Georgia Recruiting Tour - Finding The Next Great from the State

The springtime in the state of Georgia is a wonderful time for many reasons. Whether you’re a fan of seventy-five and sunny or freshly blooming foliage, it’s a beautiful place to be. That is only compounded if you’re a lover of football like me.

The coming of spring in Georgia means the arrival of spring practice in the state. Thousands of college football coaches will descend upon this state in hopes of finding their next additions. So, every year, I do the same. For the fourth spring in a row, I’ll be visiting as many high school programs as humanly possible. You’ll find all of my thoughts here.

ATTN: College coaches reading this, I have dropbox files with video of all players mentioned in this article. You know how to contact me.

No. 1 - Harris County
What a way to kick this tour off. There was a brief teaching period about “how we hit and tackle at Harris County,” and then there were 10 minutes of pure, unfiltered football violence. It’s a place of contact and physicality. It stands out in rising junior Preston Jenkins, who’s currently playing OLB and projects well as an off-ball linebacker at the next level. At 6’1, 185ish pounds, there’s plenty of room to put on the collegiate weight. As for Nolan Johnson, he played middle linebacker a year ago, moved down to the EDGE, and he’s a violent striker and the class of 2026 prospect will have high levels of production this season.

No. 2 - Dacula

I think Dacula is going to be a mid-major hotbed this spring. Quarterback Garrison Cantrell already has an offer from Murray State and will likely pick up more this spring. He’s a polished thrower of the football with D1 physical traits. He’s got some weapons at Dacula as well, most notably WR, Isaac Kareem-Maman. Maman already picked up offers from Murray State, Charleston Southern, and Georgia State but will likely have more to choose from this spring. He’s got tremendous body control and change-of-direction ability. Though perhaps the sleeper on the roster is 2027 RB, Natheodore Ashmon Jr. Ashmon doesn’t have much tape because he battled injury as a sophomore a year ago, but man, is the potential for a blow-up season on the horizon.

No. 3 - Calhoun

Trace Hawkins is a name to know in the 2028 class. The now sophomore QB led the Jackets to a state title as a freshman a year ago, and he’s a phenomenal young signal-caller. He’s a tremendous multi-sport athlete, playing basketball when he’s not throwing a football, he’s going to likely be a prominent prospect in the state, as is his classmate Isiah Nalls. Nalls, like Hawkins, started as a true freshman a year ago and is looking to have a breakout sophomore season. He will be a Power5 offer guy at some point, it seems. This spring, college coaches will be in town to see 2026 prospects Alec Upshaw and Sager Quinn. Quinn is already on the mid-major scene at a high rate, and it’s warranted. He’s a short-arm fire plug with upside as a tree-down defensive tackle at the next level that plays with his hair on fire. As for Upshaw, a 6’3+, 240-pounder who’s verified 4.5s in the forty is something that every Power4 personnel department I talk to is interested in.

No. 4 - Dacula

The first “blue-chip” prospect we’ve seen on the tour to date, Peyton Dyer, is as advertised. He’s 6’0, he’s 200ish pounds, and he’s athletic as you’d expect a top-200 player to be. It’s no secret why the likes of Georgia, Tennessee, USC, Penn State, and South Carolina are in the mix here for this talent. Dyer has exceptional ball skills. as a defensive back, he plucks the ball really well for a corner/safety projection on the next level. I was also impressed with 2026 S, Landon Edmondson. At 6’3, 190 pounds, there’s division one length, and I think as his lower-body muscle mass develops in college, you might be able to remove some of the questions about his overall athletic profile. He’s already received several mid-major offers and they will likely continue.

No. 5 - Langston Hughes

An annual stop for me on this tour, perhaps the biggest recruit at practice was 2027 OL Kelsey Adams, who’s already 6’6+ and loaded down with offers and top-100 status. He’s only going to get better over the next two seasons in high school. They have a talented tight end group as well headlined by Xavier Tiller in 2026, though the fast riser this spring has been Chase Golson who’s received a handful of Division 1 offers this spring. Though perhaps the most intriguing position group currently is the defensive back room led by two new faces. Julian Byrd is a 6’1, 195 pound defensive back that is starting to blow up this spring, with offers from App State, Temple, and Pitt this spring alone.

No. 6 - Jonesboro

Jontavious Wyman was at one point the only commit in the Georgia 2026 recruiting class. A cornerback prospect out of Jonesboro, Wyman plays just as much wide receiver for the Cardinals as he does corner, but he will be a CB at Miami, where he says he’s locked in. As for his fellow four-star teammate, Cortez Redding, it appears Ole Miss, NC State, and Miami appear to be heavily in the mix there. Redding is more of a safety/nickel projection, whereas Wyman’s length and ball skills make him an ideal corner.

