Analysis: UGA targets, signees shine in Georgia state championship games
ATLANTA – UGASports had boots on the ground in the state’s capital this week, as the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) hosted its state title games from Monday through Wednesday in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Several 2026 Bulldog signees were playing in the championship games, along with prospects from other cycles.
Below, UGASports breaks down what prospects are on Georgia’s radar.
Class A Division II: Lincoln County vs Bowdon
The GHSA Class A Division II state championship game featured a historic powerhouse, Lincoln County, against Bowdon, the three-time defending state champion.
Georgia had five-star tight end signee Kaiden Prothro playing for Bowdon, and he helped pull off a 35-32 win.
Prothro hauled in four passes for 71 yards and a touchdown, along with six tackles for the Red Devils in the win.
Prothro ended his high school career at Bowdon with 157 catches, 3,365 yards, and 66 touchdowns, a new state record. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound prospect is also a four-time state champion.
Class A Division I: Worth County vs Toombs County
The GHSA Class A Division I state championship featured two south Georgia teams – Worth County and Toombs County, the defending state champs. Each team had at least one prospect that UGA is interested in.
The Rams’ roster featured Malik Muhammad, one of the most underrated EDGE prospects in the 2028 class. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound prospect has offers from Florida State, Troy, Georgia Tech, Miami, and USF.
Georgia has been in contact with Muhammad, and he recently visited for a game, but he doesn’t have an offer yet.
Muhammad was all over the field for Worth County, totaling a team-high 11 tackles with a pass breakup. His speed and athleticism were on full display as he ran from sideline to sideline, making tackles for the Rams.
Muhammad finished his sophomore campaign with 61 tackles, 12 for loss, along with two sacks, three pass deflections, and two caused fumbles in 14 games played.
Toombs County’s roster is loaded with Division I talent, including Alex Scott, Jamarcus Johnson, Reem Palmer, and Nick Carroll. Johnson is the only one who holds an offer from Georgia, but the others have garnered interest.
Johnson is a 6-foot-6, 300-pound defensive lineman. The 2028 four-star prospect has offers from the Bulldogs, Georgia Southern, Tennessee, and Miami (Ohio). Johnson flashed a few times during the game with three tackles, with one being for a loss.
Johnson finished the season with 49 tackles, 13 for loss, and three quarterback pressures, with a fumble recovery and a caused fumble.
Scott, on the other hand, is a 2027 safety who has visited Athens for a game, as the staff has shown interest.
Scott had two tackles in the championship game, including a physical play that resulted in an incomplete pass. The 5-foot-10, 150-pound defensive back prospect helped limit Worth County to 144 yards passing.
Scott has offers from Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Missouri, NC State, Wake Forest, Coastal Carolina, Arkansas State, and UCF.
Palmer is a three-star linebacker in the 2027 class with offers from Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Florida, Syracuse, Missouri, and West Virginia. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound prospect has also drawn interest from Georgia.
Reem’s most recent visit to Athens was for the Charlotte game.
Palmer finished with the team’s second-best seven tackles against the Rams, with a total of 79 in his junior season. He also had nine tackles for loss, a sack, three quarterback pressures, and two caused fumbles.
Carroll might be Toombs County’s most intriguing prospect. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound athlete in the 2028 class already has offers from Kentucky, Georgia Tech, and Florida State heading into his junior season.
Carroll also has interest from Georgia, having also visited for the Charlotte game.
Carroll made plays on both sides of the ball for the Bulldogs this season. In the state championship game, he caught four passes for 81 yards and a touchdown, and totaled four tackles with a fumble recovery.
Offensively, Carroll had four carries for 61 yards and four touchdowns, along with four catches for 722 yards and seven scores this season. He also had racked up 42 tackles and a team-high seven interceptions, with eight pass deflections and two fumble recoveries on defense.
Worth County ended up winning this game 17-13.
Class 3A/A Private: Hebron Christian vs Calvary Day
The Class 3A/A Private state championship game was between Hebron Christian, the defending champ, and Calvary Day.
The only player in this championship game with Georgia interest was Calvary Day cornerback Emerson Lewis. The four-star prospect in the 2027 class currently has offers from South Carolina, Alabama, Florida State, Vanderbilt, Incarnate Word, SMU, Kentucky, Western Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, and Missouri.
Lewis, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound prospect, has drawn interest from the Bulldogs.
