Dawgs Daily

Georgia Recruiting Tour - Spring Practice Kicks Off For Biggest Prospects

Brooks Austin

Every spring, I set out to see as many high school football prospects as this great state of Georgia provides as I possibly can. Here are my thoughts, notes, and experiences from the 2024 trail.

The State of Georgia is not short of football talent or resources. At the conclusion of the 2023 NFL season, there were 136 players from the state of Georgia. It's become the place to be not only during the fall when looking for football talent, but it's perhaps even more paramount to be out on the trail during the spring time for college programs looking to land Peachstate products.

Here in Georgia, spring practices involve ten practices and a scrimmage against either yourself or an opponent. For comparison, in California, they can't put the pads on until August. So, during this time every year, I set out to see as many high school football programs in this great state as I possibly can. These are the stories from the road. Enjoy.

43. Peachtree Ridge vs Milton
My final stop on the 2024 Spring Tour brings me a second opportunity to see this Milton roster and perhaps Georgia's biggest remaining in-state target looming, CJ Wiley. Wiley did not dissapoint, catching two touchdowns in just a quarter and a half of play. With Mike Bobo and James Coley in attendance, Wiley is perhaps this offseason biggest riser. He's gone from a prospect everyone wants, to seemingly a prospect everyone feels as if they have to have. Georgia, FSU, and LSU seem to be the biggest contenders here. Peachtree Ridge's roster was one that I felt compelled to see this spring as well. With a littany of P4 athletes on the roster, they are led by 2026 QB Darnell Kelly. Kelly has a plethora of Mid Major offers as just a rising junior. 2026 Defensive back prospect Dorian Barney and 2025 DB Osiris Gilbert provide a tremendous combination of length in the form of Barney and physicality and ball production in Gilbert.

42. Schley County
It doesn't take long to find 2025 ILB Zayden Walker on any high school football field. At 6'3, 225 pounds, Walker has spent most of his high school career standing up as an edge defender. Now, entering his final season at Schley County, he's playing inside linebacker, where he will be residing in college. And it hasn't taken long for him to get comfortable. His ability to locate and hunt the football, even with a new position, is evident. Not only is he first to move and quick to decisiveness, he's also maintained a really high level of block avoidance. For more on Walker's recruitment, with a commitment date set for July 5th, visit this article (LINK)

41. Lee County
A perrenial stop it seems for me on this tour. Coach Fabrizio will always have a talented roster at Lee County. Led by 2025 RB Ousmane Kromah, Kromah will cross will over the 6k career rushing yard threshold this season. His recruitment is down to several schools with Georgia, FSU, and Miami seemingly leading the way. The first time I saw Kromah he was a freshman, rushing for over 250 yards against Lowndes... he's seemingly only continued to get better. Additionally, Lee County has a 2025 QB who will likely play Division 1 football as a Tight End. Weston Bryan is 6'4, 240 pounds and has topped out over 21.0 MPH on the Catapult this spring. Oh, and he was an all-region wrestler and baseball player. He's starting to pick up D1 offers this spring, that will only continue. Lee County is another roster with elite 2026 and 2027 talent. Rising Junior DB Lasiah Jackson has multiple P4 offers including Georgia Tech, Florida, and Ole Miss. Rising sophomore WR Jaden Upshaw is already nearing 6'3 and has an offer from Ole Miss.

40. Thomas County Central
What a deep and athletic roster the defending champion Thomas County Central staff has at their disposal, and they are going to be good for quiet some time to come. The majority of their "P4 prospects" reside in the 2026 recruiting class. Camron Brooks is perhaps the most established prospect for TCC, the 6'3, 240 pound EDGE has offers from USC, Mizzou, South Carolina, FSU, and Georgia. They have a pair of 6'3+ wide receivers in 2026 Rodney Dunbar and 2027 JB Watkins catching passes from 2026 QB Jalen Johnson. Johnson received offers from Charlotte and Georgia State this spring. Though perhaps the most intriguing prospect is 6'5, 330-pound Center Artum Korchagin. Korchagin is a 2026 OL prospect who moved from Russia to Thomas County just two years ago where he began playing football. In just two years he's become fluent in English, is an honors student, and has all of the Mike Identification duties for this offensive line unit.

