*Best player: Hart County running back Malachi Thomas was 3A’s offensive player of the year in 2019. No reason he can’t do it again. He compiled 2,862 all-purpose yards – 1,942 rushing, 638 receiving, 282 returning – and scored 36 touchdowns. Thomas committed to Virginia Tech last month.
*Best position: Tight end. And that’s unusual. Hart County’s Cane Berrong is committed to Notre Dame, and juniors Jake Johnson of Oconee County and Holden Staes of Westminster are top-100 national recruits. Johnson, who often lines up outside, made it here as a wide receiver.
*Most highly recruited: Peach County offensive lineman Terrence Ferguson is a top-50 national recruit and AJC Super 11 pick who committed to Alabama last month.
*That's interesting: Crisp County, the 2019 3A runner-up, has four players on the team, all on defense. Christopher Paul (Arkansas), Preston Lavant (Pittsburgh) and Sirad Bryant (Georgia Tech) are committed to Power 5 conference teams. Kamron Moate has mid-major offers, as does Nick Mercer, a Georgia Southern commit, though he just missed making the team.
*Snubbed? Harlem’s Cameron Garnett is a Georgia Power 100 player who rushed for more than 1,300 and can play many positions. But the running-back room has a pair of 2,000-yard rushers, Malachi Thomas and Quintavious Lockett, and the athlete spot went to Rockmart’s Javin Whatley, who passed for 1,500 yards and rushed for 1,000 on a top-10 team last year.
*What else is new? Their players don’t show up here, not yet, with many near-misses, but Sandy Creek, Mary Persons, Thomson and Carver (Atlanta) have been winning programs in higher classes, so their presence will be known soon.
Offense
QB - J. Ben Haynes, White County, Sr.
RB - Quintavious Lockett, Douglass, Jr.
RB - Malachi Thomas, Hart County, Sr.
WR - Janiran Bonner, Cedar Grove, Jr.
WR - Jake Johnson, Oconee County, Jr.
TE - Cane Berrong, Hart County, Sr.
OL - Patch Bennett, Pierce County, Sr.
OL - Terrence Ferguson, Peach County, Sr.
OL - Addison Nichols, Greater Atlanta Christian, Jr.
OL - Carsen Stocklinski, Oconee County, Sr.
OL - Keon Watson, Cedar Grove, Sr.
ATH - Javin Whatley, Rockmart, Sr.
PK - Alex Bacchetta, Westminster, Jr.
Defense
DL - Felix Hixon, Jackson, Jr.
DL - Demarius Jackson, Cedar Grove, Sr.
DL - Christen Miller, Cedar Grove, Jr.
DL - Kamron Moate, Crisp County, Sr.
LB - Tyrell Gibson, Appling County, Sr.
LB - Preston Lavant, Crisp County, Sr.
LB - Christopher Paul Jr., Crisp County, Sr.
LB - West Weeks, Oconee County, Sr.
DB - JaMario Blige, Windsor Forest, Sr.
DB - Sirad Bryant, Crisp County, Sr.
DB - Shad Dabney, Cherokee Bluff, Sr.
DB – Jordan Grier, Cedar Grove, Sr.
P - Connor Weselman, Westminster, Sr.
Coming Monday: Class 2A
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