Georgia Power 100 defensive linemen: Texas A&M commit headlines list of 10 best
AJC Varsity’s rollout of the Georgia Power 100, a series of 10 articles highlighting some of the state’s best football players, continues today with defensive linemen.
The Georgia Power 100 is chosen primarily on high school production, though college potential is considered.
Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and offensive linemen have already been announced.
In alphabetical order, here are the top offensive linemen ahead of the Georgia high school football season, with ranking information from 247 Composite.
JT Austin, Sandy Creek: Austin (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) made AJC first-team all-state and all-Southside last season as an edge rusher with 27 tackles for losses, 16 sacks and 13 tackles for loss for the Class 3A championship team. Austin is a 3-star recruit who committed to Cincinnati in June.
`Cassius Burch, Creekside: Burch (6-1, 280) is a two-time AJC all-state player who is undersized but central to the Seminoles’ defense, which shut out seven teams on the way to the Class 4A title in 2025. Burch has 31½ sacks and 42 other tackles for losses and forced seven fumbles over the past two seasons. Nicknamed “Kash,” Burch committed to Coastal Carolina in June.
Prince Che, Thomas County Central: Che (6-4, 305) is a top-25 national prospect among juniors and the No. 3 defensive lineman. He’s the highest-rated Thomas County Central prospect since Ray Drew from the 2011 class. More than a run stopper, Che had 18½ tackles for loss, 11 QB pressures and four sacks as a sophomore last season on Thomas County Central’s Class 6A champion. Che has more than 30 offers and lists Georgia among his favorites.
Kwame “KJ” Green Jr., Stephenson: Green (6-4, 230) was the AJC’s Class 3A and DeKalb County defensive player of the year in 2025, when he led the Jaguars, 3A quarterfinalists, in solo tackles (95), total tackles (129), sacks (17), tackles for loss (39½) and forced fumbles (three). He had 19 tackles for loss as a sophomore. Green is among seven Stephenson players who have attained consensus top-100 national rankings as prospects. (Only Buford and Grayson, with eight apiece, join Stephenson with more than five.) Green committed to LSU in June.
Merrick Ham, Marietta: Ham (6-6, 240) led Marietta, a 5-6 Class 6A team, in tackles for loss (14), sacks (seven), QB hurries (13) and forced fumbles (three). A top-125 consensus national prospect among juniors, he’s the sixth-highest-rated Marietta recruit this century. He’s similar but taller than Azeez Ojulari, the former Marietta and Georgia defensive end who is now an Atlanta Falcons linebacker. Ham made first-team all-region in basketball and football as a junior.
Dawson Jacobs, Blessed Trinity: Jacobs (6-3, 240) is a consensus top-200 recruit among juniors and his school’s second-highest-rated prospect ever behind brother DJ and ahead of Atlanta Falcons linebacker JD Bertrand. As a first-team AJC all-state performer last season, Jacobs had 96 tackles (68 solo, 28 assists), five sacks and 22 tackles for losses for a 7-5 Class 4A team.
Jamarcus Johnson, Toombs County: Johnson (6-5, 300) is a top-50 national recruit among juniors and the highest-rated Toombs County prospect this century. He made AJC first-team all-state as a sophomore last season, when he had 49 tackles and 13 tackles for losses for the Class A Division I runner-up. Johnson has 15 Division I offers, including those from Georgia Tech and Georgia.
Elijah Patmon, Northside (Warner Robins): Patmon (6-4, 293) was the Region 2-5A defensive lineman of the year and first-team AJC all-state last season on a 1-9 team that made him an obvious double-team target. Patmon had 13 tackles for loss and seven sacks. He is a consensus top-200 national prospect and Northside’s No. 4 recruit this century. He’s the state’s No. 1 inside DL prospect among seniors. He’s similar in size to former Northside, Georgia and NFL player Abry Jones, who is now Patmon’s Northside position coach. Patmon committed to Texas A&M during his junior season.
Adriel Rojas, North Forsyth: Rojas (6-5, 225) is a consensus top-500 senior prospect and North Forsyth’s highest-rated prospect in history. As a junior defensive end, his second season as a starter, Rojas had 67 tackles, six tackles for losses, two sacks, 10 QB hurries and four fumble recoveries and blocked four field goals or point-after tries for a 6-5 Class 6A team. Rojas committed to Duke in June.
Waylon Wooten, Grayson: Wooten (6-2, 300) had 11 tackles for losses, three sacks and 32 total tackles for a 12-1 Class 6A team last season. He played as a freshman at Cedar Grove, where a teammate was current Georgia defensive lineman Christen Miller. Wooten, a 3-star prospect, committed to Georgia in May.