Lewis caught two passes for 28 yards on offense and rushed for two yards, while totaling five tackles, including one for a loss, and an interception on defense in the state championship game against the Lions.
Hebron Christian held off Calvary Day late, defeating the Cavaliers 28-21 for its second straight state title.
Class 2A: Carver (Columbus) vs Hapeville Charter
GHSA’s Class 2A state championship featured Hapeville Charter and Carver (Columbus), the defending state champs.
This was a fascinating watch for Georgia fans, as Carver’s head coach is former player and assistant coach, Jarvis Jones.
The Tigers were also loaded with Division I talent, with seniors signed to Tennessee, Auburn, Texas A&M, Georgia State, and Mississippi State. However, they also have some younger talent already with offers from the Bulldogs.
Class of 2029 running back Zach Watts is the headliner. The 5-foot-10, 173-pound prospect finished his first year at the prep level with offers from Georgia, Florida State, Kent State, Texas A&M, USF, Georgia State, Troy, and Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs offered almost two months before his freshman season started.
Crowell, in fitting fashion, gives Isaiah Crowell vibes. Not because he attends Carver, but because of the way he runs.
Watts made several key plays in the state title game, finishing with 60 yards on 10 carries with a 10-yard reception. The 2029 prospect rushed for 1,068 yards on 108 attempts (9.6 yards per carry) with 17 touchdowns.
Another top prospect on Carver’s roster is 2028 defensive lineman Kingston Brown. The 6-foot-3, 270-pound prospect, nicknamed “The Boogeyman,” has offers from Georgia, Oregon, Miami, Tennessee, Memphis, Western Kentucky, Texas A&M, South Carolina, Sacramento State, Purdue, Florida, East Carolina, Colorado State, Georgia State, and Troy. The Bulldogs offered Brown earlier this year, in May, after a camp.
Brown only made two tackles, but made his presence known, as he was double-teamed for much of the game. His twitchiness was on full display, and his ability to shed blocks and get after opposing running backs was impressive.
Brown finished his sophomore season with 50 tackles, 21 for loss, with three sacks and 15 quarterback hurries. He also had an interception, two pass deflections, a fumble recovery, and a caused fumble in 2025.
Carver 2027 offensive lineman Terrance Warren is also a name to monitor. The 6-foot-4, 330-pound prospect has an impressive offer sheet with schools on it, such as Auburn, Alabama, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Florida State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Georgia State, Louisville, UCLA, USF, Memphis, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, California, USC, Florida, Missouri, Colorado State, Massachusetts, Troy, and App State.
While Georgia hasn’t kicked the tires and offered Warren, there is interest from the Bulldogs.
Carver 2028 linebacker Jaeden Taylor is also a player to watch, so tuck that name away.
The Tigers defeated Hapeville Charter 24-7 and won their second-straight state championship.
Class 3A: Sandy Creek vs Jefferson
The Class 3A state championship game featured Sandy Creek and Jefferson.
The Patriots of Sandy Creek have two players, Corey Hadley and Nathan Holston, with Georgia ties.
Hadley is a four-star prospect with an offer from the Bulldogs. The nation’s No. 72 overall player also has offers from Nebraska, Georgia Tech, UCF, Alabama, Ole Miss, Auburn, Georgia State, Kentucky, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida State, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Michigan, Charlotte, Western Kentucky, Maryland, Indiana, SMU, Missouri, USF, North Carolina, Penn State, Memphis, Wisconsin, Wake Forest, NC State, Oregon State, West Virginia, Louisville, and USC.
The Bulldogs offered on April 1 of this year and have been in contact with Hadley.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound safety didn’t record a tackle, but he did help shut down the Jefferson offense.
Hadley finished the season with 65 tackles, five for a loss, with two interceptions and five pass deflections.
Holston is a 6-foot-3, 185-pound cornerback in the 2028 class with offers from Connecticut and Georgia State. He had an impressive showing in the championship game, with two catches for 18 yards and three tackles on defense.
Holston doesn’t have an offer from Georgia, but interest is brewing after his solid sophomore campaign.
Sandy Creek defeated Jefferson 27-7 to win its second state championship in four years.
Class 4A: Creekside vs Benedictine Military
The Class 4A state championship was between Creekside and Benedictine Military.
This game had several Division I prospects, but none had offers from the Bulldogs.
