FHSAA: Tampa Jefferson wins first state title, beating Miami Norland 44-34 in the Class 3A football final

Jefferson quarterback Quentin Williams (oral commitment to Bethune-Cookman) runs for two touchdowns and throws for three more.

Quentin Williams was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Football Friday afternoon. Then he went out and showed the announced crowd of 2,908 at the Citrus Bowl for the Class 3A Florida High School Athletic Association football final exactly why he deserved the award.

Williams ran for two touchdowns and threw for three more as Tampa Jefferson (15-0) defeated Miami Norland (13-2) 44-34 to win its first state championship in a game stopped with 3 seconds remaining after a fight broke out. Williams finished with 73 yards rushing and connected on 11-of-16 passes for 151 yards.

"It's a great feeling, a great blessing," Williams said about being Florida's top football player. "But, it's even better to know that we are state champions."

JEFFERSON'S WILLIAMS WINS STATE'S TOP FOOTBALL AWARD

Quentin Williams has made a verbal commitment to Bethune-Cookman University, his mother's alma mater, but said he's planning January recruiting trips to Ohio University and Florida International University.

Jefferson High senior quarterback Quentin Williams was named Florida's Mr. Football on Friday, becoming the third Hillsborough County player in history to win the state's highest honor.

Williams, the Class 3A player of the year, had 137 points in a vote of high-school football coaches and media representatives, outdueling Demetrius Hart of Class 6A Orlando Dr. Phillips (128 points). Plant running back/defensive player James Wilder, the top Class 5A player, was third with 119 points.

Other Hillsborough County players to become Mr. Football were Robinson running back Zain Gilmore (1997) and Plant quarterback Robert Marve (2006).

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Jefferson H.S. QB Quentin Williams commits to Bethune-Cookman

The recruitment of Jefferson quarterback Quentin Williams took an unexpected turn this weekend when the Dragons senior orally committed to Division I-AA Bethune-Cookman University. Williams, who is in the middle of what could be the most prolific passing season by a Hillsborough County quarterback, struggled to get on the Division I-A recruiting radar, but appeared to be drawing more interest recently.

Jefferson coach Mike Fenton described Williams' commitment as a soft verbal, but said Williams committed while attending Bethune-Cookman's homecoming win over Delaware State. "I think he still wants to take other visits and see if something else big comes up, but I guess he went up there and was talking with some of the other recruits and decided to commit," Fenton said.

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Tampa Jefferson QB Quentin Williams has big arm, wins games, yet has just 4 offers

Quentin Williams, an upcoming senior, was the 3A Florida state high school player of the year in 2009, recording 35 touchdown passes and 3,495 passing yards, completed 64 percent of his passes and had just 10 interceptions in 304 pass attempts in an 11-2 season. Williams says he WANTS TO ATTEND an HBCU. "I'm 6-foot even. It is what it is," said Williams, who is not at all interested in playing anything other than QB at the next level."

He has scholarship offers for Towson State, Central Florida, Florida International and Purdue.

At the Orlando EA Sports Elite 11 QB Camp earlier this spring, Tampa Jefferson quarterback Quentin Williams was zipping balls all over the field, drilling them into the hands of would-be receivers, most of whom dropped the ball out of sheer shock at the velocity. He was drawing oohs and aahs and players and coaches were asking, "Who's that?" Indeed.

Fast forward to the April Steve Clarkson Dreammakers QB Challenge at the Citrus Bowl, and yet again he opened some eyes. During one drill, a receiver complained that the QBs weren't throwing the ball hard enough. Somebody hollered over at Williams, "Hey Q, did you hear that? They said you guys aren't throwing hard enough." Williams just grinned.

On his next rep, he effortlessly fired a 20-yard out at a receiver's chest. It was almost as if the receiver's hands were there for protection, not for catching. The ball sent the receiver back a few steps and more people were asking, "Who was that?" THAT is the 3A Florida state high school player of the year from last year. THAT is a player everyone should know by now, but it seems no one does. Williams put up gaudy stats and led the Dragons to the state semifinals before losing to eventual state champion Pensacola in 2009.



Tampa Jefferson High School 6-0/185 star quarterback Quentin Williams states, "I'm open right now and I would actually like to experience a black college," Williams said, but when asked if he was thinking MEAC or a similar level of university, he said, "Right now I really don't care what it is. I just want to go to school and get a good education."

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