*Best player: Kobe Hudson. The Troup quarterback passed for 3,386 yards and 32 touchdowns and rushed for 1,410 yards with a hand in 50 touchdowns for a state semifinalist last season. He's committed to Auburn as a wide receiver. Next best is another Auburn-committed wide receiver who plays his natural position. Ze'vian Capers had 60 receptions for 1,182 yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 games for Denmark.
*Best position: Quarterback. Hudson, chosen as the offensive athlete, and pro-style quarterback Tee Webb (2,726 yards passing, 35 touchdowns, committed to Louisville) made the team. Those that didn't include Oconee County's Max Johnson (LSU commit), Denmark's Aaron McLaughlin (Auburn commit), Woodward Academy's Mike Wright (Central Florida commit), Perry's Lane Rucker (3,004 yards passing in 2018), Pickens' C.J. Streicher (1,563 passing yards, 1,021 rushing) and Marist's Connor Cigelske (1,300 passing, 900 rushing).
*Highly recruited: Hudson, Capers and Brian Branch of Sandy Creek are top-125 national recruits. Branch has committed to Alabama.
*That's interesting: Marist has produced a first-team all-state player nine of the past 10 seasons, and St. Pius for eight of the past nine. Neither has one here. But it's only preseason.
*Snubbed? Kobe Pryor of Cedartown is committed to Clemson. Two-way players are penalized on traditional all-state teams if they play two roles well but can't focus on just one. Pryor, a running back and linebacker, won his region's iron-man award last season. He's projected as a running back at Clemson, and if he becomes the feature back this year at Cedartown (two-time 1,000-rusher Tony Mathis is now off to West Virginia), Pryor could easily double his 721 yards rushing from a year ago.
*What else is new? Two-time defending champ Blessed Trinity has only one pick, three-year starting center Jackson Filipowicz, but don't pity the Titans. Despite saying goodbye to four-year starters J.D. Bertrand (Notre Dame), Steele Chambers (Ohio State), Ryan Davis (UAB) and Jake Smith (Air Force), the Titans will be in the mix again with outstanding linemen and a D-I RB prospect, Elijah Green, now healthy.
OFFENSE
QB - Tee Webb, Cartersville, Sr.
RB - Khiari McCoy, Carver (Columbus), Sr.
RB - Noah Hill, Baldwin, Sr.
WR - Ze'Vian Capers, Denmark, Sr.
WR - Ja'Cyais Credle, Carver (Columbus), Sr.
TE - Jacorrei Turner, Woodward Academy, Sr.
OL - Eric Aldridge, Americus-Sumter, Sr.
OL - Jackson Filipowicz, Blessed Trinity, Sr.
OL - Zaire Flournoy, Chapel Hill, Sr.
OL - Jonah Gambill, Cartersville, Sr.
OL - Kobe McAllister, Heritage (Ringgold), Sr.
ATH - Kobe Hudson, Troup, Sr.
PK - Noah Jones, Cairo, Sr.
DEFENSE
DL - Andy Boykin, Troup, Sr.
DL - Jordan Mitchell, Sandy Creek, Sr.
DL - Bradyn Swinson, Chapel Hill, Sr.
LB - Woody Barks, North Oconee, Sr.
LB - C.J.Ford, Denmark, Sr.
LB - Devon Hill, Troup, Sr.
LB - Terrance Roberts, Ridgeland, Sr.
LB - Aaron Washington, Woodward Academy, Sr.
DB - Brian Branch, Sandy Creek, Sr.
DB - Marko Dudley, Cartersville, Sr.
DB - Enrico Harden, Mary Persons, Sr.
DB - Trevian Thomas, Americus-Sumter, Sr.
P - Ezra King, Eastside, Sr.
Coming Wednesday: Class AAA
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