CHICAGO (June 12, 2025) — In its 40th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Nolan McLure of River Ridge High School is the 2024-25 Gatorade Georgia Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
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 McLure as Georgia's best high school boys soccer player, and he joins an impressive group of alumni that spans CEOs, coaches and star athletes such as Ben Bender (2019-20, Calvert Hall College High School, M.D.) and Ransford Gyan (2022-23 & 2023-24, St. Benedict's Preparatory School, N.J.).
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound senior midfielder and forward led the Knights to a 21-1 record and a second-straight Class 6A state championship this past season. McLure scored 13 goals and passed for nine assists, serving as the key link between the River Ridge offense and defense. The Region 6A Player of the Year, he concluded his junior year with 25 goals and 13 assists in his prep soccer career.
McLure has volunteered locally at the FurKids animal shelter and for Cards of Light, writing letters to residents at elder-care facilities. A member of his school’s chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he has also donated his time to the Special Olympics. “Nolan completed the mission with a second straight state title,” said David Penny, head coach of Lassiter High School. “During our game, he was a handful—great first touch, clinical finisher and had a presence on the front line that constantly put us under pressure.”
McLure has maintained an A-minus average in the classroom. He has signed a written letter of athletic aid to play soccer at Young Harris College this 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.
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.