39. Lowndes
2025 WR Jaylin Carter has been the hot name for Lowndes this spring receiving offers from the Academies, Georgia State, and Alabama State in recent weeks, he's a mismatch in the slot. ILB Coleman Lewis burst onto the scene in October of 2023 with offers from Duke, Missouri, Indiana, and Maryland. However, Lewis also happens to be one of the state's best left-handed hitters and is exploring options of playing both football and baseball in college. 2027 QB Jayce Johnson already has the attention of SEC staffs, Alabama was on campus this week and he will camp at Georgia this summer.

38. Valdosta
Valdosta QB Todd Robinson is arguably the hottest spring evaluation. Georgia was his frist Power4 offer in March of this year, since then... Maryland, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, FSU, USC, South Carolina, Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, and Louisville have offered. Robinson is being recruited as both a Safety/Nickel and a running back by some schools, with his preference being to play on the defensive side of the ball. He's got 100-meter times in the 10.8 range and has clocked 23.0 MPH this offseason, sparking most of the major interest after rushing for over 1k in 7A a year ago. He has official visits set for Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee this summer. On top of Robinson, Valdosta might have one of the better defensive back corps in the state. Corners Jalon Copeland and Camron Brown (nickel) both have a plethora of P4 offers and play like it.

37. Camden County
I didn't see 2025 Georgia TE commit Elyiss Williams practice this week, but I've seen enough practice footage and talked to enough coaches on the trail this spring to have the opinion that Williams is the best position player in the Southeast, perhaps the country. At 6'7, 240 pounds with an 86-inch wingspan, you're going to see Williams split out at the X at times this season, one source compared him to Megatron in recent conversations. He's firmly committed to Georgia at the moment, though Miami and specifically FSU linger at the moment.

36. Brunswick
2026 ATH Hezekiah Kent is one of the more intriguing evals this spring for me. At 6'6, 280 pounds, Kent is fresh of a foot injury that had him limited during basketball season. Though when you turn on the tape from this spring and last fall, it'll be hard to find someone this large with these types of movement skills. He's got offers from every major program in the country and will begin to start to windle it down to a select group soon he says. Whether he remains a tight end or becomes a defensive end in college, it doesn't matter to Kent he says, he just wants an opportunity to become the best football player he can in college. He's teammate and frequent practice foe, Kasiyah Charlton is a 2026 OT that stands 6'6, 285 pounds. He will be camping at Georgia this summer and already has offers from Indianna, Tennessee, and Kentucky. His frame will easily hold north of 315.

35. Savannah Christian
2025 DT Elijah Griffin is the name we've all known in the recruiting industry for some time now. He received an offer from Georgia in the 8th grade, and he's been inside the top-10 on the consensus rankings since this class's inception. He's going to take official visits this summer to USC and Miami, and will be visiting Georgia in the fall officially. He mentioned in an interview with us that he was going to wait to make any public decision or announcement until early national signing day. So, even though most believe Georgia leads with Griffin, schools like Clemson, Miami, and USC have plenty of time to work their way in here. Griffin isn't the only top-ranked player on this Savannah Christian roster either. 2027 EDGE LaDamion Guyton is unlike anything I've seen at his age. As a 15 year old rising sophomore, Guyton is 6'3.5, 235 pounds and will be highlighted as a standup edge defender and running back this fall. He received a Georgia offer before he played a high school snap, and he will be the No. 1 ranked player in America in 2027.

34. Calvary Day
Georgia's most recent commit, WR Thomas Blackshear headlines a roster with multiple D1 prospects down at Calvary. Calvary Day was in the midst of their pro-day periods of spring practice when I stopped by campus. Thomas Blackshear ran in the 4.5s in the forty at nearly 6'3, 200 pounds. He's plenty fast and plenty explosive to thrive in the SEC and has already drawn comparisons from Georgia's staff to George Pickens throughout the recruitment process. 2025 ATH Edward Coleman is an intriguing prospect as well. At 5'11, 200+ pounds, Coleman has featured as a SLOT weapon in high school, but there are some schools that believe he could be an even more dynamic running back. DT Walter Mathis Jr looked explosive and long during his testing periods, he's picked up offers from Colorado, USC, and Texas in the last month entering his senior season.

