Ransford Gyan honored as 2023-24 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year
Newark, N.J. – In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes for excellence on and off the field of play, Gatorade announced Ransford Gyan of St. Benedicts Preparatory School in Newark, N.J. is the 2023-24 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
Gyan joins an impressive group of former Gatorade National Boys Soccer Players of the Year who have combined for more than 12 National Championships and 13 MLS first round draft picks. Gyan was selected from more than half a million other student-athletes who play high school boys soccer nationwide.
Gyan was surprised with the trophy by his coaches and teammates while competing in a youth soccer tournament in Tennessee, and afterwards he received a congratulatory call from professional soccer player and Olympian Christian Pulisic.
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 and off the playing surface. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star group of boys soccer alumni that includes MLS Cup Champion Alecko Eskandarian and 2-time NCAA Champion Lyle Yorks.
“Winning the Gatorade Player of the Year award is a huge accomplishment reserved for the best student-athletes in the nation,” said Gatorade president and general manager Michael Del Pozzo. “Ransford won the top award in high school sports because he is someone who is a leader in all facets of his life.”
Gatorade Players of the Year are not only the best of the best in their respective sports, but they’re also leaders in the classroom and in their communities.
Gyan has volunteered on behalf of Newark’s St. Mary’s Parish Toussaint Food Pantry since 2020 and has donated his time as a volunteer coach for young athletes in association with the CSA Newark Roots Program. He has maintained a 3.68 GPA in the classroom and has signed a national letter of intent to play soccer on scholarship at Clemson University this fall.
“Ransford Gyan is one of the most talented players to emerge from the high school soccer arena in the past decade,” said J.R. Eskilson, National Analyst for PrepSoccer.com. “A wizard with the ball at his feet, Gyan has that rare ability to create chances for his team in the blink of an eye. Lightning quick and sublimely skillful, he does things on a soccer pitch comparable to what you see at the professional level. Playing with a target on his back all season as the reigning Gatorade Boys Soccer National Player of the Year, Gyan raised his game and found multiple ways to help his team win even though he was regularly surrounded by a handful of defenders. The left-footed maestro delivered a masterpiece performance in his final high school season.”
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 $4.9 million in grants to winners across more than 1,900 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.
