The Top Voted Returning Virginia High School Football Players Revealed

The winners include Gibson Gross, Amari Pryear, Davion Brown, Maddox Cochrane, Kayce Jordan, Markus McCoy, and Shawn Church Jr.

Indian River's Kayce Jordan / Kayce Jordan

Last month, High School on SI wrote up polls for the top returning high school football players in Virginia. We broke it down by seven positions: quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, offensive linemen, defensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs.

After a month of voting, it's time to reveal who was the top-voted returning Virginia high school football player of 2025 for each position.

Top Returning Quarterback: Gibson Gross of Midlothian

Gibson Gross received 42.64% of votes out of 14 candidates. Last season as a sophomore, he passed for 1,375 yards and 22 touchdowns in nine games for Midlothian. Gross also had 1,696 all-purpose yards and produced a 118 QB rating.

Rounding out the top three in voting for returning quarterbacks were Zayden Pope of Southampton, who received 30.9% of votes, and Elliott Murphy of Powhatan, who got 11.13%.

Top Returning Running Back: Amari Pryear of Bethel

Amari Pryear received 46.61% of votes out of 12 candidates. The senior ran for 1,515 yards and 24 touchdowns on 175 carries, and recorded 14 receptions for 138 yards in his junior season with Bethel.

The only other running back to come close to Pryear in the poll was Lawrence Hewlett Jr. of Prince George, who received 35.92% of votes. JaShon McIntyre rounded out the top three with 6.06%.

Top Returning Wide Receiver: Davion Brown of Trinity Episcopal School

Davion Brown won the wide receiver poll with 31.57% of votes out of 12 candidates. Last season as a junior, Brown recorded 42 catches for 946 yards and 10 touchdowns in eight games for Trinity. The four-star recruit recently announced his commitment to Penn State.

The poll was very close as Ben Whitver of Powhatan was right behind Brown with 20.15% of votes, while Travis Johnson of Oscar Smith placed third with 14.6%.

Top Returning Offensive Lineman: Maddox Cochrane of Benedictine

Maddox Cochrane narrowly won the offensive lineman poll with 40.03% of votes out of 10 candidates. The senior is a 6-foot-7, 280-pound recruit has won two state championships with Benedictine. Cochrane is committed to play college football at Wisconsin

Cochrane narrowly beat top recruit Darius Gray Jr. of St. Christopher's, who placed second with 35.19% of votes, while Brady Sakowitz of Trinity rounded out the top three with 17.27%.

Top Returning Defensive Lineman: Kayce Jordan of Indian River

Kayce Jordan dominated the defensive lineman poll by the end with 56.43% of votes out of 12 candidates. As a freshman, the edge rusher/linebacker recorded 18 sacks and 55 tackles for Indian River.

Just like the offensive lineman poll, Darius Gray Jr. of St. Christopher's placed second with 27.14% of votes, while T-Ron Richardson of Hopewell finished third with 10.71%.

Top Returning Linebacker: Markus McCoy of Salem

Markus McCoy finished atop the linebacker poll with 48.79% of votes out of 12 candidates. The three-star senior has received two 1st Team All-Region Linebacker honors for his tenure with Salem.

The poll was a real nailbiter as McCoy narrowly edged out Mason Love of Trinity, who finished second with 42.96% of votes. The rest of the candidates were not even close to the top two, as Braylon Hood of Varina placed third with 4.42%.

Top Returning Defensive Back: Shawn Church Jr. of Green Run

Shawn Church Jr. was voted the returning defensive back with 49.75% out of 10 candidates. The senior is a three-star recruit who has received multiple offers, and is expected to make a commitment announcement soon.

It was a real back-and-forth poll as Jase Rhodes of North Cross placed second with 43.74% of votes, while Matt Williams of Maury finished third, but was way behind the top two with 4.01%.