33. Benedictine Military
The one and only military academy on the tour, Benedictine has perennially placed prospect into Power4 programs. The latest crop in 2025 features Herbert "Third" Scroggins. Scroggins is 6'3, 230 pounds and has OVs set up for UNC, Auburn, and Miami. I left thoroughly impressed by 2026 DT, Kameron Cody who's 6'3, 290, and caring it really well as a rising junior. He's picked up Minnesota, Miami, UCF, USC, and West Virginia this spring and Georgia defensive line coach Tray Scott was in town to evaluate him and his teammates this week as well. Another name to know for the Cadets this season is 2027 RB Stanley Smart Jr. Smart played only special teams a year ago as a true freshman, but at 6'0, 185 pounds ran 10.65 this spring in the 100-meters.

32. Toombs
On a tour filled with almost fifty stops and thousands of miles travelled across this state, my soul needed the Toombs County practice on Monday. Amid a South Georgia rain storm, I was reminded why I love this game. Cause it's just that. It's a game, meant to be played with joy, energy, and intensity. I was there to see 2025 Safety, LaGonza Hayward. Hayward is multi-position collegiate safety projection who stands a full 6'2, 200 pounds as a rising senior. It was a relatively slow recruitment early on for Hayward, but since November of 2023, he's picked up Tennessee, FSU, Georgia, South Carolina, USC, and Alabama. He's an extremely smooth and explosive athlete that's already high on most boards but has vaulted up even higher after this spring evaluation period based on conversations I've had with schools since Monday. He will be a name to continue to watch, he has a tentative timetable to make his commitment decision "sometime in August."

31. Dodge County
Home to 4-star linebacker Darrell "Duke"Johnson, depsite Johnson being a recent commit to Alabama, has been a frequent stop for college coaches this spring. Johnson is a 6'2.5, 210 pound linebacker that's been extremely impressive on the camp circuit, taking home honors at the UA Next series multiple times throughout his prep career. Johnson's played everything from running back to safety but will more than likely project to an ILB on the next level, though there have been some schools, like Georgia, who worked him out as a potential safety on the next level. Either way, a tremendous athlete. He has official visits schedule this summer to USC, FSU, UCF, and Alabama.

30. Westlake
Westlake has two priority targets for Georgia in the class of 2025. OT, Juan Gaston and WR, Travis Smith Jr. Smith wasn't at practice on Saturday due to a family circumstance so we didn't get a chance to see the 6'4 leaper of a wide receiving target. However, Juan Gaston is plenty to look at. At 6'8, 340 pounds, you could make the case that Juan Gaston is the best position player in the state of Georgia in this class. It's rare you see humans this large, that's the easy and obvious part of Juan. Though it's even more rare to see a player this size play with the fundementals that he plays with.

29. McIntosh
Hollis Davidson is a 2025 TE that was committed to Auburn, though he's since opened up his recruitment and seen quite a bit of interest from other programs as of late. A relatively new comer to football, Davidson was originally a soccer goalie at McIntosh. He's a 6'6, 230-pound athlete that's an extremely smooth mover. He's going to take some official visits with Auburn, Texas, LSU, and others being players in this one as his senior season approaches.

Buford (27) vs Norcross (28)
Buford could have their own article if I just sat here and rattled off all of their Division 1 talent. So, I'll start and finish with my "Most impressive player" from the night for the Wolves. Bryce Perry-Wright is no unknown football player. He's a 30+ offer football player. However, there's been one school that's avoided him with regard to an offer... Georgia. And based on what I saw Thursday night, I don't exactly know why. Sure, he's not 6'5, 290 pounds playing defensive tackle, he's a bit more sawed off at 6'2, 250 but man is he a violently explosive athlete. His first step and immediate energy upon contact are a real problem for high school offensive linemen. Nocross's quarterback on the other side, 2025 QB Dillon Mohomed played his backside off.

26. Langston Hughes
Perennially one of the state's deeper and more prospect filled rosters, Langston has perhaps one of the better tackle tandems in the state this year. 2025 offensive linemen Donnie Glover and Tavaris Dice as physical football players who have played a ton of football and will likely both be playing in the SEC next fall. Dice is currently committed to Auburn, and Glover is a major prospect for Georgia in this class. Additionally, Langston's 2026 Tight End Xavier Tiller. Tiller is 6'4, 200 pounds who just picked up an offer from Michigan this week and runs extremely well on a very long frame.

