The Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame revealed its 100-player ballot for the Class of 2025 on Thursday and introduced the new nominees to replenish the 30 players that were inducted this past year. Founded in 2022, the Class of 2025 will be the Hall of Fame’s fourth class of inductees and the ballot that will determine the next round of inductees was recently finalized following a series of meetings where board members fielded new nominations. Among the first-time nominees are Westlake alum and former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL MVP Cam Newton—who became eligible after recently indicating that he was officially retiring. In order for a player to be eligible, they must be eight years removed from graduating high school or retired and this gave Newton the opportunity to appear on the ballot.
Additionally, NBA legend Walt Frazier is included on the ballot for his gridiron success as a prep star in Atlanta. Frazier, a two-time NBA champion and a 1987 inductee into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, was a star quarterback for Atlanta’s Howard High in the early 1960s before the Georgia High School Association was integrated. The Atlanta World, a Black-owned newspaper, called Frazier the city’s best quarterback during his 1962 senior season and reported that he had signed to play football for Indiana. Frazier said that he instead chose to play college basketball because there were no Black quarterbacks in the NFL or AFL.
Frazier went to Southern Illinois and later became a seven-time NBA All-Star, with NBA titles in 1970 and 1973 with the New York Knicks. Frazier, who turned 80 this year, remains a color commentator on Knicks telecasts.
Georgia football head coach and Bainbridge alum Kirby Smart earned a spot on this year’s ballot. Coach Smart helped his team reach the semifinals in Georgia’s largest classification in 1993 and was a first-team all-state defensive back that went on to become an all-SEC safety for the Bulldogs. Former Georgia Tech stars Joshua Nesbitt (Greene County) and Keith Brooking (East Coweta) and former Georgia stars Lindsay Scott (Wayne County) and Freddie Gilbert (Griffin) were also among the 30 first-time nominees.
The Hall of Fame voted at its inception to grant an automatic induction to any former Georgia high school football player that enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This year, Sterling Sharpe, the older brother of fellow Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe and Glenville High standout, will be automatically inducted in October.
Out of the 30 first-time nominees the decade of the 1970’s has the most total nominees with seven—including Keith Harris, Danny Buggs, Ed Guthrie, Ben Utt, Lindsay Scott, Willie Gault and Freddie Gilbert. There are five players from both the 1980’s and 1990’s and then six players from the 2000’s. Out of the six players from the most recent decade, four are quarterbacks with Cam Newton (Westlake), Joshua Nesbitt (Greene County), Blake Sims (Gainesville) and Chansi Stuckey (Northside-Warner Robins). The other two players from the 2000’s are former LaGrange linebacker and 2004 graduate Wesley Woodyard and former Lowndes Viking and 2009 grad Greg Reid—who played defensive back and running back.
CLASS OF 2025 100 PLAYER BALLOT
*Year of senior season listed in parenthesis
-First-Time Nominees-
L Ray Beck, Cedartown (1947)
E Jack Rudolph, Grady (1954)
RB Jimmy Barefield, Waynesboro (1955)
DB Willie Williams, Archer (1960)
QB Walt Frazier, Howard (1963)
QB Walt Sumner, Irwin County (1964)
QB Paul Gilbert, Athens (1965)
LB/RB Keith Harris, Woodward Academy (1970)
WR Danny Buggs, Avondale (1970)
RB Ed Guthrie, Wheeler (1975)
