CHICAGO (December 6, 2024) — In its 40th year of honoring the nation’s most elite High School athletes, Gatorade today announced Gideon Davidson of Liberty Christian Academy is the 2024-25 Gatorade Virginia Football Player of the Year. Davidson is the second Gatorade Virginia Football Player of the Year to be chosen from Liberty Christian Academy.

Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes for their success on the field, in the classroom and in the community. The award distinguishes Davidson as Virginia’s best High School Football player and he joins an impressive group of alumni that spans CEO's, coaches and star athletes such as Emmitt Smith (1986-87, Escambia High School, Fl.), Peyton Manning (1993-94, Isidore Newman School, La.) and DJ Lagway (2023-24, Willis High School, Texas).

At the time of his selection, the 6-foot, 200-pound senior running back and defensive back had led the Bulldogs to a 12-0 record and a berth in the Class 3 State Semifinals. Davidson rushed for 2,054 yards and 34 touchdowns through 12 games. He also caught two TD passes and returned two kickoffs for scores. Defensively, Davidson entered the postseason round of four with 95 tackles and two interceptions. The 2023 Class 3 Offensive Player of the Year, he had 7,476 rushing yards and 118 touchdowns in his prep football career prior to the semis.

Davidson has volunteered locally with the Salvation Army and as a youth football coach. He has also donated his time to multiple community service initiatives through his church youth group.

“Gideon is by far the best back I have ever seen in High School Football,” said Dustin Russell, Head Coach of Rustburg High School. “Coaching against him the past four years, it’s clear that every year, he improves. As a senior, he has really bulked up, but has not lost a step when he carries the ball. His vision and explosion are special. He’s a game-changer.”

In the classroom, Davidson has maintained a 3.29 GPA. At the time of his selection, he had made a verbal commitment to receive athletic aid to play football at Clemson University next fall.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states across 12 different High School Sports – football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field – and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport.

The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.

Davidson joins recent Gatorade Virginia Football Players of the Year Jeff Overton (2023-24, Freedom High School), Tony Rojas (2022-23, Fairfax High School), Zach Rice (2021-22, Liberty Christian Academy) and Kelvin Gilliam (2020-21, Highland Springs High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.

As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $5.6 million in grants to winners across more than 2,000 organizations.

*** To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade, Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY and X(Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade. ***