ESPN High School Football Showcase to feature eight blue-chip prospects in Carrollton vs. Parker

Eight blue-chip prospects will be featured in a nationally-televised bout next month when Carrollton (Ga.) heads to Alabama to take on Birmingham Parker.

SportsCenter NEXT announced on Wednesday that the Sept. 20 clash will air live on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET in the ESPN High School Showcase at Major Brown Memorial Stadium in Birmingham.

Headlining the showdown will be a pair of five-star prospects in the 2025 cycle. Carrollton quarterback and five-star USC commit Julian Lewis will seek a statement victory in his senior season, while Parker cornerback and Five-Star Plus+ Ohio State commit Na’eem Offord will await in the secondary.

The game will be Carrollton’s second on ESPN this season. The Trojans opened their 2024 campaign on the road and earned a gritty 24-14 win over Atlanta Woodward Academy on Aug. 16. This will be Parker’s first-ever game on national TV, according to the team’s X account.

Carrollton seeking first Georgia state title since 1998

The Trojans have been a constant at the top of the Georgia state rankings across the past few seasons, losing just 10 times across the last five years heading into this fall. Getting over the hump in the playoffs is the task at hand, though — especially when a player of Lewis’ caliber is under center.

Entering his third and final season as starting QB for Carrollton, Lewis has hurled for over 7,200 yards and 96 touchdowns, accumulating a 25-3 record along the way. Since he reclassified to the 2025 cycle, the USC pledge has just one more go at things at the high school level.

It’s not just a one-man show, however. Junior four-star wide receiver Ryan Mosley is in the mix on offense, while one of the best secondaries in the state highlights the defense. Fellow USC commit and senior corner Shamar Arnoux is flanked by a pair of top-100 prospects in the 2026 class in four-star safety Zelus Hicks and Alabama four-star CB commit Dorian Barney. The offensive line also features a top junior in four-star IOL Zykie Helton.

Carrollton is now 2-0 this season following a 35-7 drubbing of Columbia last week. Ranked as the No. 7 team in the state of Georgia and the No. 50 program in the nation per the On3 Massey Ratings, the Trojans are set to host Rome (No. 11 in Ga.) on Friday evening.

Parker looking to emerge amongst Alabama’s elite

Like Carrollton, Parker is aiming to make a run with one of its most talented rosters in some time. The Herd won 12 games a season ago but fell to eventual 6A Alabama state champs Clay-Chalkville.

It all starts with Offord — who doubles as an elite talent on the offensive side of the ball in addition to his top-notch skills as a defensive back. Last season as a junior, he accumulated 518 yards of offense and 10 touchdowns as a back and a receiver. He also intercepted five passes and deflected four more in 13 games.

There’s far more to the Parker defense than just Offord, too. The defensive line is perhaps the best in the state thanks to Auburn four-star commit Jourdin Crawford and junior top-100 prospect Vodney Cleveland. Washington commit Caleb Smith is also on the D-line, while Miami safety pledge Timothy Merritt and Georgia State safety commit Joseph Holt flank Offord in the secondary.

Parker is 1-0 after rolling past Ramsay 41-12 last week. The Herd will stay in Birmingham but head to Mountain Brook High this Friday. Parker currently checks in at No. 17 in the On3 Massey Ratings Alabama top 25.