OL Ben Utt, Vidalia (1976)
WR Lindsay Scott, Wayne County (1977)
WR Willie Gault, Griffin (1978)
DL Freddie Gilbert, Griffin (1979)
RB Ben Logue, North Springs (1981)
OL Steve Wallace, Chamblee (1981)
OL Harris Barton, Dunwoody (1981)
DL Henry Harris, Columbia (1982)
P Chris Gardocki, Redan (1987)
RB Robert Edwards, Washington County (1992)
DB Kirby Smart, Bainbridge (1993)
LB Keith Brooking, East Coweta (1993)
DB Carlos Rogers, Butler (1999)
LB Daryl Smith, Dougherty (1999)
QB Chansi Stuckey, Northside-Warner Robins (2001)
LB Wesley Woodyard, LaGrange (2003)
QB Cam Newton, Westlake (2006)
QB Joshua Nesbitt, Greene County (2006)
DB/RB Greg Reid, Lowndes (2008)
QB Blake Sims, Gainesville (2009)
-Returning Nominees-
E Tom Nash, Washington-Wilkes (1922)
FB Johnny “Stumpy” Thomason, Tech (Atlanta) (1924)
RB Jack “The Ripper” Roberts, Albany (1927)
HB Bill Pashcal, Tech (Atlanta) (1939)
B Jack Peek, Tech (Atlanta) (1945)
B Bobby North, Tech (Atlanta) (1946)
E John Carson, Roosevelt (1948)
B Max Mason, Rockmart (1950)
B Milton Byard, Risley (1950)
HB Johnny Menger, Richmond Academy (1952)
L Ken Rice, Bainbridge (1956)
L Phil Ashe, Stone Mountain (1956)
L Pete Case, Decatur (1957)
QB John Henry Jackson, Spencer (1957)
RB Jimmy Burson, LaGrange (1958)
WB/DB Frank Pitts, Archer (1960)
RB Marvin Hurst, Waycross (1961)
QB Kim King, Brown (1962)
RB Giles Smith, Valdosta (1962)
G/LB Wallace Davis, Spencer (1962)
DB Ken Ellis, Bunch (Camden County) (1965)
WR Billy Brice, Avondale (1966)
QB Bobby Scott, Rossville (1966)
RB Brent Cunningham, Putnam County (1967)
QB/RB Dennis Chadwick, Decatur (1967)
RB Doyle Organge, Waycross (1969)
RB Isaac Jackson, Lanier-Macon (1969)
L Henry Childs, Douglass-Thomasville (1969)
QB Stan Bounds, Valdosta (1971)
DE Reggie Wilkes, Southwest Atlanta (1973)
RB Runt Moon, Commerce (1973)
L Mack Guest, Macon-Macon (1974)
OL Robert Shaw, Wheeler (1974)
LB Chip Banks, Laney (1997)
QB Jim Bob Harris, Clarke Central (1977)
L Lee North, Shamrock (1977)
QB Gordon Beckham Jr., Westminster (1978)
DB Joey Browner, Southwest Atlanta (1978)
RB Ricky Williams, Griffin (1978)
RB Cedric Jones, Lowndes (1980)
LB/RB Knox Culpepper, Lovett (1980)
RB David McCluskey, West Rome (1982)
QB James Jackson, Mitchell-Baker (1983)
QB Vince Sutton, LaGrange (1983)
RB Terry Allen, Banks County (1985)
DL John Johnson, LaGrange (1986)
LB Curt Douglas, Lincoln County (1987)
LB/DL Coleman Rudolph, Valdosta (1988)
OL Clay Shiver, Tift County (1990)
LB Dexter Daniels, Valdosta (1991)
RB Robert Toomer, Worth County (1991)
QB Rodney Hudson, LaGrange (1992)
DL Travis Stroud, Dunwoody (1993)
OL Cosey Coleman, Southwest DeKalb (1995)
RB Patrick Pass, Tucker (1995)
L Curt McGill, Brookwood (1996)
RB Jasper Sanks, Carver-Columbus (1996)
QB Fabian Walker, Americus (1998)
RB Daccus Turman, Washington-Wilkes (2000)
DJ Kedric Golston, Sandy Creek (2001)
LB Sam Olajubutu, LaGrange (2001)
OL Chris Scott, Lovejoy (2004)
OL Duke Robinson, Washington (2004)
DL Jermaine Cunningham, Stephenson (2005)
DB Reshad Jones, Washington (2005)
WR Tavarres King, Habersham Central (2007)
DL Abry Jones, Northside-Warner Robins (2008)
RB/LB Jonathan Davis, Tucker (2008)
RB Isaiah Crowell, Carver-Columbus (2010)
OL Mitch Hyatt, North Gwinnett (2014)
HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
HB Bob McWhorter, Gordon Institute (1909)
B Everett Strupper, Riverside Military (1913)
E Vernon “Catfish” Smith, Lanier-Macon (1927)
B Bill Hartman, Georgia Military Prep (1933)
HB Clint Castleberry, Boys (1941)
B Frank Broyles, Decatur (1941)
B Billy Henderson, Lanier-Macon (1945)
E George Maloof, Marist (1947)
B Lauren Hargrove, Fitzgerald (1948)
QB Pepper Rodgers, Brown (1949)
B Larry Morris, Decatur (1950)
