Jamious Griffin was a 1,000-yard rusher as a sophomore and junior on state-championship teams, but he has still been a little hidden. Rome has been full of star players. Five of his former teammates are now playing Division I football.
One of those is Jalynn Sykes, a running back now at Marshall. Sykes' graduation meant that Griffin - a three-star recruit whose stock is rising - would be a feature back for the first time as a senior.
"Jamious has been waiting for this opportunity for three years," Rome coach John Reid told GHSF Daily on Tuesday. "He has had the advantage of sharing carries with another D-I back for the past three years. Over that time, he has improved his speed and power by running track and working hard in our weight program. He is running relentlessly, finishing runs, breaking tackles and using improved speed."
Griffin has rushed for career highs the past two weeks, going for 236 yards against Kell, then 285 against Carrollton on Friday. Both opponents were top-10 Class AAAAA teams entering the game.
Though committed to N.C. State, Griffin is getting sudden high interest from other schools, including Georgia and Virginia Tech. Georgia running backs coach Dell McGee watched Griffin on Friday against Carrollton.
Now averaging 217.5 yards rushing per game for a nationally ranked team, Griffin is the new leader of GHSF Daily's Player of the Year Watch. New to the Watch this week is Troup QB Kobe Hudson, and returning are Grayson LB Owen Pappoe and Colquitt County RB Daijun Edwards.
The POY Watch is intended to be a fun look at some of the state's best players. Players naturally will drift in and out, 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. RB Jamious Griffin, Rome: Griffin rushed for 285 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries and had one catch for 14 yards in a 65-51 victory over fourth-ranked Carrollton in a Class AAAAA game last week. In four games, Griffin has rushed for 870 yards and 13 touchdowns on 81 carries (10.7 ypc). He has caught five passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns. A three-star recruit, Griffin is committed to N.C. State. Rome (4-0) is ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAA and No. 19 nationally in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25.
2. WR/DB Jadon Haselwood, Cedar Grove: Haselwood's team did not play last week. For the season, Haselwood has 210 yards on 19 receptions, more than 400 all-purpose yards, three touchdowns and more than 10 tackles. The consensus No. 1 recruit in Georgia, Haselwood is committed to Georgia. Cedar Grove (3-1) is ranked No. 2 in Class AAA.
3. QB Chandler Byron, Monroe Area: Byron's team did not play last week. In four games, Byron has rushed for 931 yards and 11 touchdowns on 92 carries (10.1 ypc). He is 21-of-39 passing for 535 yards and six touchdowns. Byron is not a highly rated recruit and does not have an offer. Monroe Area (4-0) is ranked No. 4 in AAA.
4. RB Derrian Brown, Buford: Brown rushed for 202 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries in a 54-27 victory over Newton last week. In four games, Brown has rushed for 688 yards and scored 11 touchdowns on 89 carries (7.7 ypc) and caught six passes for 75 yards. A top-250 national recruit, Brown committed to Texas on Friday. Buford (3-1) is ranked No. 2 in Class AAAAA.
5. WR Ramel Keyton, Marietta: Keyton's team did not play last week. In four games, Keyton has 35 receptions for 542 yards and 10 touchdowns. Keyton, a four-star top-200 national recruit, has committed to Tennessee. Marietta (1-3) is ranked No. 10 in AAAAAAA.
6. RB/LB Steele Chambers, Blessed Trinity: Chambers' team did not play last week. In four games, Chambers has rushed for 420 yards and 11 touchdowns on 53 carries (7.9 ypc), all against ranked or larger schools. A top-250 national recruit, Chambers is committed to Ohio State. Blessed Trinity (4-0) is ranked No. 1 in AAAA.
7. WR Dominick Blaylock, Walton: Blaylock had 51 yards rushing, 50 receiving and 40 passing and scored three touchdowns in a 27-24 victory over defending Class AAAAAAA champion North Gwinnett in a game televised by ESPNU. Blaylock scored on an 11-yard run with 32 seconds left for the game-winning touchdown. For the season, Blaylock has 310 yards receiving, 59 rushing and 50 passing and seven touchdowns. Blaylock is a five-star recruit and the consensus No. 31 player nationally. He committed to Georgia before his junior season. Walton (4-0) is ranked No. 2 in AAAAAAA.
8. LB Owen Pappoe, Grayson: Pappoe had a team-leading 10 tackles, forced and recovered a fumble and scored a touchdown in a 21-15 victory over Westlake. In four games, Pappoe has 38 tackles, five for losses, and a sack. He has scored three touchdowns in occasional goal-line duty at running back. Pappoe is the nation's consensus No. 10 prospect and No. 1 OLB prospect. He was the Gwinnett Touchdown Club's outside linebacker of the year as a junior. Grayson (3-1) is ranked No. 3 in Class AAAAAA.
9. QB Kobe Hudson, Troup: Hudson was 14-of-22 passing for 338 yards and four touchdowns in a 37-20 victory over Callaway. Hudson rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. In four games, Hudson is 48-of-78 passing for 977 yards and 12 touchdowns with only one interception. He has rushed for 246 yards and scored five touchdowns on 27 carries. A junior, Hudson is a top-100 national recruit, the No. 13 WR prospect nationally in the class of 2020. He is committed to Auburn. Troup (4-0) is ranked No. 5 in Class AAAA.
10. RB Daijun Edwards, Colquitt County: Edwards rushed for 84 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries in a 41-14 victory over Warner Robins. In five games, Edwards has rushed for 601 yards and 11 touchdowns on 89 carries. Edwards is a consensus top-250 recruit nationally in the class of 2020 whose reported leaders are Auburn, Florida State and Georgia. Colquitt County (5-0) is ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAAAA.
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