The 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior quarterback passed for a state-record 55 touchdowns this past season, leading the Knights (10-2) to the second round of the Class 5A state tournament. Atkinson completed 247-of-395 passes for 3,952 yards before a thumb injury in the regular-season finale ended his season prematurely. Atkinson tossed at least five scoring passes in eight of the 10 games he started. He concluded his junior year with 7,357 passing yards and 78 touchdowns in his prep football career.
Atkinson has maintained a weighted 4.12 GPA in the classroom. He has made a verbal commitment to play football on an athletic scholarship at Northwestern University beginning in the fall of 2020.
Atkinson has volunteered locally with Fairview High’s Knights Crew, which helps acclimate freshmen to high school. He has also donated his time with Youths for Nurturing Minds, raising money for African girls to attend school in Tanzania.
