Cats On The Hunt
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Camden County Wildcats, in my mind, are a blue blood program in South Georgia.
The Wildcats have won three State titles (2003, 2008, and 2009) this century.
Camden finished the 2019 season with an 8-3 record losing to eventual champion Marietta in the first round.
Bob Sphire is one of the better high school football head coaches in the business, and enters his 4th season as the head coach.
Sphire took over a football program in 2017 that had sunk pretty low from what Jeff Herron built at Camden.
Slowly Sphire has rebuilt this program the right way. His first two seasons he played a lot of young kids, who had to gain their experience in Region 1-AAAAAAA, which I refer to as the SEC of Georgia High School football. The roster has a lot of good quality players that can compete in the highest level in the State.
Micah Morris is the highest ranked recruit on the roster. The 4- star offensive tackle committed to the University of Georgia in April. Morris is 6-4 and 320 pounds and the future looks bright for Morris.
The schedule is brutal with not one cupcake to be found. Can Camden get back to that team that goes 3 rounds or deeper in the playoffs in 2020?
Region Game */ Schedule/My Predictions
8/21 Columbia: Long bus ride to Chris Gillman Stadium spells doom for the visitors historically. I don’t see Columbia pulling off an upset here. The Cats go to 1-0 on the season with a 44-18 win over Columbia.
8/28 Glynn Academy: The Terrors make the 30-minute ride down I-95 South and run into an angry bunch of Wildcats.
Glynn will be a good football team in 2020, but not Camden County good. Camden goes to 2-0 on the season with a 28-10 win over Glynn Academy.
9/04 @ Ribault High School (Florida): Ribault will always have dangerous athletes that could cause some problems, but they won’t have the depth to compete for 4 quarters.
Ribault hits a few big plays on offense, but they will lay a big egg on defense and get drilled by Camden 42-20. Camden goes to 3-0.
9/11 Marietta: Who scheduled this non-region game? This is about as brutal as they come.
The defending state champs travel to Chris Gillman Stadium, which could be factoring in Atlanta traffic a 7-hour bus ride.
Marietta lost a lot, and I’m banking on the bus trip taking its toll on the Blue Devils. Camden finds a way to win 28-24 to go to 4-0 on the season.
9/18 @ Oakleaf High School (Florida): Could this be a trap game? Maybe but if you beat Marietta you will not lose to Oakleaf. The Wildcats go to 5-0 with a 49-14 win.
9/25 Coffee: Remember the brutal schedule comment? Look at these next two games. Coffee drops to 5-A this year and should make some serious noise in football. They will not beat Camden in Kingsland, however. Cats go to 6-0 with a 21-13 win over Coffee.
10/02 @ Warner Robins: Playing at Warner Robins is no picnic. Warner Robins will compete for a state title in 5-A. I see Camden slipping by this one by the skin of their teeth 21-20 to go into region play at 7-0.
10/16 @ Colquitt County *: A win here would be considered an upset at the state level. This schedule takes its toll on the Wildcats and they fall to the Packers 27-20 to drop to 7-1 and 0-1
10/23 Tift County *: You never know what you are going to get with Tift County. Camden wins this region contest 33-21 to go 8-1 and 1-1.
10/30 @ Lowndes *: Can Camden win this one on the road to secure a home playoff game? You have to be special to win at Lowndes these days.
Camden falls short 28-16 to finish 8-2 and 1-2 for the regular season.
Solid playoff team battle tested by a brutal schedule gets them into the second or possibly third round of state playoffs.
Speak Of The Blue Devils
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It has been a decade since the Statesboro Blue Devils have been considered a state power on the football field, but the program’s ongoing trudge back from some dark times aims to take another step forward this fall.
Now four years removed from the only 0-10 season in school history, Statesboro head coach Jeff Kaiser – who was announced as head coach ahead of the 2017 season – has his team steadily improving.
The Devils have qualified for the state playoffs in each of the last two seasons and got back to the .500 mark last fall for the first time since 2014.
