Cleveland Heights’ Marquise Davis named Gatorade Ohio Football Player of the Year
In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade Wednesday announced Marquise Davis of Cleveland Heights High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Ohio Football Player of the Year.
Davis is the first Gatorade Ohio Football Player of the Year to be chosen from Cleveland Heights High School.
The award, which celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Davis as Ohio’s best high school football player. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star group of alumni that includes Emmitt Smith (1986-87, Escambia High School, Fla.), Peyton Manning (1993-94, Isidore Newman School, La.) and Jackson Arnold (2022-23, John H. Guyer High School, Texas).
The 6-foot, 200-pound junior running back and linebacker rushed for 2,405 yards and 34 touchdowns this past season, leading the Tigers (11-2) to the Division I postseason regional semifinals. A Mr. Football award finalist, Davis recorded 91 tackles and three interceptions, including one for a touchdown, while forcing three fumbles and collecting three interceptions. He’s ranked as the nation’s No. 106 recruit in the Class of 2025 by On3.com.
Davis has donated his time locally by making speaking appearances before youth football groups. He has also volunteered as a youth football coach.
“Marquise is one of the most physically gifted football players I have seen in a long time,” said Alex Nicholson, head coach of Shaker Heights High School. “He has the size, speed and strength that the blue chip college programs look for in their running backs. As a defender, he makes plays that any great high school football player would struggle to make. His closing speed and reaction time are elite.”
Davis has maintained a weighted 3.90 GPA in the classroom. He will begin his senior year of high school in the fall of 2024.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school 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.
Davis joins recent Gatorade Ohio Football Players of the Year Jordan Marshall (2022-23, Archbishop Moeller High School), Gabe Powers (2021-22, Marysville High School), Corey Kiner (2020-21, Roger Bacon High School) and Ethan Wright (2019-20, Akron Manchester High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
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, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $4.9 million across more than 1,600 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 Gatorade on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.