CHICAGO (December 6, 2024) — In its 40th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Koi Fagan of Martinsburg High School is the 2024-25 Gatorade West Virginia Football Player of the Year. Fagan is the seventh Gatorade West Virginia Football Player of the Year to be chosen from Martinsburg High School.
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 Fagan as West Virginia’s best high school football player and he joins an impressive group of alumni that spans CEOs, 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-2, 185-pound senior quarterback had passed for 1,985 yards and 28 touchdowns this past season, leading the Bulldogs (12-0) to the Class AAAA semifinals. Fagan completed 64.5 percent of his passes through 12 games, threw only three interceptions and also rushed for 1,196 yards and 21 touchdowns, averaging 9.1 yards per carry. Ranked as the state’s No. 14 recruit by Prep RedZone, he entered the postseason round of four as a two-time state champion and a 2023 First Team All-State selection.
The Student Council Treasurer at his school, Fagan also serves on the Superintendent’s Student Advisory. A member of both the Latino and Black Student Union, he is part of Martinsburg’s Leadership Club and has donated his time as a Bridge Mentor at the school. “In my 37 years as a head football coach, Koi is one of the best players I’ve ever been around,” said Martinsburg High School head coach Dave Walker. “On top of that, he’s an even better person than he is a player.”
Fagan has maintained a weighted 4.56 GPA in the classroom. At the time of his selection, he remained undecided upon a collegiate destination.
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.
Fagan joins recent Gatorade West Virginia Football Players of the Year Murphy Clement (2023-24, Martinsburg High School), Judah Price (2022-23, Independence High School), Hudson Clement (2021-22, Martinsburg High School) and Blake Hartman (2020-21, Musselman High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sports, 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.