Projected top players by position: Best special-teams players

More place-kickers are committed to Division I schools than usual this season. Among those are Westminster's Charlie Ham (Duke), Dalton's Iva Mora (Wake Forest) and Northside-Warner Robins' Cory Munson (Western Kentucky). Others have offers.

"Schools used to treat kickers as second-class recruits," said Joe Sturniolo, Ham's position coach at Westminster. "Some schools are finally starting to learn the value of a good kicker or punter, and kickers are starting to learn if they are really good, they don't have to walk on, as long as they can be flexible in where they go."

GHSF Daily is publishing its 10 best at each position over the first nine issues. The players' status as recruits is a factor, but the choices are made largely on their production as high school players. The series concludes today with special-teams players, including kickers, punters, long snappers and return men.

*Peyton Bush, Dodge County (5-10, 150): Bush has made 21 of 30 field-goal attempts in his career with a long of 48. He averaged 39.9 yards per punt last season. He is rated the No. 16 kicker nationally by Prokicker.com.

*Noah Chumley, Savannah Christian (6-3, 180): Chumley averaged 40.8 yards per punt and downed 12 inside the 20-yard line last season. He made six field goals with a long of 48 yards and put 60 percent of kickoffs in the end zone. Chumley led the team in receptions, started at defensive back and averaged 120 plays per game.

*Brendan Farrell, Marist (5-11, 185): Farrell, a top-50 punter nationally according to Kohl's Kicking, averaged 38.2 yards per punt. He put 22 of 77 kickoffs in the end zone.

*Ryan Fitzgerald, Colquitt County (6-0, 185): Fitzgerald made 18 of 25 field goals - including a 60-yarder - and put 63 of 86 kickoffs into the end zone last season. Fitzgerald also averaged 40.6 yards per punt. He is rated the No. 15 kicker nationally by Chris Sailer Kicking. He has offers from Georgia State, Air Force and Army.

*Charlie Ham, Westminster (6-2, 175): Ham had three field goals of 50 yards or more last season and didn't miss inside of 45 yards. He put 50 of 64 kickoffs into the end zone. Ham, rated the No. 5 senior place-kicker nationally by Kohl's, is committed to Duke.

*Tony Jones, Carver-Atlanta (5-7, 160): Jones averaged 47.8 yards on nine kickoff returns and 18.5 on 13 punt returns, scoring two touchdowns on each last season. He also rushed for 941 yards.

*Michael Lantz, Starr's Mill (6-0, 170): Lantz was 8-of-12 on field goals last season with a long of 50 yards. He put 33 of 64 kickoffs into the end zone. Rated a top-15 place-kicker nationally by Kohl's and Sailer, Lantz has an offer from Minnesota.

*Ivan Mora, Dalton (6-0, 160): Mora was 7-of-9 on field goals last season and put 40 of 49 kickoffs into the end zone. He's also rated the No. 1 punter nationally by Kohl's Kicking. His average was only 36.2 last season, but he put 19 punts of 44 inside the 20-yard line. Mora is ranked the No. 9 kicker nationally by Kohl's. Mora is committed to Wake Forest.

*Cory Munson, Northside-Warner Robins (6-3, 185): Munson made 18 of 24 field goals - including a 59-yarder - and put 27 of 52 kickoffs into the end zone last season. He also averaged 41.1 yards per punt. Munson is committed to Western Kentucky.