As has been the case for teams all around the country, this summer’s training has been significantly hindered by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
School was called off more than a month before the scheduled spring practices for Statesboro and simply getting students – football players or otherwise – through the academic year will be tough.
Kaiser and his staff continued to communicate to the team through texts, emails and phone calls, with players left to their own devices to continue to study playbooks and stay in shape.
When June rolled around, word came from both the GHSA and Bulloch County that there would be a slow roll-out of parameters for practices that will gradually include more football-related activities with more players allowed at each practice.
All of the virus-related restraints on team activities are just one facet of what will be a challenging 2020 for the Devils.
While they have made the state playoffs two years running, Statesboro played those seasons in a five-team Class-AAAAA region. With Ware County and Wayne County dominating the region, the Devils’ postseason prospect essentially boiled down to a two-game season with games against New Hampstead and South Effingham, with any of the teams able to clinch a playoff berth with as little as one region win.
That will change this fall as Statesboro bumps up to Class-AAAAAA and will join a region with more teams that features plenty of old rivals.
South Effingham joins Statesboro in the move up and they will group in with Brunswick, Glynn Academy, Effingham County, Richmond Hill and Bradwell Institute.
The Devils have been region rivals with all of these teams at some point in their past, most notably with Brunswick, which traded region championships with SHS for three consecutive seasons at the turn of the last decade.
The Devils lose relatively little in total personnel from last year’s squad, but still have some big holes to fill.
Always a run-first team, Statesboro will have to fill the shoes of running backs Jaylin Roberson and Davardrian Lipsey.
Also departed is Corey McCullough, who anchored the linebacker corps and also served as a stellar blocker and short-yardage back on offense.
If Statesboro is to continue its track record of improvement, it will stem from both lines.
The Devils were forced to play with inexperienced and – at times – undersized linemen over the last few seasons. But a more veteran crew this season that has taken to Kaiser’s emphasis on growing in the weight room should now provide the Devils with a formidable presence up front whether attacking an opposing quarterback or paving a clean path for their own runners.
Statesboro is slated to kick off the season against former region rival Wayne County in the Erk Russell Classic at Georgia Southern’s Paulson Stadium.
The Devils will also take on Swainsboro, Houston County and Jenkins before spending all of October and November in their region slate.
Don’t Count Him Out
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
University of Central Florida quarterback McKenzie Milton, who suffered a devastating leg injury in November of 2018 and missed the entire 2019 season, says he will return to the field in 2020.
Will he attain that goal? I don’t know for sure. No one does, but Milton believes it will happen. Milton thinks there’s a 50/50 chance he will be cleared and declared full go for preseason camp.
Flashback to November 23, 2018, it was third and 7, Milton was tackled by South Florida Bull’s cornerback Mazzi Wilkens that resulted in the injury. Milton was rushed to Tampa General Hospital for immediate surgery.
The surgeons had to remove the vein from the left leg to make a new artery in the right one in order to restore blood flow and save the leg.
Milton was in surgery for the next 4-5 hours, doctors worked to restore blood flow to his leg to avoid amputation.
The quarterback, who won back-to-back American Athletic Conference offensive player of the year awards previously, has been through at least four surgeries and extensive rehabilitation as he pushes to play again.
Each step in the process continues to reaffirm that Milton will eventually return to the football field.
Josh Heupel, UCF Head Coach, said “Absolutely, there’s no doubt in my mind that Milton will be back on the football field at a really high level.”
In April 2020, prior to the NFL draft, video of Milton throwing to Gabriel Davis hit the internet. It had UCF and college football junkies excited.
In an interview with UCF Rivals’ reporter Brandon Helwig, Milton states, “Playing in 2020 is still my goal. The reason I set that goal is I wasn’t to approach rehab every day with the idea I’ll be ready to go to fall camp ready for North Carolina in our first game. If I’m not approaching it that way, I feel like I’d be missing a day in therapy not working as hard as I can. That’s why I set that goal. I hope to reach that. If I don’t, it is what it is. I’ll keep knocking it down block by block. Hopefully when I go to Minnesota at the end of June, I’ll get good news.”
