This year’s AJC Super 11 class looking strong at midterm of the 2026 season
We’re at the halfway point of the 2026 regular season for high school football in the state of Georgia.
These are the GHSA midterms. This affords a prime window to see how the AJC’s 42nd Super 11 selections have been faring.
It might come as no surprise to say that they have been well, super, so far this season.
Here’s a pop quiz for the midterm: Which one of these unthinkables has one of this year’s Super 11s accomplished this season?
- A: Pick off four passes in a game
- B. Score six touchdowns in a game
- C. Five fumbles forced in his first four games
- D. All of the above.
These guys wouldn’t be Super if the answer wasn’t “D” there. One coach called his guy’s performance “Super 11-ish” so far this season.
That clever phrasing certainly splits the uprights with this group. Seven Super 11 selections have led their teams to at least a 4-1 record so far this year, including a pair of perfect 5-0 marks.
Let’s roll through all of their performances so far this fall.
5-star EDGE DJ Jacobs, Blessed Trinity (Ohio State commit)
- Blessed Trinity’s record: 5-0
- 44 tackles, 27 solo stops, 8 TFLs
- 6 sacks (Through four games)
- 2 blocked kicks, 1 INT, 2 FF, 1 FR, 1 TD
Jacobs, a UGA legacy, is on the short list of the best players in America this season. The prized Ohio State commitment is the second-highest-rated prospect in the state after recent Buford move-in Jalen Brewster.
Look at those stats. Give him a 5.0 on a 5-point scale right now.
“I think he is having a great season,” Titans coach Ed Dudley said last week. “Super effort and leadership. Six sacks and seven tackles for losses. 33 tackles in four games. Better than my whole career.”
How has he gotten better as a senior?
“Maturity, communication and leadership,” Dudley said. “Doing all you would expect from the top player in America. Now if I can just get him to help me with practice uniform laundry.”
5-star S Kamarui Dorsey, Hampton (Texas A&M commit)
- Hampton’s record: 3-2
- 38 total tackles; 1 TFL
- 5 INTs, 1 Pick-6
- 20 carries, 255 rushing yards, 3 TDs
- 162 receiving yards; 2 TDs
“Kamarui is great,” Hampton coach Chad Ashley said. “He’s always great. Early on, he struggled in the first couple of games. He sustained a shoulder injury in the second series of our scrimmage and had to complete a lot of physical therapy to be back to 100%.”
Dorsey wasn’t himself for the first couple of games. He dealt with an illness and also limited reps as he worked his way back from that injury.
“Since he has been healthy, he has looked like a man amongst boys at times,” Ashley added.
Hampton lost its QB1 in the second week of the season. Dorsey has had to fill in there at times.
“If we were smarter, he would have carried the ball more last week since he averaged 17 yards per carry,” Ashley said. “He is just so selfless and will do anything we ask of him. Each week is different for him.”
Dorsey also had that four-INT game earlier this year. He snared one of those picks with one hand and returned another 76 yards for a touchdown.
“But it’s almost like whatever role we need him to help us for that week, he excels. I’m just glad he is on our team. It is so much fun to watch him play on Friday nights. We have endured a lot of adversity this year, and he has done a great job of stepping up in whatever role we needed.”
4-star EDGE KJ Green, Stephenson (LSU commit)
- Stephenson record: 4-1
- 54 total tackles, 12 TFL
- 6 sacks, 4 hurries
- 5 forced fumbles
247Sports ranks Green as the No. 2 EDGE and the No. 5 overall prospect in the country. Those stat lines make it very clear that the LSU commit has wreaked havoc through his first five games of the season.
He’s right there with Dorsey and Jacobs, holding a clear A-plus grade so far this fall. That’s as a prospect combined with on-field performance.
“KJ is having a fabulous season so far,” Stephenson coach Marcus Jelks said. “His presence alone takes over games. He is definitely playing Super 11-ish.”
Where has he shown the most improvement this fall?
“Leadership skills have improved,” Jelks said.
4-star S Ta’Shawn Poole, Howard (FSU commit)
- Record: 3-2
- 18 catches, 395 yards, 8 TD catches
- 21.9 yards per reception
- 15 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 Sack, 1 TFL
- 54 rushing yards, 1 TD
Poole is the Super 11 who was guilty of that six-touchdown night. He had nine catches for 249 yards and those six TD receptions against Baldwin two weekends ago.
Poole was AJC Varsity Player of the Week for that performance.
The victory was Howard’s first over Baldwin, its first over a Top 10 team from its classification or higher and its first over a Top 10 team from any class since 2015.
The FSU commit received the key to the city of Macon back in the spring. That was after he was named to the 2026 Under Armour All-American Game as a junior.
“He’s been playing well in all three phases,” Howard coach Trey Porter said. “Has a pair of picks and a sack to go along with what he’s been doing on offense.”
How has he gotten better as a senior?
“Biggest jump has been leadership,” Porter said. “He’s making sure everyone on defense is set and being the QB of the defense and holding the young guys accountable both on and off the field.”
4-star WR Jaden Upshaw, Lee County (Texas A&M commit)
- Lee County’s record: 4-1
- 36 catches, 491 yards, 3 TDs
- 13.6 yards per catch
- 9 carries, 70 yards, 2 TDs
- 1 KOR TD, 1 PR TD
Lee County has another powerhouse team this year. Upshaw is one of the biggest reasons why. The nation’s No. 8 WR and No. 49 overall recruit (247Sports Composite) has contributed with touchdowns in all three phases of the game.
