2023 Indiana Mr. Football race has no clear-cut favorite. Here are a dozen in the mix.

INDIANAPOLIS — Andrean’s Drayk Bowen went into last season as the frontrunner to win IndyStar Mr. Football … and the two-way star and Notre Dame commit won the award for the state’s top high school football senior over Center Grove running back Micah Coyle and Evansville Mater Dei quarterback Mason Wunderlich.

Who is the frontrunner going into this season? There might not be a favorite to the extent of Bowen, the two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Indiana, but here are 12 potential candidates with the start of the season less than a month away:

Jalen Alexander, Hamilton Southeastern

The 5-11, 190-pound Ball State commit was a driving force behind Hamilton Southeastern’s rise to No. 1 in Class 6A going into the semistate. The Royals lost that game and finished 12-1 but return several key players from that team, including Alexander, who rushed for 1,533 yards and 15 TDs as a junior, including 200-yard games in the sectional championship and regional. Alexander and the Royals open the season at home against Carroll, a potential window into HSE’s chances to make a run to Lucas Oil Stadium. If the Royals get there and Alexander puts up similar statistics, he should be in the conversation for Mr. Football.

IHSAA football preview: These dozen players are primed for a breakout season

Top Guns: Area quarterbacks to watch for 2023 season

Tyler Cherry, Center Grove

The 6-5 Cherry, a Duke recruit, could follow in the footsteps of Carson Steele, who won Mr. Football in 2020, and become the second Center Grove player to win the award. In his first year as a starter, Cherry completed 65% of his passes for 2,269 yards and a 22-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He also rushed for four TDs. Center Grove might be a better team this season than last and Cherry figures to be improved with a year of experience as a starter under his belt. The tough part is that the schedule — starting with five difficult out-of-state opponents — is more daunting than ever. But even if the record and overall statistics are not as eye-popping as last year, Center Grove will again be the 6A favorite and Cherry is a big reason why.

Patrick Clacks III, Crown Point

Clacks is the first of four receivers listed here. He moves over to Crown Point from Andrean, where he caught 78 passes for 1,138 yards and 14 TDs as a junior on a team that went 10-4 and reached the Class 2A state championship game. Clacks caught 51 passes for 753 yards and five TDs as a sophomore on a 2A state title team. He joins a Crown Point team that went 10-0 last season before losing to Lafayette Jeff in a Class 6A sectional championship. Clacks is uncommitted, but has offers from Army, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Cal, Central Michigan, Columbia, Dartmouth, Eastern Michigan, Iowa, Northern Illinois, Pitt, Princeton, Yale and others.

Noah Coy, Center Grove

There are more highly-touted receivers on this list, but the 5-11, 170-pound Coy, a Cincinnati baseball recruit, had as good of a junior year as anyone. Coy caught 61 passes for 1,147 yards and 13 touchdowns last season for the Class 6A state champions, including five 100-yard games. With Cherry (above) returning at quarterback, the quarterback-receiver connection should be a major weapon for the Trojans’ offense. Coy is probably down the list due to the presence of other big-time receivers and even his own quarterback, but deserves mention, especially if Center Grove can win a fourth consecutive state title.

Thomas Gotkowski, Ben Davis

The 6-1, 190-pound Gotkowski, a Miami of Ohio recruit, is coming off a strong junior season that saw him complete 63% of his passes for 2,341 yards and 24 TDs with eight interceptions. He also ran for 107 yards and four TDs in nine games for a team that went 6-4 and lost in the first round of the sectional. Three of his four top receiving targets are gone to graduation, but Gotkowski has a good group returning around him. Ben Davis is a capable of making a deep tournament run, though getting through Brownsburg in the sectional figures to again be a challenge.

Mylan Graham, New Haven

The 6-1, 185-pound Graham is a serious talent. The five-star wide receiver and Ohio State recruit is ranked as the top prospect in the state and a top-20 national recruit by the recruiting services. He picked the Buckeyes over offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and many others. Graham had excellent statistics as a junior, catching 48 passes for 1,149 yards and 13 TDs, but Class 4A New Haven was just 5-5 and lost to DeKalb in the first round of the sectional. For Graham to put his name in the ring, he will need to help the Bulldogs to more success. He is a phenomenal talent. Just check the tape.

