Simmons on the road: More five-star talent in Georgia?
Rivals analyst Chad Simmons spent the past week at games in Georgia and he saw some of the elite talent in the Peach State. He watched a five-star and four four-stars, and a couple of 2023 prospects that are on their way to being familiar names.
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MORE SIMMONS: Five biggest recruiting surprises in Southeast so far
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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FIVE-STAR DIDN’T DISAPPOINT
Amarius Mims is the No. 2 player in the country, and he has done nothing to hurt his stock this season. What people question is his competition, and there is nothing he can do about that. He plays at Bleckley County in Cochran, and the competition is not at the level of some other schools in the Peach State or across the country.
The five-star does what a player of his stature needs to do against that type of competition — dominate. He is literally a man among boys each and every Friday night, or in this case, Thursday night. He is a 6-foot-7, 320-pound offensive tackle who looks closer to 280 pounds and moves like a big defensive end.
There is a reason why Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Tennessee and many others wanted this Georgia commit.
In this game, Mims showed fire and passion that he has not shown in the past. He was a leader out there. He helped teammates, he played with intensity, and when things come as easy as they do to him, it could get a little boring. But he played hard and to the level of a five-star offensive tackle.
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MORE FIVE-STAR TALENT IN THE PEACH STATE?
Who’s next to add a fifth star in the state of Georgia? In 2021, Mims and Brock Vandagriff are locked in as five-star prospects. In 2022, Tyre West is the lone five-star, but it will not be that way for long.
After seeing Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill athlete Travis Hunter play twice this season, he has made a strong case not only for that fifth star, but to be the No. 1 player in the state. On Friday night, he went up against one of the top defensive backs in the 2021 class, and finished with five receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
On defense, he had seven sacks, a couple of pass break-ups and an interception. He also had to come in and play quarterback for one play, and he ran a quarterback draw for nine yards and a score. He is one of the most explosive players in the country, regardless of class.
Hunter is committed to Florida State and he is listed as the No. 5 cornerback in the country. He is going to be moved to athlete, and he may actually be better in the future on offense at wide receiver. He is a playmaker, and the game now is won on offense, and that is where you want your best skill position players.
Hunter is explosive, fast, twitchy, and could be projected to play offense or defense not only on the next level, but on Sundays. You can expect many schools such as Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and others to go hard after this one, but he wears those Seminole gloves, he is from Florida, and he says all the right things about his commitment at this time.
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CARTER LOOKING STRONG
Could there be another five-star in 2021, too? What about linebacker Barrett Carter? The Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett linebacker is currently the No. 37 player in the country, and he is one we feel very strong about being a star on the next level at Clemson. Carter missed four games with an ankle injury, but was back Friday night, and looked impressive, as always.
Carter finished with seven tackles, one sack, and showed the ability to cover and play sideline to sideline. He is a very smart, instinctive linebacker with speed and strength. He is going to be a leader on the next level, and likely be a tackling machine under Brent Venables. Carter will be in that discussion for a fifth star later this year.
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OHIO STATE COMMIT WAS UP AND DOWN
Jordan Hancock was back for his second game this season after opting back in a couple of weeks ago. He is an elite defensive back, but struggled in this game much of the night. The Ohio State commit is an elite athlete with real upside in Columbus, but when lined up against Hunter in this one, he had some trouble. For much of the first three quarters, Hancock followed Hunter wherever he was lined up, and Hunter won most of those match-ups. After giving up a touchdown early, Hancock responded with an interception.
On the night, he had a tough time staying with Hunter down the field, but he stayed locked in, he stayed focused, and maintained that drive to compete. He is how you want corners to look physically in today’s game, and his stock will not be affected by this performance. Hunter is one of the most electric athletes in the country, and Hancock is just getting back on the field, so yes, he struggled, but Rivals still feels he is one of the top cornerbacks in the 2021 class.
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TOP 2022 QB IN GEORGIA?
You need to put Collins Hill quarterback Sam Horn in the discussion for top quarterback in Georgia for 2022. Gunner Stockton is that guy now, and he is an elite talent, but the South Carolina commit has company in that discussion.
Horn is an elite baseball player, and the four-star has ties to Tennessee, but you can expect a list of schools to be in pursuit of this junior. Missouri is recruiting him hardest at this time, then it is Duke, Michigan, Michigan State and Clemson. The ball comes out of his hand with ease, he throws very catchable balls, he stands tall in the pocket and he is an athletic signal caller that can do damage with his legs when needed.
On Friday night, he finished with 345 yards and five touchdowns. He also had a couple of big runs in the second half when Collins Hill started to pull away. He missed a few throws he probably would love to have back, and he still has plenty of room to improve when it comes to locking in on receivers and reading his progressions, but Horn’s game this season has progressed and he is putting his name in that top group of signal callers for 2022.
For the season, through eight games, Horn has thrown for 1,988 yards and 21 touchdowns, completing right around 64% of his passes.
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SOPHOMORES TO KNOW
On Thursday, Johnny Williams stood out literally and figuratively. The 2023 offensive tackle out of Macon Northeast is around 6-6, 280 pounds, and still very lean. He is still on the raw side, and has a lot of room for development physically and fundamentally, but he is one to know. On Friday, Georgia became the first school to offer Williams, and he is excited about that offer. Williams showed more power than expected in this game, and he was solid in pass protection as well.
On Friday, North Gwinnett defensive tackle Kayden McDonald was very disruptive. He was in the backfield often due to his power and get-off. He finished with a sack, he was involved with a few stops behind the line of scrimmage and he applied a lot of pressure on the quarterback. The Collins Hill offense was about getting the ball out quickly, but when they didn’t McDonald was often back there in the backfield. He has already picked up offers from Georgia, Michigan State and Tennessee.
Dion Crawford is a prospect that stands out when the linebacker group at Collins Hill goes to work before the game. He is a long linebacker at 6-2, 210 pounds and he is athletic. In the game, he was very physical and disruptive. Crawford delivered a couple of big hits, and at his size, with his skill set, he is going to draw some attention on the recruiting trail in the coming months.