My spring practice tour led me to several stops in one day seeing some of the teams from across the state. Let’s take a deep dive.
Shiloh:
The leader of the Shiloh Generals and their best player, DB Timothy Anthony has improved tremendously. You can see it when you watch him go through drills, instruct his younger teammates, and his willingness to be coached. Anthony talked about where he improved the most this offseason.
“Technique-wise because last year I relied on my athleticism, but now my technique has gotten better & also my speed. Last year I was running 18.9 max mph but just 2-3 weeks ago I ran 21.2 & still getting faster so I’d say my technique/speed but also I’ve gained about 12 pounds I went from 164 to 176 & with the new staff coming they pushing me to be a very vocal leader which isn’t my comfortability because I usually lead by my work ethic but I’m a senior now so my vocal leadership is improving, my overall developed of the game, size, speed, technique,” said Anthony.
“Also, my details of things because how I said my DB coach & dc played in the SEC at Vanderbilt so I’d go to their class during school and just talk the playbook & football and they so detailed with how they say things and do things I’m starting to pick up on that and being detailed with my alignment, assignment, checks, communications and knowledge of the game.”
Players to watch:
WR/TE Isiah Johnson- This kid is 6-foot-5 and 210-pounds and is explosive. Johnson has a huge catch radius and is tough to guard on the offensive side of the ball. He currently has four Division 1 offers from Georgia State, Bowling Green, North Alabama, and Warner. Johnson will be one to watch for the Generals this season and has a high upside at the next level.
TE Kam Ghant- Ghant transferred over from Stephenson and will likely be all over the field for the Generals. He can play slot receiver/TE. He runs a 10.8 in the 100M dash and has been impressing coaches who have come to visit him and landed his first D1 offer from North Alabama.
LB Royal Weber- Weber has blown up in recruiting with the offers steadily rolling in for the 6’2 and 220-pound linebacker. He is physical at the point of attack and moves really well for his size. Weber is great at filling gaps and in run pursuit. Georgia State, East Carolina, Western Kentucky, Liberty, and North Alabama are a few that have taken notice and sent offers.
RB Ryan Webster- He completes a really good 1-2 punch in the backfield along with Ghant. His power is what sets him apart. You can see that with what he can do in the weight room, squatting 510 pounds.
ATH Cavalli Jackson- Jackson comes over from Stephenson, ready for a larger role with the Generals. Last season, he had 400 yards of offense and four touchdowns. On defense he had three interceptions. His ability to play both sides will be a great addition to the Generals in 2025.
Here is more on the current state of the team for Shiloh as they underwent a coaching overhaul besides head coach Tino Ierulli.
“I feel like as a team we got a new coaching staff, new OC Jake Medlock, new DC Nigel Bowden, new LB coach Isaac Dowling, new DB coach Taurean Ferguson, and a new WR coach. Most of these guys played college football,” said Anthony.
“As far as the team like, when they came in, they raised the standard of the weight room, just like practice is. We have meetings every day, even on weekends. We work out & watch the film, so like it’s a culture change. That’s why I feel comfortable about my development here because even though I have 20+ Offers and have these colleges all over me, they keep me humble and hold everybody to the same standard, which is to win. I want to win every rep, set, and play. My DC was an all-American LB at Vanderbilt, my DB coach played at Vanderbilt with my DC. So, knowing I want to go play big-time football like that, I’ve become a sponge and just focused on details because 90% of these guys played CFB and not just played it but at a high level. I can never know more than them, so I’m soaking in learning everything I can, so I can be prepared to play early in college.”
Other players to watch for Shiloh:
LB Bakary Keita
OT Anthony Wade
CB Justin Harris
DB Taycen Robertson
EDGE Marion Mathis
South Paulding
Players To Watch:
QB Kade Wigginton- He’s gotten bigger faster and stronger. Looks poised to have a breakout 2025 season. He’s been working at a high level continuing to throw with several coaches coming to see him. One was Samford who came by for Wigginton and liked the way he can spin it. Wigginton also competed in the Elite 11 regional camp in Gainesville this offseason and impressed at the camp.
