Spring practice is here, and my second stop led me to South Gwinnett High School, home of the Comets. Let’s take a look at South Gwinnett and what stood out.
Players to Watch:
QB CJ Peoples- CJ Peoples is a true dual threat. He can run the RPO game and also stand in the pocket and deliver passes. Peoples has a great touch on the ball and can deliver in tight windows. He’s been catching the eyes of college coaches in the winter window and early spring. Peoples is fresh off a West Georgia offer, and I expect more to follow the young signal caller. South Gwinnett has something at quarterback who can get them over the top.
ATH Evin McDowell- McDowell is probably one of the best athletes on the team. He can play both ways and moves really well for his size and frame. He has a refined and polished game and is already standing out to coaches. Duquesne’s coach highlighted him and personally talked to him during practice. He moves like a 5’9 defensive back except he’s 6’2. Gets in and out of breaks quickly and has great coverage skills. It was reported today via Evin McDowell X that he received an offer from Duquesne. I think it is a matter of time before we see McDowell blow up.
DB Sam Dolley- Dolley was another impressive player in the secondary for South Gwinnett. Had two pass breakups today in team drills. Dolley gives you a little bit of everything with his ability to read and anticipate, but he can also come downhill and will strike you with no hesitation. I really like his anticipatory skills and how he plays the ball when it is in the air. He is a striker who will make you feel him in the running game. Dolley has a lot of upside.
EDGE Mycah Mitchell- Mitchell was another player who caught your eye when watching spring practice. He dominated one on ones with a mix of bull rush, spins, and strong hands. He’s a really good, versatile rusher who can line up and be effective against anybody. If Mitchell can have the impact during the regular season, the Comets may have a closer to finishing games in 2024.
OL Group- There are some good players on the offensive line for the Comets in Tristan Franklin, Kam Rayford, and Kolby Brown. The OL can fully unlock the Comets this upcoming season and have them reach their goals. They play well together and have some good continuity. The three core players I mentioned will play a big factor in 2025.
“I thought we had an okay day. Got to get a lot better,” said Coach Lamar after practice. “We’ve got a long way to go. It was some good, some bad. We’ll look at the tape and kind of see where we at. I thought we established a good tempo, and I think it was a good introduction in terms of what we expect from them. Now we’ve got to get them to meet our expectations,” said Lamar.
The Comets return a good bit of their starters from last season but will also have some new starters in place in 2025.
“We lost some guys. We’ve got some good guys coming back. Probably out of 22 starters, we probably got 11 back. So we got some guys back and we got some new faces in there, you know what I mean? So our expectation is just to get better every single day and put ourselves in a position to compete, you know, with the top teams in the state.
Coach Lamar coached linebackers today, a position of strength for South Gwinnett.
“Well, one of my coaches was out today. He wasn’t feeling well. So I had to pick that piece up. The linebacker group was good. We’ve got some talent at that position. We’ve got two rising seniors, that’s two-year, three-year starters. They’ve got a good deal of offers. But it’s not about the talent right now, it’s about the mental piece of it, conditioning piece,” said Lamar. “So we’re just stretching those guys today. Tomorrow we’re gonna go home tonight, we’re gonna rest, gonna come back, we’re gonna do it again. And we’re gonna get these days in the spring and get better. By the end of this spring, we should be a better football team than we are today.”
It’s all about the standard when it comes to South Gwinnett, which is to compete hard and be one of the most physical teams in the state. That was on full display at spring practice from the jump as they ran several high-intensity drills with players going 100%
“Well, the first thing we want to do is play fast, okay, and play physical. So we worked really hard on our tempo. Like everything we did was at a great pace, and we were talking about being physical,” said Lamar. “Every drill that we’re doing, we’re working on our technique, our pad level, our attention to detail. We want to play fast. We want to have great technique. At the end of the day, we want to be one of the most physical teams in the state. At the end of the day, if everybody puts the work in, then we’ll get what we deserve.”
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