Grady Bryant plays on a defense with four or five teammates who’ll sign with major Division I teams over the next year or two.
The Grayson linebacker has just three small-college offers, but he set a school record for tackles on a top-10 Class 7A team last season. Remember that Grayson beat Marietta, holding the eventual champion to 14 points in a regular-season game.
“I love being surrounded by all the big-time players because it only makes the team and myself better, and I’m honestly happy to see a lot of my teammates have these offers because they all deserve them,” Bryant told GHSF Daily. “But looking at it from a recruiting standpoint for myself, I just try to play to the best of my ability for the team, and hopefully someone will recognize that I fit in with the rest of these big-time recruit guys.”
Bryant is 5-10, 195 pounds, which explains the recruiting.
“He would be considered undersized, but you don’t break single-season tackle records at Grayson if you aren’t a player,” Grayson coach Adam Carter said. “He gets us lined up, makes our checks. One of the best we’ve got regardless of offers. Doesn’t make sense to me. Film shows all you need.”
*Grady Bryant, Grayson: Bryant had a team-record 136 tackles in 2019. He was first-team all-region and second-team all-Gwinnett County. He has offers from Brevard, Rose-Hulman and Birmingham Southern.
*Barrett Carter, North Gwinnett: A top-50 national recruit, Carter (6-1, 220) committed to Clemson in May. He had 48 solo tackles, nine for losses, for a Class 7A semifinal team in 2019 and was a unanimous first-team all-state pick. Carter was the Gwinnett Touchdown Club’s inside linebacker of the year.
*Chaz Chambliss, Carrollton: Chambliss (6-2, 240) is a four-year starter with more than 30 sacks and 70 tackles for losses in his career. He was an AJC and GACA first-team all-state player last year. Chambliss is a top-250 national recruit who committed to Georgia in May.
*Ese Dubre, McEachern: Dubre (6-2, 225) had 108 tackles, 15 for losses, and seven sacks in 2019, when he was McEachern’s leading tackler with twice as many solo stops as any other player. He made first-team all-region and first-team GACA all-state. Dubre has a mix of Power Five and mid-major offers.
*Jalen Garner, Norcross: A consensus three-star recruit, Garner (6-1, 210) committed to Houston earlier this month. The outside linebacker had 148 first hits, 32 behind the line, in 11 games last season. He was a GACA first-team all-state player and first-team all-region and all-Gwinnett County.
*Jackson Hamilton, Blessed Trinity: Hamilton (6-1, 205) was the third-leading tackler on a Class 4A championship team last season. Hamilton committed to Louisville in June.
*Baron Hopson, Lee County: A four-year starter with more than 300 tackles and 23 sacks in his career, Hopson (5-11, 220) made first-team all-state as a sophomore and junior. He’s a three-star recruit with offers from Georgia Tech, Duke and others. He also has a 4.40 GPA and is ranked No. 6 in his class.
*Smael Mondon, Paulding County: Mondon had 48 solo tackles, forced two fumbles, blocked three kicks and had more than 1,000 all-purpose yards. He has been voted team captain since he was a sophomore. Mondon (6-3, 2220) is a top-25 national recruit whose reported leaders include Alabama, Auburn and Georgia. He’s the most heavily recruited player in county history.
*Christopher Paul Jr., Crisp County: With 157 tackles, Paul was the leading tackler on the Class 3A runner-up team. He was the GACA’s Class 3A south defensive player of the year. A top-750 national recruit, Paul (6-1, 235) committed to Arkansas last month.
*Martez Thrower, Wilcox County: Thrower, a first-team AJC all-state pick in 2019, had 61 solo tackles, 127 overall, with 16 behind the line for a 9-3 Class A Public team that went 9-3. He also had 433 yards from scrimmage and scored five touchdowns as a running back. A consensus top-750 national recruit, Thrower (6-1, 210) committed to Kentucky on July 4.
*Ahmad Walker, Warner Robins: Walker has started on Warner Robins’ state finalist teams the past two seasons. He had a team-leading nine tackles for losses for a team that doesn’t generously assign tackles. He was a unanimous first-team all-state pick in 2019. Walker (6-0, 230) committed to Liberty last month.
Coming Thursday: Defensive backs
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