which includes 2,285 passing yards and 481 rushing yards. The freshmen quarterback also threw 27 touchdowns on the year and rushed into the endzone for 7 rushing touchdowns.

Running Back: Kevin Finch, University School of Jackson – Finch ran 188 times for 1,648 yards and scored 22 rushing touchdowns. He also had 16 receptions for 160 yards and 4 receiving touchdowns.