Louisa's Savion Hiter Named Gatorade VA Football POY for 2025
CHICAGO (December 5, 2025) — In its 41st year celebrating the nation’s best High School athletes, Gatorade today announced Savion Hiter of Louisa County High School is the 2025-26 Gatorade Virginia Football 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 excellence in sport, academics and community. The award recognizes Hiter as Virginia’s best High School football player, and he joins an elite legacy that spans professional athletes and coaches to CEOs, such as Peyton Manning (1993-94, Isidore Newman School, LA), Nick Singleton (2021-22, Governor Mifflin High School, PA) and Keelon Russell (2024-25, Duncanville High School, TX).
The 6-foot, 200-pound senior running back rushed for 1,440 yards and 24 touchdowns this past season, leading the Lions (11-1) to the Class 4 Region A tournament semifinals.
Ranked as the nation’s No. 10 recruit in the Class of 2026 by Rivals and On3, Hiter averaged 13.2 yards per carry. The Preseason First Team All-American selection concluded his prep football career with 5,529 rushing yards and 84 touchdowns.
Hiter ran for 1503 yards and 26 TD’s on 136 attempts – 11.1 yards per carry – to go with 10 catches for 157 yards and another score last year as a junior.
A member of his local chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Hiter has volunteered locally with Stuff the Bus, which provides school supplies for students in need. He has also donated his time on behalf of the Louisa Resource Council.
“Savion is a special talent—he has all the tools that an elite-level football player should possess,” said Brandon Isaiah Head Coach of Albemarle High School. “He’s strong, has elite lateral movement and plays downhill with purpose. He commands so much attention that he opens up opportunities for his teammates.”
In the classroom, Hiter has maintained a 3.06 GPA. Hiter officially signed earlier this month to play his College Football in the Big Ten for the Michigan Wolverines.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one state winner from each of the 50 states and Washington D.C., in 12 different sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls track & field. In total, 610 High School athletes are honored each year.
From the pool of state winners, one national winner is selected in each of the 12 sports. 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 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 $6.4 million in grants to winners across more than 2,200 organizations.