25. Gainesville
A 6:30 AM kickoff time at Gainesville high school brings a fast paced practice on par with anyone I've seen this spring. One things for sure, if you're looking to evaluate anyone on the Red Elephants roster, you're going to get a long hard look at them during one of their practices under head coach Josh Niblett. Alex Payne is the highest-touted recruit in the 2025 class for them. He's an extremely clean offensive tackle evaluation that's about 2 inches and 40 pounds away from being ranked among "the nation's best" though his tape as of late says he's going a fighting argument in the disucssion, at least in state. And he has been competing all spring against Xavier Griffin, a 2026 OLB/ILB projection that's currently ranked inside the top-32 players overall for his class. Griffin's speed rush is unmatched in the state from what I've seen, he can turn the edge.

24. Eastside
Most SEC and Big Ten coaches coming through Eastside will be in attendance for 6'3, 220 pound linebacker Christian Gass this spring. The 2025 linebacker has five official visits set up (Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, and USC) and he is set to make his commitment at some point before his senior year starts. He's certainly a priority at all of those mentioned schools and when you see him in person, you see why. The rest of the Eastside roster is extremely promising as well including 2025 Safety Jayden Barr who had half a dozen midmajor coaching staffs on the sideline when I was there.

23. Newton
Newton is a program that will always have division one offers and commits on the Eastside of Atlanta down I-20. Coach Skelton's 2024 spring squad is no different even with some of his better players still running track. I left impressed by a pair of 2025 commits in (DB) Zachry Hardy who's committed to Minnesota and (DL) Ryshawn Perry who's committed to UCF. However, perhaps the highest ceiling on any current athlete on the Newton roster is 2027 defensive back Adyran Cole. The rising sophomore is already 6'2, 195 pounds and covers a tremendous amount of ground. He could potentially outgrow his safety position considering his current age and size, but either way, he's going to be a major prospect in this state.

22. Milton
The defending state champions in Georgia's highest classification, you understand why when you pull up to practice. The amount of Division 1 talent at Milton is on par with anyone in this incredibly loaded state. Georgia commit Ethan Barbour has been a welcomed addition this offseason, he has such soft yet strong hands at the tight end position. He's a true "H" type tight end, a complete mismatch in space, and an insanely tough cover. His receiving partner in crime is a massive Georgia priority target CJ Wiley. CJ Wiley is perhaps the most athletically gifted athlete we've seen on this tour to date, he's absurd. At 6'4, 190 pounds, Wiley is consistently tabbing 10.8s in the 100-meter dash, he has a dad who played at LSU and in the league and a mother who was a division one athlete... and oh by the way, he went for 1400+ yards last season. He's the top receiver in the state in 2025 and an absolute must-have for Georgia. More to come on Wiley in a separate story. PS. Luke Nickel is surgical and will be a really really good college QB. 

21. Roswell
Unfortunately didn't get to watch much of Roswell's practice, however, it doesn't take long to find their P4 bodies. 2025 EDGE Kobby Sakyi-Prah is a name that popped onto my radar several years ago on this trip, he was a freshman then and it was apparent he would be the P4 prospect he's become. He's 6'3, 230 pounds, and shows extreme potential and promise as a pass rusher. His counterpart on the opposite side of the ball is 2025 OT Andrew Stargel. Stargel is 6'4, 305 pounds and though he's not some breathtakingly big football player in today's standard, Stargel moves exceptionally well for a 300-pounder. 

20. Cambridge
I went through Cambridge High School to take a look at Gabe Harris, a 2025 offensive lineman who has some major P4 interest as the cycle closes. Talk about a mover of mass, Harris is all of 6'4, 330 pounds with humungous hands and broad chest. He lacks elite-level footspeed, but he's going to be able to create movement from day one in college. The rest of the roster is worth looking at as well, including the quarterback Weston Taylor. Taylor is a lefty with elite life in his arm. 

19. Manchester
Justus Terry is arguably the top-ranked defensive tackle in the 2025 class. It's between either him or another peach state product we will see on this trip, Elijah Griffin. Terry is 6'4, 270 pounds and plays a variety of positions along the Manchester defensive line as well as offensive guard. It's easy to see why Terry is a five-star, he's been physically overwhelming for the high school level for quite some time. In fact, Terry had division one offers before he had high school tape. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Terry is he's remained an inspired worker throughout his preparatory career. He's only gotten better since being at Manchester, and the USC commit's priority status on everyone's 2025 recruiting board reveals that. 

