George Redding got a preview of Jake Harper’s potential during the running back’s sophomore campaign.

And the longtime Fairview football coach knew then that if Harper continued to improve, he’d be tough to stop.

One year later … and it’s hard to disagree.

No question, Harper put together a solid season in 2023, rushing for 1,432 yards and nine touchdowns.

His 2024 numbers, however, blew that production out of the water.

Harper registered 1,988 yards and 29 touchdowns for the Purple and Gold on just 168 carries — good for a sporty average of 11.8 yards per tote — and racked up 49.5 tackles and three sacks on defense, cementing himself as a force on both sides of the ball.

The accolades soon followed.

All-County Overall MVP.

Class 5A All-Region 7 Offensive Skill MVP.

Class 5A All-State first-team running back.

None of those deserving titles surprises Redding — not if he’d been told it would happen before the season, and certainly not after what he saw through 11 games.

“I felt like he was capable of what he did and what he accomplished is well-deserved,” Redding said. “What stood out most to me, though, is how much of a team guy he is. The leadership skills probably impressed me more than his accolades on the field. He was driven, but he wanted everyone to play at another level. That’s something he was passionate about every day at practice.”

Though Redding hopes Harper makes a jump next season similar to his recent one, he knows his soon-to-be senior will begin that process with a team-first mentality.

“There’s no doubt Jake wants to be successful,” the coach said. “I can guarantee you he’s in the weight room and he has his eyes on his individual goals already. But I think it’s less about what he wants to accomplish for himself and more about wanting next year’s team to do better and go further than this year’s team.”

Here’s what some other coaches had to say about Harper — The Times’ 2024 All-Area Player of the Year.

“Physicality — that’s what strikes you out of the gate. He ran with a purpose the night we played him. Same thing on defense. And as a coach who loves the game, you have to respect a guy who does that week in and week out. Trying to game plan on both sides of the ball is hard because of the tools he has and how hard he plays the game.” — Good Hope’s Alan Scott

“He plays hard and plays the game the right way. That’s the big thing to me.” — West Point’s Kevin McCravy

“He is a very, very physical running back with very good speed. He’s a punishing runner and does a great job doing what they ask him to do running the ball. I’ve been very impressed with him the past couple of years. He had a good year as a sophomore and sort of took over this season, especially against us. I also thought it was really impressive that he played every snap on both sides of the ball. He was a guy our coaching staff circled knowing we would have trouble with him all night long.” — Ardmore’s Jonathan Snider

“You can tell he takes care of himself in the weight room and puts in the necessary work. He runs extremely hard behind a good and well-coached offensive line. Him having the year he had was no small feat. He also handled himself well after our game. He’s a respectful kid, one that every coach wishes he had on his team.” — East Limestone’s Will Johnson

See below for capsules of this year’s other top honorees as well as the complete All-Area Football Team.

Editor’s Note: The All-Area Football Team was selected myself after reviewing the 2024 campaign and speaking with both local and non-local football coaches. However, with a limited number of spots available, it’s possible that some deserving candidates were left out.

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Offensive Player of the Year

Name: Tyler Cone

School: Good Hope

Class: Senior

Highlights: Completed 71 of 116 passes for 1,309 yards and 16 touchdowns. Compiled 871 yards and 14 touchdowns on 159 carries. Class 4A All-State (second-team athlete). All-County Offensive MVP. Class 4A All-Region 5 Team.

Coach Speak: “Mr. Consistent. I don’t know if Tyler missed a game in four years. You could always count on him to be ready to go. The way he handled the quarterback position for us this season was phenomenal. He’s a great leader on the field and an outstanding young man.” — Good Hope’s Alan Scott

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Defensive Player of the Year

Name: Landon Bagwell

School: Good Hope

Class: Senior

Highlights: Totaled 114 solo tackles, 55 assisted tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, seven quarterback pressures and a defensive score. Class 4A All-State (first-team linebacker). All-County Defensive MVP. Class 4A All-Region Defensive MVP.

Coach Speak: “When I look back at the season he had, it was the culmination of hard work and effort. He was determined to be a really good linebacker — and he put in the work in the weight room and with speed training. He led from the front and set the example for us defensively.” — Good Hope’s Alan Scott

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Coach of the Year

Name: George Redding

School: Fairview

Highlights: Led the Aggies (10-1) to the Class 5A, Region 7 title en route to the program’s first-ever undefeated regular season.

Player Speak: “Playing for Coach Redding is an incredible experience. I don’t think you can find another coach in the state as dedicated to the game and the team as he is. He consistently brings intensity to every practice and always has your back, even when things aren’t going well. He knows exactly what needs to be done to have a successful season and works every day to make sure it gets done.” — Fairview’s Jake Harper

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The Times’ All-Area Football Team

Offense

QB: Kolt Redding, Fairview

QB: Sawyer Olinger, Holly Pond

RB: Matt Williams, Cold Springs

RB: Cooper Loftin, Cullman

RB: Carson Jones, Fairview

RB: Boston Gibbs, Holly Pond

WR: Cooper Ogstad, Cullman

WR: Zayden Cruce, Fairview

WR: Carter Rutherford, Good Hope

WR: Tucker Malin, Good Hope

WR: Drake Bentley, Hanceville

WR: Bryant Moon, West Point

OL: Bobby Williams, Addison

OL: Eddie Bright, Cold Springs

OL: Brodie Cobbs, Cullman

OL: Germaine Gambrill, Fairview

OL: Andrew Latham, Fairview

OL: Jathan Smith, Good Hope

OL: Diego Arreguin, Holly Pond

OL: Levi Burch, Vinemont

TE: Tucker Robinson, Vinemont

ATH: Elijah Roberts, Addison

ATH: Mason Drake, Good Hope

ATH: Ashton Hurst, Hanceville

ATH: Kayden Henderson, Vinemont

K: Robert Rodriguez, Good Hope

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Defense

DL: JC Patterson, Cullman

DL: Kaleb Carr, Fairview

DL: Blake Rickard, Fairview

DL: Callahan Lindsay, Good Hope

DL: Eli Akin, Hanceville

DL: Sylar Philyaw, West Point

LB: Kaden Dyson, Addison

LB: Clayton Terry, Cold Springs

LB: Ben Conway, Cullman

LB: Kamron Myers, Cullman

LB: Colby Bentley, Fairview

LB: Rush Sandlin, Vinemont

LB: Connor Crawford, West Point

DB: Troy Mann, Cullman

DB: Jace Stevens, Fairview

DB: Hank Hudson, Good Hope

DB: Tyler Byrd, Good Hope

DB: Hayden Robinson, Vinemont

P: Hunter Hensley, West Point

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Honorable Mention

Addison: Brye Dollar (OL), Bradley Willette (DL), Jaxson Williams (LB)

Cold Springs: Trey Bailey (OL/DL), Bailey Gann (OL/DL), Bennett Phillips (OL)

Cullman: Mack Dumas (DL), Preston Gay (QB), Miles Smith (OL)

Fairview: Avery Latham (OL/DL), Jacob Mayo (OL/DL), Conner Scott (DB)

Good Hope: Brayden Cofer (OL), Isaiah Owen (OL), Cody Stevens (LB)

Hanceville: Hunter Black (QB), Brodie Butts (OL/DL), Zavier Malcom (DB)

Holly Pond: Zayne Faulkner (RB/LB), Kyrian Grazer (OL/DL), Brayden Ivey (OL)

Vinemont: Rylan McRae (OL/H), Roman Romero (OL), Jonny Valero (DL)

West Point: Julio Fuentes (LB), Ollie Howell (RB), Titan Thornton (LB)