Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald, Ernest Jones lead Georgia contingent in Super Bowl
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald and leading tackler Ernest Jones are the most prominent former Georgia high school football players whose teams made the Super Bowl with victories Sunday.
Other Georgia players on Super Bowl rosters are linebacker Jared Ivey (North Gwinnett) of the Seahawks and quarterback Joshua Dobbs (Alpharetta), running back Antonio Gibson (Eagle’s Landing), linebacker Bradyn Swinson (Chapel Hill) and long snapper Julian Ashby (Parkview) of the Patriots. Gibson and Ivey were inactive in the conference championship games.
Four other Georgia players are on practice squads. They are linebacker Otis Reese (Lee County) of the Patriots and defensive tackle Bubba Thomas (Riverdale), linebacker Chris Paul Jr. (Crisp County) and wide receiver Ricky White III (Marietta and Wheeler) of the Seahawks. Practice squad players may be activated.
Macdonald, a 2006 Centennial graduate, is the fifth head coach from Georgia to lead a team to a Super Bowl. The others are Sean McVay (Marist), Dan Reeves (Americus), Sam Wyche (North Fulton) and Ken Whisenhunt (Richmond Academy).
McVay is the only Georgia coach to win a Super Bowl, doing so with the Rams in the 2021 season.
In high school, Macdonald probably was a better baseball player. His senior football season ended with a major knee injury, and he played neither sport in college. He began coaching at Cedar Shoals High in Athens while a University of Georgia student and was a UGA graduate assistant under coach Mark Richt.
Jones, the Seahawks’ middle linebacker, is having a breakout season, as he made second-team All-Pro. The former Ware County star had 126 tackles and five interceptions this regular season.
Jones had a team-leading eight tackles Sunday in the 31-27 victory over the Rams in the NFC championship game. This will be Jones’ third Super Bowl, as he made it with the Rams in 2021 and 2022.
“I think Ernest is playing at an all-time level and playing great in the middle,” Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said of his former teammate ahead of Sunday’s game. “He’s running the show for those guys.”
Aside from Ashby on special teams, Jones will be the only Georgia starter in the Super Bowl. He was a two-time first-team all-state player under then-Ware County coach Franklin Stephens. Jones played at South Carolina and was a third-round NFL draft pick in 2021.
The Georgia participation in this Super Bowl is below recent totals. Over the previous 10 seasons, there has been an average of 7.1 Georgians on active Super Bowl rosters. Only four were active for winning teams Sunday.
Georgia’s participation has steadily grown. The average number of active Georgia players over the first 10 Super Bowls was only 3.4. There has been at least one Georgia player in every Super Bowl except for Super Bowl II, played in 1969.
About the Author
Todd Holcomb covers high school sports across the state. He rejoined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2025 and has worked with the AJC in varying capacities since 1985. He is a co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.
