Banner Image
Blog
Section Branding
Header Content
Recruiting Roundup: North Gwinnett vs. Carrollton
Hero Image
Primary Content
For the second consecutive week GPB Sports Football Fridays in Georgia features the top-ranked team in the country as the new No. 1 Carrollton Trojans play host to the North Gwinnett Bulldogs in the GHSA Class 6A semifinal tonight at 7:30 p.m. from Grisham Stadium.
The Trojans ascended to the top spot in the latest Max Preps national rankings this week after defeating previous No. 1 Grayson 34-14 in the state quarterfinals last Friday night on GPB-TV Georgia Public Broadcasting.
In the USA Today Super 25 National Rankings this week Buford is the new No. 1 meaning those two national top ranked teams from Georgia could meet in the state final Dec. 16 on GPB.
However we’re getting the cart ahead of the horse because both the Trojans and the Wolves (who play at Valdosta) have formidable semifinal opponents facing them tonight. But there is no doubt that Georgia High School Football is the best in the country and we are honored to bring it to you every Friday night.
Carrollton is 13-0 and seeking its second straight state championship game appearance, third in the last four seasons under Coach Joey King and the 16th in program history. This is the fourth semifinal appearance in Coach King’s five seasons and Carrollton is 15-11 all-time in the semis. They are two wins away from the Trojans eighth state title but first since 1998.
North Gwinnett is 12-1 and has won 12 straight since a 21-7 season-opening loss to Douglas County in the Corky Kell/Dave Hunter Classic. The 12-game winning streak is even more impressive in that the Bulldogs have simply gotten better each and every week including a 25-15 quarterfinal win last Friday night at West Forsyth. North Gwinnett just doesn’t make many mistakes. They are fundamentally sound, don’t beat themselves and have a plus-20 turnover margin, a tell-tale sign for any great team at any level.
This is the Bulldogs first semifinal appearance since 2019 and Coach Eric Godfree’s first with North Gwinnett and just the second for him in his 22 seasons as a head coach. A win at Carrollton would put North Gwinnett in the finals for the fourth time and first since they won it all for the first time in 2017.
The Trojans had 11 seniors sign college scholarships on National Signing Day Wednesday and the Bulldogs had five. Perhaps the most interesting was Carrollton RB Cam Wood who was a relative unknown when the season started but has had a phenomenal senior season with 1,365 yards rushing (No. 3 in 6A) and 31 TD (No. 2 in 6A). Until Tuesday he did not have an FBS offer. He got that from Liberty and then Wednesday signed with the Flames. It’s been a Cinderella story.
Click here to see all the playoff brackets.
Carrollton has won with a two-QB system and freshman C.J Cypher starting. He’s thrown for 1,952 yards while completing 73-percent of his passes from 25 TD and just three interceptions. Cypher already has 16 offers including Nebraska and Miami. Senior Mason Holtzclaw has shared the position with him throwing for 1,147 yards, 72-percent completions with seven touchdowns and one interception. He did not sign Wednesday but does have 19 offers. He will sign in February.
That QB tandem has a great receiving corps to work with in 4-Star Ryan Mosley who signed with Georgia and 3-Star Peyton Zachery who signed with UNLV. Zachery has 80 catches for 910 yards (No. 5 in 6A) with 11 TD while Mosley is 48 for 868 yards (No. 6 in 6A) with 8 TD.
The offensive line has star-power too with a pair of four-star bookend tackles. LT Zykie Helton, who might be the Trojans most dominant player on defense too, is rated as high as the No. 1 center in the country and signed with Georgia two days ago. He played center earlier in his high school career and could play there for the Bulldogs as well. RT Kweli Fielder is rated as high as the No. 3 OT in the Class of 2027 and has 22 offers.
On defense the Trojans are led at linebacker by 3-Star C.J. Gamble, who signed with Georgia Tech, 3-Star Kadan Spratling (Memphis signee) and Jahmir Harris. He’s another great story going from the JV team a year ago to a team-leading 14.5 TFL and 8 QB sacks this season as a senior.
In the secondary 4-Star Dorian Barney signed with Ole Miss. He had a phenomenal game against Grayson as did safety Jay Hagan who signed with Charleston Southern and had a team-leading 9 tackles versus the Rams. Sophomore corner Tyler Boyd already has 12 offers and Coach King believes will be able to play any position in the secondary by the time he graduates. The Trojans have a huge weapon in Julian Vargas who handles kickoffs, placekicks, and punting.
North Gwinnett has also utilized a two-QB system this season although as the Bulldogs have gone deeper and deeper into the playoffs, junior lefthander Elam Rahman has gotten the vast majority of the snaps. Rahman has passed for 1,530 yards with 19 TD and just two interceptions while completing 71-percent of his passes. Sophomore Banks Halcomb (offer from Georgia State) is more than a functional back-up and fully capable of taking over if needed.
Bulldogs have been RB-by-committee all season with a trio of really good backs led by senior Kalil Mazone who signed with Army. North Gwinnett has used him more on defense lately at the Star position as sophomore Stephen Brown has led the team in rushing the last two weeks and junior Wilson Taylor has gotten his fair share of snaps and had a 96-yard kick return TD last week in the quarterfinals.
North Gwinnett pass catchers might not be as decorated as the Trojans’ but do not lack in ability by any means. Senior Braylon Jackson (UT-Martin offer) is vastly underrecruited and has 45 catches for 815 yards and 8 TD. Diminutive speedster Evan Hawkins (5-5, 140, Junior) averages nearly 90 all-purpose yards per game and has scored 9 TD. Massive NFL-size TE Max Patterson (6-6, 245, Junior) is a big match-up problem for defenses with 34 catches for 376 yards receiving and 7 TD. He already has 15 offers and it’ll likely be double that by the start of his senior season.
