Football player Ogunlana Nuga, a senior, is ITG Next’s 2026 Tift County High School Male Athlete of the Year, presented by Georgia Sports Medicine.
Nuga was a three-year starter on the offensive line for the Blue Devils, playing right tackle and developing into one of the best offensive linemen in Region 1-6A.
“Ogunlana is not just a great football player, but he’s a very high-character young man who was one of the top leaders on and off the field for our football team this season,” said Jeff Littleton, Tift County head football coach.
Tift County offensive line coach Shawn Williams also offered plenty of praise for Nuga.
“The last two years, Ogunlana averaged over 92% production for 20 games that I coached him,” Williams said. “He had a 96% production average for all 10 games of his senior season, and in the last two seasons he had 58 knockdowns and 39 pancakes. He gave up just one sack this past season as a senior.”
Nuga was a First Team All-Region selection by the region coaches this past season, and his play caught the attention of several top collegiate programs, including Division II power Valdosta State University.
Nuga was awarded a full football scholarship to attend VSU, where he will continue his football career with the Blazers.
“I was extremely honored to be named the TCHS Athlete of the Year,” Nuga said. “Winning this means a lot to me, especially as an offensive lineman, because of all the hard work and dedication I put in throughout this past year.
“I appreciate all of my coaches for pushing me to be better every day.”
Williams and Littleton said Nuga’s loss will be felt following his graduation, but both look forward to following his progress as he moves on to VSU.
“Nuga was a great player on the field and a great person off the field and in the community,” Littleton and Williams said. “All of us here at Tift County wish Nuga all the best.”