No. 7 - Carver (Columbus)

The former home of Georgia State head coach Dell McGee, I was down in Columbus to see Tristian Givens. The 6’3, 215-pound EDGE rusher is going to read a collegiate nutrition and workout plan and gain 30 pounds of pure muscle. The 4-star EDGE is currently in the midst of track season, where he’s long jumping north of 21 feet. 2026 OL and Auburn commit, Parker Prichett, is the cousin of former five-star Elijah Prichett, and you can see that gene pool shining through with Parker. He’s carrying 320 pounds exceptionally well right now. The SEC defensive line coach and I, who were in attendance on Thursday, spent most of our time watching 2028 DL, Kingston Brown. Brown is just 15 years old, a rising sophomore, and already holds an offer from South Carolina and is tracking to be a blue-chip recruit out of Columbus. I was also thoroughly impressed with 2026 UNC Commit, Kei’Maurii Miles, as well. He’s long and linear at the moment, but has great top-end speed and ball skills at the catch point.

Stop No. 8 - Norcross

2026 DT, Carter Luckie, is out for the spring after a shoulder surgery this offseason, but Norcross was still worth the stop considering what they have coming up in the 2028 class. The Blue Devils produced UGA TE, Lawson Luckie, just a few classes ago, and they potentially have another H-Back tight end prospect on the roster. 2028 TE, Davis Marschke is going to be a big-time player. Additionally, if you’re looking for some offensive line stock to buy, 2028 PL, Marcus Austin is already 6’3, 310 pounds and has big-man twitch.

.@GTuggle12 gonna be a special one pic.twitter.com/pGmZ0AjY5z
— Brooks Austin (@BrooksAustinBA) May 2, 2025

Stop No. 9 - Winder Barrow

Perhaps my favorite practice I’ve been to at this point this spring. It was rep after rep, moving drill to drill, no wasted time, no wasted periods, just straight work. I was there to see 2028 ATH, Giovani Tuggle, who is going to be a potential Top-100 player in his class, he’s an extremely smooth athlete. There are several other players college coaches need to go see; RB, MJ Dowdy is a load to bring down at 225, he runs hard and behind his pads. LB Devonte Livingston doesn’t have junior tape due to a knee injury last season, but he’s a 6’2.5, 210-pound athlete who does nothing but makes plays and pursues the football with reckless abandon. ATH, Kenyan Glasper is picking up multiple mid-major offers this spring and is their lone two-way starter.

Stop No. 10 - Grayson

Where do you start… Everyone knows about five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson, but I’d be here all day talking about the D1 players on this 170-man roster in Gwinnett County. I left extremely impressed with KD Jones, a 2027 offensive tackle that reminds me a lot of Troy Fautanu, a first-round offensive tackle out of Washington a few years back. He’s a special mover on a 6’4, 290-pound athlete. One player I’m excited to circle back and evaluate is 6’7, 235-pound EDGE Elijah Tillman. A 2028 prospect, Tillman is also one of the state's best basketball players.

Stop No. 11 - Buford

Buford coaches feel as if they might have one of their best offensive line units in recent memory entering 2026, led by 2026 commit Graham Houston. Houston is a nasty football player who plays through the echo of the whistle. As does his defensive counterpart, Bryce Perry-Wright. Perry-Wright has continued to develop an already deep pass rush skillset and continues to improve his body composition every time I see him. He’s going to win at a high rate in college as a pass rusher. Buford’s got one of the state’s premier track teams as well, where a lot of their older skill players were still participating, including 4-star Safety Tyriq Green, who is on the 4X100 relay team that is positioned to potentially win state.

Stop No. 12 - Hapeville Charter

I’m a huge fan of Chris Booker, a 2026 offensive tackle currently committed to Alabama. Of all the prospects I’ve seen this spring, I think it’s Booker who has the most coaches raving. The Crimson Tide will need to battle to hold onto Booker, he’s a rising star in this class. The level of professionalism in his approach is refreshing. Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina were all by to see Booker in the 48-hour span I was in attendance at practice. Another prospect to watch in 2026 is 6’1, 180-pound DB Zion Crawford, who’s starting to gain steam.

Stop No. 13 - Sandy Creek

Tennessee, Texas, LSU, and Kennesaw State where in attendance when I pulled up to Sandy Creek on Tuesday afternoon. 2026 RB, Amari Latimer was the primary feature to see at practice. He’s such a big and physical back at 6’1, 225 pounds. He’s a problem to tackle in high school, and will remain a tough tackle in college. Since January however, the name that’s shooting up boards is 2027 DB, Corey Hadley Jr. There are few elite programs that haven’t offered the 6’2, 190-pound athlete. Hadley has such a coveted blend of length and athleticism in the back end.

