New names to watch in the state of Georgia heading into the 2022 season
Friday night saw multiple teams in the state of Georgia hit the field for their pre-season scrimmages. Next week will be a lot of the same. Then, the following week the games count.
The state is a factory for high-profile college prospects. The class of 2023 is established and a lot of them pledged to their colleges of choice.
There are plenty of prospects that haven’t made the big-time yet that could be names shuffling through the minds of college football programs and college football fans in the coming years.
Here are a few that you need to know going into the 2022 season.
Julian Lewis, QB Carrollton, Class of 2026
Julian Lewis will be under center as a freshman for powerhouse Carrollton when they open the season. He will be playing under a head coach in Joey King that helped tutor former five-star Trevor Lawrence during his prep days.
Lewis already has offers from most of the SEC, Big Ten and ACC. His On3 NIL Valuation already has him at the No. 49 overall high school football prospect in the country.
There is a hype that follows Lewis where he goes. His debut at Carrollton will be closely followed. The hype is only on the outside. King and the Carrollton staff put Lewis under an objective microscope during the spring and summer.
“Outside expectations don’t impact anything that we do,” King said. “Anything that somebody else has said about him or placed on him has no bearing on what we see. We still have a really thorough evaluation of all of our players. We’ve worked hard to try and find out what he’s good at. The reality is that he’s good at a lot of things. We’ve thrown a lot of spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks and we’re going to base what we do on what he’s good at. Fortunately for us, that’s a lot of things.”
Tyler Atkinson, edge, Grayson class of 2026
Tyler Atkinson will be in the starting line-up for Grayson in a few weeks. Similar to Lewis, Atkinson has already collected 23 college offers.
His debut has been anticipated for some time in the Atlanta area. Atkinson plays physically. He’s versatile. He can rush the passer as an edge defender and he can cover.
Jadon Perlotte, linebacker, Buford class of 2025
Jadon Perlotte collected nearly 20 offers over the last year. His varsity experience was sparse in his freshman season.
This spring he burst into the starting lineup. During recent padded camps, he had taken even another step. Playing as an outside linebacker Perlotte showcased high-end speed to chase plays down from behind.
He also levied one of the loudest hits of the day at a recent padded camp. Perlotte already stands around 6-foot-4 and he weighs 200-pounds.
He will have a larger role in 2022 in the loaded Buford defense.
Bryce Perry-Wright, Buford, Class of 2026
Bryce Perry-Wright is a player that flashed throughout Buford’s padded camp a few weeks ago. He already holds multiple offers.
He’ll potentially be a rotational player as a freshman alongside multiple four-stars along Buford’s defensive line.
Mason Short, Evans, Offensive Tackle, Class of 2025
Mason Short is entering his second year as a starter. He quickly shot up a lot of radars this off-season. He collected 15 offers.
Short is a 6-foot-7, 280-pound offensive tackle. He has plenty of athleticism. Major programs are going to be involved in his recruitment.
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Antavious Murphy, Bainbridge, ATH, Class of 2024
Antavious Murphy has been around for a while. He already has an offer from Texas A&M. Murphy has added some size in the offseason.
He’s an explosive playmaker with strong ball skills. Bainbridge lost former four-star athlete Deyon Bouie to graduation. Bouie is now in camp at Texas A&M. Murphy will be in a spot to take some of the production left by Bouie’s graduation on both sides of the football.
His offer sheet could grow moving into the fall.
Ousmane Kromah, Lee County, RB, Class of 2025
Lee County’s Ousmane Kromah exploded onto the scene last year with a big freshman season. Alabama, Michigan State, Georgia Tech and others have already extended early offers.
Kromah has game-breaking ability. He can take a carry and score from anywhere. He’s a bigger running back. He’s listed at 6-foot-2, 200-pounds.
The 2022 campaign will be an intriguing one for Kromah during his second year in a high school football program.
Ethan Barbour, Alpharetta, TE, Class of 2025
Ethan Barbour’s recruitment has exploded recently. He will be one of the key receiving threats for Alpharetta in 2022.
Barbour already has the size and runs good routes for a player his size. He’s a hands catcher. Another big season in 2022 could be a big way in making him one of the more coveted recruits in the state of Georgia.
Emaree Winston, Calhoun, TE, Class of 2025
Emaree Winston will look a lot different than he did physically in 2022. He’s added about 30 pounds in the offseason.
He play all over the field for Calhoun in 2022. Winston already has some major Power Five offers and more could be on the way as he develops physically and his role expands in 2022.
Shamar Arnoux, Centennial, DB, Class of 2025
Sharmar Arnoux is quickly earning the reputation as a sticky, confident coverage man. The spring was productive for him in terms of offers.
Arnoux picked up offers from Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi State among others. That list will be much longer this time next year.
Arnoux will play a big role in Centennial’s secondary as a sophomore in 2022.
22 more names to know
- Jontae Gilbert, safety, Douglas County, class of 2025, Ohio State commit
- James Johnson, wide receiver, Douglas County, class of 2025
- Travis Terrell, Nickel/safety, Creekside, class of 2024
- Israel Boyce, DB, Douglas County, class of 2025
- Elijah Griffin, DL, Savannah Christian, class of 2025
- Mantrez Walker, LB, Buford, class of 2025
- Ryan Ghea, TE, Milton, class of 2025
- Dylan Lewis, safety, class of 2025
- Katrell Webb, OL, Collins Hill
- Luke Kromenhoek, QB, Benedictine, class of 2024, Florida State commit
- Justin Baker, RB, Buford, class of 2025
- Bo Wallace, RB, Cedar Grove, class of 2025
- Daverin ‘Deuce’ Geralds, DL, Collins Hill, class of 2026
- Jaedon Harmon, DB, Rome, class of 2025
- Mason Townsend, OL, Prince Avenue, Class of 2026
- E.J. Colson, QB, Cedar Grove, class of 2025
- Peyton Joseph, OL, Peach County, class of 2025
- Bear McWhorter, OL Cass, class of 2026
- Kelan Butler, LB, Jefferson, class of 2025
- Nicolai Brooks, OL, St. Francis, class of 2025
- Brayden Jacobs, OL, St. Francis, class of 2025
- Juan Gaston, OL, Westlake, class of 2025