Dolphins Name Derek Wingo High School Football Player of the Year

The Miami Dolphins seem to be improving week-to-week on the football field. But what remains consistently stellar is their work within the South Florida community. On Sunday, the Dolphins announced the winner of this year’s Play Football High School Player of the Year award. The winner, Derek Wingo, is a senior at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School.

I had a chance to meet Derek on Sunday and he seems to be an exceptional young man, ready to take his talents up to coast to play for the Florida Gators. Derek is a 6’2″, 210 lb linebacker for Saint Thomas Aquinas and raved about the teachings of his current coach, former Dolphins (and Hall of Famer), Jason Taylor!

Derek was heavily recruited by teams like Auburn, Penn State, and Florida. Helping Derek excel as a linebacker was his experience at a former position….quarterback. He said that playing quarterback allows him to think and anticipate the way an offensive player would. He sees the field differently than other defensive players, which allows him to diagnose plays faster than the average player.

We wish Derek the best of luck for the remainder of his time at Saint Thomas Aquinas and next year at the University of Florida.

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