CHICAGO (June 16, 2023) — In its 38th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Remi Okunlola of Brookwood High School is the 2022-23 Gatorade Georgia Boys Soccer Player of the Year. Okunlola is the first Gatorade Georgia Boys Soccer Player of the Year to be chosen from Brookwood High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Okunlola as Georgia’s best high school boys soccer player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year award to be announced in June, Okunlola joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Ben Bender (2019-20, Calvert Hall College High School, Md.), Jacob Shaffelburg (2017-18, Berkshire School, Mass.), Jack Harrison (2013-14, Berkshire School, Mass.) and Steve Cherundolo (1996-97, Mt. Carmel High School, Calif.).
The 5-foot-10, 155-pound senior forward and defender scored 23 goals and passed for seven assists this past season, leading the Broncos (10-6-1) to the second round of the Class 7A state tournament. The GeorgiaHighSchoolSoccer.comClass 7A Player of the Year, Okunlola played just one season of high school soccer after playing exclusively for his club team through his junior campaign. He’s ranked as the nation’s No. 166 recruit in the Class of 2023 by TopDrawerSoccer.
Okunlola has volunteered locally as part of Thanksgiving food drives to provide meals for families in need. He has also donated his time as a youth soccer coach and to multiple community service initiatives through his church men’s group. “Remi’s pace is almost impossible to match,” said Allan Rakowiecki, head coach of Archer High School. “And when pairing that pace with his skill on the ball, he’s incredibly hard to defend. He is a phenomenal player.”
Okunlola has maintained a weighted 3.622 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer on scholarship at Clemson University this fall.
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.
Okunlola joins recent Gatorade Georgia Boys Soccer Players of the Year Quin DeLaMater (2021-22, Hillgrove High School), Kadeem Agard (2020-21, South Gwinnett High School), Vedad Kovac (2019-20, Lassiter High School), and Omar Hernandez (2018-19, Dalton High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
Being a Gatorade Player of the Year means paying it forward for the next generation. Through Gatorade’s Play it Forward initiative, every Player of the Year receives a grant to give to one of Gatorade’s social impact partners, supporting Gatorade’s ambition to fuel the future of sport. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations.
For nearly 40 years, Gatorade has honored high school athletes at the top of their game as teammates, supporting their communities and achieving academic success. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes and community leaders, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport.
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 us on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.