Milton was one of the best quarterbacks in college football in 2017 and 2018. He was 265-for-395, passing for 4,037 yards, 37 touchdowns and just 9 interceptions.
He also rushed for 613 yards and 8 touchdowns as UCF went 13-0 in 2017 and beat Auburn in the Peach Bowl.
His stats declined during the 10 games he played as a junior in 2018 in coach Josh Heupel’s first year at UCF, but he still threw for 2663 yards and 25 touchdowns with just 6 picks.
He added another 9 touchdowns on the ground and rushed for 297 yards.
In 2019, Dillon Gabriel emerged as the starting quarterback at UCF. Gabriel led the Knights to a 10-3 record while throwing for 3653 yards, 29 touchdowns and 7 interceptions as a true freshman.
Milton draws hope and optimism from people like Joe Theismann, Jaylon Smith and Teddy Bridgewater, people who have been through devastating injuries and gotten back on the field. “People have done it before and I definitely think I’ll be able to too.”
Milton suffered a catastrophic injury in 2018 while owning a personal 22-game win streak. Milton looks like he’s coming back to play. Do not doubt the heart of a Champion!
I, for one, can’t wait to see number 10 run onto the field. When Milton is able to return to the field, it will be one hell of a comeback story.
The Pack
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Buford Wolves are a traditional football powerhouse in Georgia.
Last season they won the 5A state championship 17 – 14 against Warner Robins, another great program. The win gave No. 5 Buford (14-1) their 12th state championship and first since 2014.
Buford became the first team in GHSA history to win a state football championship in five different classifications. Buford has won titles at Class A, AA, AAA, AAAA and AAAAA. The Wolves move up to AAAAAA next season.
2019 was the first season for head coach Bryant Appling. He gained a lot of experience and he should be a better coach going into his second season.
This 2020 team is not as talented as teams of the past, but they have some good players. I expect them to be a good team and play well together.
Their best player is senior running back Gabe Ervin. The 6-foot, 205-pound Erwin is ranked as a three-star recruit and the No. 66 rising senior in Georgia.
He had offers from close to 20 Power Five programs. He committed to Nebraska. Last season he rushed for 1,210 and 13 touchdowns, while splitting time in the backfield.
Senior safety Amari Wansley is the second-best player on the team. He’s also a three-star recruit with offers from Arizona State, Iowa, Indiana, Maryland and Georgia State.
Linebacker Tommy Beuglas has committed to Furman. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound linebacker was a second-team, all-county selection by the Touchdown Club of Gwinnett. He made 102 tackles in 2019.
Defensive back Ace Sanders committed to Georgia Southern and guard Malone VanGorder committed to Bowling Green. VanGorder started 28 straight games on the Wolves’ offensive line the past two seasons. The 6-foot-2, 255-pounder’s father is longtime college coach Brian VanGorder, now Bowling Green’s defensive coordinator.
Quarterbacks Ashton Daniels and Jarvis Evans also return for the 2020 season. They both played last season and helped lead the team to the championship.
The season opens at home against Wren (South Carolina). The Hurricanes won the AAAA state championship in South Carolina in 2019, so they are pretty good.
Week 2 is against Clarke Central. The Gladiators were the only team that beat Buford last year. They were 9-4 so they are a pretty good team. The Wolves want to avenge that loss and I believe they will.
Lithonia comes to town after that. The Bulldogs won 6 games last season and got in the playoffs. They still won’t be a match for Buford.
The Wolves face another team from South Carolina, Ridge View. The Blazers lost the AAAA state championship game to Wren in 2019.
Central Gwinnett made the playoffs last season, but they only won 3 games. The Black Knights are the Week 5 opponent and they will get disposed of quickly.
Buford finally has their first road game to start October against Habersham Central. The Raiders are coming off of a 3-7 season and they are outmatched in every way.
After a much-needed bye week the Wolves are on the road against another Gwinnett county opponent, Shiloh. The Generals won 7 games and made the playoffs in 2019. Buford will still win easily.
