USA TODAY High School Sports is unveiling the 2015 American Family Insurance ALL-USA Coach of the Year, Offense and Defense for football this week, with the ALL-USA State teams to follow next week.
The Defensive Player of the Year is selected as part of the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Football Team.
VIDEO: Meet the ALL-USA Defense
MORE: ALL-USA First Team Defense
MORE: ALL-USA Second Team Defense
THE OFFENSE: See the ALL-USA Offense
COACH OF THE YEAR: Matt Logan, Centennial (Corona, Calif.)
Rashan Gary , defensive lineman at Paramus Catholic, is the ALL-USA Defensive Player of the Year (Adam Hunger, USA TODAY Sports)
PLAYER PROFILE:
Rashan Gary
Position: Defensive lineman
Height, weight: 6-5, 293
School: Paramus Catholic, Paramus, N.J.
Age: 18
College choice: Uncommitted
Details: Had 13 1/2 sacks and 55 tackles in nine games and forced four fumbles and returned a blocked punt for a touchdown. He is the consensus No. 1 recruit in the 2016 class.
Last time teams tried to single-block me: “The first two games of my freshman year. After that second game, I started getting double-teamed.”
Love of the game: “I started playing football because it was fun and I liked watching it on TV. I never thought I would take it this far. I never knew that I that was good at football. I just thought when they moved me up to varsity when I was a freshman that was supposed to happen. I never knew how good I was until I got to my sophomore year.”
Dream car: “An all-blacked out Ford F150.”
First car I drove: “A 2014 Honda Civic. That’s not bad.”
I wear my number because: “My junior year, I was going to come in wearing No. 55, but my summer before that year, they told me I would have to play some fullback and tight end. I had to change my number. I started thinking about what number I could wear besides 55 and I called my mother and she started talking numbers. She said that her and my sister’s favorite number was three, so I got 33.” Gary’s preference was to wear No. 3 as a junior, but that was taken by a senior. He switched to No. 3 for his final season.
Rashan Gary has a rigorous routine with personal trainers (Photo: Noah K. Murray, USA TODAY Sports)
Favorite teacher: “My teacher for fourth through sixth grade. Her name was Mrs. (Ruth) Wright at Cook Elementary (in Plainfield). She’s the one who told me to do a sport because I had anger management problems and she told me that would relieve some of my anger. But then, I found out I was too big to play with other kids. Because of what she put in my head, though, I started thinking about playing.”
Favorite superhero: “Maybe Batman, because he’s sneaky, comes in the dark and comes and gets you.”
Favorite read: “I’m reading The Lovely Bones. That’s my favorite book right now and I have three more chapters to go. It’s sad, but it’s a good book.”
On fitness: “I’m working on it right now, but by the end of my freshman year, I’ll have a six-pack (abs).”
BLAST FROM THE PAST
Click below to view the past 10 ALL-USA Defensive Players of the Year