Gwinnett County is well known as a high school football hotbed — which also makes it a formidable factory for college football talent.
With that in mind, and with pigskin-packed Saturdays right around the corner, keep an eye out for these former Gwinnett high school standouts as they try and make their names on a higher stage.
--
Tyler Campbell, RB, Army (Peachtree Ridge)
Campbell caught 10 touchdowns as a senior at Peachtree Ridge before choosing West Point over the Ivy League. He played eight games for Army in 2015, getting his first start against Rutgers.
Preseason depth charts listed Campbell as the team's first-string "T"-back.
Lorenzo Carter, LB, UGA (Norcross) ^^
No. 8 on The AJC's list of most important Georgia players for the upcoming season, Carter is looking to have a long-awaited breakout season.
The linebacker, who won state championships with Norcross in 2012 and 2013, had 4.5 sacks as a freshman but none last year.
Reggie Carter, LB, UGA (South Gwinnett) ^^
UGA's other linebacking Carter came in at No. 10 on The AJC's list of most important 2016 players. Now entering his fourth season with the Bulldogs, the Snellville product has started but one game.
If nothing else, he'll provide experience among an otherwise green linebacking corps.
Jim Dedmon / Icon Sportswire
Wayne Gallman, RB, Clemson (Grayson) ^^
The Loganville product was an All-ACC performer in 2015, racking up more than 1,500 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. He, quarterback Deshaun Watson (another metro Atlanta export) and the rest of the No. 2-ranked Tigers hope to make a run at a national championship.
Gallman, meanwhile, will try to prove again he's one of the best running backs in his conference.
Mitch Hyatt, OL, Clemson (North Gwinnett) ^^
Helping lead the way for Gallman will be Clemson left tackle Mitch Hyatt, a North Gwinnett High School grad.
Last season, Hyatt was the first freshman to start at left tackle in a season opener for Clemson since 1944. He was in for more plays than any freshman offensive lineman in school history.
Jim Dedmon / Icon Sportswire
Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee (Norcross) ^^
Kamara, a former AJC High School Football Player of the Year, took the long way to Knoxville, with stops in Tuscaloosa and the Gwinnett County jail.
In 2015, his first season with the Vols, Kamara rushed for nearly 700 yards and seven touchdowns. He hopes to be an integral part of a Tennessee team that, despite a shaky performance in Thursday night's debut against Appalachian State, looks primed to make a run at the SEC East crown.
Kyrin Priester, WR, Washington State (Brookwood)
Priester, who played at Brookwood in 2012, has also taken an interesting path to his current football home. He originally committed to UGA, switched to N.C. State and then signed with Clemson -- before being dismissed for exhibiting "an attitude that is not acceptable to our standards."
Darius Slayton, WR, Auburn (Greater Atlanta Christian) ^^
Slayton flirted with UGA before committing to Auburn last year and took a redshirt during his freshman season. That said, he looks like he'll land a starting spot on a Tigers offense that struggled mightily last season.
Fun fact: While at GAC, Slayton was a state champion sprinter in the 100- and 200-meters.
Caleb Scott, WR, Vanderbilt (North Gwinnett) ^^
Scott, a 6-foot-2 junior, was listed among the Commodores' top receivers prior to Thursday night's season opener against South Carolina. The Suwanee native caught 24 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns in 2015.
He was also named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Josh Thomas, RB, West Georgia (Buford)
Thomas joins West Georgia after transferring from Iowa State, where he ran for just 295 yards but led the Cyclones with seven touchdowns.
He won three state titles with Buford.
About the Author
