Eight former Georgia high school players going to Super Bowl
Eight former Georgia high school football players are going to the Super Bowl – six for the Kansas City Chiefs and two for the Philadelphia Eagles – after their teams won conference title games Sunday.
Chiefs place-kicker Harrison Butker of Westminster, who kicked the winning field goal Sunday in a 32-29 victory over the Buffalo Bills for the AFC championship, will be playing in his fifth Super Bowl.
The only other Georgia player with five Super Bowl appearances is Pro Football Hall of Fame tackle Rayfield Wright, who played in five for the Dallas Cowboys in the 1970s. Wright, from Fairmont High in Griffin, won two Super Bowls. Butker can win his fourth.
Others from Georgia on the Chiefs’ active roster Sunday were Jaylen Watson of Laney and Justin Reid of Dutchtown, who started in the Chiefs’ secondary, along with Hunter Nourzad of Walker, Malik Herring of Mary Persons and Wanya Morris of Grayson.
This will be the first Super Bowl appearance for Nourzad, the Chiefs' backup center.
Eagles players from Georgia, coming off a 55-23 victory over the Washington Commanders in the NFC title game, are Darius Slay of Brunswick and Nolan Smith of Calvary Day, both starters on defense. Smith played his final two high school seasons at IMG Academy in Florida.
Having eight Georgians in the Super Bowl is about average over the past 10 seasons. The record is 12 for the Super Bowls during the 2015 and 1998 seasons. There has been at least one Georgia player in every one except Super Bowl II played in 1968.
The Super Bowl will be played Feb. 9 in New Orleans.
Below are the Georgia players on active rosters Sunday. Those on injured reserve or practice squads, such as the Eagles' C.J. Uzomah of North Gwinnett and Cameron Irving of Colquitt County, are not included. The teams' active rosters for the Super Bowl may be different than those used in Sunday’s games.
Super Bowl Georgians:
*K Harrison Butker, Westminster, Chiefs
OL Hunter Nourzad, Walker, Chiefs
*CB Jaylen Watson, Laney, Chiefs
*S Justin Reid, Dutchtown, Chiefs
DE Malik Herring, Mary Persons, Chiefs
OL Wanya Morris, Grayson, Chiefs
*CB Darius Slay Jr., Brunswick, Eagles
*OLB Nolan Smith Jr., Calvary Day, Eagles
*Starters