Star-studded defensive line highlights Class 5A preseason all-state team

Ahead of the 2025 season, Georgia High School Football Daily and the AJC are naming the preseason all-state teams by classification.

Class 6A was announced Monday. Below is Class 5A.

Here are some notes and things to know followed by the selections.

*Best player: Jorden Edmonds, Sprayberry. He’s his team’s best cornerback, wide receiver and return man, and he’s going to Alabama.

*Best position: Defensive line. Each is a big-time recruit — Ayden Cain (Duke), Cam Brooks (California), Anthony Lonon Jr. (Georgia) and Jamarion Matthews (Alabama).

*Most highly recruited: Xavier Griffin, Gainesville. He is the consensus No. 2 senior prospect in Georgia and No. 17 recruit in the nation.

*That’s interesting: Hughes has four players. Gainesville has three. Most are transfers, including Matthews (from Sparkman in Alabama) and Cain (Dutchtown) at Gainesville and Jamarion McKinney (Dutchtown), Kelsey Adams (North Clayton) and Darnell Kelly (Peachtree Ridge) at Hughes.

*Snubbed: Lots of good quarterbacks in this class. Kelly was the choice here. Other elite signal callers in this classification are Milton’s Derrick Baker, Douglas County’s Michael Johnson, Gainesville’s Kharim Hughley, Roswell’s Trey Smith and Sprayberry’s Jaden Duckett.

*Underrated: Edmonds and Blake Stewart are perhaps the two best all-around players, but Rome wide receiver/strong safety Darnell Collins brings many of the same gifts in a 6-foot-3, 190-pound package. He is committed to Georgia Tech.

*What else is news? Milton had seven preseason all-state players in 2024 and leveraged them and others to finish 15-0. This season, Milton has one preseason all-state selection, Bill Weivoda, a linebacker who was his team’s third-leading tackler last season. He is committed to Iowa.

Class 5A preseason all-state offense selections

QB - Darnell Kelly, Hughes, Sr.

RB - Carsyn Baker, Hughes, Sr.

RB - Will Rajecki, Sequoyah, Sr.

WR - M.J. Mathis, Houston County, Sr.

WR - Jamarion McKinney, Hughes, Sr.

TE - Heze Kent, Brunswick, Sr.

OL - Alexander Brewer, Sequoyah, Sr.

OL - Artem Korchagin, Thomas County Central, Sr.

OL - Chase Richardson, Brunswick, Sr.

OL - Tyler Chukuyem, South Paulding, Sr.

OL - Kelsey Adams, Hughes, Jr.

ATH - Jorden Edmonds, Sprayberry, Sr.

PK - Balint Vorosmarty, Roswell, Sr.

Class 5A preseason all-state defense selections

DL - Cam Brooks, Thomas County Central, Sr.

DL - Ayden Cain, Gainesville, Sr.

DL - Anthony “A.J.” Lonon, Clarke Central, Sr.

DL - Jamarion Matthews, Gainesville, Sr.

LB - Rodney Colton, Newnan, Sr.

LB - Chad Fairchild, Lovejoy, Sr.

LB - Xavier Griffin, Gainesville, Sr.

LB - Billy Weivoda, Milton, Sr.

DB - Darnell Collins, Rome, Sr.