Eye-catchers from the Georgia High School State Championship games

There were eight state championship games inside Mercedes Benz Stadium this week and Bowdon, North Oconee, Toombs County, Carver Columbus, Milton, Hebron Christian Academy, Calhoun and Grayson were all crowned state champions.

On3 was in Atlanta and here are some of the eye-catchers over the last three days.

4-star QB Luke Nickel

The Miami quarterback signee finished 21-22 for 413 yards and 4 touchdowns. What more needs to be said? Milton defeated Langston Hughes 56-42 to complete a perfect 15-0 season. Luke Nickel was sharp all night, and he mixed in a few nice runs to go with the precision passes. It is hard to name another player in Georgia who has improved more than Nickel over the last two seasons. Over the last two seasons, Nickel has helped Milton go 28-2 with two state championships.

2026 5-star LB Tyler Atkinson

Tyler Atkinson is just on a different level. He has those intangibles that make him different and they showed on the biggest stage. The five-star linebacker out of Grayson had eight tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks in the win over Carrollton. That is impressive, but if you saw the game and saw how he diagnosed the screen play, how he broke down in space and how he flew to the football, you were even more impressed. Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State, Texas and many others are in pursuit.

2026 QB Matthew Mungin

Matthew Mungin is a new name. The 2026 quarterback out of Carver Columbus finished 19-20 passing for 327 yards and 4 touchdowns. Mungin is a 6-foot-5, 175-pound junior who will see his recruitment pick up after this performance on a big stage. Carver’s offense never punted in their 52-14 win over Burke County.

2026 4-star EDGE Khamari Brooks

Khamari Brooks was the star of day one. He got it done on offense and defense for North Oconee and helped them to a 14-7 win over Marist. Brooks had multiple tackles for loss on defense and he made big plays on offense from the tight end position. He had a touchdown in the first half and a big catch on a third down conversion late in the game that led to the game-winning touchdown. Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech and others are in pursuit.

2026 WR Kei’Maurii Miles

Mungin had to have someone to throw the ball two. Carver has a lot of weapons and one is wide receiver Kei’Maurii Miles. The talented junior had 179 yard and 3 touchdowns on 7 receptions in the state championship game. His touchdown catches were for 7, 21 and 54 yards. Miles has early offers from the likes of Connecticut, Memphis and Troy.

QB Christian Langford

Langston Hughes battled Milton in a wild game where the teams were pushing 1,000 yards of offense in the first half. Christian Langford was a big part of that for Langston Hughes. He finished with 245 yards passing and 66 tough yards rushing and two total touchdowns. Langford was 15-19 passing and his stats won’t show his toughness and the plays he kept alive with his legs. He shined in a tough loss.

RB TJ Lester

TJ Lester never disappoints. Milton plays a tough schedule, they have won back-to-back state titles and a lot of their success on offense runs through Lester. The West Georgia signee finished 201 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns on 25 carries. Do not be surprised if you see his name appear again in the coming years with bigger programs in the mix.

4-star TE Ethan Barbour

Just get him the ball. Ethan Barbour can line up at tight end, wide receiver or in the backfield. The Georgia commit gets open, he has consistent hands and he makes big plays. Barbour had a 50-yard receiving touchdown and a 3-yard rushing touchdown. He finished with 139 yards receiving on 9 receptions.

ATH Mike Polke

Mike Polke will play for the Mercer Bears next year and he made his last high school count on Tuesday. Polke caught a touchdown pass, returned a kickoff for a touchdown and intercepted a pass in Toombs County’s 38-18 win over Northeast Macon. He finished with 103 yards receiving and his kickoff return went for 92 yards.

CB Vaughn Mitchom

The Grayson cornerback had one interception in the first 14 games, then had two in the second half to help the Rams win a state championship. Vaughn Mitchom made two key plays for Grayson and he added three tackles and a pass break-up.

QB Thomas Stallworth

Quarterback Thomas Stallworth helped Hebron Christian Academy win its first state championship on Wednesday. The final score was 56-28 and Stallworth had 172 yards in the air and 84 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground. He was consistent, he kept plays alive and the senior went out a winner.

