Here’s the thing, I’m not a big rankings person. They have their value, sure. They can also cause us to read way too much into a player, and that develops into an unrealistic expectation we’ve now set for these players, aka humans, who are really just 17 or 18 years old trying to make their dreams come true of playing football forever.

Okay, rant over.

That being said…Depending on how closely you follow high school football in the state of Georgia, you may or may not know that this state is stacked with some of the best quarterbacks across the country. During the course of this offseason, we’ve gotten to know a few of them. This is a re-cap of those we’ve spoken to in addition to a few others.

And here they are…
1. Jake Fromm, Houston County, class of 2017, UGA Commit
He’s “fromm” Houston County… (see what I did there?). I bet he’s never heard that before… okay, anyway… there’s no doubt that Jake is the best quarterback in the state, and according to 247Sports, he’s the third best in the country among the 2017 quarterback class. It’s easy to find yourself in awe of the way he plays the game. He likes to throw the long ball and that’s because he does it really well with a strong arm and a lot of power behind it. I think what makes him stand out from the rest is how fast he can get rid of the ball. He’s dependable. If you’re into stats- he has a career total of 75 passing touchdowns and he hasn’t started a single down as a senior, yet. He can maintain confidence, think and throw all in a split second. He comes across as the most mature player on the field and looks as if he could suit up tomorrow for the Bulldogs. He can get out of trouble unlike anything I’ve ever seen at this level, and still make the completion. The play is never over if he has the ball in his hands.

2. Davis Mills, Greater Atlanta Christian, class of 2017
Right behind Fromm on 247Sports’ rankings is Davis Mills, who’s committed to Stanford. Honestly, in my opinion, it’s a toss up between the two for “best in the state.” He, too, can get rid of the ball in a hurry, and isn’t easily rattled by pressure. I think his attitude and mindset has a lot to do with his success. He removes the ego and just plays the game. He’s selfless and the talent comes out naturally. Being an incredible athlete helps, sure, but he’s got the smarts too. He’s poised, calm, cool and collected in the huddle and that’s who you need commanding an offense. And man oh man, is he shifty! He completely embarrassed an entire defense by himself when faking a hand-off and running through the line of scrimmage for a score. This kid, in my opinion, seems like he’s got the grit plus the talent, plus the intangibles and that’s why I would argue he could also be the best in the state.

3. DeeJay Dallas, Glynn Academy, class of 2017
Here’s another pro-style quarterback who can practically do it all. The thing that makes DeeJay different from the others though, is that he will likely not play quarterback in college. He’s an overall excellent athlete and has great experience at the quarterback position but can also play wide receiver or defensive back. He has reportedly committed to the University of Miami. He led his team to the 5A state championship game this past season; however, they lost to Allatoona. This kid is a competitor and he’s striving to get his team back to where they left off last year, but with a “W” this time. Among all “athletes” in his class, he ranks at #11 across the country (247Sports).

4. Chase Brice, Grayson, class of 2017
Chase surprised no one when he committed to play for Clemson University, staying true to the pipeline that stands between Grayson High School and Clemson. He’s a traditional pro-style quarterback, who simply just tries to do all of the little things right. He does a good job of not forcing a throw if it simply isn’t there. He’ll study the defense and take the safest route to avoid mistakes and turnovers. He’s very calculated with his throws and makes sure that his receivers are in a position to make the catch.

5. Bailey Hockman, McEachern, class 2017
Hockman has reportedly committed to FSU after flipping from UGA. We’ve seen him on GPB’s Football Fridays in Georgia many times and the story is still the same: He’s just fun to watch. In two seasons, he has a total of 38 passing touchdowns with only 9 interceptions and over 3,400 passing yards (MaxPreps). He stays pretty true to the quarterback position as a traditional pocket passer and runs when he’s in trouble. There were a lot of moments this season where he didn’t have a whole lot of time to sit back in the pocket and was forced into a situation where he had to make it happen on the fly. According to 247Sports he’s a four-star recruit.

6. Baron Radcliff, Norcross, class of 2017
This three-star prospect has offers from Boston College, Georgia Southern and Vanderbilt. But he’s another one of those dual athletes who may not even pursue football (must be nice). His father was a major league baseball player and Radcliff has a great shot at getting drafted to play baseball out of high school. Nevertheless, as it relates to this season, he’s looking forward to putting the pads on and suiting up on Friday nights to get his team in the best possible position to be the best. He’s got a great size advantage at 6’4’’ and 200 pounds. He’s a more mature player than he was when he won the starting job his sophomore season. His stats are better as a rusher rather than a passer. Watching him run is pretty remarkable considering his height and size.

7. Addison Shoup, Walton, class of 2017
Say it with me: “Sh-ow-p.” Although he has two offers (Colgate and Tennessee Tech), Shoup is a really talented player. He is comfortable with the triple option and he’s not afraid to pull the ball and run it if he has to. What’s great about that is that once he decides to run, he commits to it. There’s not a whole lot of indecision. He’s 6’1’’ and 190 pounds of total toughness. Some of his strengths include making good decisions. You could definitely call him one of the best passers in the state with 2,631 yards last season in addition to 29 touchdowns.

8. Ryan Glover, Woodward, class of 2017
He’s reportedly a hard-commit to Colorado State and is a three-star, dual-threat quarterback. He’s one of those guys who will drive a defense crazy. You have to find a way to contain him because otherwise you will never catch him once he scrambles outside of the pocket. He runs with power and he throws with power. He’s a well-rounded quarterback who isn’t afraid to take risks. He led his team to an almost-perfect season last year until they lost in the semi-finals. He’s a threat and a quarterback who always has a good chance of showing up in the postseason.

9. Jay Saunders, Colquitt County, class of 2017
This will be his first year as the starter at Colquitt County with Chase Parrish graduating last year. Here’s what I love about Jay: he’s 5’10 and he totally uses that to his advantage. He is an excellent scrambler. Good luck trying to chase him down. He’s speedy and also well balanced. We haven’t seen a whole lot of him up until this point, but this year, we will as he takes over the reigns as the starting QB for the Packers.

10. Stetson Bennett IV, Pierce County, class of 2017
I really enjoyed getting to learn about Stetson. I’d like to call him the silent assassin because he’s not a big name so he doesn’t get a lot of attention. He’s one of those players who gets overlooked, but then steps on the field and lights it up. He’s a hidden gem in the state of Georgia. He’s one smart kid too with a 4.0 and conversations with Harvard, Yale and Columbia are just another day in the life of Stetson. This past season (his junior year), the offense averaged over 40 points a game. He threw for 2,900 yards and 24 touchdowns. In addition to that, he rushed for 12 TDs and 630 yards. Just remember that I told you about him.

11. Trevor Lawrence, Cartersville, class of 2018
Trevor Lawrence is THE best player in the country among all football recruits in the graduating class of 2018. He is as good as it gets at the high school level, but I placed him in this spot (not because of rankings, I’m not into that, remember?), but because he graduates after all of the guys in front of him. He’s in his own category as a rising-junior. Where he will play is still to be determined… but trust me, he’ll have the luxury to choose among plenty. I think the biggest thing with him is all of the things you can’t see, like his mental disposition and the intangibles that make quarterbacks great. You have to have a sixth sense on the field and he has that. You name it and he can do it. He’s not afraid to throw into double coverage. He excels at just about everything: short ball, long ball, accuracy under pressure, mental toughness, you name it. This is just his junior year so he can only get even better this season.

That will do it for the Year of the Quarterbacks series! Football is finally here! We’ll see y’all on your TV’s starting August 19 only on GPB!