Sons of offensive coordinators, QBs Bobo, Faulkner make their college choices

Faulkner, the son of Georgia Tech’s Buster Faulkner, announced nine days ago that he is committed to Georgia Southern. Harrison Faulkner is a rising senior at North Oconee.

The young quarterbacks are friends. Their high schools are three miles apart in Oconee County, and they were teammates at North Oconee during the 2022 season.

“We still hang out weekly,” Harrison Faulkner told the AJC in November. “He’s one of my best friends. I talk to him every day.”

Jake Bobo will play at Samford for coach Chris Hatcher, who has friendships in Athens. Georgia coach Kirby Smart and defensive analyst Will Muschamp were on Hatcher’s Valdosta State staff in 2000.

Smart hired Hatcher’s son, Ty Hatcher, as a quarterbacks analyst last month. Ty Hatcher will work closely with Mike Bobo. Ty Hatcher is a former backup quarterback at Samford.

Jake Bobo, in his final high school season, was 74-of-114 passing for 1,266 yards and 13 touchdowns with just one interception on the Class 3A-A private division runner-up team. He shared the quarterback duties with sophomore Ben Musser.

Faulkner was the AJC’s Class 4A player of the year in 2024. He was 186-of-272 passing for 3,220 yards and 37 touchdowns while rushing for 724 yards and led North Oconee to the Class 4A championship.

The state title was North Oconee’s first. Faulkner joined his father as a GHSA champ as Buster Faulkner led Parkview to its first state title as the Panthers’ starting quarterback in 1997.

Harrison Faulkner and Mike Bobo, and their schools, have never played each other in football despite their proximity. The quarterbacks are scheduled to meet up soon, though, as Samford will play at Georgia Southern in their 2027 season opener.