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Recruiting Roundup: Carrollton vs. Grayson
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One of the top high school football games in the country takes center stage tonight on GPB Sports Football Fridays in Georgia as we bring you the rematch of the 2024 GHSA Class 6A state championship game as the top-ranked Grayson Rams (12-0) play at the third-ranked Carrollton Trojans (12-0).
Join us for our statewide coverage from Grisham Stadium in Carrollton starting at 7:30 p.m. on GPB-TV Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Grayson is ranked No. 1 in the country in three different rankings, USA Today, Max Preps and High School Football America. Carrollton is No. 11 in the USA Today and Max Preps national rankings. There’s only one game in the country tonight with two higher ranked teams and that’s No. 2 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) vs 8th-ranked Santa Margarita, Calif.
This will be just the second all-time meeting between these two teams with the only other coming last Dec.18 when the Rams defeated the Trojans 38-24 in the GHSA 6A final. Grayson has won 26 games in a row and Carrollton has won 26 of their last 27 games with that only loss coming to the Rams.
That game was billed as the JuJu Lewis vs. Tyler Atkinson game. Lewis, the 2024 GPB Sports Offensive Player of the Year, is now a freshman quarterback at Colorado. Atkinson, the 2024 GPB Sports Defensive Player of the Year, is nearing the end of his senior season and sparkling career with 553 all-time tackles, 103 tackles for loss and 39.5 sacks. I told his coach, Santavious Bryant, that Atkinson’s impact on the game reminds me of how Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor used to impact games. In my mind, he’s that good!
The 5-Star Atkinson, ranked as high as the No. 1 linebacker in the country (there’s no doubt in my mind), has been committed to Texas since announcing his decision this summer on Pat McAfee’s ESPN national TV show. He has warranted the same kind of media attention (and NIL) that Lewis commanded and a big reason why the Rams have been ranked No. 1 in the state since the preseason rankings. But not the only reason. In addition to Atkinson, Grayson has four 4-stars, 15 3-stars and 32 total players with college football offers (most of those power conference offers).
The Rams have had to overcome adversity. They lost 4-Star QB and North Carolina commit Travis Burgess to a season-ending knee injury early in the season. Junior Deuce Smith has been the epitome of “next man up,” throwing for 2,207 yards while completing nearly 67% of his passes with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
As it typically does, Grayson has been running back by committee averaging nearly 200 yards per game rushing with No. 1 on the depth chart senior Josh Thomas, 339 yards rushing, 6 TDs; No. 2 junior Ashton Turner (the leading rusher) 694 yards and 10 TDs, plus 8-125 yards receiving, 2 TDs; No. 3 senior Cam Johnson 187 yards and three TDs; and No. 4 sophomore Brandon Gray 501 yards and seven TDs.
The Rams have a deep wide receiver corps featuring senior Dallas Quarterman (East Carolina commit) 51-842 yards and 8 TD. Senior Jonathan Stafford (Western Kentucky commit) 38-720 yards and 6 TD. Slot WRs: 5-8, 146, Junior Saif Bin-Wahad 24-401-3 and Ty’Jae Clark (3-Star uncommitted) 15-249-4. Bin Wahad has a couple of offers and is the younger brother of MuMu Bin-Wahad who was a star DB on the 2020 state championship team and now at UNLV.
The offensive line as plenty of star power too with 6-4, 311, Junior right tackle Jordan Agbanoma (rated as high as No. 4 IOL 2027). Left Tackle K.D. Jones (Pitt offer), Center Kenneth Roby (FCS offers), and his back-up Tim Harvey (WVU offer).
On defense, you could probably make a strong argument that the Rams linebacking corps is the best and deepest in the state. Alongside Atkinson you will find Ant Davis (Ole Miss commit) 50 TT, 12 TFL, 2 QBS, 10 QBH and junior 3-star Eli Harris (67 TT, 17 TFL) who already has 17 offers and he’s the next star in that position group looking ahead to next season. The back-ups would likely be starters on most any team they played.
The Rams roll in 8-10 players on a defensive line featuring D-Ends: 6-2, 309, Junior 3-Star Waylon Wooten (32 TT, 11 TFL, 3 QB Sacks) who already has 27 offers and 6-1, 233, Senior Zaccheus Harris (23 TT, 10 TFL, 4 QBS, 19 QBH) who is committed to West Georgia. Throw in the nearly immovable NG Cam McGee (6-4, 323, Senior) who is a consensus 3-Star DL in the Class of 2026 and decommitted from Arkansas but still has 26 other offers.