OL Tyler Chukuyem- It’s just hard to replicate a 6-foot-6 OT that can move really well. College coaches have taken notice and the offers continue to roll in for Chukuyem with several programs coming out for a visit. He has everything you need at the offensive line spot and is just getting started. He has some set-up with Ole Miss, FSU, and Cincinnati. He will be a notable player to watch this season.
OL Jayce Sanker- An offensive lineman who has been known around South Paulding for a while continuing to put in work and get stronger. He’s up to seven D1 offers with more flowing in for the 6’4 and 285-pound offensive lineman. Another kid who has a ton of upside and will be an asset at the next level.
LB Joakim Gouda- His coach said it best.
“I think there’s been a couple of guys that had a really good spring. He’s starting to blow up now, but how he prepared in the off-season was Joakim Gouda, 2027 inside linebacker. We knew he was going to be really good. He’s 15 years old. He’s 6-foot-2, 230 pounds. But we knew how he prepared this off-season. It’s a different mindset, and how he took care of his body and how he lifted and how he was really attentive to the details of how we wanted to prepare,” said Allen.
Big Adjustment for South Paulding
“Yeah, this year was a big adjustment for a lot of us here at South Paulding. I hired a new offensive coordinator with a ton of experience. I hired a new offensive line coach. And we returned 10 of 11 on offense. So I feel really good about the group that we have. I felt really good about the guy that I hired. With some elite experience, I believed he could do it, if not as good, better than I did,” said Allen.
“Trusting him to do it and kind of taking a supervisory role and kind of stepping back and kind of just seeing what I can do as a head coach. Being a little bit more vocal with our defense, being an offensive guy and then kind of just standing back and watching our offense and how they execute and how they operate a little bit faster than I did tempo-wise. Our philosophies are really similar, and I feel like our kids have grasped it really well. Our OC and our DC have done a really good job of installing and teaching this spring and feel like we’ve been able to stack some days and put some good things together and hopefully go out on Friday and execute.”
“Offensive coordinator David Johnson, who’s been a long-time head coach, was an AD, and offensive coordinator in the Charlotte and South Carolina area, and then defensive coordinator Bridger West going into year two who was a graduate assistant and defensive assistant at UTEP and Texas and in Kingsville with some Texas high school coaching experience. So having those two guys and then adding my office line coach, Coach Locke and adding some community guys that I feel are really good to the program and just really looking forward to building off of that sure.”
On Nutrition and weight training program
“Our strength coach, myself, Coach Johnson, we’re down in the weight room,” he said. “Our whole staff has done a really good job of just pushing and changing our mindset in the off-season. And it’s really just straining and competing in everything we do and then just increasing our percentages,” said Allen. “That’s the biggest thing that we’ve been doing is, you know, we’ve been increasing our workload and trying to pack on as much muscle as we can while still being able to move. It’s a big thing. So we’ve lifted with some tempo, which allowed us to still condition while we’re lifting heavy. Just trying to focus on transforming some of our bodies and seeing some of our guys and their weight room numbers, you know, jump, and we track every four weeks, and you see progress. And if, you know, if kids get stuck in a plateau, we try to change it up and try to shock their bodies and get them rocking and rolling for the season.”
Young guys are stepping up
“I think he’s seeing the fruits of his labor, and offers are starting to come in. He just picked up his first SEC offer. On offense, we’re really, we’re going to be experienced. We returned 10 of 11. The only piece that we had was a running back that graduated last year, a 1,200-yard rusher. This year, we’ve got Braylon Daniel, who’s a junior running back, in 2027. He’s really stepped up in the pass pro and run game. He’s a one-cut back that gets downhill, and I think he’s had a really good spring of just being consistent. He’s got big shoes to fill, but I think he’s ready to step into it and behind the offensive line, he feels pretty confident.”
On defensive side of the ball
“We return two first-team all-region corners and we return all three inside linebackers. I feel like Jaleel Shakir and Lucas Hayes are going to make big plays for us this season. In the backend, we’ve got Josiah James and CJ Mathis and Dejoin Goins who are all going to be playmakers. They’ve created some turnovers this spring against our offense and gave us some fits, and they’re long and athletic and explosive and really good football IQ, and they have a knack for being around the ball,” said Allen.
CJ Mathis likes a little bit of contact. Every once in a while I have to reel him back a little bit and tell him not to kill our guys and wait until we play somebody else.
