CHICAGO — In its 41st year celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade recently announced that Jayden Fox of Cherry Creek High School is the 2025-26 Gatorade Colorado 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 Fox as Colorado’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).
At the time of his selection, the 5-foot-9, 165-pound senior running back had led the Bruins to a 13-0 record and a berth in the Class 5A state championship game. Fox had rushed for 1,627 yards and 23 touchdowns, averaging 14.7 yards per carry, through 13 games as Cherry Creek High School pursued its second straight state title. A two-time Centennial League Offensive Most Valuable Player, he had also caught 19 passes for 263 yards and three TDs and returned a kickoff for a score.
Fox has volunteered locally as part of multiple community service initiatives through the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. He has also donated his time as part of community beautification projects.
“Jayden has really developed into a mature young man,” said Jason Wilkins, assistant coach and athletic director of Cherry Creek High School. “He works hard in practice and is a lead-by-example teammate.”
Fox has maintained a B average 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 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. 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 them on social media on Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade, Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY and X(Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade.