After dominant seasons in football and basketball for state championship squads at Reidsville (N.C.), Kendre Harrison has been named 2023-24 Male National Athlete of the Year.
The sophomore used his 6-foot-7, 245-pound frame and athleticism to captivate capacity crowds, earning MaxPreps Sophomore All-America status in both sports.
On the football field his whereabouts are the top priority for both starting quarterbacks. His signal-caller loves to put it in a spot where only Harrison can haul it in. The opposing quarterback keeps his eye on the towering defensive end at all times in an attempt to avoid his relentless pursuit of a sack.
When Harrison hits the hardwood, he collects points, rebounds and blocked shots at a rate that would make Victor Wembanyama envious.
During the 2023-24 high school sports year, Harrison came up big when it mattered most for his Reidsville teams.
Last December in the Class 2A football state championship, he had five catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns, adding a sack and pass deflection on defense in a 28-18 win.
A few months later in the basketball state championship game, he piled up 19 points, 17 rebounds and five blocked shots as the Rams beat perennial powerhouse Farmville Central 78-77 in overtime.
Harrison joins a list of past MaxPreps Male National Athletes of the Year that includes Terrelle Pryor, Derrick Henry and Patrick Mahomes.
247Sports rates Harrison as the No. 6 overall football prospect in the Class of 2026 as a tight end, where he hauled in 62 passes for 940 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall. As a defensive end, he added 76 tackles, nine sacks and eight pass deflections.
Harrison is not far behind in hoops, garnering four-star status as the No. 25 overall prospect. He produced 19.4 points, 15.1 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots per game for the state champs.
Reidsville football coach Erik Teague played at Reidsville two decades ago and was teammates with Jerome Simpson, who went on to catch 150 passes across eight NFL seasons.
“Kendre and Jerome have a lot of similarities,” Teague said. “Jerome was pretty explosive and one of those guys on the football field and on the basketball court who was really exciting. Probably the closest thing we’ve seen to what we have in Kendre.
“Kendre is a lot more heavily recruited.”
Harrison holds offers from 28 schools. Florida State, North Carolina State and Texas A&M have offered him in both sports.
Reidsville runs in Harrison’s blood. His uncle C.C. Harrison won a state basketball crown with the Rams in 1994 before leading North Carolina State in scoring and 3-point percentage from 1996-98.
Kendre’s older brother Stevion Harrison played running back and linebacker for the 2019 Reidsville state title team.
Stevion along with C.C. and Kendre’s father got the balls rolling for him when he was around 4 years old. More than a decade later many of his basketball and football teammates are still playing with him today.
“Our chemistry is really good,” Harrison said. “Going out every Friday night for football, or every game for basketball, knowing we have an opportunity to do something great for the community is definitely a blessing. It’s a great thing to be able to do that with friends and people you grew up with.”
Harrison considered life as a single-sport athlete when he entered high school.
“Going into my freshman year I didn’t even know if I was going to play football,” Harrison said. “I didn’t like football so they drug me out to the football field.”
It didn’t take long for Harrison to make an impact. In his first varsity game he had two sacks. The next week 10 tackles.
After catching two passes in the first three games of his career, Harrison exploded and hauled in four touchdowns over the next three games. Reidsville went on a playoff run that included a highlight reel moment.
“In the semifinal game he went up over three defenders in the end zone and made a touchdown catch in a really big part of the game,” Teague said.
Reidsville fell in the state title game but Harrison had left his mark with five touchdowns and nine sacks as a freshman.
Two days later he was playing in his first varsity basketball game and he scored 19 points. He had a double-double every game during his freshman season as the Rams reached the state title game.
Harrison was a MaxPreps Freshman All-America selection in both sports. When the off-season arrived he was ready to work.
“I was getting my body mentally and physically ready for the upcoming year,” Harrison said. “Working on what I can do after I catch the ball, working on my footwork and my speed.”