18. McEachern
The Indians have a lot of reasons for promise. It's one of the more resource-rich programs in the state, and they have a coach in Kareem Reid who left the college ranks to return to high school coaching. They should soon be a threat, and the roster is promising for the present and future. They will be led by their run game, held down by 2026 running back Jayreon Campbell who has offers from West Virginia and NC State recently as well as the likes of Auburn and Texas A&M. He will look to run behind recent Troy Commit Paul Bowling on the offensive line. Bowling is a talented and physical offensive guard. Defensively, they will be led by Zahkir Abdul-Salaam. Abdul-Salaam is a 2026 EDGE rusher that's had quite the offseason. Texas A&M popped in the mix back in January, Vandy, Kentucky, and Wake Forest have all followed since. 

17. Warner Robbins 

I think I saw board drill, Oklahoma, and a fist fight in the first ten minutes of the Red Devils practice. It's fast and physical every time I'm down there. Plenty of team periods, plenty of pads popping, and plenty of opportunities to evaluate multiple P4 players. Isaiah Gibson has recently committed to the USC Trojans and it doesn't take long to understand why he's as coveted a prospect as he is. He's a full 6'5, 265 and like the rest of his teammates at Warner Robbins, he's hunting on a football field. We will have more on this recruitment, but despite the commitment to USC, sources have indicated Georgia is in as good of a spot as you can be. Additionaly, it will be interesting to see which major players get invovled with DB, Rasean Dinkins. Dinkins is a 2025 DB that has Florida State, Duke, and Tennessee along with many others. He's being evaluated by Georgia and very well could become a name for Georgia fans remember. 

16. Houston County
Antwann Hill is perhaps the No. 1 uncommitted quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class. Formally committed to Colorado and Coach Prime, Hill stands 6'6, 210 pounds and has put on a good bit of good muscle mass this offseason. He's been a three-year starter, entering his fourth and his commitment decision is likely going to be between the Florida Gators and the Memphis Tigers. Additionally, Houston County gains playing time from OL Peyton Joseph. Joseph transferred from Peach County and had to sit out the 2023 season, but you couldn't tell from the development of the body. He's well put together for 6'3.5, 310 pounds. 

15. Brookwood
Braiden Tyson is an elite running back in the 2027 class at Brookwood High School. As a freshman a year ago, he received offers from Tennessee, South Carolina, Oregon, Ole Miss, Florida State and plenty of others. He's already 6'0, 215 pounds as just a rising sophomore, however, it's rare you see a back this size at this age with these types of ball skills. He's tremendously natural and fluid out of the backfield. I wouldn't call him a burner, but he's as balanced of a back as the state provides in the 2027 class, that's without a doubt. Additionally, Brookwood's left tackle, Zayden Walters is relatively new to the offensive line position, but the 550 LB squatter has offers from Ole Miss, Syracuse, Penn State, and others.

14. Grayson
Grayson is home to perhaps the most sure-fire "that's going to work in college" evaluation we will see this entire tour. 2026 ILB Tyler Atkinson is as close to a guaranteed hit in college as there ever will be at inside linebacker. He's 6'2.5, 210 pounds and when he first entered high school he was a Power5 offered EDGE rusher. Knowing he was never going to be 6'5, Atkinson's coaches and team realized his NFL potential will be as an off-ball linebacker. As a freshman, he had 127 tackles as a true freshman and finished his sophomore year with 197 total tackles. He's got a nose for the ball, a physical skillset that's unmatched, and a pristine work ethic. He WILL be a hit in college. There's little to no doubt. As for the rest of the Grayson roster, there's plenty to talk about like EDGE Andre Fuller or WR, Alexander Sanchez. However, there's a young man from Cameroon who just started playing football and what a potential ceiling this young man has. Joseph Mbatchou is a 6'6. 285-pound defensive tackle and he's worth the visit to Gwinnett County alone. Without any tape on a Friday night, the rising senior already has four division one offers this spring.

13. South Gwinnett
South Gwinnett sends players to college every single season, 2024 will be no different. Jaiden Braker, a 2025 LB is perhaps their highest-touted recruit. At 6'4, 210 pounds, Braker plays mulitple positions for South Gwinnett's defense, and is being recruited as a hybrid player by the SEC. He could potentially play offball in college or even rush the passer. He's got an official visit schedule for South Carolina. 2025 WR Jackson Cook is currently running track, and at 6'2 is clocking 10.8's in the 100-meter dash. He's a name to know as the cycle comes to a close.

