Could this team of former Georgia high school players win the Super Bowl?
Could a team of former Georgia high school football players win the Super Bowl?
With seven All-Pro players on defense, probably so.
With none on offense and a quarterback without an NFL playoff victory, maybe not.
For certain, a Georgia all-star team would be a force. The state is brimming with more than 140 NFL players, the most per capita and fourth most overall behind California, Texas and Florida. About half those Georgia players are starters.
The Georgia defense would be elite, and the secondary would be the best in football.
Marist’s Kyle Hamilton of the Ravens and M.L. King’s Kevin Byard of the Bears — both products of DeKalb County — were the consensus All-Pro safeties this season. Alpharetta’s Jaycee Horn of the Panthers and Roswell’s Xavier McKinney of the Packers also made All-Pro teams in the secondary.
Texans defensive end Will Anderson of Dutchtown lived up to his great promise as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. He made All-Pro along with Ware County’s Ernest Jones of the Seahawks at linebacker and Peachtree Ridge’s Cameron Heyward, at age 36, of the Steelers on the defensive line.
The Georgia offense could use work, though. Longtime Georgia stars Tyreek Hill from Coffee and Nick Chubb of Cedartown are not their old selves, and there’s not a sure-fire No. 1 receiver.
Cartersville’s Trevor Lawrence, the state’s best NFL quarterback, hasn’t found playoff success in his five-year career. But he’s coming off what could be called a breakout season with the Jaguars.
Here’s what a starting lineup of former Georgia high school football players might look like.
Offense
QB - Trevor Lawrence, Cartersville (Jaguars) – Lawrence, a former AJC all-class player of the year and Super 11 choice, just completed perhaps his best NFL season, as he led the Jaguars to a 13-4 record while passing for 4,007 yards (sixth-most in the NFL) and a career-high 29 touchdowns (fifth-most). Lawrence was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. He’s yet to win a playoff game, so there’s that. But he did lead Clemson to a national title. His backups probably would be Harrison’s Justin Fields of the Jets and Greater Atlanta Christian’s Davis Mills of the Texans.
RB - Jahmyr Gibbs, Dalton (Lions) – Gibbs might be Georgia’s big weapon. He’s a former first-round draft pick who has reached the Pro Bowl in all three of his seasons. He had 1,223 yards rushing and 616 receiving in 2025. Gibbs was big high school star at Dalton. He rushed for 2,554 yards and 40 touchdowns as senior. He played at Georgia Tech, then Alabama for his final college season.
RB - Woody Marks, Carver-Atlanta (Texans) – Marks was the leading rusher (703 yards) for a 12-5 Houston team this season as a rookie and fourth-round pick. He was more productive in 2025 than old standards Alvin Kamara of Norcross and Nick Chubb of Cedartown, the two best Georgians at his position over the past decade. Marks was an all-state player at Carver and more commonly known then as Jo’Quavious Marks.
WR - Ladd McConkey, North Murray (Chargers) – McConkey’s second NFL season wasn’t as spectacular as the first, as he had 66 receptions for 789 yards – down from 82 for 1,149 as a rookie – but he was still an integral part of the Chargers’ 11-6 team. McConkey was a quarterback in high school and key member of Georgia’s 2021 and 2022 national championship teams.
WR - Jakobi Meyers, Arabia Mountain (Jaguars) – Meyers was traded from the Raiders to the Jaguars in midseason, and that roughly coincided with the Jags’ eight-game winning streak that delivered the AFC South championship. Meyers had 75 receptions for 835 yards for the full season. He has surpassed 800 yards receiving for five straight seasons. As was McConkey, Meyers was a quarterback and multisport athlete in high school.
WR – Darius Slayton, Greater Atlanta Christian (Giants) – With eight-time Pro Bowl receiver Tyreek Hill injured, Sayton would be the deep threat. He had 37 receptions for 538 yards last season for the Giants. He’s been a starter most of his seven NFL seasons. Peachtree Ridge’s Josh Downs of the Colts is another Georgia choice here, though more of a possession receiver, like McConkey and Meyers.
TE – Chig Okonkwo, Hillgrove (Titans) – Okonkwo had another solid season with 56 receptions for 560 yards and two touchdowns. He was a fourth-round pick out of Maryland in 2022. Okonkwo has taken over the title of Georgia’s best tight end from another Hillgrove alumnus, Evan Engram, who just finished his ninth NFL season. Both are more known for their receiving than blocking.
G - Dylan Parham, Carrollton (Raiders) – Parham is a former third-round pick who is now a four-year NFL starter. Parham didn’t play much on Carrollton’s offensive line. He was a tight end as a senior and a linebacker before that. Not a big recruit or all-state player, he played at Memphis, where he was a four-year starter.
G - Tate Ratledge, Darlington (Lions) – Ratledge started all 17 games as a rookie for the Lions, who took him in the second round of the 2025 draft. Ratledge was an AJC Super 11 pick and a three-time all-state choice while at Darlington, where he started on both sides of the ball. Ratledge was a three-year starter at Georgia. Another good choice here would’ve been Ratledge’s Georgia teammate Dylan Fairchild, another rookie guard who started in his first season, for the Bengals. Ratledge’s Lions beat Fairchild’s Bengals in the regular season, so that was the tiebreaker.
