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Centers, guards dominate on offensive line
GHSF Daily’s rollout of the Georgia Power 100 continues today with offensive linemen. A tackle protecting the blind side is this group’s glamor position, but most of these 10 are projected to play guard or center at the next level, and many already do. GHSF Daily’s Georgia Power 100 are chosen primarily on high school production, though college potential also is considered.
Preseason all-state: Two top-ranked quarterbacks headline 7A team
GHSF Daily will be announcing a preseason all-state team for each classification, beginning today with Class 7A. Quarterbacks Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis of Carrollton and Dylan Raiola of Buford both have No. 1 national rankings at the position for their classes. Lewis is a sophomore and Raiola, a transfer from Arizona, is a senior.
Georgia’s elite wide receivers are smaller, faster
GHSF Daily’s rollout of the Georgia Power 100 continues today with wide receivers. Smaller and faster describe most of them. Six stand no taller than 5 feet, 9 inches. GHSF Daily’s Georgia Power 100 are chosen primarily on high school production, though college potential also is considered.
Top running backs displaying versatile skills
GHSF Daily’s rollout of the Georgia Power 100 continues today with running backs. The Georgia Power 100 is chosen primarily on high school production, though college potential also is considered.
Georgia rich in elite quarterback talent
Georgia has never been so rich in elite quarterback prospects in one season. Of the 20 highest-rated players at the position this century, six will be returning Georgia starters in 2023. Two are five-star recruits. Buford’s Dylan Raiola and Hughes’ Prentiss “Air” Noland are the first five-star QB senior pair in Georgia since Cartersville’s Trevor Lawrence and Harrison’s Justin Fields.
Return to Mercedes-Benz, 100 coaching changes among top offseason stories
Mill Creek beat Carrollton 70-35 in the final Georgia high school football game of the 2022 season. In the 234 days since, nearly a quarter of the GHSA’s 413 teams have hired new head coaches. The next championship games will be played on a Monday in Mercedes-Benz Stadium under the scrutiny of video replay for the first time. Here are the 10 most significant stories of the offseason.
More than 75 teams expected at Football Media Day
More than 75 teams and one-third of the top 100 senior recruits in the state are expected Wednesday at the inaugural Georgia High School Football Media Day. The event starts at 10 a.m. at the IBEW Auditorium (153 Richardson Street SW, Atlanta) and is free to the public. Attending teams include defending state champions Hughes, Sandy Creek and Prince Avenue Christian.
Prep Super League plans to have Atlanta football team
Having heard the criticisms, the founder of a national high school football all-star league hoping to attract Georgia’s best players says his new Prep Super League will be safe and won’t interfere with their traditional high school teams. Brian Woods announced this month that Atlanta would have one of 12 teams playing a six-week season April 19-May 24.
Georgia recruit Raiola, nation’s No. 1 prospect, plans transfer to Buford
Dylan Raiola, the consensus No. 1 recruit for 2024, plans to play his senior season at Buford to be closer to the University of Georgia, where he is committed to play. Raiola played his junior season in Arizona and led Chandler High to a 9-3 record and a state semifinal.
22 UGA, eight Tech players make Georgia High School Football HOF
Twenty-two former Georgia players and eight from Georgia Tech made the 40-player 2023 induction class for the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame. The class, released Friday morning by Hall of Fame founder Score Atlanta, will be inducted Oct. 21 at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta.
Five coaches to be inducted into GACA Hall of Fame
The Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in Dalton this weekend will induct five coaches who won state championships in eight sports in careers spanning parts of six decades. The coaches are David Boyd (basketball), Karl Bostick (cross country, soccer), Jim Glasser (wrestling, track, tennis), Greg James (baseball) and Tommy Perdue (football).
Bobo, Henderson among 36 added to Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame ballot
Pepper Rodgers, Dan Reeves, Billy Henderson and Mike Bobo are best known as prominent football coaches in the state, but their playing exploits have earned them places on this year’s 100-player ballot released this week for the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame.
GHSA releases schedules: New out-of-state opponents are most intriguing
New interstate games are the best new thing about Georgia’s 2023 football schedules, which the Georgia High School Association posted this week. Colquitt County, Buford and Creekside are playing consensus top-25 teams in the country from 2022, while Valdosta and Cedar Grove also are taking on powerful out-of-state opponents.
Five former Georgia high school players selected in NFL first round
Five former Georgia high school players were first-round NFL Draft picks last week and 25 went overall, both exceeding state averages, but the most remarkable story came out of Gwinnett County, which claimed nine picks by itself. That’s more than the totals of 42 states that include Ohio (eight), Pennsylvania (six), Alabama (four), Oklahoma (four) and Tennessee (two).
Six former Georgia high school players projected in NFL draft’s first round
With six former Georgia high school players projected to go in the first round, the NFL Draft could set records for the state this week. According to NFL Mock Draft Database, which produces composite rankings of draft projections, Georgia’s likely first-rounders are Dutchtown’s Will Anderson of Alabama, Calvary Day’s Nolan Smith of Georgia, Hillgrove’s Myles Murphy of Clemson, Lithonia’s Broderick Jones of Georgia, Sandy Creek’s Brian Branch of Alabama and Dalton’s Jahmyr Gibbs of Alabama.
GHSA staff undergoes change with hiring of Lane, Russell
The Georgia High School Association’s normally stable staff is taking on a new look with the recent hires of Jay Russell and Darrell Lane as associate directors, the retirement of Ernie Yarbrough and the resignation of Kevin Giddens effective in June. Things will stay the same at the top as executive director Robin Hines signed a three-year extension last month after six years in the position.
South Atlanta hires Franklin as head coach; eight jobs unfilled
South Atlanta hired Jeff Franklin as football coach this week, leaving only eight GHSA jobs unfilled in an offseason that has seen 94 openings. South Atlanta, a Class 2A school, was perhaps the top job on the board. The Hornets have won three consecutive region titles and gone 11-2 and 11-1 the past two seasons under Michael Woolridge, who left for Pebblebrook, a Class 7A school in Cobb County.
Falcons honor Cherokee Bluff’s Benjamin, Blessed Trinity’s Miller with top awards
The Atlanta Falcons honored Cherokee Bluff offensive lineman Jacob Benjamin as their High School Man of the Year and Blessed Trinity flag football player Joelle “JoJo” Miller with the Trailblazer Award on Thursday night during their awards show that recognized several coaches and athletes. Both won their awards, presented at the Georgia Aquarium, for their impact in the community and their schools.
Former Jefferson coach Cathcart takes over at Loganville
Loganville hired former Jefferson football coach Gene Cathcart this week, ending a recent slow news cycle of offseason changes that have reached 92 but with only nine still open. Cathcart led Jefferson and Habersham Central to two region titles each and won a state championship at South Carolina’s Greenwood in 2012.
GHSA to discuss NIL deals, not ready to vote
GHSA executive director Robin Hines will discuss name, image and likeness deals for high school athletes at next Monday’s executive committee meeting in Macon, but the GHSA won’t propose changing its bylaws until fall at the earliest, he said Monday.