Georgia high school football spring practice is on the horizon. For coaches, players, and fans, this time serves as a glimpse into the immediate future of each program. Graduating seniors are replaced and younger talent matures during these critical sessions. Spring practice holds a much greater importance for consistently top-ranked programs, which must retool instead of rebuild. Here are three teams to keep an eye on during Spring 2023 sessions.
Langston Hughes
The Panthers posted one of the most dominant seasons in Georgia high school football history last year, going 15-0 and setting a state record with 792 points scored. Even though four-star quarterback Prentiss Air Noland returns, he will be without his offensive coordinator and five of his top six receivers from 2022. Langston Hughes also loses its leading rusher, Jekail Middlebrook, and leading tackler Gannon Weathersby, who anchored a physical linebacker core.
Defensively, Ameir Glenn, Jordan Thompson, and D’Marcus Brown will see expanded roles in the front seven, while the back end will be led by Xavier Leonard. For a team with sights set on winning back-to-back Georgia high school Class 6A state championships, spring practice will be crucial in adjusting to new offensive play-calling and weapons.
Warner Robins
One of the offseason’s most important storylines came as Demons head coach Marquis Westbrook announced his departure from the program. Soon after, he was introduced as Peach County’s head coach. Now the pressure to win shifts to Shane Sams, a Warner Robins alumnus who also served as the team’s offensive coordinator in 2017 and 2018.
Sams will have time to build chemistry with quarterbacks Isiah Canion and Chase Reese, but the Demons lose a key offensive piece in running back Malcolm Brown. The defensive side of the ball will likely draw the most attention as Warner Robins must replace four-star lineman Vic Burley along with four other seniors who notched at least 60 tackles and 7 tackles for loss each. The Demons have been to six straight Georgia high school state championship games, but they face some challenges if they’re to extend that streak to seven. That journey begins soon with spring practice.
Lowndes
The Vikings are coming off their worst single season since 1994. After the departure of head coach Randy McPherson, Lowndes has struggled defensively, straying from what historically had been a strength for the Vikings. Short stints with Jamey DuBose and Zach Grage were not ultimately successful, so the Vikings hired former Grayson head coach Adam Carter earlier this year.
Offensively, only one skill player does not return from last year’s squad, a promising sign for an offense that struggled last season. This spring, all eyes will remain on the defense. Lowndes’ playoff success and defensive dominance have gone hand-in-hand over the past two decades, and a rapid return to that status would restore faith for the Viking faithful. There is a lot on the line for Lowndes during this Georgia high school spring practice period.
