Congratulations to the 16 teams who have made it to the eight GHSA State Championship Games that will be played at Mercedes Benz Stadium this Friday and Saturday and will be televised on GPB.  I look forward to calling the Single-A Private State Final between Eagles Landing Christian and Athens Academy Friday at 10:00 am ET and the 5A Final pitting Rome vs Warner Robins later that day at 4:30 pm.

            Here’s a look at the top college football prospects who will be playing this weekend. Using the 247 Sports Composite rankings, these are the Top 10 players you will see on GPB.

1.    Adam Anderson – Rome Wolves:  Anderson is a 5-star senior who is the #1 ranked outside linebacker in the nation, the #5 ranked prospect in Georgia, and #23 overall prospect in the nation.  Anderson committed to Georgia for a second time in October over Alabama and Clemson after decommitting from LSU in July.  He had originally committed to the Bulldogs before changing his mind to LSU, before changing his mind again and he says this time, it is for the final time.  Anderson is a 6-4, 215-pounder who has a 37-inch vertical jump and runs the 40 in 4.6 seconds.  For the season, Anderson has 63 tackles, 23 tackles-for-loss, 9.5 sacks and one interception.  Anderson and the Rome Wolves will play Warner Robins in the 5A State Championship Game Friday at 4:30 p.m.

2.    J.J. Peterson – Colquitt County Packers:  Peterson is a 4-star senior who is rated the #2 OLB in the nation and the #8 overall prospect in Georgia.  He has 12 offers with Alabama considered his leader over Auburn.  Peterson’s recruitment has been very low-key unlike other prospects of his stature and ranking because he has been waiting for the end of the season before taking any official visits.  The 6-2, 215-pounder has 110 tackles this season with 19 TFL, and 5 sacks.  Peterson and the Packers will play North Gwinnett in the 7A State Championship Game Saturday at 8:00 p.m.

3.    Trezmen Marshall – Clinch County Panthers:  Marshall is a 4-star junior who is rated the #4 athlete and #11 prospect in Georgia in the Class of 2019.  He has 12 offers with Clemson, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State and Florida considered his leaders.  Marshall is a 6-1, 236-pounder who is rated as an athlete, but most programs are recruiting him as a linebacker.  Marshall and the Panthers will play Irwin County in the Single-A Public State Championship Game Saturday at 10:00 a.m.

4.    Sergio Allen – Peach County Trojans:  Allen is a 4-star sophomore defensive end who is rated by 247 Sports as the #7 DE in the Class of 2020.  Allen has six offers including Georgia, Alabama and Auburn.  During this season Allen has taken unofficial visits to Alabama and he was at Auburn for the Iron Bowl at which time he was offered by the Tigers.  Allen is a 6-2, 220-pounder who has recorded 101 tackles, 15 TFL, two quarterback sacks and an interception.  Allen and the Trojans will play Calhoun in the Triple-A State Championship Game Friday at 1:00 p.m.

5.    Daijun Edwards – Colquitt County Packers:  Edwards is a 4-star sophomore running back who has been offered by Georgia and Tennessee.  He is 5-11, 185-pounds and has rushed for 984 yards this season with 13 touchdowns while splitting time with Ty Leggett in the Packers backfield.  Edwards rushed for 887 yards last season as a freshman.  Edwards and the Packers will play North Gwinnett in the 7A State Championship Game Saturday at 8:00 p.m.

6.    Kearis Jackson – Peach County Trojans:  Jackson is a 4-star senior who is rated the #20 wide receiver in the nation and the #13 prospect in Georgia.  He committed to Georgia in August over 23 other offers.  The 5-11, 203-pounder runs the 40 in 4.53 seconds and says the Bulldogs coaches have told him that they want him to play the slot like Isaiah McKenzie did for Georgia.  He plans to enroll in January.  Peach Coach Chad Campbell says they knew early on that Jackson was going to be big-time when they saw him running AAU Track when he was 8 or 9 years old.  Jackson has 47 catches for 852 yards and nine touchdowns this season.  Jackson and the Trojans will play Calhoun in the Triple-A State Championship Game Friday at 1:00 p.m.

7.    Otis Reese – Lee County Trojans:  Reese is a 4-star senior who is rated the #8 OLB and the #16 prospect in Georgia.  He committed to Michigan a year-and-a-half ago in June 2016 over 16 other offers, but reports are the Georgia Bulldogs are working hard to flip that commitment.  Reese has visited Athens unofficially four times since March and three of those were to attend games this fall.  Remember in recruiting, follow the visits.  The 6-4, 206-pounder senior runs the 40 in 4.6 seconds.  Reese and the Trojans will play Coffee in the 6A State Championship Game Friday at 8:00 p.m. 

8.    J.D. Bertrand – Blessed Trinity Titans:  Bertrand is a 4-star junior who is rated the #10 OLB and #19 prospect in Georgia in the Class of 2019.  He committed to Georgia in July over 8 other offers including North Carolina, LSU, Georgia Tech and Clemson.  The 6-1, 214-pounder has 39.5 tackles this season with 3.5 TFL, 4.5 QB sacks.  Bertrand and the Titans will play Marist in the Quad-A State Championship Game Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

9.    D.J. Turner – North Gwinnett Bulldogs:  Turner is a 4-star junior who is rated the #24 cornerback and #30 prospect in Georgia in the Class of 2019. He has 23 offers including Clemson, Oklahoma, Michigan and Alabama. He is a 5-11, 170-pounder.  After visiting Ann Arbor, Turner recently told reporters that the Wolverines are “one of my top schools.”  During the season he has taken unofficial visits to Penn State and Clemson.  Playing free safety for the Bulldogs, Turner is a physical presence in the run game with strong coverage skills.

10. Warren Ericson – North Gwinnett Bulldogs:  Ericson is a 4-star senior who is the #5 rated center in the nation and the #35 prospect in Georgia.  He committed to Georgia in June over 28 other offers including Auburn, Alabama and Miami.  The 6-4, 335-lb senior visited with us in studio this season on Football Fridays in Georgia Inside Edition and he is an impressive young man.  Ericson is the Bulldogs starting center and is projected to play either center or guard at Georgia.  Expect to see him playing on the defensive line Saturday night as well just as he did last week in the Bulldogs semifinal win over McEachern.  Turner, Ericson and the Bulldogs will play Colquitt County in the 7A State Championship Game Saturday at 8:00 p.m.

So that’s just a sampling of all the great players that you will see in the eight state championship games this weekend in Atlanta.  Join us for all eight games on GPB starting Friday morning at 10:00 a.m.  We look forward to another incredible weekend of Football Fridays (and Saturdays) in Georgia!