A'mir Sears has been named the 247Sports Preseason Player of the Year in Florida for the 2026 high school football season, and the résumé behind that choice is easy to see.
The 6-foot-1, 178-pound senior athlete from Miami Columbus arrives with the kind of two-way production that can tilt games by himself. In 15 games as a sophomore at Pembroke Pines (Fla.) West Broward during the 2025 season, Sears caught 42 passes for 942 yards and 11 touchdowns, while also piling up 61 tackles and three interceptions, according to MaxPreps.
247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins didn’t mince words about what Sears means to a team.
"He's a program changer," said 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins. "What he did last year was a bit remarkable, taking a West Broward team that has never really had any success in football and leading them to a state title game appearance. It's hard to pin down what exactly makes Sears special, but he plays at times like a superhero with superpowers."
Sears, who was once the No. 1-ranked prospect in the 2028 cycle, recently reclassified into the 2027 class, making this his final season of high school football. He has been committed to Miami since July 31.
The case for Sears is bigger than one side of the ball. He’s a true difference maker at wide receiver and cornerback, and the 2027 adidas Polynesian Bowl selection showed both parts of that game last season, finishing just short of 1,000 receiving yards while also adding 11 pass breakups and three interceptions on defense.
With his final prep season now here, Sears is expected to take another step, and Ivins sees him as the player most likely to have the biggest impact in Florida.
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