There’s no weak links in the secondary either in this 3-3 Stack defense that plays three safeties led by the veteran senior Eric Johnson who is committed to FIU, senior R.J. Issac committed to Georgia Southern, junior London Goggans with 17 offers and senior Hannibal Navies committed to Arizona. His dad (with the same name) played linebacker in the NFL for nine seasons.
Cornerbacks Demauri Clemons has 15 offers including Penn State and Riley Drew has 27 offers.
So how do you beat an all-star team like Grayson? That’s a good question but Coach Joey King’s Carrollton Trojans might have the team to do it.
Despite the early graduation of the 5-Star JuJu Lewis and the loss of All-State RB Kamauri Farmer, the Trojans are averaging 48 points per game and have posted five straight games of 50-plus points. Their offense might actually be better than last year’s state Ffinalist team.
Coach King, who coached Trevor Lawrence at Cartersville and then of course the aforementioned Lewis the last three seasons, has channeled his innermost Steve Spurrier this season and won playing two quarterbacks. The starter is freshman C.J. Cypher, who by all indications is the next big thing and already has 16 offers while sharing duties with senior Mason Holtzclaw, who has 19 offers. The duo have combined to throw for 2,906 yards, completing over 72% of their passes with 31 TD and just 3 INT. For all his great work in the past, this might be Coach King’s biggest QB masterpiece.
The team suffered a stunning blow during the summer when Farmer was arrested on murder charges and he is currently awaiting trial with three other Carroll County teens. But Coach King did not let this rip his team apart and senior Cam Wood went from “next man up,” to “next star RB.” A player that only the most ardent Trojans fans had probably even heard of, has rushed for 1,192 yards and scored 29 total TD and just a few weeks ago committed to West Georgia.While all those new pieces on offense came together, that side of the ball was buoyed by the return of stars in the WR room and on the offensive line. 4-Star Georgia commit Ryan Mosley (46-829 yards receiving with 8 TD) and 3-Star Peyton Zachery (72-841 yards with 10 TD) who is committed to UNLV. I’m still thinking that one of these power conference teams in the southeast will get wise and snap up Zachery before signing day but apparently they’re afraid of his 5-foot-7,165-pound frame. I say, “Don’t be.”
On the offensive line 4-Star Zykie Helton is committed to Georgia and is rated as high as the No. 1 center in the country for 2026. It’s a position he played for the Trojans earlier in his career. He’s also a nearly unblockable beast when he jumps over to the defensive line which I suspect he will do a lot tonight. 4-Star sophomore right tackle Kweli Fielder is rated as high as the No. 3 OT in 2028 and already has 21 offers.
On defense the Trojans are also very good at linebacker led by 3-Star Georgia Tech commit C.J. Gamble (73 TT, 10 TFL, 5 QBS), Memphis 3-Star commit Kaden Spratling (43 TT, 8.5 TFL, 6 QBS, 2 INT) and senior Jahmir Harris who has been one of the great stories of the 2025 season. He’s gone from playing on the JV as a junior to an incredible senior season with 70 TT, 13.5 TFL and 7 QBS.
The 2024 secondary was one of the most star-studded in the country and despite losing Zelus Hicks (Texas), plus Shamar Arnoux and A.J. Cromartie (both Florida State) it is no slouch here in 2025. 4-Star CB Dorian Barney (Ole Miss commit) leads the unit and is joined on the other side by sophomore Tyler Boyd (3 INT, 2 blocked kicks and 12 offers) who promises to be among the elites at his position over the next couple of years. Expect to see WR Mosley and Zachery also getting a lot of snaps on that back line.
The Trojans defensive line is its usual underrated, undersized self and led by 5-6, 260 sophomore Demetrius Carter (26 TT, 4 TFL) and 6-2, 270, Senior Mason McClendon (15 TT, 2 QBS). But as I mentioned earlier, Helton will play a lot on the DL and at his very athletic 6-2, 285 he makes a big difference.
Carrollton could have a rather significant advantage in the kick game where Julian Vargas is 6-for-7 on his FG attempts, averages 42-plus yards per punt and has 72 touchbacks on his 96 kickoffs this season.
So should be a lot of fun! That’s the game preview. Now here’s a rundown of the Top Prospects to Watch.