T - Orlando Brown, Peachtree Ridge (Bengals) – Brown has started all eight seasons of his career and is a four-time former Pro Bowl player. Brown was a big-time recruit who started 40 games at Tennessee and was drafted in the 2018 third round.
T - Andrew Thomas, Pace Academy (Giants) – Thomas has started all six of his NFL seasons since the Giants made him the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. He was a three-time all-state player and AJC Super 11 pick who went on to star at Georgia.
C - Hunter Nourzad, Walker (Chiefs) – Nourzad is the Chiefs’ backup center and the only Georgia player at this position primarily. This comes after the 2025 retirement of David Andrews, a former eight-year starter for the Patriots. Nourzad was all-state in high school but lightly regarded. He played three years at Cornell, then two at Penn State. He made the team as a fifth-round draft pick.
Defense
DE - Will Anderson, Dutchtown (Texans) – Anderson, a consensus All Pro pick, had career highs of 10 sacks and 20 tackles for loss in 2025, his third NFL season. Anderson was the No. 3 overall NFL draft pick in 2023. He was an AJC Super 11 player in 2019 and All-American at Alabama.
DE - Montez Sweat, Stephenson (Bears) – Sweat is a seven-year starter who had 10 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and 36 solo tackles, numbers he surpassed only during his 2023 Pro Bowl season. Sweat was an All-American at Mississippi State and 2019 first-round pick, but he did not make all-state while at Stephenson.
DT - Cameron Heyward, Peachtree Ridge (Steelers) – In his 15th season, Heyward got All Pro recognition (second-team Associated Press) for the sixth time in his career. Heyward is a 2006 AJC Super 11 player, Class 5A defensive player of the year and state champion. He was a first-round draft pick out of Ohio State.
DT - Sheldon Rankins, Eastside (Texans) – Another former first-round draft pick, Rankins had a typical season with three sacks and 35 tackles as a 300-pound run stuffer. Rankins was two-time all-state but never first team. He played at Louisville.
MLB - Roquan Smith, Macon County (Ravens) – Smith made the Pro Bowl for the third straight season, fourth of his career, after putting up 130 tackles in 2025. Smith was the Butkus Award winner while at Georgia and a first-round NFL draft pick in 2018. He was an AJC Super 11 pick and a two-time Class 2A defensive player of the year while in high school.
MLB - Ernest Jones, Ware County (Seahawks) – Jones, the leading tackler for the AFC champions, made All Pro (AP second team) for the first time in his career this season. Jones was a third-round pick in 2021 out of South Carolina and was a part-time starter on the Rams’ Super Bowl champion that year. He was a two-time first-team all-state player at Ware County.
OLB - YaYa Diaby, North Clayton (Bucs) – Diaby had seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss, which is about his average over three NFL seasons. He was little known in high school and played at Georgia Military and Louisville. He was a third-round draft pick.
OLB - Bradley Chubb, Hillgrove (Dolphins) – Chubb bounced back from missing the 2024 season (torn ACL) and produced 8.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss. He’s a two-time former Pro Bowl player and first-round draft pick out of N.C. State. Chubb never made all-state at Hillgrove.
CB - Jaycee Horn, Alpharetta (Panthers) – Horn made the Pro Bowl for the second straight season (first-team with The Sporting News) and had a career-high five interceptions. Horn was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2021 draft out of South Carolina. He made all-state in 2017.
CB – AJ Terrell, Westlake (Falcons) – Terrell has started all six seasons since the Falcons drafted him in the first round of the 2020 draft out of Clemson. He was an all-state player in high school. Terrell is the most experienced of a half dozen cornerbacks from Georgia. Others include Westlake’s Nate Wiggins of the Ravens and Laney’s Jaylen Watson of the Chiefs.
S - Kevin Byard, M.L. King (Bears) – A 10-year NFL veteran, Byard was first-team All Pro for the third time, first since 2021. He had a league-leading seven interceptions. Byard was a third-round draft pick out of Middle Tennessee State in 2016. He was a first-team all-state player in high school for a region-winning M.L. King team.
S – Xavier McKinney, Roswell (Packers) – McKinney was second-team All Pro this season, first team last season. He was an All-American at Alabama and a second-round draft pick in 2020. McKinney was the AJC’s Class 7A defensive player of the year in 2016.
N – Kyle Hamilton, Marist (Ravens) – Some consider the versatile Hamilton the best safety in the league. This is his third All-Pro season. He was the 14th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Notre Dame to the Ravens. Hamilton was an AJC Super 11 selection. He’s the most accomplished player in Marist history.
Special teams
K - Harrison Butker, Westminster (Chiefs) – Butker, an all-state kicker at Westminster before going to Georgia Tech, has been one of the NFL’s better kickers since 2017. He made 33 of 38 field goals last season. He’s won four Super Bowls. His nine Super Bowl field goals are tied with Jake Elliott for the most all-time, and his 57-yarder in 2024 was the longest in Super Bowl history.
P – Sam Martin, Starr’s Mill (Panthers) – Martin just finished his 13th NFL season. He averaged 47.2 yards per punt. Martin was a four-year soccer player at Starr’s Mill, a soccer power, and played only one season of high school football before going off to Appalachian State.
LS – Josh Harris, Carrollton (Chargers) - Five NFL long snappers are from Georgia. Just finished with his 14 season, Harris has been at it the longest. He was the Falcons’ long snapper for 10 seasons and made the Pro Bowl with them in 2021.
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.
