• Best player: Harrison Bailey, Marietta. As a high school player, he makes the most difference. Bailey passed for 2,809 yards and 29 touchdowns in just nine games last season and should threaten state records. A four-star recruit, Bailey has committed to Tennessee.
• Best position: Running back. Colquitt County's Daijun Edwards rushed for 1,480 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2018. Parkview's Cody Brown rushed for 1,588 yards as a sophomore and finished with three consecutive 200-yard games. McEachern's Jordon Simmons rushed for 982 yards and 16 touchdowns on just 105 carries and had another 380 yards receiving.
• Highly recruited: Hillgrove defensive end Myles Murphy is the state's No. 1 recruit. The five-star prospect is committed to Clemson. The state's No. 2 recruit is Marietta tight end Arik Gilbert. Bailey is No. 9, and McEachern defensive tackle Jamil Burroughs, a Georgia commit, is No. 12. Milton tackle Paul Tchio, committed to Clemson, is No. 10.
• That's interesting: The Oct. 25 game between Marietta and Hillgrove will match Murphy against Gilbert. That will be the first time a Georgia game has featured the state's top two recruits since 2007, when Westlake's Cam Newton faced Creekside's Eric Berry. Newton and Berry, arguably the most successful Georgia players from their decade, have played 17 seasons between them in the NFL.
• Snubbed? Roswell tight end John Copenhaver (44 catches, 759 yards, 12 touchdowns in 2018) and Archer quarterback Carter Peevy (2,567 yards passing, 27 touchdowns) are all-state material but in the same classification as Gilbert and Bailey. Mill Creek's Parker Wroble (698 yards receiving, 663 rushing) is another good one who's hard to place.
• What else is new? Marietta has five players represented, and another four were strongly considered. No other school has more than two. Marietta safety Rashad Torrence, a starter as a sophomore, didn't play last season after he was declared ineligible for not establishing a bona-fide change in residency as required by the GHSA. He's a four-star recruit committed to Florida. Ricky White, who caught 55 passes for 1,006 yards in just 10 games for Wheeler last season, is the newest playmaker for the Blue Devils.
OFFENSE
QB - Harrison Bailey, Marietta, Sr.
RB - Cody Brown, Parkview, Jr.
RB - Daijun Edwards, Colquitt County, Sr.
WR - Josh Downs, North Gwinnett, Sr.
WR - Ricky White, Marietta, Sr.
TE - Arik Gilbert, Marietta, Sr.
OL - Ethan Lane, Archer, Sr.
OL - Micah Morris, Camden County, Jr.
OL - Aidan Perkins, Brookwood, Sr.
OL - Paul Tchio, Milton, Sr.
OL - Trey Zimmerman, Roswell, Sr.
ATH - Jordon Simmons, McEachern, Sr.
PK - Brock Travelstead, North Paulding, Sr.
DEFENSE
DL - Jamil Burroughs, McEachern, Sr.
DL - Jasheen Davis, Shiloh, Sr.
DL - Myles Murphy, Hillgrove, Sr.
DL - B.J. Ojulari, Marietta, Sr.
LB - Eli Orr, West Forsyth, Sr.
LB - Gary Osby, Lowndes, Sr.
LB - Will Troutman, Roswell, Sr.
LB - Kobe Wilson, Parkview, Sr.
DB - Ronald Clarke, Mill Creek, Sr.
DB - Jack Rhodes, Milton, Sr.
DB - Rashad Torrence, Marietta, Sr.
DB - Nyquann Washington, Colquitt County, Sr.
P - Albert Jang, Peachtree Ridge, Sr.
Coming Friday: Class AAAAAA
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