OL Jim Parker, Ballard-Hudson (1952)
G/LB Pat Dye, Richmond Academy (1956)
QB Fran Tarkenton, Athens (1956)
QB Stan Gann, Northside-Atlanta (1957)
B Ernie Green, Spencer (1957)
L Bill Curry, College Park (1959)
QB Billy Lothridge, Gainesville (1959)
RB/LB Len Hauss, Wayne County (1959)
QB Silas Jamison, Washington (1959)
QB Dan Reeves, Americus (1960)
QB Bruce Bennett, Valdosta (1961)
B Emerson Boozer, Laney (1961)
OL Rayfield Wright, Fairmont (1962)
L Edgar Chandler, Cedartown (1963)
ATH George Atkinson, Johnson (Savannah) (1963)
L Tommy Hart, Ballad-Hudson (1963)
L Bill Stanfill, Cairo (1964)
L Otis Sistrunk, Spencer (1964)
DL Julius Adams, Ballard-Hudson (1965)
QB Jack Pitts, Trinity (1965)
DB Mel Blount, Lyons Industrial (1965)
L/FB Chip Kell, Avondale (1966)
WR/CB Clarence Scott, Trinity (1966)
QB Charlie Dudish, Avondale (1967)
QB/P Ray Guy, Thomson (1968)
QB/DB Buzy Rosenberg, Northside-Atlanta (1968)
QB Alfred Jenkins, Hogansville (1968)
RB Andy Johnson, Athens (1969)
QB Jeff Bower, Roswell (1970)
QB Ray Goff, Moultrie (1972)
LB Andy Spiva, Chamblee (1972)
WR/TE Stan Rome, Valdosta (1973)
QB Anthony Flanagan, Southwest Atlanta (1973)
LB Lucius Sanford, West Fulton (1973)
RB/LB Ben Zambiasi, Mount de Sales (1973)
RB William Andrews, Thomasville (1974)
RB Eddie Lee Ivery, Thomson (1974)
L Kent Hill, Americus (1974)
LB Mackel Harris, Americus (1975)
OL/LB Ray Donaldson, East Rome (1975)
RB George Rogers, Duluth (1976)
RB James Brooks, Warner Robins (1976)
DL Ron Simmons, Warner Robins (1976)
QB/DB Scott Woerner, Jonesboro (1976)
QB Buck Belue, Valdosta (1977)
DL/FB Larry Kinnebrew, East Rome (1977)
TE/L Guy McIntyre, Thomasville (1978)
QB Homer Jordan, Cedar Shoals (1978)
DL Richard Dent, Murphy (1978)
RB Herschel Walker, Johnson County (1979)
L Bill Mayo, Dalton (1980)
QB Robert Lavette, Cartersville (1980)
LB/DB Pat Swilling, Stephens County (1981)
OL John Davis, Gilmer (1982)
LB Jessie Tuggle, Griffin (1982)
DL Tracy Rocker, Fulton (1983)
RB Keith Henderson, Cartersville (1984)
RB Jerry Mays, Thomson (1984)
TE Shannon Sharpe, Glennville (1985)
DL David Rocker, Fulton (1986)
QB Charlie Ward, Central-Thomasville (1987)
LB/DB Ken Swilling, Stephens County (1987)
WR Andre Hastings, Morrow (1989)
RB Garrison Hearst, Lincoln County (1989)
QB Eric Zeier, Marietta (1990)
QB Al Pinkins, Mitchell-Baker (1990)
QB Terry Harvey, Dacula (1990)
TE/OL Adam Meadows, McEachern (1991)
LB Randall Godfrey, Lowndes (1991)
OL Jeff Saturday, Shamrock (1992)
QB Mike Bobo, Thomasville (1992)
QB Hines Ward, Forest Park (1993)
OL Matt Stinchcomb, Parkview (1994)
LB/TE Takeo Spikes, Washington County (1994)
DL Marcus Stroud, Brooks County (1994)
DB Deon Grant, Josey (1995)
OL Jeff Backus, Norcross (1995)
QB Quincy Carter, Southwest DeKalb (1995)
DB Champ Bailey, Charlton County (1995)
RB Jamal Lewis, Douglass (1996)
QB Terrence Edwards, Washington County (1997)
RB/DL Charles Grant, Miller County (1997)
OL Jon Stinchcomb, Parkview (1997)
RB Joe Burns, Thomas County Central (1997)
WR Reggie Brown, Carrollton (1998)
RB Ronnie Brown, Cartersville (1999)
QB David Greene, South Gwinnett (1999)
DL David Pollack, Shiloh (2000)
RB Monte Williams, Commerce (2000)
QB D.J. Shockley, North Clayton (2000)
RB/DB Thomas Davis, Randolph-Clay (2000)
DB/WR Jeff Francoeur, Parkview (2001)
TE Leonard Pope, Americus (2001)
RB Darius Walker, Buford (2003)
DL Charles Johnson, Hawkinsville (2003)
WR Calvin Johnson, Sandy Creek (2003)
LB Tray Blackmon, LaGrange (2004)
WR Demaryius Thomas, West Laurens (2005)
QB/DB Eric Berry, Creekside (2006)
LB Rennie Curran, Brookwood (2006)
RB Jonathan Dwyer, Kell (2006)
LB Jarvis Jones, Carver-Columbus (2008)
DB/TE Alec Ogletree, Newnan (2009)
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