He’s done so against teams that currently hold a 16-7 record this fall, including heavyweights like Colquitt County and Thomas County Central. Sequoyah is also holding a 4-1 record, and the Trojans also faced a tough Miami Carol City team this season.
“He is definitely living up to the hype,” Lee County coach Dean Fabrizio said. “He has scored TDs receiving, rushing, kickoff return and punt return this season. He is performing at a high level versus elite competition.”
4-star DL Elijah Patmon, Northside (Texas A&M commit)
- Northside (Warner Robins)’s record: 2-3
- 34 tackles, 10 TFLs
- 10 hurries, 6 sacks
- 1 FC, 1 FF and 1 PD
- 6 pancake blocks on offense
Patmon, a Top-25 prospect in the state this fall, is rated the nation’s No. 180 overall recruit by 247Sports. He’s No. 184 for Rivals. He committed to Texas A&M in October of his junior year and hasn’t really wavered from that pledge.
The 6-foot-3, 295-pound senior has impressed his head coach this fall.
“Elijah has been amazing,” Northside coach Daniel “Boone” Williams said. “He’s starting on both sides of the ball. He’s playing on special teams. He is showing week in and week out why he was selected to the AJC Super 11.”
Williams added: “He is a driving force in the success we’ve had this season. He’s a servant leader to his teammates. He leads by example.”
4-star OT Kelsey Adams, Langston Hughes (Georgia commit)
- Langston Hughes record: 4-1
- Adams has keyed an OL unit that is averaging 194 yards per game and 6.2 yards per carry
- His team has 14 rushing touchdowns and 15 passing touchdowns
- One destroyed table
While MaxPreps doesn’t list any official pancake stats for Hughes, Adams is believed to average about eight to 10 of those per game.
It might simply be a matter of how often he wants to drive his blocking assignment to the turf.
“His technique and fundamentals are where he is improving the most,” Langston Hughes coach Andrico Hines said.
Adams remains committed to Langston Hughes football and to the University of Georgia. He’s the lone Bulldog commitment among this year’s Super 11.
“He’s doing a good job for us,” Hines said. “His leadership and hard work is really big because we’re young on offense.”
4-star RB Gary Walker, Creekside (Clemson commit)
- Creekside’s record: 4-1
- 71 carries, 630 yards, 10 TDs
- 8.9 yards per carry
- 2,734 career yards on 8.7 yards per carry
- 13 career 100-yard games and 32 career TDs
Creekside coach Maurice Dixon has long believed Walker is the best back in Georgia. That’s for at least the last two years, regardless of class standing.
Walker just keeps giving him ammunition for that argument.
“He’s definitely living up to the expectations and is only going to get better as the season continues,” Dixon said.
Where has he seen Walker improve the most so far as a senior?
“Vision and physicality,” Dixon said.
4-star OL Jordan Agbanoma, Grayson (Nebraska commit)
- Grayson’s record: 2-3
- The Rams are averaging 152 rushing yards per game and have scored seven times on the ground.
- Grayson’s running backs are averaging 5.0 yards per carry behind a unit led by Agbanoma.
- The offense is also tallying up 165 passing yards per game for another seven scores.
The 6-foot-3, 315-pounder entered his senior season committed to Nebraska and was called on to help lead a team in transition under first-year head coach Greg Carswell. The Grayson staff has undergone significant transition since former coach Santavious Bryant left for Gainesville.
Agbanoma has been that anchor for his Rams. He’s currently rated by both the 247Sports Composite and the Rivals Industry Ranking as a top 100 overall national recruit. His pure 247Sports rating has him as the No. 5 IOL in the country.
He’s been coached up hard during his time with the Rams.
“Everything you do is with tempo,” Agbanoma told the AJC earlier this year. “On the field, that’s tempo. In your life, tempo. My offensive line coach and strength coach (Aaron Hill), his thing is about being a father. He’s supporting us to not only be great football players but great men and great fathers, too. Really just building those habits and building those little things, the little things that count in young men.”
3-star ATH Marquis Fennell, Valdosta (Stanford commit)
- Valdosta’s record: 5-0
- 50 carries, 559 yards, 9 TDs
- 11.2 yards per carry
- 31 catches, 399 yards, 4 TDs
- 12.9 yards per reception
- 1 KOR touchdown, 1 PR touchdown
Valdosta coach Shelton Felton called Fennell his “toy” on offense earlier this year. Fennell has definitely been a versatile asset this fall at running back and then splitting out wide as a receiver.
“Marquis is being Marquis,” Felton said. “He has over [350] yards receiving. Right at 450 rushing. He has double-digit touchdowns. He’s run a kickoff and a punt back for TDs.”
“He’s unguardable. He’s everything that he should be, and he’s just as good as he was last year, and I feel like he’s going to be even better later this year. Youngblood has got teams doubling him, but he’s still unguardable in my opinion.”
3-star RB Moonie Gipson, Kell (Georgia Tech commit)
- Kell’s record: 4-1
As far as the midterm grade goes, the Georgia Tech commit would have an incomplete.
The two-time AJC All-State first-team pick is still rebounding from a late-season injury that ended his junior year. He’s seen limited duty so far this fall, including four yards on nine carries against Creekview.
Kell hasn’t played since, but will travel to Rome on Friday for another big test.
“He’s getting better every week, so we’re hoping in a couple of weeks he’ll be at full speed,” Kell coach Bobby May told the AJC earlier this month.
“Moonie” entered the season with an A-plus across his varsity transcript. He’d tallied up 4,343 career rushing yards, including 1,918 last year as he led the Longhorns to the semifinals.