*Best player: Rabun County quarterback Gunner Stockton, who committed to South Carolina last week, has thrown for 6,390 yards and 77 touchdowns, and he’s only a junior. He also has rushed for 1,835 yards and scored 36 touchdowns. He’s the consensus No. 1 dual-threat QB prospect nationally among juniors and the highest-rated quarterback in Northeast Georgia history – even higher than Gainesville’s Deshaun Watson.
*Best position: “Skill” position - not QB, RB or WR in particular, but all together. Among those who didn’t make it are Pace Academy’s M.J. Morris and Jayden Thomas (discussed below), Thomasville quarterback Ronnie Baker (2,579 yards passing, 616 rushing, in 2019), Haralson County quarterback Clay Hyatt (1,804 yards rushing) and Chattooga running back Lashaun Lester (1,507 yards rushing), to name a few.
*Most highly recruited: Bleckley County tackle Amarius Mims is the consensus No. 6 senior recruit nationally, No. 2 offensive tackle and No. 1 player in Georgia. The five-star recruit and AJC Super 11 pick is uncommitted.
*That’s interesting: Vidalia’s Jaylin Burns was the Region 2-2A player of the year last season as a two-way lineman, which is unusual. He had 78 tackles, four tackles for losses, four sacks and three fumble recoveries on defense. He played guard in Vidalia’s wing-T and had 47 knockdown blocks. He averaged 93 plays per game. Former Vidalia coach Lee Chomskis called him the “most violent” player he ever coached in 13 seasons at Vidalia.
*Snubbed: Pace Academy quarterback M.J. Morris and wide receiver Jayden Thomas are four-star recruits. Morris threw for 2,186 yards and 20 touchdowns last season for Carrollton but didn’t make this team because of Gunner Stockton. Thomas didn’t make it because the Pace offense didn’t quite have the cast and scheme to showcase him in 2019. Morris might be just what he needs.
*Underrated: Marc Harris, Haralson County. His spot in the secondary could’ve gone to players with Division I offers – Harris’ best offer so far is Reinhardt – but none would’ve had a better 2019 season. Harrison had 131 tackles, broke up 14 passes, forced five fumbles and intercepted five passes, three that he ran back for touchdowns.
*What else is new? Class 2A lost its 2019 finalists, Dublin and Brooks County, to reclassification. Hapeville Charter and Rockmart are also gone, not to mention Douglass, Harlem, Hephzibah and Screven County. The only preseason all-state players who moved in are Fannin County’s Mason Bundy and Lovett’s Stevie Bracie.
OFFENSE
QB - Gunner Stockton, Rabun County, Jr.
RB - Daylon Gordon, Dodge County, Sr.
RB - Phillip Johnson, Temple, Sr.
WR - Ricardo Johnson, Thomasville, Sr.
WR - Cedric Seabrough, Swainsboro, Sr.
TE - Fredrick Seabrough, Swainsboro, Sr.
OL - Mason Bundy, Fannin County, Sr.
OL - Jaylin Burns, Vidalia, Sr.
OL - Drew Cornelius, Heard County, Sr.
OL - Clay Crawford, Pepperell, Jr.
OL - Amarius Mims, Bleckley County, Sr.
ATH - Demetrius Coleman, Callaway, Sr.
PK - Julian Marin-Vital, Toombs County, Jr.
DEFENSE
DL - Keshawn Suggs, Callaway, Sr.
DL - Caleb Fisher, Columbia, Sr.
DL - Justin Isler, Temple, Sr.
DL - Willie Harris, Bleckley County, Sr.
LB - Ty Anderson, Thomasville, Jr.
LB - Stevie Bracey, Lovett, Jr.
LB - ZaBrien Harden, Swainsboro, Sr.
LB - Jordan Stringer, Laney, Sr.
DB - Warren Coneway, Washington County, Sr.
DB - Chance Gamble, Fitzgerald, Sr.
DB - Marc Harris, Haralson County, Sr.
DB - Jalin Shephard, Callaway, Sr.
P - Luke Holloway, Fannin County, Sr.
Coming Tuesday: Class A Private
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