Sandy Creek RB Eric Swinney jumped from No. 5 to No. 2 in GHSF Daily's Player of the Year Watch after a 220-yard rushing performance against a Top 10 Class AAAAAA team.
Entering the POY Watch this week are Stephenson DE Chauncey Rivers, Aquinas RB/DB Ruben Garnett, Greater Atlanta Christian WR Darius Slayton and North Gwinnett QB John Urzua.
The POY Watch is designed to be a fun look at some of Georgia's best players. Players naturally will fall in and out of this elite list, and that should not be taken as a criticism of their season.
This list is a subjective ranking of players' impact on their teams and the state as a whole and their chances of winning the year-end all-classification player of the year award.
1. WR Preston Williams, Lovejoy:Williams opens his season Friday at Mundy's Mill. He is coming off a season in which he caught 56 passes for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns. Lovejoy, 10-2 in 2013, is ranked No. 6, giving him the spotlight he needs to win the state's most coveted individual award. Williams was the Class AAAAAA offensive player of the year in 2013. Rated the No. 3 wide-receiver prospect in the nation, Williams is committed to Tennessee.
2. RB Eric Swinney, Sandy Creek:Swinney, rated the consensus No. 10 running-back prospect in the nation, rushed for 220 yards and scored a touchdown on 34 carries in a 21-13 victory over Archer, which entered the game ranked No. 3 in Class AAAAAA. Sandy Creek remained No. 2 in AAAA. Swinney rushed for 1,289 yards and 24 touchdowns for an 11-1-1 team last season. Swinney is committed to Ole Miss.
3. QB/DB A.J. Gray, Washington County:Gray opens his season Friday against Thomson. Gray is a two-way starter on a state runner-up team that should make another run in Class AAA this season. Gray completed 69 percent of his passes and threw for 1,913 yards and rushed for 1,324 in 2013. From the secondary, Gray made 75 tackles and had five interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. Washington County is ranked No. 1. Gray is committed to Georgia Tech.
4. DE Chauncey Rivers, Stephenson: Rivers had 2.5 sacks in a 41-6 victory over Arabia Mountain. He is a preseason Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super 11 player. Rivers had 29 tackles for losses and 15 sacks in 2013. Stephenson is ranked No. 2 in Class AAAAA and takes on reigning Florida Class 6A champion Miami Central on Saturday at Hallford Stadium. Central is ranked No. 10 nationally by MaxPreps. Rivers has committed to Georgia.
5. DL Trent Thompson, Westover:Thompson had six tackles, two behind the line, in Westover's ESPNU-televised 13-0 loss to Lee County. Thompson was double- and triple-teamed as the noseguard in Westover's three-man front. Thompson, an AJC Super 11 pick, is the consensus No. 2 recruit in the nation. He is committed to Georgia.
6. Terry Godwin, Callaway:Godwin, the consensus No. 1 athlete recruit in the country according to 247Sports, had three receptions for 68 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown in Callaway's 20-14 overtime victory over LaGrange. He also had 82 return yards. Godwin is committed to Georgia.
7. RB/DB Ruben Garnett, Aquinas: Garnett rushed for 181 yards and scored four touchdowns on 18 carries in a 41-6 victory over Glenn Hills. Garnett also played every down as a nickel back on defense and made one tackle. He was the Class A offensive player of the year in 2013, when he rushed for 1,928 yards and scored 27 touchdowns for a state-championship team. Aquinas is ranked No. 1 in Class A. Duke reportedly leads to sign Garnett among 15 Division I offers.
8. WR Darius Slayton, Greater Atlanta Christian: Slayton had eight receptions for 186 yards and three touchdowns in a 24-21 victory over Benedictine. His 63-yard TD reception - a memorable one-hander - was the game-winner. He is coming off a season in which he had 31 receptions for 940 yards. He's a consensus top-20 recruit in the state and has more than 20 offers, including those from Georgia and Georgia Tech. GAC is ranked No. 1 in Class AA.
9. QB John Urzua, North Gwinnett: Urzua was 38-of-48 passing for 498 yards and seven touchdowns in a 52-49 victory over previously No. 1-ranked McEachern in the Corky Kell Classic. Urzua threw a 9-yard TD pass for the game-winner in the final seconds. Urzua is not yet a major-college prospect and is a first-year starter. North Gwinnett, which has produced more all-state quarterbacks in the past 10 seasons than any other Georgia program, is ranked No. 2.
10. OL Mitch Hyatt, North Gwinnett:Hyatt is a five-star recruit and consensus top-10 prospect in the nation. He led an offense that put up 576 yards in a 52-49 victory over No. 1-ranked McEachern at the Corky Kell Classic. The 52 points are the most allowed by McEachern at home since 1963 (North Cobb). No offensive lineman has won the AJC's ACPOY award since Zeb McKenzey of Parkview in 2002. Hyatt has committed to Clemson.
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