*Best player: Daejon Reynolds had 88 receptions for 1,534 yards and 16 touchdowns in 11 games for Central Gwinnett last season, but that’s only half the story. Rare for a player in the highest class, he played extensively on both sides of the ball and had 60 tackles and four interceptions. Reynolds committed to Florida on Feb. 3, his 17th birthday. Reynolds transferred to Grayson shortly after his junior season.
*Best position: Defensive back. A dozen senior safeties or cornerbacks in this classification are rated as three-star recruits or higher. David Daniel of Woodstock and Nyland Green of Newton are four-star recruits. So is Marquis Groves-Killebrew of Brookwood in the junior class.
*Most highly recruited: Barrett Carter of North Gwinnett is the consensus No. 4 outside-linebacker prospect and No. 44 recruit overall nationally. Carter committed to Clemson in May. Daniel, Green and Micah Morris of Camden County also are top-100 national senior recruits. Groves-Killebrew, Tyre West of Tift County and Sam Horn of Collins Hill are top-100 recruits among juniors.
*That’s interesting: Grayson did well in the transfer portal as Reynolds was joined by former McEachern quarterback Carlos Del Rio. The QB-WR combination plans to play together at Florida next season. This summer, three New York players opted for Grayson’s green acres. Linebacker Sebastian Sagar, committed to Tech, is from Brooklyn, where football is delayed and playoffs canceled. He was followed by Long Islanders Jaidan Jackson, a defensive end, and Jayvian Allen, a safety. But Grayson also lost a good one. Marquis Groves-Killebrew, a four-star junior prospect committed to Georgia, transferred out to Brookwood.
*Underrated: There are no major offers waiting for Grady Bryant, but the 5-foot-10 Grayson linebacker had a school-record 134 tackles last season.
*Snubbed?: Del Rio, Camden County running back Jamie Felix, Lowndes defensive tackle Jacques Hunter and linebackers Marcus Bleazard of Harrison and Daniel Martin of Marietta – all Division I prospects who are proven as high school players – might be shaking their heads. Those and any number of defensive backs.
*What else is new?: Two players who would’ve been locks for this team, both cornerbacks, aren’t playing in Georgia this year. Travis Hunter of Collins Hill transferred to IMG Academy in Florida. Formerly the No. 1-rated junior prospect in Georgia, Hunter is committed to Florida State. Jordan Hancock of North Gwinnett opted out of his senior season, citing the health of his parents. He is committed to Ohio State.
Offense
PRO QB – Sam Horn, Collins Hill, Jr.
DUAL QB - Jacurri Brown, Lowndes, Jr.
RB - Cody Brown, Parkview, Sr.
RB - Phil Mafah, Grayson, Sr.
WR - Lemeke Brockington, Colquitt County, Sr.
WR - Daejon Reynolds, Grayson, Sr.
TE - Jack Nickel, Milton, Jr.
OL - Cameron Dye, Milton, Sr.
OL - Dylan Fairchild, West Forsyth, Sr.
OL - Micah Morris, Camden County, Sr.
OL - Gage Pitchford, East Coweta, Sr.
OL - Jackson Walls, Parkview, Sr.
ATH - David Daniel, Woodstock, Sr.
K - Christian Lowery, Harrison, Sr.
Defense
DL - Victoine Brown, Grayson, Sr.
DL - Noah Collins, Grayson, Sr.
DL - Thomas Davis, Lowndes, Sr.
DL - Tyre West, Tift County, Jr.
LB - Grady Bryant, Grayson, Sr.
LB - Barrett Carter, North Gwinnett, Sr.
LB - Ese Dubre, McEachern, Sr.
LB - Jalen Garner, Norcross, Sr.
DB - Omar Daniels, Colquitt County, Sr.
DB - Nyland Green, Newton, Sr.
DB - Marquis Groves-Killebrew, Brookwood, Jr.
DB - T.J. Quinn, Lowndes, Sr.
P - Caden Long, Roswell, Sr.
Coming Tuesday: Class 6A
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