Myles McLaughlin finished his high school football career with numbers that put him in a category of his own. The Knox High School standout closed his senior season with 4,846 rushing yards and 71 rushing touchdowns, setting national single-season records for both categories.
He helped Knox finish 13 and 1 and reach the Class 3A semistate, while also contributing on defense with 66 tackles and eight interceptions.
His remarkable final season capped a four-year varsity career in which he rushed for 11,839 yards and 174 touchdowns.
That career rushing total ranked third nationally at the conclusion of his high school career, behind Derrick Henry and Kelvin Taylor.
The performances earned McLaughlin Indiana’s Mr. Football honor, the Indiana Gatorade Football Player of the Year award and the MaxPreps Indiana High School Football Player of the Year award.
He also earned a college opportunity with Murray State, giving him the chance to continue his football career at the next level.
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Myles McLaughlin Biography
Myles McLaughlin is an American football player from Knox, Indiana, who became one of the most productive high school rushers in the history of the sport.
He attended Knox High School, where he developed into a versatile offensive and defensive player. During his senior season, he was listed as a quarterback and linebacker by Gatorade, while MaxPreps listed him as a running back and outside linebacker.
McLaughlin’s role at Knox was unusual because his production as a runner was comparable to that of a traditional running back even while he operated from the quarterback position.
The result was one of the most extraordinary rushing seasons ever recorded at the high school level. At 5 feet 10 inches and approximately 190 pounds, McLaughlin combined power with the ability to produce explosive plays.
He made an impact on defense, recording 66 tackles and eight interceptions during the 2025 season. His career was not built on one remarkable season.
McLaughlin had already established himself as a major offensive threat before his record-breaking senior year.
The Indiana High School Athletic Association’s statistical records list his 2025 rushing total of 4,846 yards at the top of the state’s single-season rushing leaderboard.
His 2024 season also appears prominently on the list, with 2,830 rushing yards.
Career
McLaughlin’s football development began long before his record-breaking senior season. In an interview published by the Indianapolis Colts in September 2025, McLaughlin said he began playing Pop Warner football in preschool and described growing up with a football in his hands.
That early introduction to the sport eventually developed into a standout high school career at Knox. He also developed an appreciation for football history.
McLaughlin told the Colts that he enjoyed watching highlights of former Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton, giving some insight into the type of player who influenced him as he developed. His football career at Knox began in 2022.
In his first varsity appearance on August 19, 2022, he carried the ball six times for 140 yards and two touchdowns in a 54 to 6 victory over Winamac, according to the Indianapolis Colts’ Indiana Football Digest coverage.
That debut was an early indication of what was to come.
Freshman season
McLaughlin rushed for 1,579 yards and 26 touchdowns on 176 carries in 13 games. He averaged 9.0 yards per carry.
Sophomore season
His production increased to 2,584 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns on 267 carries across 14 games. He averaged 9.7 yards per carry.
Junior season
McLaughlin rushed for 2,830 yards and 42 touchdowns on 284 carries in 13 games, maintaining a 10.0 yards per carry average.
Senior season
His final high school campaign was the season that changed his place in the record books. McLaughlin carried 486 times for 4,846 yards and 71 touchdowns across 14 games, averaging exactly 10.0 yards per carry.
He also produced 307 passing yards and three passing touchdowns while contributing 66 tackles and eight interceptions defensively.
Record-Breaking 2025 Season
McLaughlin’s 2025 season ranks among the most productive individual campaigns in high school football history. He finished with 4,846 rushing yards, breaking the national single-season rushing record.
His 71 rushing touchdowns also established a national single-season record. The numbers were not built through a handful of huge games. McLaughlin ran for more than 300 yards in 10 of Knox’s 14 games.
He surpassed 400 rushing yards five times during the season. His season high was 469 rushing yards against Jimtown, a performance that also helped him establish the Indiana single-season rushing record.
His 2025 campaign ended with 448 points, according to MaxPreps, while Gatorade reported 447 total points in its Player of the Year profile.
Knox finished the regular season and playoffs with a 13 and 1 record and advanced to the Class 3A semistate before losing 35 to 0 to Fort Wayne Bishop Luers.
McLaughlin was held to 78 rushing yards on 24 carries in that final game. The loss ended his high school career, but it did little to diminish the significance of the season.
Career Rushing Record
McLaughlin finished with 11,839 career rushing yards, placing him third nationally at the conclusion of his high school career.
Only two players had more career rushing yards at that point: Derrick Henry and Kelvin Taylor. The comparison is significant because Henry went on to become an NFL star with the Baltimore Ravens after a standout career at Yulee High School in Florida.
Indiana’s own statistical record also reflects McLaughlin’s impact. The IHSAA lists him as the state’s single-season rushing leader after his 4,846-yard campaign and recognizes his 2,830-yard 2024 season among Indiana’s leading single-season performances.
McLaughlin’s 11,839 career rushing yards also established the Indiana career rushing record. His 174 career rushing touchdowns were equally significant, although he did not finish with Indiana’s career record in that category.
MaxPreps lists Charlie Spegal’s 191 career rushing touchdowns as the Indiana record.
Mr. Indiana Football
McLaughlin was named Indiana’s Mr. Football in December 2025, capping a remarkable final season at Knox. The award recognized his production during a campaign in which he broke the national single-season records for both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
He was selected as the running back winner in Indiana’s Mr. Football position awards before being named the state’s overall Mr. Football.
IndyStar’s position award coverage described him as a quarterback who essentially operated as a running back while producing the record-breaking rushing numbers. The award added to an already impressive list of honors.
McLaughlin was also named the 2025 MaxPreps Indiana High School Football Player of the Year. MaxPreps cited his individual production and Knox’s 13 and 1 record and Class 3A semifinal appearance when making the selection.