The message to the team this spring heading into the offseason
“I just tell our kids the daily deposits we’ve got to put money in the bank to take money out in the fall. And that’s what I’ve been preaching to us in the weight room, like, hey, what are we going to deposit today so we can cash in in the fall? And it’s been our mindset through the whole spring, and understanding we only get 10 practices, and we get to play somebody else. And I said, hey, yes, we’re playing somebody else, but hey, it’s about us and we’ve got to execute what we do well. We’ve got to be crisp on offense and defense and not beat ourselves with mental mistakes or the controllables that we have, false starts or turnovers. That’s been my message all off-season and especially for our coaching staff as well as just what can we deposit today and make sure you’re putting money in. when we look in the fall 90 days from now and it’s time to play somebody else, we can look in and say, hey, we put in the work and we earned it. Now it’s time to cash in.
Spring Jamboree Notes: Douglas County, New Manchester, and Carver-Columbus
Douglas County: The Tigers should be right back in contention for a state championship in 6A. The attention will go to 4-star Aaron Gregory and Auburn commit Devin Carter, and rightfully so, but the Tigers are so much more. Zamarcus Lindley is a problem in the backfield, and his one-cut ability was giving both defenses fits in the spring Jamboree. The X factor, in my opinion, is Rah’Keith Kelly, who put on quite a performance. He will lull you to sleep and then, out of nowhere, have a big play for his team. A lot of attention on offense will go to Gregory and Carter, but Kelly will be the one who teaches defenses a lesson, especially if they don’t pay attention to him. Johnson seems like the missing piece for his Douglas County offense. He processes the field well and never panics when he first reads is not available. Throughout the Jamboree, you could see him looking at different receivers to see what he had before pulling the trigger and when he did, he was fitting the ball in tight windows. One of his best throws of the night went to Carter, who finished with three catches for 125 yards and a touchdown as he broke multiple tackles to trot in the end zone. Johnson delivered the football into a tight window, sifting it past the defender’s outstretched hands right into the breadbasket for a completion and eventual touchdown. Douglas County has everything they need on the defensive side of the ball from Jordan Carter, KJ Green, Gregory, and much more to be in the state championship.
Elite tight window throw here from 3 QB Mike Johnson to Auburn WR commit Devin Carter. Johnson is having a productive outing so far and Carter has been explosive throughout showcasing his big play ability @HallTechSports1 @DownSouthFb1 @MarkRussellQB pic.twitter.com/qgdfDZ2YRP
— Najeh Wilkins (@najehwilk) May 15, 2025
Carver Columbus: They should be heavy favorites once again in 2A this year. Head coach Dr. Pierre Coffey always has this team ready. Their defense flies to the ball and will make you feel them. It is more than just a 4-star EDGE Tristan Givens; this team fills gaps well and has well-rounded players across the board. One of my favorites was Antavius Watts, who put on a clinic stuffing the run and making tackles in the open field. His instincts are off the charts, and he plays bigger than his size. On offense, you can’t talk Carver-Columbus without mentioning their stud WR Kei’Mauri “KJ” Miles, who is committed to UNC. He is physical and athletic, and another player captures your eye as soon as you see him. An underrated part of his game is his route-running. He runs smooth, crisp routes that can allow him to separate from defenders, and if you fall asleep, he has the speed to trek past you for a deep ball touchdown. Don’t just take my word for it. Go back to the state championship game, and you will see what I am talking about. Overall, the Tigers will be right back in contention for another state championship and have all the tools to bring a two-peat back to Columbus.
New Manchester: The Jaguars will be a viable team again in 5A this year. They have really strong offensive linemen who can move defenders, creating easy lanes for their running backs to run through. A skill position player to watch is WR Jakobe Dejesus, who has continued to flash this offseason. He has picked up offers from Troy and Liberty. A thing that sets him apart is his ability in the open space. Last year, he finished the season with 31 catches for 565 yards and eight touchdowns. One of his best games came against Villa Rica, where he finished with five catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, they are very stout upfront, with guys who can rush off the edge can create negative plays. They also have a formidable linebacking core that is very disciplined and gap-sound. Overall, New Manchester will be a team to watch in 2025.
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