DREAM TEAM?
These are the top 12 rising senior prospects playing in Class AAAAAAA, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. They are listed with their overall state ranking. Five of the 12 are at Grayson.
1. CB DeAngelo Gibbs, Grayson
2. DE Robert Beal, Norcross
6. RB/CB Jamyest Williams, Grayson
12. DB Xavier McKinney, Roswell
13. OL Tony Gray, Grayson
17. LB Jaden Hunter, Westlake
19. CB A.J. Terrell, Westlake
20. CB LeAnthony Williams Jr., Roswell
21. QB Bailey Hockman, McEachern
22. LB Leonard Warner, Brookwood
24. LB Breon Dixon, Grayson
26. QB Chase Brice, Grayson
DeAngelo Gibbs, the state’s No. 1 football recruit, left Peachtree Ridge High School in January and enrolled at Grayson. Days later, Gibbs’ close friend Breon Dixon did the same. A four-star linebacker, Dixon committed to Georgia.
Since then, Archer running back Jamyest Williams (the state’s No. 6 recruit) and Central Gwinnett offensive tackle Tony Gray (No. 13) have followed.
Some have compared the Grayson assemblage with the story of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
“They want to emulate their role models,’’ said Gerald “Boo’’ Mitchell, an assistant coach at Mill Creek who has trained many local college-bound athletes, including Dixon, Gibbs and Williams. “Let’s get together and do like they did in Miami and win a championship. Let’s play together. Let’s convince our parents to make it happen. Now it’s a done deal.’’
Dixon makes no bones about it. “That was exactly the idea,’’ Dixon said. “Leave a legacy in Georgia high school football.’’
Students changing high schools for athletic gain is not unusual, but it’s trending among high-profile football players.
A year ago, prominent football transfers included Trey Blount to Pace Academy, Jaden Hunter to Westlake, Netori Johnson to Cedar Grove and Tyler Simmons to McEachern. All have signed with or committed to Georgia. USC signee E.J. Price (to Archer) and Tennessee signee Nigel Warrior (to Peachtree Ridge) also transferred.
“It’s the climate of high school sports today,’’ said Central Gwinnett coach Todd Wofford, who lost Price and Gray despite advancing in the state playoffs the past two seasons. “Football is just a part of it. It’s been going on in basketball for the longest.’’
In basketball, almost every boys champion in the highest class since 2000 has profited from multiple transfers, some fielding a full starting five of newcomers.
Wofford said he heard rumors of Gray’s transfer for about a week. Then he was gone. Gray never discussed it with him.
What has happened at Grayson is unprecedented. Never had four seniors with this much acclaim shown up on the same new doorstep in one offseason.
The coach on the receiving end is Jeff Herron, best known for winning three state championships at Camden County. Grayson hired Herron in late March to replace Mickey Conn, who left unexpectedly to take a position on Clemson’s staff. Three transfers were in place. Gray arrived in time for spring practice, which is in its final week.
“Being old-school, I long for days where you stayed at one school your whole life,’’ Herron said. “I was in the same town from the day I was born until I left for college. But the reality of it is that it’s easy in metro Atlanta for parents to move and transfer in a legal GHSA way. And while I’m not a fan of it, neither I nor any other coach is going to tell them they can’t.’’
Herron said Athletic Director Brian DeBerry investigated to ensure that all transferred legally. The main GHSA requirements are that they move with a guardian into a new residence in the school district and relinquish their former residence.
Rush Propst, coach of two-time Class AAAAAA Colquitt County, said metro Atlanta has an advantage with schools in such close proximity and the prevalence of camps and training facilities that foster friendships among the top local players.
But he doesn’t begrudge it. Propst’s quarterback the past two years, record-setting Chase Parrish, moved with his family from Thomasville to Colquitt County in eighth grade because, “he wanted to play in a program that can showcase his talent.’’
“I don’t think there’s much you can do about it,’’ Propst said. “You can’t punish those kids and make them sit out. That’s not what scholastic athletics is all about. What’s the difference in making them sit out a math class, a science class, an English class? Parents are going to put their kids in the best program.’’
The story of the Grayson transfers can be traced back three years. Gibbs and Williams played on a team of eighth-grade all-stars that won a 32-team national tournament in San Antonio. Grayson’s quarterback, Chase Brice, played on the team. Brice committed to Clemson. Mitchell was a coach.
Dixon was not on the team, but knew Brice from the Gwinnett Football League. The two have remained tight, and Dixon said there was talk of them playing together even in those days. With their senior season upon them, time was running out on their dreams of a championship.
“Main reason I chose Grayson was because the past year at Ridge I felt we had a great all-around team, but lacked at the quarterback position, so it made me realize how important a quarterback was in going all the way,’’ Dixon said. “We (Gibbs and Dixon) really wanted to round our team around an All-American quarterback who we felt could lead us to the championship. I had always been real close with Chase since about eighth grade. We became close (again) through recruiting.’’
Williams, who left Grayson’s main rival, Archer, said Grayson’s schedule, which includes games against nationally ranked IMG Academy of Florida and Hoover of Alabama, was a factor, too. Williams was a 1,500-yard rusher last year, but is recruited as a cornerback. Williams started in high school at Duluth and came to Archer as a sophomore.
“It was just a great opportunity for me,” Williams told DawgNation.com. “Then there’s that power schedule we have. I believe that schedule is going to prepare me for the next level.”
Gray’s move was more surprising because he had no history with the other three until camps and college visits.
“They see each other around,’’ Mitchell said. “They keep in touch through Twitter and Facebook. As long as they’re not breaking the rules, I’m not faulting them at all. They ought to be able to do what they want. Football today, it’s more popular than ever, and the exposure is ridiculous. It’s a whole lot different than what it was even five years ago.’’
