For the fifth season, GHSF Daily and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution will be keeping track of the race for state player of the year. Similar to a Heisman Watch for college football, our weekly feature is called the POY Watch.
Unlike the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Super 11 or all-state teams, which reflect the players' individual talents, the POY Top 10 is more about a player's impact on his team and the state as a whole.
Georgia's all-classification players of the year historically are more likely to be quarterbacks and running backs than linemen, although there have been exceptions. They are more likely to play on state-contending teams. These subjective rankings reflect the players with the best chance of winning the player-of-the-year award in four months.
The POY Watch is designed to be a fun look at some of the best players. Players naturally will drift in and out of this elite list, and that should not be taken as a critique of their season. It is an honor to appear in the POW Watch even for a single week.
1. Bailey Hockman, McEachern: Hockman posted player-of-the-year numbers as a sophomore: 3,551 yards passing and 42 touchdowns while leading a team to the Class AAAAAA semifinals. McEachern is loaded again, ranked No. 2 in preseason, and Hockman is rated the No. 2 pro-style quarterback nationally among juniors. He is committed to Georgia.
2. Trevor Lawrence, Cartersville: Lawrence's credentials are similar to Hockman's, although Lawrence is a sophomore on a Class AAAA team. Lawrence passed for 3,042 yards and 26 touchdowns last year in what was almost certainly the best passing season ever recorded by a Georgia freshman. Cartersville reached the state semifinals. Cartersville is ranked No. 2 in preseason behind Buford. Lawrence is rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the country among sophomores.
3. Jake Fromm, Houston County: Fromm passed for 3,629 yards and 31 touchdowns last season for 10-3 Houston County. He was the Georgia Sports Writers Association Class AAAAA offensive player of the year. Houston County opens the season ranked No. 2 behind defending champion and county rival Northside of Warner Robins. Fromm is rated the consensus No. 8 pro-style quarterback prospect nationally among juniors.
4. Mecole Hardman, Elbert County: Hardman rushed for 983 yards and 14 touchdowns and passed for 414 yards in only five games last season. When fully healthy, he rushed for 1,672 as a sophomore. Hardman is the No. 1-rated athlete recruit in the nation, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. Elbert County is ranked No. 4 in Class AAA during the 20th anniversary of its last state title.
5. Julian Rochester, McEachern: Rochester is the consensus No. 2 recruit in Georgia and plays for the second-ranked team in AAAAAA. Rochester is a two-year starter with more than 100 tackles and double-digit sacks and tackles for losses each season. He is committed to Georgia.
6. Elijah Holyfield, Woodward Academy: Woodward last year reached the semifinals for the first time since its 1980 state championship season and is ranked No. 3 in preseason. Holyfield rushed for 1,753 yards and 25 touchdowns and scored six more TDs receiving or returning. He is rated the consensus No. 5 running back prospect nationally.
7. Kyle Davis, Archer: Davis is probably the best-situated among several outstanding players for No. 1-ranked Archer to have an impressive season. Davis, the most highly recruited pure wide receiver in Georgia, caught 63 passes for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns in 2014 and is rated the No. 1 receiver recruit nationally by 247Sports (No. 4 consensus).
8. Derrick Brown, Lanier: Brown is the consensus No. 1 recruit in Georgia and No. 9 player in the country. He had 17.5 sacks and 26 tackles for losses and forced six fumbles in 2014 on a team that went 10-1 and won its first region title.
9. Kaelan Riley, Calhoun: Riley was the GSWA's AAA offensive player of the year last season, when he led Calhoun to a state title. Riley passed for 2,463 yards and 23 touchdowns and rushed for 775 yards and 14 touchdowns. Calhoun is ranked No. 1. Riley is committed to Mercer.
10. Charlie Woerner, Rabun County: Perhaps no player means more to any Top 10 team than Woerner of No. 7 Rabun County. In 2014, Woerner rushed for 1,187 yards, had 45 catches for 659 yards and had more than 100 tackles. Woerner is committed to Georgia.
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