Brauntae Johnson, Fort Wayne North Side

Johnson, a four-star prospect and Notre Dame recruit, helped North Side improved from 2-7 in 2021 to 8-3 last season and nearly the program’s first sectional championship since 1990 (a 25-21 loss to Fort Wayne Snider in Class 5A). Johnson caught 69 passes for 1,081 yards and 16 TDs as a junior and also ran for a TD. For his career, Johnson has 134 receptions for 1,974 yards and 26 TDs and also returns punts and kicks. Johnson, also a standout on the basketball court, has 53 career tackles, four fumble recoveries and four caused fumbles.

Khobie Martin, Fishers

The 6-foot, 200-pound Martin, a Miami of Ohio commit, is one of four running backs on this list. As a junior, Martin rushed for 1,194 yards (7.2 yards per carry) and 16 TDs on a team that went 7-4. Fishers is probably going to have to get through rival Hamilton Southeastern to win the sectional. If that happens, Martin could have a shot at the position award and put his name in the mix for Mr. Football.

Ian Moore, New Palestine

OK, the odds are extremely long an offensive lineman is going to win Mr. Football. But the 6-5, 295-pound Ohio State commit could be the favorite to win the offensive lineman Mr. Football position award and get into contention for the overall award. New Palestine was 12-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class 4A going into a regional loss to Roncalli last season and should again be one of top 4A teams in the state. Another offensive lineman to consider is Hamilton Southeastern’s Styles Prescod, a Notre Dame recruit. But it’s always tough for an offensive lineman to get enough traction to win Mr. Football without individual statistics.

Danny O’Neil, Cathedral

If there is a slight favorite going into the season, it might be O’Neil. The 6-foot, 185-pound Colorado commit received a big honor this summer, competing in the Elite 11 Finals in Colorado with many of the nation’s top quarterbacks. After helping Cathedral to a Class 5A state championship as a sophomore, O’Neil passed for 2,654 yards and 32 touchdowns as a junior and led the Irish to a 10-2 record and Class 6A semistate appearance. His overall career numbers (5,718 passing yards, 67 TD passes; 604 rushing yards, 19 TDs) considering the competition stand up against any quarterback. The one drawback here is O’Neil’s top three receiving targets are gone to graduation, though tight end Zach Meeks (35 catches, 412 yards, three TDs) is one of the best around. The only quarterback to win Mr. Football since 2018 is Gibson Southern’s Brady Allen in 2021.

Glenn Patterson, Lafayette Jeff

The 6-foot, 175-pound Patterson is coming off a season that saw him run for 1,376 yards and 13 TDs and catch nine passes for 70 yards and another score. In a 21-20 loss to Carroll (Fort Wayne) in the 6A regional, Patterson ran 47 times for 221 yards and a TD. That came on the heels of a 250-yard, two-TD game in a 38-28 win over previously-undefeated Crown Point in the sectional championship. Patterson, who has offers from several Mid-American Conference programs, was named to the IFCA Top-50 all-state team last season. He will be a key player on a team that was 9-3 last year and will look to make a splash in the season opener against Cathedral at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Josh Ringer, East Central

If not O’Neil, you could make a strong argument for Ringer as a slight favorite going into the season. The 6-1, 200-pound Miami of Ohio recruit led East Central to a Class 4A state championship as a junior as he rushed for 2,368 yards and 39 TDs and caught 18 passes for 320 yards and three TDs. Ringer’s 3,760 career rushing yards and 55 TDs, along with 29 catches for 496 yards and three TDs, stack up favorably with any running back and should put him in position to win the Mr. Football position award with a strong senior season. The Trojans will be a clear favorite again in Class 4A. Three of the past four winners (Bowen, Steele and New Palestine’s Charlie Spegal) played running back.

Six more to watch: Owen Bright, LB, Center Grove; Nylan Brown, LB, Ben Davis; Donovan Hamilton, WR, Hamilton Southeastern; Jaden Hart, RB, Michigan City; Ashton Pesetski, DL, Carroll (Fort Wayne); Aidan Steinfeldt, TE, Bloomington North

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649 or email kyle.neddenriep@indystar.com

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA football: Early look at 2023 Indiana Mr. Football contenders