ITG Next introduces our first ever Georgia High School Football All-State Team. Ours is a bit different from others, however. We didn’t make any Second Team or Third Team or honorable mention selections. Instead, we only picked the best-of-the-best players at their respective positions on offense, defense, and special teams.
Let the debates begin.
Offensive Selections
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QB – Luke Nickel, Milton, C/O 2025
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RB – TJ Lester, Milton, C/O 2025
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RB – Ousmane Kromah, Lee County, C/O 2025
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TE – Ethan Barbour, Milton, C/O 2025
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OL – Brayden Jacobs, Milton, C/O 2025
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OL – Alex Payne, Gainesville, C/O 2025
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OL – Josh Petty, Fellowship Christian, C/O 2025
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OL – Dontrell Glover, Langston Hughes, C/O 2025
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OL – Juan Gaston, Westlake, C/O 2025
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WR – CJ Wiley, Milton, C/O 2025
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WR – Aaron Gregory, Douglas County, C/O 2026
There were so many choices, but I tried to select the players by asking myself this question: If I only had one shot at creating a team that could win any state championship anywhere, which players would I choose?
Luke Nickel first jumped out to me in the 2023 Class 7A state quarterfinals playoff game against Colquitt County. The Milton quarterback, a junior at the time, took over that game and almost single-handedly willed his team to a 39-37 win against one of the best defenses in the state. That made me believe that I was seeing the best player at his position then, and his performance throughout the 2024 season was just about flawless.
Tight end was probably the toughest choice I had to make. 2024 was the year of the tight end, but I thought Milton’s Ethan Barbour commanded opposing defenses more than any other player.
Selections for running backs were maybe the most straight forward of all the positions. It’s not that there weren’t many great backs to choose from. It’s that Lee County’s Ousmane Kromah and Milton’s TJ Lester were simply difference-makers.
Defensive Selections
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DE – Isaiah Gibson, Warner Robins, C/O 2025
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DE – Cam Brooks, Thomas County Central, C/O 2026
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DL – Justus Terry, Manchester, C/O 2025
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DL – Elijah Griffin, Savannah Christian, C/O 2025
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DL – Deuce Geralds, Collins Hill, C/O 2026
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LB – Tyler Atkinson, Grayson, C/O 2026
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LB – Zayden Walker, Schley County, C/O 2025
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LB – Xavier Griffin, Gainesville, C/O 2026
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LB – Tavion Wallace, Appling County, C/O 2025
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DB – Tae Harris, Cedartown, C/O 2025
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DB – Dalen Penson, Sandy Creek, C/O 2025
When I began selecting our All-State team, it had never really occurred to me how many great defensive players were in Georgia, especially linebackers, so that forced me to adopt a 3-4 alignment. That way, I could have four choices at the LB position, but I could also only pick three interior lineman up front, along with the two defensive ends.
Man, this was hard. I fully understand that many will disagree with the selections here. Many athletes were deserving of All-State honors this year. We could have gone with Second Team and Third Team choices, but no. We decided to not take the easy way out.
Special Teams Selections
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K – Brett Fitzgerald, Colquitt County, C/O 2025
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LS – Matthew Oh, Buford, C/O 2026
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P – Simon Zeidan, Harrison, C/O 2025
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KR/PR – Kendarius Reddick, Thomas County Central, C/O 2025