As a sophomore, the work paid off. Harrison had six games where he had at least one sack and one touchdown reception. In the final three playoff games he combined to catch five touchdowns while sacking the quarterback four times.
Less than two years after being talked into playing football, his mind has changed.
“I love football,” Harrison said.
In Reidsville, basketball season normally starts after football ends. In this case, the first practice was less than 10 hours after Harrison scored two touchdowns in the Dec. 9 state title game.
As a sophomore the numbers he put up were monstrous – 31 rebounds one night, nine blocks in another. A walk-off slam dunk in another.
The slam came Feb. 13 against Morehead. With 4:50 to play in the fourth quarter, he caught a pass in stride from Dionte Neal on a fastbreak, drove toward the rim and finished with a two-handed slam that destroyed the backboard. He crashed to the floor with shards of glass falling around him.
With Reidsville up 63-43, the game was called. As Harrison got up unscathed, his teammates and the capacity crowd were already celebrating in a frenzy.
“We won,” Harrison said with a chuckle.
Harrison also wins in the classroom where his favorite subject is math.
“Math really ties into aerospace engineering,” Harrison said. “That’s what I want to major in and be when I grow up after football and basketball.”
This off-season he is back to work, looking to get stronger and faster for the upcoming football season kicking off in August.
Other Male Athlete of the Year Nominees
Flory Bidunga, Sr., Kokomo (Ind.)
Bidunga averaged 19.0 points, 12.9 rebounds and 4.4 blocked shots per game while shooting 81 percent from the field on a squad that reached the state final. In soccer he tallied eight goals as the Wildkats reached the state playoffs.
Terry Bussey, Sr., Timpson (Texas
Headed to Texas A&M for football, Bussey is a multi-sport star. He could fill up the stat sheet in basketball, going for 33 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists in a January game. On the gridiron, he threw for 24 touchdowns and ran for 17 more, leading the Bears to their first state crown.
Jackson Cantwell, So., Nixa (Mo.)
The 6-foot-8, 300-pound five-star tackle paved the way for a rushing attack that averaged 7.6 yards per carry and went 11-1. His best sport may be track and field, where he won state titles in discus and shot put.
Dakorien Moore, Jr., Duncanville (Texas)
The No. 1-ranked wide receiver in the Class of 2025 helped Duncanville to a state championship after catching 65 passes for 1,303 yards and 15 touchdowns. The speedster went to the Class 6A state championships in four track events, including a title-winning 4×200 relay with teammates Brayden Williams, Caden Durham and Ayson Theus.
Elyiss Williams, Jr., Camden County (Kingsland, Ga.)
Five-star tight end caught 25 passes for 530 yards and seven touchdowns as Camden County went to the 7A semifinals. On the basketball court he averaged 15.4 points and 10.7 boards for a 21-7 squad.
PAST WINNERS
- 2007-08 — Terrelle Pryor, Jeannette (Pa.)
- 2008-09 — Garrett Gilbert, Lake Travis (Austin, Texas)
- 2009-10 — Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest (Springfield, Mo.)
- 2010-11 — Kasen Williams, Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)
- 2011-12 — Anthony Alford, Petal (Miss.)
- 2012-13 — Derrick Henry, Yulee (Fla.)
- 2013-14 — Patrick Mahomes, Whitehouse (Texas)
- 2014-15 — Kyler Murray, Allen (Texas)
- 2015-16 — Lonzo Ball, Chino Hills (Calif.)
- 2016-17 — Tim Tawa, West Linn (Ore.)
- 2017-18 — Jordyn Adams, Green Hope (Cary, N.C.)
- 2018-19 — Joe Girard III, Glen Falls (N.Y.)
- 2019-20 — Jalen Suggs, Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis, Minn.)
- 2020-21 — Lebbeus Overton, Milton (Ga.)
- 2021-22 — Aaron Graves, Southeast Valley (Gowrie, Iowa)
- 2022-23 — Sammy Brown, Jefferson (Ga.)
