Who Are Your 2025 Gatorade Players of the Year? 

In an opulent ceremony at the ESPYS over the weekend, Cameron Boozer and Jane Hedengren were each named the 2025 National Gatorade Player of the Year.

Boozer, a five-star prep hoops recruit committed to Duke, and Hedengren, a Track and Field athlete headed to BYU, have both accomplished everything at the prep level and are ready to dominate in college. Before these two star athletes take over your TVs in a few years, get to know them now. 

Cameron Boozer

Cameron Indoor Stadium wasn’t named after Cameron Boozer, but Duke fans may think it is if the star forward lives up to the hype. The young star’s accolades are extensive: Aside from being a McDonald’s All-American and co-MVP, he’s a two-time Mr. Basketball USA award winner, two-time Florida Mr. Basketball, a two-time gold medalist for Team USA’s U17 and U16 National Teams, and now a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year.

And if you weren’t seeing double enough already, Cam’s twin brother Cayden is joining him at Duke to form a Blue Devil super-duo next season. 

In an era heavily occupied by second-generation athletes, Cameron Boozer stands out. The son of NBA veteran Carlos Boozer, Cam is a strong and physically imposing forward just like his father was, but he also has the perimeter scoring and finesse required to succeed in today’s spaced-out game.

The senior averaged 22.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.5 blocks this past season. He’s also no stranger to winning, having led Columbus High School (Fla.) to a fourth straight Class 7A state championship in March. 

Ranked No. 2 nationally by Prep Hoops, contributor Michael Roth called Boozer “the most dominant player in high school basketball.”

Cam’s story is a little different from his former McDonald’s All-American father Carlos. The elder Boozer was raised in Anchorage, Alaska, before a time of social media and NIL deals. But Carlos Boozer’s skill was still prominent enough to get big names like Mike Krzyzewski to visit the “Last Frontier” of Alaska and convince him to be a Blue Devil.

Cameron has many more eyes on him in today’s prep landscape. He also enjoys playing basketball year-round in the sunny state of Florida. 

Already looking ahead to his time at Duke, Boozer told ESPN that “We have a huge chip because we know that we have the talent and the team to be the best team in the country, and I generally feel like we will be the best team in the country.” 

Jane Hedengren

Jane Hedengren has an athletic pedigree herself. The Provo, Utah, native is the daughter of former BYU track star John Hedengren. Bringing recognition to the once-amateur sport, Hedengren signed an NIL deal with Nike earlier this year as a senior in high school.

The 5’11” star most recently broke her own record at Nike Outdoor Nationals in the 3,000-meters, running a time of 8:40.03.

Adding to her athletic prowess, Hedengren dominates two separate sports, breaking records in both Track and Field and Cross Country.

At the Nike Cross Nationals Final, Hedengren finished with a record time of 16:32.7, surpassing the previous mark by a blistering 41 seconds. She set national high school records in the mile, 2-mile, and 5,000-meter run, proving she can dominate across a variety of events.

Most impressively, her four-minute, 23-second mile time in June shocked the track world, breaking the NCAA record as a high schooler.

Just a few generations ago, people speculated whether a human being could ever run a 4-minute mile. Now, teenagers like Hedengren are nearing that mark before they’re old enough to vote.

The top-ranked recruit in the 2025 class, the 18-year-old distance runner will follow in her father’s footsteps at BYU, and it won’t be long before we start to see her name floating around as a potential Olympian at the 2028 games in Los Angeles.

Decorated track star Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone presented her with the Gatorade Player of the Year award at the ESPYs, with Hedengren telling the five-time Olympic gold medalist afterward that she looks up to her.

“It’s really inspiring to see your journey,” Hedengren said. “You’re doing so, so much for aspiring athletes around the world, so thank you…”.

It won’t be long before Jane Hedengren inspires other athletes in the distance world as well, but first we’ll be waiting to see her dominate the next level.