How did the high school football season go overall?
“As a team, we had some highs and lows as we worked hard to gel and grow as players and as a team:
The Good: We won our home opener, we won homecoming, and we won the battle of Powder Springs versus a tough McEachern team to get into the playoffs.
The Bad: Overall, we were 3-8. We lost 13 players including some key WRs like Cayden Lee (Kennesaw Mountain), Cameron Loyd (Walton), and Xavier Jackson (North Cobb). This opened opportunities for a lot of guys like Jeremiah Reeves, Caleb Humphries, Jeremiah Valdry, Noah Brown, and Jonathan Owusu in starting roles and positions. They had to learn a lot and they did. We had flashes but struggled with consistency at all three phases.
Need Improvement: While I was one of four QBs in 7A to attempt over 300 passes, we left a lot of money on the table with drops and misses. Once we clean that up, watch out!”
What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“Same as every year, going to weekly QBs workouts, going to performance training, weight training, and speed and agility. I dropped basketball to focus on being a top QB for my team. But the school work comes first.”
How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“With a year under our belts and after seeing some of the top competition, we now understand what it will take to compete and raise our levels, and we will be better. Several players on both sides of the ball are investing their time to improve their skills and athleticism this offseason. Lot of guys are working out and skilling and drilling. Plus, with changes to our offensive playbook, I know we will do a lot better than we did last year.”
What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“We played some talented teams in East Coweta, Grayson and Carrollton. If we play the same schedule, Carrollton will be the toughest. They have several returning players who helped them to the GHSA championship. We started slow in our first meeting but fought back and fell short. We have to match their intensity and improve execution the next time to have a chance to beat them. Carrollton is well coached overall so you have to bring a “AAA” effort and execution like Mill Creek did to have a chance. That was a crazy championship game.”
Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“We saw some good QBs like Christian Langford (East Coweta), Boone Anderson (North Paulding), Braylon Ford (Harrison) and Jeff Davis (Grayson) who led their teams and beat us last season. As a quarterback, JuJu Lewis can pick apart a defense if you aren’t prepared to slow down his ability to distribute the ball to his guys. We forced some turnovers in our game against the Trojans but with Odom and Hicks returning as seniors, it will be an exciting challenge again.”
Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes, I want to continue running the football offense at the next level and play on Saturdays.”
What colleges have been recruiting you?
“The recruiting process is very slowly warming up right now. I understand it is a two-way process for some players like me so I will be pushing more to create more pulling in the future. I will do more outreach to schools along with more winning with my team to improve my chances. Also, I’m attending events like QB Legacy, NextGen Showcase, UC Report, Manning Passing, Elite11 this year as well as going to several of the on-campus college camps to open some more eyes.”
What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“Actually, I’m deep cover right now. I don’t have any schools knocking my door down yet, so I’ll keep working on my academics and athletics to make it easy for them and hard for me to choose. I think my film will show and prove the player I am and how I can elevate players around me. I hope this article helps, too.”
Have you made any college trips yet?
“In the past (pre-Covid), I have visited Clemson, Mercer, and Mississippi State unofficially but last year I was focused on the varsity starter role, so I didn’t make any trips to work out with my teammates and get the chemistry down. That will change this year.”
Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“This year, I will get back on the visit circuit with good varsity film and great grades to share. Right now, I’m looking at both NCAA D1 and D2 and NAIA schools across the country and will cast a wide net to create awareness with the coaches and recruiting coordinators. Worst case, my grades will get me in, and I’ll walk on and beat someone out like Stetson Bennett did at UGA. “
Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I was a fan of Florida State when Jameis Winston was their QB but grew fond of Clemson after going to the campus and attending football and basketball camps over several summers.”
“As a team, we had some highs and lows as we worked hard to gel and grow as players and as a team:
The Good: We won our home opener, we won homecoming, and we won the battle of Powder Springs versus a tough McEachern team to get into the playoffs.
The Bad: Overall, we were 3-8. We lost 13 players including some key WRs like Cayden Lee (Kennesaw Mountain), Cameron Loyd (Walton), and Xavier Jackson (North Cobb). This opened opportunities for a lot of guys like Jeremiah Reeves, Caleb Humphries, Jeremiah Valdry, Noah Brown, and Jonathan Owusu in starting roles and positions. They had to learn a lot and they did. We had flashes but struggled with consistency at all three phases.
Need Improvement: While I was one of four QBs in 7A to attempt over 300 passes, we left a lot of money on the table with drops and misses. Once we clean that up, watch out!”
What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“Same as every year, going to weekly QBs workouts, going to performance training, weight training, and speed and agility. I dropped basketball to focus on being a top QB for my team. But the school work comes first.”
How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“With a year under our belts and after seeing some of the top competition, we now understand what it will take to compete and raise our levels, and we will be better. Several players on both sides of the ball are investing their time to improve their skills and athleticism this offseason. Lot of guys are working out and skilling and drilling. Plus, with changes to our offensive playbook, I know we will do a lot better than we did last year.”
What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“We played some talented teams in East Coweta, Grayson and Carrollton. If we play the same schedule, Carrollton will be the toughest. They have several returning players who helped them to the GHSA championship. We started slow in our first meeting but fought back and fell short. We have to match their intensity and improve execution the next time to have a chance to beat them. Carrollton is well coached overall so you have to bring a “AAA” effort and execution like Mill Creek did to have a chance. That was a crazy championship game.”
Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“We saw some good QBs like Christian Langford (East Coweta), Boone Anderson (North Paulding), Braylon Ford (Harrison) and Jeff Davis (Grayson) who led their teams and beat us last season. As a quarterback, JuJu Lewis can pick apart a defense if you aren’t prepared to slow down his ability to distribute the ball to his guys. We forced some turnovers in our game against the Trojans but with Odom and Hicks returning as seniors, it will be an exciting challenge again.”
Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes, I want to continue running the football offense at the next level and play on Saturdays.”
What colleges have been recruiting you?
“The recruiting process is very slowly warming up right now. I understand it is a two-way process for some players like me so I will be pushing more to create more pulling in the future. I will do more outreach to schools along with more winning with my team to improve my chances. Also, I’m attending events like QB Legacy, NextGen Showcase, UC Report, Manning Passing, Elite11 this year as well as going to several of the on-campus college camps to open some more eyes.”
What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“Actually, I’m deep cover right now. I don’t have any schools knocking my door down yet, so I’ll keep working on my academics and athletics to make it easy for them and hard for me to choose. I think my film will show and prove the player I am and how I can elevate players around me. I hope this article helps, too.”
Have you made any college trips yet?
“In the past (pre-Covid), I have visited Clemson, Mercer, and Mississippi State unofficially but last year I was focused on the varsity starter role, so I didn’t make any trips to work out with my teammates and get the chemistry down. That will change this year.”
Do you have plans for any trips soon?
“This year, I will get back on the visit circuit with good varsity film and great grades to share. Right now, I’m looking at both NCAA D1 and D2 and NAIA schools across the country and will cast a wide net to create awareness with the coaches and recruiting coordinators. Worst case, my grades will get me in, and I’ll walk on and beat someone out like Stetson Bennett did at UGA. “
Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I was a fan of Florida State when Jameis Winston was their QB but grew fond of Clemson after going to the campus and attending football and basketball camps over several summers.”