With the regular season one-third complete, here are the five players and a few extras that GHSF Daily projects will have the most attractive Player of the Year resumes in December. Unlike all-state teams, which reflect individual talents alone, the POY Watch also considers team success, position and recruiting status, things that POY Watch voters favor when voting for these awards.
1. Travis Hunter, Collins Hill: No surprise here. Hunter is the consensus No. 2 recruit in the country, and he has played like it for a 4-0 team that is ranked No. 1 in Class 7A. He has 27 receptions for 484 yards and three touchdowns in three games. He has 12 solo tackles, one for a loss, and an interception. Collins Hill has collected one non-played forfeit. Hunter is committed to Florida State.
2. Malachi Singleton, North Cobb: Singleton might be emerging as the best dual-threat quarterback in the state. A top-300 national prospect among juniors, he has rushed for 303 yards, including 244 against current No. 4 Milton. He’s 47-of-70 passing for 614 yards and three touchdowns. North Cobb is 2-1 and ranked No. 2 in Class 7A.
3. Gunner Stockton, Rabun County: Gunner is just being Gunner. He’s 38-of-64 passing for 873 yards and 11 touchdowns with one interception, and he’s rushed for 303 yards. Stockton is 23 TD passes from breaking Trevor Lawrence’s career record of 155. Rabun County is 2-1 and ranked No. 3 in Class 2A, seeking its first state title. Stockton is committed to Georgia.
4. David Dallas, Trinity Christian: Trinity, the No. 1 team in Class A Private, has beaten all four opponents by 36 points or more, two of them ranked in the top four, and scored at least 54 points in every game. Remember that the 2020 all-class player of the year, Prince Avenue Christian’s Brock Vandagriff, also came from this classification. Dallas is 61-of-74 passing (despite starting 0-of-3) for 1,046 yards and 16 touchdowns with one interception. Dallas is committed to Western Michigan.
5. Caleb Downs, Mill Creek: Perhaps a sleeper, Downs is a safety with 11 solo tackles and an interception returned for a touchdown for what has been probably the state’s best defense. Mill Creek is allowing 10 points per game in three blowout victories over teams that have been ranked. Downs also has scored two touchdowns as a part-time running back and receiver. Downs is an uncommitted top-40 national prospect among juniors.
Others: Ware County QB Thomas Castellanos is closing in on 6,000 yards passing and 3,000 rushing for his career, and he’s got the highest completion percentage (.653) and yards-per-carry (6.3) of his career for a 3-0 team ranked No. 2 in Class 5A. ... Roswell QB Robbie Roper has thrown for 1,100 yards, completing 63.4% of passes, for a 3-0 team ranked No. 6 in Class 7A. ... Jefferson QB/DB Malaki Starks doesn’t have big numbers yet because of blowout victories and extra help in the backfield, but he and No. 1 Jefferson of Class 4A figure to be around until the end. ... Blessed Trinity RB Justice Haynes has missed two games injured, but he’s run for 200 and 154 yards when healthy for a Class 5A contender. ... Carrollton QB M.J. Morris, an N.C. State commit, has thrown for 802 yards and 10 touchdowns in a 3-0 start for the No. 3 Class 6A team.
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