Results are in. Voters tab Dillard football standout as Broward fall athlete of the year

He was basically unblockable throughout his high school football career.

And Nyjalik Kelly hopes to continue to be just as dominant whenever he takes the field for the Miami Hurricanes.

Miami Herald readers voted Kelly, the Dillard defensive standout as the Miami Herald’s Fall Athlete of the Year for Broward County.

Kelly, a four-star prospect and the No. 12 overall prospect in Florida this recruiting cycle according to 247Sports, finished the season with 58 tackles, 12 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. The 6-4, 240-pound senior was an anchor on Dillard’s defensive line and helped the team field shutouts in eight of its 12 games. He also played in the All-American Bowl.

“I’m going to go in with the mindset to beat everybody out so I can play and start right away,” Kelly said this past fall after making it official he was heading to Coral Gables.

The poll included all 15 players from Broward County who were named player of the year in their respective sport by the Miami Herald this year. Kelly received 34 percent of the vote, with American Heritage cross country runner Ashley Fitzgerald (25 percent) coming in second.

The Miami Herald will select its overall Athletes of the Year and reveal those winners in June. The results from this poll will not have a bearing on those selections.

This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 10:04 AM.