Stop No. 14 - Carrollton

2026 IOL, Zykie Helton wasn’t practicing Wednesday morning when I came by, though he’s officially down to four schools. Georgia Tech, Georgia, Alabama, and FSU. 2026 WR, Ryan Mosely, has a handful of pivotal official visits coming up in his recruitment, with Alabama WR Coach Sheppard in attendance, trying to remain heavily in the mix as well in that recruitment. The name to know, though, is 2029 QB, CJ Cypher. He’s going to be a blue-chip recruit at this rate.

Stop No. 15 - Central Carrolton

I stopped by to see 4-star RB, Jonaz Walton, work out, though he was on limited weights because of track season, where he’s a consistently sub 10.8 100-meter runner at 200+ pounds. The star running back is set to commit on May 14th between Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Alabama. He’s going to be running behind 2028 OL, Sam Walker, who’s already picked up a Tennessee offer this spring. He’s a promising young prospect. As is the younger brother of Jonaz Walton, Jacez in 2028. He’s already received a half dozen P5 offers, including Florida, Tennessee, Miami, and Oregon.

Stop No. 16 - McEachern

2028 DB Casey Barner is perhaps the highest-rated recruit on the McEachern roster at the moment. However, the fastest rising prospect is probably 2026 DE, Darryl Rivers. Rivers is 6’5, 273 pounds and looks 240. Since February, Rivers has received offers from Georgia and Tennessee as well as interest from many others. He’s a name to know coming down the stretch and projects more as a true 4I defensive end potentially in college, considering the frame.

Stop No. 17 - South Paulding

2026 OT, Tyler Chukuyem is a name that has Power 5 coaches intrigued this spring. Ole Miss, Georgia, and South Carolina were all in attendance for practice within a 24 hour timespan of my visit, all to see Chukuyem. At 6’5, 290 pounds, there’s no denying the twitch is his feet for a big guy. Additionally, 2027 LB Joakim Gouda is a name to know. He’s 6’2, 220 pounds and has received offers from Georgia State, Howard, Kennesaw State, and Minnesota this spring.

Stop No. 18 - Gainesville
At 6:30 in the morning, you would have thought a CFB coaches clinic broke out at Gainesville High. Coaches from FSU, LSU, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, Ole Miss, Illinois, Kennesaw State, and several others were in attendance to watch a plethora of prospects, most notably 2026 LB, Xavier Griffin, who’s currently committed to USC. Though based on the sharks in the water, Thursday morning, they have work to do to hold things down there. There were a dozen or so coaches, including me, filming every throw from 2027 QB, Kharim Hughley, who’s got the attention of almost every P4 staff in America.

Stop No. 19 - Cambridge

There’s a potential that by year’s end, Cambridge could have three Division 1 offered wide receivers. Headlined by Craig Dandridge, the 6’1, 170-pound WR is consistently running sub 10.8 in the hundred and playing even faster on the field after having a 1400+ yard season during his junior campaign. Georgia, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, and Clemson will get official visits. 2026 WR, Hudson Cocchriara, recently received an offer from Georgia Southern and will continue to pick up steam this spring and summer. 2026 WR, Grant Campbell is 6’4, 185 pounds with tremendous promise as well.

Stop No. 20 - Milton

2027 TE, Grant Haivland, is going to be a top target for a lot of schools at the tight end position in 2027, including Georgia. Tennessee’s TE coach, Alec Abeln, was in attendance as well on Thursday. 2027 QB, Derrick Baker, has a dozen P5 offers and had FSU, Georgia Tech, and Auburn in attendance on Thursday afternoon. I appreciate the fight I saw from 2029 OL Landon Ghea. He’s just a freshman, hasn’t played a snap in high school, but already has an offer from both Auburn and Georgia, and it was awesome to see that he’s got some Dog in him just as a 14-year-old.

Stop No. 21 - Kell

There might not be a bigger and smoother athlete than 2026 LB, Brayden Rouse. Rouse is a 6’3, 210-pound linebaker prospect that just might be one of the state’s best Tight End prospects if that’s what he needed to be. Apart from Rouse, where do you start? There are a dozen skill position players at Kell that have received offers from Division One schools. Including 2027 RB, Quinterrious Gibson, and 2027 DB, Kamoni Adams. 2026 DB, Tony Forney Jr is also set to take OVs to Vandy, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

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