Future Razorback trio earn Gatorade Player of the Year honors
Three future Razorbacks from Arkansas‘ No. 2-ranked 2026 class have each been selected as the Gatorade Player of the Year in their respective states.
Jordan Smith Jr. (Virginia), along with JJ Andrews (Arkansas) and Abdou Toure (Connecticut) were announced as winners on Friday morning.
Andrews, a 6-foot-6 guard for Little Rock Christian, missed time with an injury during his senior season but still averaged 30.7 points, 16.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 steals while helping the Warriors to the state quarterfinals in Class 5A. He was also named the MaxPreps Arkansas Player of the Year and is a McDonald’s All-American.
Smith is the most recent commitment to the class and is also one of three finalists for Gatorade National Player of the Year. He was selected as the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Boys’ High School Player of the Year on Wednesday and is also a McDonald’s All-American. The 6-foot-3 guard helped St. Paul VI Catholic to a 33-2 record and their fourth state championship in five years while averaging 26.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 3.2 steals per game while shooting 56.0 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from 3-point range and 72.4 percent from the free throw line.
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Toure, a 6-foot-6 wing from Notre Dame High led the Green Knights to a 24-2 record and a berth in the Division I state championship game while averaging 25.1 points and 6 rebounds per contest and shooting over 75% from the floor.
For more information on the Gatorade Player of the Year, click here.
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