Published Aug 29, 2017
Southeast spotlight: Most talented high schools
Chad Simmons and Woody Wommack
Rivals.com

There are several programs in the Southeast known for producing elite college prospects on a yearly basis, but which teams are we tracking this fall because of their loaded rosters? Here’s a breakdown of the five schools who are loaded in 2017.

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Buford, Ga.

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When you win, regardless of what level you play on, you have talent. Buford (Ga.) has won 10 state titles since 2001 and they will be pushing for more in the coming years. Tennessee commit Anthony Grant and Michigan commit Christian Turner lead the way in 2018, but there is a lot more talent to know. In 2019, offensive lineman Harry Miller is a Rivals100 prospect and athlete Derrian Brown is another four-star in that class. Both have over a dozen offers. Lining up beside Miller on the offensive line are Riley Simonds and Carter Colquitt, two high three stars in the 2019 class. If you want to look a little further down the line, there starting quarterback this fall is Aaron McLaughlin. He is a 2021 prospect with national offers already.

Loganville (Ga.) Grayson

Grayson won the state title in 2016 and they lost a lot of talent, but there is still a lot there. The 2019 class is loaded with Owen Pappoe leading the way as the No. 20 prospect in the country. He is uncommitted, but juniors Tru Thompson, Kenyatta Watson, Ronald Thompkins and Wanya Morris are all committed to Florida State. There is more in that class. Kenyon Jackson is committed to LSU, Trente Jones, Jalen Alexander, Kenny Edwards, Jakai Clark and Kevin Harris all have Power Five offers. When talking to seniors, Jaylen Rivers is committed to Northwestern, Ryan Taylor is committed to Arkansas State and Jaquavius Lane is committed to Kansas State. The Rams just defeated a strong Hoover (Ala.) team Friday and they will challenge again for a state title this season.

Marietta, Ga.

Marietta is led by Georgia commit Azeez Ojulari and Christian Ford in the 2018 class, then as you look deeper at their roster, they are loaded with top-end underclassmen. Ojulari and Ford both have impressive offer lists, then in 2019, you have wide receiver Ramel Keyton, a Rivals250 talent with Florida and Tennessee on top of his list. When you get to 2020, it is scary how many Power Five prospects they have. Quarterback Harrison Bailey leads the way, then it is guys like defensive end B.J. Ojulari, defensive end Arik Gilbert, wide receiver Taji Johnson, defensive back Rashard Torrence, defensive back Dawson Ellington and athlete Kobe Stewart. All have multiple offers with many projecting as national prospects, if they aren't that already.

New Orleans (La.) Landry-Walker

Since former rivals L.B. Landry and O.P Walker merged in 2013 the program has become a training ground for some of the best prospects in New Orleans. This year is no different as the team is led by five-star wide receiver Devonta Jason and Rivals100 defensive back Corione Harris, both players who are committed to Kansas. But the depth of talent goes beyond just the top two names, as high three-star defensive end Josh Smith, another Kansas commit, and three-star Southern Miss defensive back commit Curry Benn are also stars on the team. The school also has five two-stars players who project as FBS level talents in 2018 and several talented younger players, including class of 2019 prospects Chad Alexander and Khyron Crump.

Memphis (Tenn.) Central

Central is the oldest high school in the city of Memphis and is no stranger to producing quality prospects. This year’s team is loaded with talent, headlined by 2019 four-star wide receiver Shamar Nash and 2019 four-star defensive end Eric Gregory. The talented duo, which both already hold SEC offers, are joined by high three-star defensive end Trevis Hopper, whose offer list includes many of the Southeast’s top programs. But as good as the trio of juniors is, class of 2020 wide receiver Darin Turner might be the best of the bunch. Turner already has several major offers and is likely to be among the nation’s top prospects in his class.