Choose AL.com’s Male Athlete of the Year; our picks, your votes
AL.com wants to hear your choice for the annual Athlete of the Year awards.
The AL.com staff has selected 11 finalists for the Male Athlete of the Year award, with fans being able to make their choices.
Athletes of the year from the Huntsville, Birmingham and Mobile areas have already been selected with eight other selections from across the state being added to the mix for overall athlete of the year.
Voting is open until Saturday evening. Female Athlete of the Year voting will open on Tuesday and will close on Sunday.
Fans can cast their votes at the survey at the bottom of the page. Make sure to click “submit” to ensure your votes are counted. If you can’t see the survey below, click the link below.
Here are your choices for AL.com Male Athlete of the Year:
Landon Duckworth, Jackson
AL.com’s pick for Coastal Male Athlete of the Year brought home plenty of championships for Jackson this season, including a Class 4A football championship, a basketball title and helping the 4X100 meter relay team bring home some hardware. On the football field, the Class 4A Back of the Year threw for 3,439 yards and 39 touchdowns while running for 648 yards and 12 touchdowns. He averaged 11 points and 6 rebounds for the Aggies on the basketball court and was an honorable mention Coastal Alabama All-Region basketball selection.
Luke Gilbert, Pisgah
The Huntsville Times Football Player of the Year was a first team all-state pick in three different sports for Class 2A as a senior. The Jax State tight end signee threw for 1,564 yards and 17 touchdowns for Pisgah while running for 1,444 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground, also being a finalist for Class 2A Back of the Year. In basketball, he was a first team all-state pick as he averaged 19.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game for a Pisgah team that advanced to the Northeast Regional, finishing with over 1,000 career points. He was also a first team all-state pick at infielder for baseball, batting .469 with six doubles, eight triples and four home runs.
Danilo Stojakovic, Tuscaloosa Academy
The Class 2A Player of the Year in boys basketball averaged 25.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game for a Tuscaloosa Academy team that finished as the 2A runner-up. He was named to the all-tournament team and was MVP of the regional tournament. He also played on the Class 1A-3A runner-up boys soccer team, scoring a goal in the state championship game against Collinsville.
Alvin Henderson, Elba
Now with the Auburn Tigers, Henderson ran for 3,456 yards and 61 touchdowns during his senior season with Elba to claim Class 1A Back of the Year honors for the third time. He also claimed Alabama state player of the year honors from Gatorade and MaxPreps. He became the AHSAA’s leading rusher with 10,766 yards and leading scorer with 1,222 total points, holding 15 total records.
William Numnum, Northridge
Numnum won his second straight AHSAA boys decathlon title with 6,637 points, winning the 100-meter dash (11.08), pole vault (14 feet, 11 inches), and discus throw (146 feet, 9 inches). He also won the Class 6A boys pole vault (15-00.00) at the indoor state championships. He has signed with Ole Miss.
Camren Thompson, Southside-Gadsden
The UAB soccer signee was named Gatorade Player of the Year in soccer after helping lead the Panthers to a 22-5-1 record and a Class 6A state championship as a senior. He finished with 47 goals and nine assists for Southside and had four straight hat tricks heading into a state title game, scoring all three goals in a 3-2 semifinal win over Gardendale. He finished his career with 128 goals and 31 assists for Southside.
Eric Moore, Huntsville
The University of Virginia signee was named Huntsville Times Male Athlete of the Year as a senior with a stellar career at Huntsville High. The Gatorade Player of the Year was a three-time all-state selection and the 2024 Class 7A cross country champ, also holding the program records in the 5K, the 2-mile run, the mile run and the 800-meter run. His 14:52.81 finish in the 2024 cross country state championships led his team to its ninth title and fifth of the past seven.
Rollie Pinto, Piedmont
Pinto hauled in an AHSAA-record 1,826 yards and 22 touchdowns last season with the Bulldogs’ football team, claiming first team all-state honors and being named a Class 3A Back of the Year finalist. Piedmont advanced to the Class 3A semifinals before falling to eventual champion Mars Hill. He also averaged 17.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2 assists per game on the basketball team, which made a Northeast Regional championship appearance.
Eric Hines, American Christian
The Alabama signee helped lead American Christian to a Class 5A state championship as a senior, also claiming Gatorade Player of the Year and ASWA Class 5A Player of the Year honors. He hit .438 with 20 home runs and 58 RBIs while scoring 66 runs for the Patriots, which finished 34-14-1 after rallying from a one-game deficit to win the state title series over St. Paul’s.
Conner Nelson, Leeds
AL.com’s pick for Birmingham Male Athlete of the Year shined in both football and baseball for Leeds as a senior. Signed to play football with Southeastern Louisiana, Nelson was a Class 5A Back of the Year finalist after throwing for 1,224 yards and 11 touchdowns while running for 1,818 yards and 35 touchdowns at quarterback for the Green Wave, which advanced to the state semifinals. He helped lead Leeds’ baseball team to the third round of the state playoffs with a .427 batting average, 45 RBIs, eight home runs and a 1.322 OPS.
Jayden Parks, Brantley
The Class 1A Player of the Year in basketball was a first-team all-state pick and surpassed 2,000 career points for the Bulldogs. A Gadsden State signee, Parks averaged 28.3 points, 65 rebounds and 6.2 assists for Brantley to lead the team to a Class 1A runner-up finish; he scored 44 points in what would be his final game. On the baseball team, Parks batted .600 with a 1.503 OPS and was a first team all-state pick at infielder in Class 1A.
If you can’t see the survey above, click here to cast your vote.