4-star QB Julian Lewis

Julian Lewis wasn’t healthy, so he was limited, but the Colorado signee still threw for 333 yards on 30-42 passing and two touchdowns. The talented signal caller wasn’t able to push the ball down the field like normal and he had three turnovers on the night as well.

2026 4-star TE Kaiden Prothro

He just looks the part. He plays it too. Kaiden Prothro is back on the basketball court now where he will throw down dunks, own the paint and scare opponents to drive to the basket for the next few months, but on the field Monday, he showed why he is elite. There is one pass he should have caught, but other than that, the four-star out of Bowdon made big plays. Not only did he finish with 92 yards receiving, but he had some key blocks on big plays in the run game. Prothro is going to continue to fill out his frame and should compete for one of the best tight ends in the 2026 class.

2028 QB Trace Hawkins

Yes, it is early, but who will be first to offer? It will happen soon. Calhoun quarterback Trace Hawkins is a freshman, but he played calm, he made smart decisions and he helped the Yellow Jackets when a state championship. The 2028 talent threw for 184 yards, he rushed for 47 yards and he scored a touchdown. Know this name.

Quick hits

• Florida safety signee Lagonza Hayward had a 29 yard touchdown catch and was a force on defense for Toombs County.
  
  
• Landon Roldan has some wiggle and explosiveness. The Georgia signee finished with 89 yards on six catches including a nice diving snag on the sideline.
  
  
• George Lamons was battling an ankle sprain, so he wasn’t 100%, but he still scored a tackle-breaking touchdown and finished with 81 yards. The sophomore at Brooks County will be a national recruit.
  
  
• 2026 running back Carsyn Baker had 115 yards on 14 carries for Langston Hughes. He had two touchdowns, including a 70 yarder.
  

• Maurice Gleaton signed with Georgia to run track and you can bet Kirby Smart will check in to see if he is interested in playing football. Gleaton had touchdown catches of 65 and 62 yards for Langston Hughes.

• Tristen Payne played big again. He had a 65 yard touchdown reception and finished with 109 yards on 4 catches for Milton.
  
• Georgia wide receiver signee CJ Wiley scored a touchdown with :03 seconds to go in the first half to put Milton up 42-35. He caught three passes on that drive and finished with 58 yards.
  
  
• Devon Caldwell is a 2026 running back for Hebron Christian Academy and he is a smaller back, but he played big on the biggest stage. Caldwell had 180 yards rushing on 18 carries and 3 touchdowns. His longest score was 47 yards.
  
  
• Georgia Tech linebacker signee Carrington Coombs played with much energy and was disruptive for Hebron Christian Academy’s defense. He had a sack and was involved with numerous tackles.
  
  
• Ben Musser came in off the bench early for Prince Avenue and scored on an 80 yard touchdown run. The 2027 quarterback finished the game with 159 yards passing and 176 yards rushing and 4 total touchdowns.
  
  
• Jake Jordan had two interceptions and forced a fumble in Calhoun’s 20-7 win over Jefferson.
  
  
• Max Brown was around the football all game. The 2027 Jefferson linebacker played fast, he showed great instincts and he was a strong tackler in the loss. Brown has numerous early offers and he finished with 12 tackles and a tackle for loss.
  
  
• Anthony Davis was playing fast Wednesday night. The 2026 four-star linebacker at Grayson finished with 10 tackles, 1 sack and 1 tackle for loss. He has 30-plus offers.
  
  
• Grayson featured multiple running backs and Elijah Miller led the way with 109 yards and three touchdowns in their big win. He had a key run on a 4th down conversion late.
  
  
• Texas safety signee Zelus Hicks showed the ability to play in the secondary, in the box and behind the line of scrimmage in game 15. He had nine tackles, half a sack and half a tackle for loss.
  
  
• Travis Burgess could have a big off-season. The 2026 quarterback helped Grayson win a state title with some nice throws and timely runs. Burgess finished with 183 yards passing, 58 yards rushing and a touchdown.