The 2023–24 Gatorade Oklahoma Football Player of the Year is Andy Bass of Heritage Hall High School, the company announced on Wednesday. Bass is the second player from Heritage Hall to be selected as the Gatorade Oklahoma Football Player of the Year.
This year, the three-star had one of the best seasons in the state. An injury kept Bass out of the final game midway through the season, just as he was about to lead Heritage Hall to back-to-back state titles and an unblemished record.
The 6-foot, 205-pound senior quarterback passed for 3,144 yards and 34 touchdowns this past season, leading the Chargers (14-1) to the Class 3A state title game. Bass threw only three interceptions, completed 66.3 percent of his passes and averaged 13.1 yards per attempt. He also rushed for 1,480 yards at 10.7 yards per carry, finding the end zone 31 times. Ranked as the state’s No. 11 recruit by 247Sports, he helped lead Heritage Hall to the state championship in 2022 and clocked the fastest all-class time in the 100-meter dash (10.5 seconds) to break the tape at the 2023 outdoor track state championships.
Bass is recognised as Oklahoma’s greatest high school football player by receiving the award, which honours the best high school athletes in the country for their achievements in the classroom, on the field, and in the community. Gatorade Player of the Year winners highlight the power of sport for everyone from CEOs and coaches to elite athletes. They do this by highlighting an all-star alumni group that includes Peyton Manning (1993–94, Isidore Newman School, La.), Jackson Arnold (2022–23, John H. Guyer High School, Texas), and Emmitt Smith (1986–87, Escambia High School, Fla.).
Bass has volunteered locally on behalf of Cleats 4 Kids as a member of its executive board and with Pivot, which provides programs that focus on youth services. A member of the Mu Alpha Theta mathematics honor society, he’s also donated his time to the YWCA, a wheelchair football club and by coaching a community flag football team.
Bass has maintained a 3.9 GPA in the classroom. He has verbally committed to play football as a preferred walk-on at the University of Oklahoma this fall
