Georgia Power 100 concludes with these top ATHs in the state

In alphabetical order, here are the top athletes ahead of the Georgia high school football season.

Casey Barner, McEachern: Barner (5-foot-11, 194 pounds) is the No. 6 prospect nationally among juniors, the No. 1 safety and the highest-rated McEachern prospect this century ahead of future Jacksonville Jaguars guard Chuma Edoga from the class of 2015. As a sophomore last season, Barner scored touchdowns on a kickoff return, a punt return, a pass reception and a fake punt for a 10-1 Class 6A team. On defense, he had 23½ tackles and two interceptions and made two solo fourth-down stops. His nickname is Superman.

Nick Carroll, Toombs County: Carroll (5-10, 180) is a consensus top-100 national recruit among juniors and the second-highest-rated Toombs County prospect this century behind teammate Jamarcus Johnson, a defensive lineman. As a sophomore last season for a 13-2 Class A Division I runner-up team, Carroll had 46 receptions for 722 yards and seven touchdowns, scored four rushing touchdowns, gained 1,161 all-purpose yards (479 on returns), had 42 tackles and intercepted seven passes. His nickname is Showtime.

Cole Crawford, Cartersville: Crawford (6-3, 225) is a consensus top-400 national recruit among seniors and Cartersville’s best linebacker prospect this century. He’s a four-year starter (his teams are 37-3 in that time) and a two-way starter last season as a linebacker/tight end. He had 32 solo tackles and caught 11 passes for 140 yards. Crawford was a first-team all-state baseball first baseman/pitcher last season. He committed to Georgia Tech football in June.

Madoxx Davis, Cartersville: Davis (6-0, 197) is a consensus top-25 national recruit among juniors and Cartersville’s second-highest-rated prospect this century behind Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 selection in the 2021 NFL draft. As a sophomore last season on a 12-1 Class 4A team, Davis had 36 receptions for 774 yards and six touchdowns and scored three other touchdowns returning kicks or punts. He had 15 tackles playing safety. He’s still nicknamed Oxx, which belies his personal best of 10.65 seconds in the 100 meters.

Kamarui Dorsey, Hampton: Dorsey (6-3, 200) is the consensus No. 12 recruit nationally among seniors and the No. 1 safety. He is the first major Division I recruit for Hampton, a Henry County school that opened in 2012. He’s a four-year starter at a program seeking to win its first playoff game this season. He played mostly wide receiver and free safety last season, when had 46 receptions for 846 yards and nine touchdowns, made 28 solo tackles, intercepted four passes, made first-team AJC all-state and was the Region 2-4A athlete of the year for a 7-4 team. He also rushed for 146 yards and four touchdowns on 18 carries as a quarterback. As a sophomore, Dorsey had 41 receptions for 668 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has 26 TD receptions and eight interceptions in his career. Dorsey is projected to play safety at Texas A&M, to which he committed in November.

Bryian Duncan Jr., Cairo: Duncan (5-9, 160) rushed for 524 yards as a freshman and 1,795 in just nine games as a sophomore, then topped it playing running back, wide receiver and free safety in 2025. As a junior on a 10-3 Class 3A team, Duncan rushed for 736 yards and 10 touchdowns, caught 38 passes for 767 yards and nine touchdowns, blocked one punt and two field-goal attempts, returned a punt and three fumbles or interceptions for touchdowns and made 42 tackles. He was first-team AJC all-state and Region 1-3A’s player of the year. Duncan, a 3-star recruit, is Cairo’s fifth-highest-rated prospect this century. He committed to West Virginia in June.

Gavin Green, Rockmart: Green (5-10, 170) does not hold major Division I offers entering his junior season, but as a first-team Class 2A all-state sophomore, he powered 11-2 Rockmart with 54 receptions for 1,337 yards and 18 touchdowns. He intercepted three passes and returned three kickoffs or punts for touchdowns.

Dylan Haley, Cherokee Bluff: Haley (6-2, 190) was a two-way starter last season with 47 receptions for 566 yards and six touchdowns, three interceptions, 10 pass breakups, six forced fumbles and 49 tackles on a 6-5 Class 3A team. He is a 3-star recruit, Cherokee Bluff’s top prospect in history and soon-to-be-first Power 4 conference signee. He committed to Tennessee in June.

Justin Murphy, North Clayton: Murphy (6-0, 194) is consensus top-300 national senior recruit and the fourth-highest-rated North Clayton prospect this century behind former NFL players D.J. Shockley, Morgan Burnett and Amarlo Herrera. As a senior playing for an 8-3 Class 3A team that had its most victories in 15 years, Murphy passed for 1,793 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for 1,188 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was Region 5-3A’s player of the year and made AJC all-state. Murphy committed to Georgia State in June. His nickname is JayMoney.

Ta’Shawn Poole, Howard: Poole (6-2, 185) is the consensus No. 5 safety and No. 64 overall senior prospect nationally. He is the first top-250 national prospect from a Bibb County public school this century. As a junior on a 2-8 Class 3A team last season, Poole had 30 receptions for 454 yards and seven touchdowns, rushed 33 times for 200 yards and four touchdowns, made 40 tackles, intercepted two passes, returned a punt for a touchdown and recorded two tackles for losses and a sack. Poole committed to Florida State on July 17.

Ja’Bios Smith, Swainsboro: Smith (6-3, 210) is a consensus top-200 senior national recruit and Swainsboro’s second-highest-rated prospect this century behind former Georgia and current NFL player Demello Jones from the class of 2024. Smith is the state’s No. 1 inside linebacker prospect among seniors. A three-year starter playing for a program that went 9-3 in Class A Division I last season, Smith has rushed for 1,114 yards and 21 touchdowns and compiled 110 solo tackles and 16 tackles for loss in his career. His nickname is Bigfoot. Smith committed to Florida in May.

Keyon Standifer, Newton: Standifer (5-10, 160) transferred this offseason from Athens Academy, where he was the AJC’s Class 3A-A Private offensive player of the year and Region 8-A Division I player of the year. As a junior on a 10-2 team, Standifer put up 2,208 all-purpose yards (1,608 receiving) and scored 33 touchdowns (25 receiving). He returned an interception, a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns (a feat he first accomplished as a freshman two years prior). As a defensive back, he has 11 career interceptions. Standifer is a 3-star recruit. Formerly committed to Georgia Tech, Standifer now reportedly favors Florida State and Tennessee.

Zach Watts, Carrollton: As a freshman playing at Class 2A champion Carver of Columbus last season, Watts was his region’s player of the year and made AJC all-state. He produced 1,893 all-purpose yards — 1,037 rushing, 177 receiving and 679 returning. He averaged 19.6 yards on 27 punt returns. He scored 22 touchdowns. He has about seven major Division I offers, including ones from Georgia Tech and Georgia.

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com