11. Central Carrolton
Central Carrolton will be a return trip for me in the coming years, their 2027 and 2028 classes are filled with promising prospects. However, for the next 18 months, the coaches coming through Central will be there to see Jonaz Walton. Walton is a two-time MaxPreps all american with a 545 pound squat and a 340 pound power clean, bolstering 10.6's in the 100-meter dash. He's going to be one of the nation's highest-rated backs when all is said and done. Southern Cal was in town on Wednesday and I'm told Tennessee and Florida State are doing a good job here. New Georgia running backs coach Josh Crawford will need to rekindle the relationship as the class comes to a tipping point.

10. Carrollton
I wouldn't set the alarm for a 3:15AM wake up call to make just any 5:30 AM start time, but for Carrolton, you kind of have to. The nearly a dozen college coaches bright-eyed on the sideline Wednesday morning would attest to that. 2025 QB Julian Lewis obviously headlines the bunch, though he's not alone. 2026 WR Ryan Mosely stole most of my attention during the practice. He's 6'2.5, nearing 200 pounds, plays wide receiver and safety for Carrolton and holds offers from Georgia, Bama, FSU, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, and many others. He's got the ceiling of a true number one in college.

9. Alpharetta
I've seen Julius Holly a half dozen times it seems at this point. From the spring of 2022 when he was just a rising sophomore till Tuesday night, as a rising senior. He's always passed the eye test, there's no doubt, and I knew given that Marcus Howard is his position coach at Alpharetta, he would inevitably blossom into a great player... I just didn't know when. I think the time is now. At 6'4, 230 pounds, during the offseason, Holly ran a verified 4.71, with a 1.68 ten-yard split and is seemingly putting the tape together this spring as well. Georgia will be by next week I'm told.

8. Walton High
Walton is an annual stop on this spring tour, not only because they are a perennial winner on the 7A level here in Georgia, but they also happen to have great football players. I was intrigued to see the Ward brothers in their new digs. Christian Ward is a 2026 wide receiver that's got offers from most of the SEC, including Georgia. He's a 6'2 receiver with tremendous length and top-end speed along with dependable hands. It's his little brother, Alex Ward that's going to be receiving the same level of attention big brother has gotten very soon. Alex is a 2027 ATH who will play both receiver and DB this year for Walton, but will likely play his college ball at corner. He has unique twitch.

7. Duluth High
Duluth is a school worth stopping at for the next several cycles with the plethora of young talent they have, but most P5 coaches will be stopping in for the main attraction this spring, 6'5, 300 pound offensive tackle Damola Ajidahun. Ajidahun has received offers from most of the SEC this spring and has official visits set up for USF, Georgia Tech, Georgia, and Duke. When you talk about the potentials and ceilings of athletes, I don't know if they make them much higher than Damola's. Having moved from Nigeria to the states in middle school, Ajidahun didn't start playing football till his freshman year, and he didn't start putting weight on until recently. In fact, in December of 2022 at the end of his sophomore season, Ajidahun weighed in at just 240 pounds. He's going to be a player to track for some time. Georgia will be by next week I'm told to see him.

6. Rome High
Physicality is a gurantee when you arrive at a Rome High football practice under Coach Reid. It's going to be fast and it's going to be physical. Unfortunately for myself and the several P5 coaches in attendance on Monday, Alabama linebacker commit Jaedon Harmon was limited during practice. He's got some of the most jaw-dropping linebacker tape in the 2025 class and assuming they hold on, Bama's got a good one in Harmon. As for the rest of the Wolves, they have several division one offered players, including multiple running backs, but I was blown away by Rhyon Sykes Jr. who is a relatively unknown prospect from a national media perspective, but the 6'2, 190 lb safety is an extremely fluid mover and has already drawn offers and interest from P5 schools according to Rome's staff.

5. Cass High Schoool
Cass high school is on every P4 coaching staff's radar now... I don't know if that was the case five years ago or so. Now, even after sending Sacovie White to play receiver at Georgia, they have several P4 offered players. Bear McWhorter is the 6'5, 295-pound offensive tackle who looks like he's moved the weight around in the right kind of way the offseason. He seems lighter on his feet, playing with high levels of effort on a frame that was receiving SEC offers as a freshman. Kail Ellis is his counterpoint at right tackle, the Auburn commit is a technician, I always enjoy watching him play. QB, Brodie McWhorter is perhaps the most intriguing player at Cass. The 6'3, 200-pound QB is being recruited by some of the nation's premier programs like Oregon and North Carolina, but it's West Virginia who's done a tremendous job with the state's top-ranked signal caller in 2026. Additionally, 2026 TE/ATH Chase Tatum is as compelling as they come. The 6'3, 230-pound tight end is a tremendous athlete for his size. As a hybrid TE/DE, Tatum moonlights as the center fielder for Cass High School's baseball team. He's going to be receiving P4 interest for the fact that they don't make athletes this size with these movements very often. The newcomer to the circuit is ATH Ian Williams, the defensive back has received Minnesota, Georgia Tech, Pitt, and Rutgers offers this spring alone.