The offensive line is led by 3-Star RT Zach Lewis who signed with Georgia and will play in the interior at the next level. He is a lot like his future teammate Helton in that he is also an outstanding defensive lineman. Like our sidelines reporter Cody Chaffins pointed out in our coaches’ calls, both of them are really defensive linemen by nature who are playing offense line. Those two should be really fun to watch. Bulldogs junior LT Josh Jones already has 3 offers and also wreaks havoc on the DL.
The Bulldogs defense is overlooked by many. They are allowing less than 10 PPG and have 28 takeaways. The coaches son Jake Godfree leads the way. He’s a three-star junior who already has 41 offers and 339 career tackles, 44 TFL and 17 QB sacks with a senior season to go. He’s also an occasional threat at wildcat quarterback.
Ethan Robinson (Reinhardt offer) lines up next to Godfree and is nearly as productive with 102 TT. The defensive line is anchor by 6-5, 240, Senior DE Connor Coxwell who signed with Kennesaw State and has a whopping 29 TFL and 7 QBS. Ewan Glass and Gabe Autry don’t get the same recruiting attention but have 11 QBS and 23 QBH between them.
The secondary is led by 3-Star CB Chauncy “C.J.” Davis who signed with Southern Miss and who’s dad (with the same name) was a star DE at Florida State and played 7 NFL seasons, six with the Falcons. Davis has never allowed a TD reception in his high school career, a streak that will be put to the test against the Trojans. Bryson Ford lines up at the other corner and has 4 INT and 18 PBU. The junior has three offers. Safeties Andruw Gist (Yale signee) and Harrison Johansen make a lot of tackles (176 total between them).
So should be a lot of fun! That’s the game preview. Now here’s a rundown of the Top Prospects to Watch.
Carrollton Prospects
#4 Ryan Mosley – 6-2, 210, Senior – 4-Star rated as high as No. 17 WR 2026 – Signed with 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 – Signed with Ole Miss over 50 total offers including Michigan and Alabama to whom he previously committed. 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 – Signed with Georgia over 24 total offers including Alabama to whom he previously committed. 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 – Signed with Georgia Tech over 20 total offers
#34 Kadan Spratling – 6-1, 230, Senior – Consensus 3-Star LB 2026 – Signed with Memphis over 18 total offers. Also took official visit to Liberty
#1 Peyton Zachary – 5-7, 165, Senior – Consensus 3-Star WR 2026 – Signed with UNLV over 30 total offers including Georgia and Louisville
#12 Mason Holtzclaw – 6-3, 195, Senior – 3-Star QB 2026 – 19 Offers - Took official visits to Charlotte, East Carolina, and South Alabama
#0 Cam Wood – 5-8, 190, Senior RB – Signed with Liberty over 8 total offers after committing to West Georgia a month ago
#97 D.A. Logan – 6-3, 248, Senior DL/TE – Signed with Georgia Southern over 7 total offers
#2 Jay Hagan – 5-11, 180, Senior DB/ATH – Signed with Charleston Southern over 5 total offers
#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.
#13 Keaires Miller – 6-2, 195, Sophomore TE – Five offers including Georgia Southern, Liberty and Georgia State
#53 Beau Ball – 6-2, 306, Senior IOL – Signed with Samford over 4 total offers including Jacksonville State and Georgia Southern
#30 Jaiden Idlett – 5-9, 155, Sophomore SAF – Offered by Georgia State
#58 Mateo Wells – 5-11, 250, Senior Offensive Lineman – Signed with 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
#75 Zachary Lewis – 6-4, 280, Senior – Consensus 3-Star rated as high as No. 29 IOL (Interior Offensive Lineman) 2026 – Signed with Georgia over 20 total offers including Georgia Tech
#27 Chauncey Davis – 6-1, 190, Senior – Consensus 3-Star CB 2026 – Signed with Southern Miss over 22 total offers including Florida State and Georgia Tech
#10 Jake Godfree - 6-0, 214, Junior – 3-Star LB rated as high as No. 30 LB 2027 – 41 offers including Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Tennessee
#8 Connor Coxwell – 6-5, 240, Senior Edge – Signed with Kennesaw State over 18 total offers
#7 Max Patterson – 6-5, 245, Junior TE – 15 offers including Georgia State, App State and Wake Forest
#2 Kalil Mazone – 6-0, 202, Senior RB/LB – Signed with Army over seven total offers
#55 Josh Jones – 6-1, 270, Junior OL – Offered by Liberty, Charlotte, and Georgia State
#3 Bryson Ford – 6-1, 180, Junior CB – Offered by Georgia State, Miami of Ohio, and Gardner Webb
#5 Andruw Gist – 6-1, 188, Senior SAF – Signed with Yale over 7 total offers
#13 Christian Williams – 6-2, 185, Sophomore WR – Offered by Wake Forest
#16 Banks Halcomb – 6-3, 180, Sophomore QB – Offered by Georgia State
#1 Braylon Jackson – 6-1, 192, Senior WR – Offered by UT-Martin
#77 Jacob Bayer – 6-4, 300, Senior OL – Offered by Berry and receiving interest from ETSU
#44 Ethan Robinson – 5-10, 188, Senior LB – Offered by Reinhardt
So, join Wayne Gandy, Cody Chaffins and me for our Emmy Award-winning Football Fridays in Georgia Game of the Week as the North Gwinnett Bulldogs 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 Dec. 5, 2025, Football Friday in Georgia.
Secondary Content
Author
Bottom Content