A player to know from Benedictine is 2028 defensive lineman Jamir Lee. The 6-foot-2, 260-pound prospect currently has offers from Georgia State, Troy, Jacksonville State, Miami, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, Liberty, Connecticut, and Ole Miss. He has been in contact with the Bulldogs through the season.
Lee was in Athens in October when Georgia hosted Kentucky.
The 2028 prospect finished the state championship game with five tackles and a tackle for loss.
As for Creekside, a player to watch in the 2030 class is quarterback Cameron Marsh Jr. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound prospect doesn’t have any offers, but is in contact with Georgia and Miami, with interest from Oregon, Tennessee, and USC.
Creekside held on late to defeat Benedictine 42-39 in a thriller.
Class 5A: Thomas County Central vs Gainesville
The Class 5A state title game was a battle between powerhouses Thomas County Central and Gainesville.
Both teams are loaded with Division I talent.
Thomas County Central’s roster featured several players with Georgia interest, including Jabari Watkins and Prince Che.
Watkins is a receiver in the 2027 class who decommitted from Nebraska after the state championship game. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound prospect has other offers from Georgia, UCF, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Illinois, Charlotte, Kentucky, Minnesota, and California. The Bulldogs are still definitely in play for Watkins.
Watkins caught four passes for 40 yards against Gainesville, while also completing a 45-yard pass on a trick play.
For the season, he hauled in 57 passes for 882 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Che is a defensive line prospect in the 2028 class. The 6-foot-3, 275-pound prospect currently has offers from California, Duke, Florida State, Maryland, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia.
Che doesn’t have an offer from Georgia, but has piqued the staff’s interest with his versatility and twitchiness. Those traits were on display in the state championship against a talented Gainesville offensive line.
Che was credited with two tackles, including a sack on Red Elephant quarterback Kharim Hughley, a Clemson commit. He finished his sophomore season with 42 tackles, 17.5 for loss, three sacks, and seven quarterback pressures.
Gainesville is also loaded with talent, and several of its players have offers from Georgia, including Hughley, Nigel Newkirk, Tyler Ford, and Carter Mathis. Bryson Hurt and Jeremiah Proctor.
The Bulldogs haven’t been in contact with Hughley much since he committed to the Tigers. However, Newkirk, a three-star running back who didn’t play in the state title game due to injury, along with Ford and Mathis, both three-star offensive linemen, have each visited Athens several times and hold Georgia in high regard.
Hurt, a three-star 2027 offensive lineman, and Proctor, a three-star 2027 safety, have many Power Four offers. They have each been to Athens for camps and could garner more interest after their junior seasons.
Thomas County Central dominated Gainesville 62-21 in a game that was over quickly.
Class 6A: Buford vs Carrollton
The Class 6A game was a star-studded event, considered the “high school national championship” by some on social media, between Buford and Carrollton.
Each had two Georgia 2026 signees.
Buford featured four-star safety Tyriq Green and four-star offensive lineman Graham Houston.
Carrollton had four-star wide receiver Ryan Mosley and three-star offensive lineman Zykie Helton.
Green and Helton had fantastic performances, but funny enough, they dominated on the other side of the ball.
Green was the star for the Wolves, rushing for 184 yards on 11 carries (16.7 yards per attempt) and two touchdowns. The nation’s No. 99 overall player also scored the go-ahead touchdown with under three minutes left.
Green also had five tackles on defense for Buford. He was also named the MVP of the championship game.
For the season, Green rushed for 712 yards on 117 carries with a team-high 13 touchdowns. On defense, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound prospect racked up 48 tackles, one for a loss, an interception, and two pass deflections.
Helton dominated on the defensive line for Carrollton with three sacks on Buford quarterback Dayton Raiola. The 6-foot-3, 295-pound Bulldog signee was unblockable all night and even fought through double teams.
Late in the game, Buford led 21-14 and had the ball. Raiola dropped back to pass, and Helton beat a double-team and caught up to him as the quarterback started to scramble, bringing him down and causing him to fumble. Trojan linebacker Jahmir Harris picked up the ball and returned it to the end zone for six.
Another player to watch for Buford is 2027 athlete Ethan Hauser, who is a three-star prospect with an offer from Georgia.
Other players from Carrollton on the Bulldogs’ radar are 2028 four-star offensive lineman Kweli Fielder, 2028 cornerback Tyler Boyd, and 2029 quarterback CJ Cypher. All three Trojans have offers from the Bulldogs.
Buford defeated Carrollton 28-21 in a thriller.