Grayson Prospects
#16 Tyler Atkinson – 6-3, 219, Senior – Committed to Texas over 50 total offers – Also took official visits to Georgia, Oregon, and Clemson – 5-Star rated as high as No. 1 Linebacker 2026, No. 2 recruit in Georgia and No. 17 overall national prospect
#78 Jordan Agbanoma – 6-4, 311, Junior – Consensus 4-Star rated as high as No. 4 IOL (Interior Offensive Lineman) 2027 – 21 total offers including Alabama
Travis Burgess – 6-5, 205, Senior – Committed to North Carolina over 18 total offers – 4-Star rated as high as No. 7 Quarterback 2026 – Out with season-ending knee injury
#7 Ant Davis – 6-3, 213, Senior – Committed to Ole Miss over 51 total offers – Also took official visits to Alabama and Michigan – 4-Star rated as high as No. 22 LB 2026
#41 Elijah Tillman - 6-6, 245, Sophomore – 4-Star rated as high as No. 6 Edge 2028 (Plays DE for Rams) – 22 total offers including South Carolina and Duke
#2 Dawson Quarterman – 6-3, 202, Senior – Committed to East Carolina over 24 total offers – Also took official visit to FIU – 3-Star WR 2026 – Transfer from St. Thomas Aquinas (FL)
#5 Jonathan Stafford – 5-11, 175, Senior – Committed to Western Kentucky over 24 total offers – 3-Star WR 2026
#12 Hannibal Navies – 6-3, 204, Senior – Committed to Arizona over 15 total offers including Kansas State – Consensus 3-Star Safety 2026
#41 T.K. Cunningham – 6-5, 235, Junior – 3-Star Defensive Lineman rated as high as No. 22 Edge 2027 – 50 Offers including Georgia Tech and Florida
#95 Cam McGee – 6-4, 323, Senior – Consensus 3-Star DL 2026 – 27 Total Offers – Decommitted from Arkansas – Took official visits to Alabama and Auburn since then and also SMU and Purdue before
#24 Logan Goggans – 6-2, 182, Junior – 3-Star Safety 2027 – 16 Offers including Auburn
#99 Waylon Wooten – 6-2, 309, Junior – 3-Star Defensive Lineman 2027 – 27 offers including Auburn and Florida
#21 Rilee Drew – 5-11, 157, Junior – 3-Star Cornerback 2027 – 29 offers including Kansas State
Lawrence Brown – 6-4, 215, Senior – Committed to North Carolina over 27 total offers – Also took official visits to Pitt and N.C. State – Consensus 3-Star Edge 2026 – Out with season-ending knee injury
#22 R.J. Issac – 6-0, 174, Senior – Committed to Georgia Southern over 5 total offers – 3-Start Cornerback 2026 (Plays Safety for Rams)
#15 Makhi Brazier – 6-2, 213, Senior – Committed to Western Kentucky over 17 total offers including Georgia State and Georgia Southern – 3-Star LB 2026
#34 McKinley McShan – 6-3, 226, Junior DE – Committed to Arkansas State over 8 total offers – Also took official visit to South Florida – 3-Star LB 2026
#3 Eric Johnson – 6-1, 178, Senior – Committed to FIU over 14 total offers including Georgia State and Jacksonville State – 3-Star Safety 2026
#10 Eli Harris – 6-1, 209, Junior – 3-Star Linebacker 2027 – 17 Offers including Ole Miss
#6 Ty’Jae Clark – 5-11, 170, Senior – 3-Star Wide Receiver 2026 – Offered by South Carolina, Kennesaw State and Jackson State
#22 Demari Clemons – 5-11, 173, Senior CB – 15 Offers including Penn State – Transfer from Massillon (Ohio) HS after originally starting his career in the Rams program before moving away and now moving back
#57 K.D. Jones – 6-4, 268, Junior Offensive Lineman (Plays LT for Rams) – Eight Offers including Pittsburgh
#54 Tim Harvey – 6-1, 305, Junior OL (Plays Center for Rams) – Seven offers including West Virginia
#60 Rome Samuels – 6-5, 266, Freshman DE/OL – Four offers including Auburn, Duke, and North Carolina
#91 Andre Coley – 6-3, 201, Sophomore Defensive Lineman – Offered by Duke, South Florida, and Georgia Southern
#86 Joey Hunter – 6-5, 250, Junior Tight End – 8 offers including Georgia State, Georgia Southern and Western Kentucky
#18 Aaron Black – 6-1, 204, Junior Safety (Plays LB for Rams) – Six offers including South Florida, Toledo, and Miami-Ohio
#11 Corky Lynch – 6-0, 184, Junior Cornerback – Four offers including Wofford, Coastal Carolina, and Toledo
#19 Said Bin-Wahad – 5-8, 146, Junior Wide Receiver – Offered by North Texas and North Carolina Central
#20 Jalen Welch – 6-3, 188, Junior Safety – Offered by South Florida
#55 Kenneth Roby – 6-4, 308, Senior Offensive Lineman (Plays Center for Rams) – Four offers including Gardner-Webb and Tennessee State
#40 Zaccheus Harris – 6-1, 233, Senior Defensive End – Committed to West Georgia
Carrollton Prospects
#4 Ryan Mosley – 6-2, 210, Senior – 4-Star rated as high as No. 17 WR 2026 – Committed to Georgia over 35 total offers. Also took official visit to Alabama.
