Vote now for the High School On SI Iowa Class 3A high school football regular season player of the year.

Five nominees have been narrowed down from hundreds of worthy candidates for this honor. Along with taking into consideration individual statistics, the High School On SI committee factored in the win-loss record and the importance to the team that each player represented.

Voting will conclude on Friday, November 6, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT. Winners will be revealed once voting has wrapped up.

There will be a separate vote for the player of the year in each class that includes playoff performance and factors in the regular season.

Here are the five nominees for the High School On SI Iowa Class 3A Player of the Year.

Jaxson McIntire, Clear Lake, Senior, Quarterback/Defensive Back

For the second straight season, McIntire led the Lions to an undefeated record and district title. The University of South Dakota commit has completed over 73 percent of his pass attempts for 2,076 yards with 28 touchdowns and just three interceptions. On the ground, McIntire has another 383 yards and nine TDs.

McIntire has been a two-way starter for the past three years, recording 30 tackles with four for loss, an interception and a fumble recovery this fall. He is coming off an impressive five-touchdown game to clinch the district title for Clear Lake.

Maddox Kelley, Solon, Senior, Quarterback/Defensive Back

A year after being an all-state wide receiver, Kelley accepted his role as the starting quarterback this fall. And he has done so with an impressive year. Kelley has completed 79 of 111 for 1,330 yards and 21 touchdowns with just four interceptions.

Kelley has another 843 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns, averaging 12 yards per carry. On defense, he has 19.5 tackles with two tackles for loss, a quarterback sack, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He has also averaged 16.5 yards per punt return.

Ezra Hibma, Sioux Center, Quarterback/Defensive Back, Senior

An impressive dual-threat quarterback, Hibma has thrown for 1,263 yards and run for 1,163. He is completing over 56 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns while rushing for 19 yards with an average of nine yards per carry.

In a 32-30 win over Sioux City Bishop Heelan, Hibma had 203 yards passing with two touchdowns while rushing for 93 yards and two more scores.

Jace Purdum, Creston, Senior, Wide Receiver

Not many players surpassed the 1,000-yard milestone for receiving yards this regular season. Purdum, though, did, catching 60 passes for 1,055 yards and seven touchdowns. He averaged 17.6 yards per reception this past fall.

In the regular season finale for Creston, Purdum caught 12 passes for 197 yards, as the Panthers downed Perry, 48-21.

Adam Malik, Carroll, Senior, Running Back/Defensive Back

The leading rusher in Class 3A, Malik carried the offensive load for the Tigers this fall. He has over 1,500 yards rushing on the season, scoring 24 touchdowns. Malik has helped out in the passing game and averages nearly 40 yards per punt.

In a big regular season win over Lewis Central, Malik went for 213 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries.