AJC Varsity
The state title games this week feature three five-star recruits and 34 Power-4 signees, 15 of which are SEC signees.
Benedictine linebacker LaDamion Guyton walks out of the locker rooms against Westminster at Fritz Orr Field in Atlanta, GA, on Friday, Sept. 19th, 2025. He’s the highest-rated prospect in action this week at the GHSA State Football Championships. (Oscar Guevara Saenz for the AJC)
Buford faces Carrollton for the state championship on Tuesday in the Georgia High School Association’s largest classification. That will decide which 6A powerhouse becomes the team to beat for the mythical high school national championship.
There’s no need to play 60 minutes to decide which game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium will draw the most recruiting attention.
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GHSA state championships: Recruiting snapshot by the numbers
- 5-star prospects (any service): 3
- Top 100 overall prospects (any class): 7
- AJC Super 11 selections: 3 (Tyriq Green, Xavier Griffin, Kaiden Prothro)
- Power 4 signees: 34
- SEC signees: 15
- Teams with at least five ranked recruits: 6A Buford (19); 5A Gainesville (11); 2A Carver-Columbus (9); 5A Thomas County Central (9); 6A Carrollton (8); 4A Benedictine (7); 5A Sandy Creek (5)
10 highest-rated prospects in action this week
- LaDamion Guyton, 4A Benedictine (5-star EDGE/No. 12 overall in 2026)
- Xavier Griffin, 5A Gainesville (5-star LB/No. 20 overall in 2026)
- Kaiden Prothro, A Div. 2 Bowdon (5-star TE/No. 30 overall in 2026)
- Jamarion Matthews, 5A Gainesville (4-star EDGE/No. 55 overall in 2026)
- Bryce Perry-Wright, 6A Buford (4-star EDGE/No. 66 overall in 2026)
- Corey Hadley, 3A Sandy Creek (4-star S/No. 71 overall in 2027)
- Jamarcus Johnson, A Div. 1 Toombs (4-star DL/No. 91 overall in 2028)
- Tristan Givens, 2A Carver-Columbus (4-star EDGE/No. 107 overall in 2026)
- Kharim Hughley, 5A Gainesville (4-star QB/No. 176 overall in 2027)
- Tyriq Green, 6A Buford (4-star S/No. 193 overall in 2026)
Gainesville linebacker Xavier Griffin (8) pressures Rome quarterback Aidan McPherson (3) during the first half in the GHSA 5A semi-final playoff game at Barron Stadium, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Rome, Ga. (Jason Getz / AJC)
5-star Kaiden Prothro chose Georgia this summer over strong interest in Auburn, Florida and Texas. (Jeff Sentell/ DawgNation)
Jeff Sentell covers UGA football and recruiting. He is a graduate of UGA’s Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and has been a staff writer at news outlets in Alabama, Georgia and Virginia. Prior to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he was at The Birmingham News and AL.com.
He was named the 2005 Georgia Press Association Sportswriter of the Year.
Jeff Sentell covers UGA football and recruiting. He is a graduate of UGA’s Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and has been a staff writer at news outlets in Alabama, Georgia and Virginia. Prior to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he was at The Birmingham News and AL.com.
He was named the 2005 Georgia Press Association Sportswriter of the Year.