#8 Dorian Barney – 6-0, 170, Senior – 4-Star rated as high as No.18 CB 2026 – Committed to Ole Miss after decommitting from Michigan and Alabama (junior season) and has 50 total offers. Also took official visits to Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, and Penn State
#52 Zykie Helton – 6-2, 285, Senior – 4-Star rated as high as No. 1 Center 2026 by ESPN – Committed to Georgia after decommitting from Alabama and has 24 total offers. Also took official visit to Georgia Tech.
#54 Kweli Fielder – 6-3, 320, Sophomore – 4-Star rated as high as No. 3 OT 2028 – 22 offers including Georgia, Florida, and Miami
#9 C.J. Gamble – 6-1, 220, Senior – Consensus 3-Star LB 2026 – Committed to Georgia Tech over 20 total offers
#34 Kaden Spratling – 6-1, 230, Senior – Consensus 3-Star LB 2026 – Committed to Memphis over 18 total offers. Also took official visit to Liberty
#1 Peyton Zachary – 5-7, 165, Senior – Consensus 3-Star WR 2026 – Committed to UNLV offers 29 other offers including Georgia and Louisville
#12 Mason Holtzclaw – 6-3, 195, Senior – 3-Star QB 2026 – 19 Offers including South Alabama, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. Took official visits to Charlotte, East Carolina, and South Alabama
#7 C.J. Cypher – 6-1, 180, Freshman QB – 16 Offers including Nebraska and Miami
#6 Tyler Boyd – 5-10, 185, Sophomore CB – 12 Offers including Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State and Georgia.
#97 D.A. Logan – 6-3, 248, Senior DL/TE – Seven offers including UConn, Miami-Ohio, and Jacksonville State
#2 Jay Hagan – 5-11, 180, Senior DB/ATH – Five offers including Georgia Southern, Jacksonville State and Miami-Ohio
#13 Keaires Miller – 6-2, 195, Sophomore TE – Five offers including Georgia Southern, Liberty and Georgia State
#30 Jaiden Idlett – 5-9, 155, Sophomore SAF – Offered by Georgia State
#0 Cam Wood – 5-8, 190, Senior RB – Committed to West Georgia over 7 total offers
#53 Beau Ball – 6-2, 306, Senior IOL – Committed to Samford over 4 total offers including Jacksonville State and Georgia Southern
#58 Mateo Wells – 5-11, 250, Senior Offensive Lineman – Committed to Anderson University over 12 total offers
#55 Chastan Sheffield – 5-11, 295 Senior IOL – Five offers including Point, Reinhardt, and Ottawa
#95 Mason McLendon – 6-2, 270, Senior Defensive Lineman – Offered by Berry and Reinhardt
#3 Shem McMillan – 6-0, 195, Senior Linebacker – Offered by Reinhardt
So, join Wayne Gandy (as he returns to the booth this week), Maddie Crews (who makes her GPB debut) and me in Carrollton for our Emmy Award-winning Football Fridays in Georgia Game of the Week as the Grayson Rams play at the Carrollton Trojans. Jon Nelson and Niki Noto Palmer will be in our GPB Studios during the game and afterwards will bring you the Playoff Post-Game Show with scores and coaches’ interviews from all across the state.
Remember, there are many ways you can watch Football Fridays in Georgia. Traditional TV (GPB), online at GPB.org, GPB Sports app, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Twitch.
Now if you miss the game live or just want to watch it again, don’t worry, we replay the entire Football Fridays in Georgia Game of the Week at 11:15 p.m. or you can watch it on demand anytime at GPB.org.
Enjoy your Nov. 28, 2025, Thanksgiving Football Friday in Georgia.
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