Georgia 2026 dual-threat QB Darnell Kelly transfers from Peachtree Ridge to Langston Hughes

The Georgia signal caller will officially will play for the Panthers in 2025

Langston Hughes is off to a 2-0 start and has climbed to No. 4 in the latest SBlive Top 25 Georgia high school football rankings. / Jamie Spaar

One of the Peach State's top quarterbacks of the 2026 class will be switching up zip codes for the 2025 season.

On Tuesday, 2026 dual-threat signal caller Darnell Kelly confirmed with High School On SI Georgia that he will be transferring to Langston Hughes from Peachtree Ridge.

"My family made the move because they felt it was the best decision financially as a whole," Kelly said about the transfer. "I’m excited for this new opportunity and appreciate everything Peachtree Ridge and the coaching staff has done for me."

Kelly led the Lions under center throughout a stellar 2024 campaign, with the quarterback finishing the season completing 193-of-293 passes for 2,521 yards, 28 touchdowns and only six interceptions. On the ground, Kelly rushed for 463 yards on 70 touches and found the endzone five times.

The Panthers are coming off a 13-2 season last year as they finished as the state runnerups, losing to Milton in the Class AAAAA state championship game.

Christian Langford was last year's starter for the Panthers, as he threw for over 3,000 yards and 38 touchdowns. Langford will graduate this spring and was leaving a void at the quarterback position.

Now with Kelly transferring, it fills a need for Langston Hughes as they take aim at making another run towards a state title game.

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