4. Lumpkin County
My first time to the mountains of Northeast Georgia on a spring tour like this since... don't say it... Ladd McConkey, brings me to Lumpkin County to see 6'2, 185-pound WR/ATH Cal Faulkner. Faulkner hasn't pubicly received any major P4 offers just yet, but he's got plenty of interest. Georgia Tech was in town this week and Georgia is expected to come by at some point this spring as well I'm told. He's an extremely smooth mover for his length, and though he's posting 100-meter times north of 11.0 seconds currently, coach Heath Webb has GPS metrics in the 23.0 MPH range. His tape indicates a build-speed receiver that has tremendous leaping ability.

3. Woodward Academy
Talent has been in droves over at Woodward Academy over the last several recruiting cycles, and the 2024 roster is no different. Led by perhaps their highest-profile recruit, Jerome Bettis Jr, this Woodward team has a half-a-dozen division one offered football players. Despite starting practice at 6:45 AM, there were multiple Division One coaches at practice Thursday, including Florida's receiver coach Billy Gonzales to see 2025 commit Josiah Abdullah. Defensive back RJ Harrison recently received an offer from Duke and is fundamentally sound as they come. A new addition to the roster this offseason is 6'1, rangy corner Blake Stewart who has several D1 offers, including Georgia Tech and Tulane most notably. Woodward is a school I'm extremely excited to see on this tour next year as well, their sophomore and freshman group is fully loaded.

2. Jones County
Perhaps the home of speed in the state of Georgia, Jones County has an annual handful of sub-11.0 second 100-meter runners. It was the first day of pads at Jones County this spring, the first day in fact. That didn't stop them from SIX team periods during the two-hour practice. It was fast, it was physical, and it was not for the timid. Safety Javion Butts will not practice this spring, but the UNC commit is extremely impressive, standing 6'1, 190 pounds he looks every bit of a Power4 commit. I spoke to him about other schools, and he mentioned how locked in to UNC he is currently. As for the rest of the Jones County roster, linebacker Zacari Thomas looked shot out of a cannon all day. I expect a massive spring for Thomas, hard for me to believe he remains a Group of Five offered player like he currently is for much longer. In fact, sources in the SEC have expressed interest... he's currently being evaluated. ATH, Jaivon Solomon plays both defensive back and receiver, though he projects much more as a receiver, in my opinion. He tracks and attacks the ball well, is a smooth route runner, and has the frame to add weight in college. As for the "I can't believe it" category... DJ Ingram is a 6'2, 205-pound, multi-year starter for Jones County and has tremendous traits and tape with currently ZERO offers, that will change. DJ Ingram's Highlight Tape

2025 LB, DJ Ingram Currently Holds ZERO offers.
2025 LB, DJ Ingram Currently Holds ZERO offers. /

1. Jonesboro
An (8-4) football team in 6A a year ago, the Jonesboro football program is not short of talent. They are not short of players with major offers, particularly their junior defensive back group. DL, Jeremiah Ticket, DB, Cortez Redding, LB, Jerimia Collier, DB, Jamar Owens, and DB Jontavious Wyman all hold division one offers. I left impressed with 2026 corner Jamar Owens and 2025 DL Jeremiah Ticket. Owens is a 6'1, 190-pound corner with tremendous length and athleticism, it should be a massive spring and summer for Ownes with regards to offers from some of the biggest programs like potentially Georgia and Ohio State where he's expected to camp soon. As for Ticket, Ticket is originally from Alaska and has only been playing football for about two seasons now, and boy is he athletic at his size. I was simply blown away by his movement skills at his size.

Up Next... Jones County High School.

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Brooks Austin

BROOKS AUSTIN

Brooks Austin is a former college football player turned journalist and broadcaster. Follow him on Twitter @BrooksAustinBA