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As part of our end-of-season all-state awards, SBLive will recognize the top players and coaches in Texas high school football for their phenomenal performances during the 2021 season.

The following 12 standout student-athletes have been selected as finalists for SBLive’s 2021 Texas Football Defensive Player of the Year, which honors the state’s most valuable defensive player on the gridiron.

The winners of SBLive's Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Coach of the Year awards will be unveiled the week of Jan. 24, along with SBLive’s 2021 All-State Texas Football teams.

But before we unveil our winners, we want your opinion: Who do you think should be the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year?

Cast your vote below.

Players listed in alphabetical order.

FINALISTS FOR SBLIVE’S 2021 TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:

Sean Burks (Cuero) — 270 total tackles [83 solo], six sacks, four pass deflections, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one blocked punt in 15 GP

Mark Champion (Mission Veterans) — 88 total tackles [36 solo], 28 TFLs, 15 sacks, six forced fumbles, four pass deflections, one fumble recovery, one interception and one defensive TD in 12 GP

Jeremiah Cooper (El Paso Andress) — 55 total tackles [35 solo], nine interceptions, three TFLs, one pass deflection, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one blocked punt in 10 GP

Jordan Crook (Duncanville) — 128 total tackles, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and two defensive TDs in 16 GP

David “DJ” Hicks Jr (Allen) — 88 total tackles, 22 TFLs and 13 sacks in 14 GP

Anthony Hill Jr. (Denton Ryan) — 131 total tackles [91 solo], 18 TFLs, eight sacks, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and two defensive TDs in 14 GP

Anthony “AJ” Holmes (Spring Westfield) — 96 total tackles [52 solo], 26 TFLs, 16 sacks, three forced fumbles, two pass deflections, one interception, one fumble recovery, one defensive TD and one blocked punt in 13 GP

Carter Johnson (Amarillo) — 206 total tackles [41 solo], 6.5 TFLs, 5.5 sacks, four pass deflections, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 12 GP

Da’Marion Medlock (Mart) — 256 total tackles [58 solo], eight pass deflections, six TFLs, six forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, two interceptions, one blocked punt and one defensive TD in 15 GP

Austin Reed (Mount Vernon) — 142 total tackles, 50 TFLs, 11 sacks, three fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one pass deflection in 15 GP

Jaxson Slanker (College Station) — 194 total tackles, 12 TFLs, five sacks, four pass deflections, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception in 16 GP

Kentrell Webb (Katy Paetow) — 44 total tackles [36 solo], 10 interceptions, six pass deflections, six TFLs, three defensive TDs, one sack and one fumble recovery in 10 GP