The Wolves have their third consecutive road game at Lanier. The Longhorns are coming off of a 10-2 season and they are a tough opponent.
The day before Halloween Buford returns home to face Winder-Barrow. This is a blowout victory.
The season finale is against Dacula. The Falcons were 13-1 last year. This will be hard fought game.
I think Buford will do well in their first 6A season and make the playoffs.
The Same Old Story
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Optimism among Georgia Bulldog basketball fans had to be pretty high two years ago after the program brought in Tom Crean to be their head coach.
He was the highest profile coach since Jim Harrick (minus the baggage) with a Final Four appearance under his belt and stops at Marquette and Indiana.
The excitement only increased with the signing of Anthony Edwards last year, giving the impression that the basketball team just may be on the brink of turning things around and becoming more competitive in the SEC.
After two seasons of Crean being at the helm, and having the possible #1 draft pick, the hope would be the team would be able to build upon that momentum with a top-level recruiting class. I’m not sure the 2020 class is quite what fans would’ve hoped for.
To be fair, I’m not saying the expectation should be like that of a Duke or Kentucky; obviously that’s the goal, just not a very realistic one.
When I look at Georgia’s incoming class there are there two things that stick out to me; the level of talent and the number of transfer/JUCO players.
KD Johnson, the four-star point guard out of Virginia, is the prize recruit in the class. The good news on Johnson is he comes from an elite high school program and should be a very productive four-year player for Georgia.
The bad news is your star recruit is a borderline top 100 player and there’s a pretty precipitous drop off after him.
Besides Josh Taylor, the three star forward from Norcross, the rest of the class consists of two JUCO players, (Mikal Starks, Jonathan Ned) who will more than likely spend most of their time in Athens as practice players, two mediocre transfers from inferior conferences (Justin Kier, Andrew Garcia) and a role player, (PJ Horne) who at least played in a major conference with Virginia Tech.
Oh, and Kier, Garcia, and Horne will only be in Athens for one year, so it’s not like they were recruited to be developed for future seasons. They’re basically one-year rentals so Georgia can fill out a roster, which leads me to the high school recruits to transfers ratio of this incoming class.
The fact that five of the seven players in this year’s class are basically transfers, and not very sought after ones at that, is a bit concerning. I understand Georgia lost a lot of players after this season, but outside of the two players who transferred out of the program, none of them should’ve been a surprise.
Considering Crean is having to fill his roster with JUCO players and graduate transfers means he either wasn’t prepared, which isn’t a good look, or he wasn’t getting much interest from high school players, which is what I’m afraid may be the case.
The state of Georgia offered eight of the top players from the state and the only one they were able to sign was Taylor, ranked tenth.
Plundering Pirates
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2020 Brunswick High Pirates on paper have a chance to be a pretty good football team this fall.
Sean Pender enters his 4th season as head coach of the Pirates and the Pirate faithful are excited about this upcoming football season.
The Pirates have some solid returning talent coming back in 2020 from a 6-6 season in 2019 that saw Brunswick win their first playoff game since 2010 before falling to eventual State Champion Harrison in the second round of the playoffs.
The BHS offense will be led by the two headed monster at running back Chukobe Hill and Khamori Simmons. This running back group for the Pirates refers to themselves as the “Wolfpack” and will be the best RB group in the region. Hill and Simmons combined for 1,600 rushing yards as sophomores in 2019 with Hill rushing for 1,058.
The offensive line has two 300-pound athletes that will open holes in senior Caleb Cook and Kanaya Charlton. Both athletes are generating a lot of recruiting buzz. Cook is impressive in the weight room and can squat over 500 lbs.
Xavier Bean will lead a deep group of wide receivers and KJ Lee will be back for his senior season at QB.
Lee is the wild card for BHS. Lee has put in the work, trimmed down and looks good for the 2020 season. Lee led BHS to a huge comeback win at New Hampstead last year that saved the 2019 season.
On defense the Pirates have size and athletic ability on the defensive line with players like Kayshawn Thomas.
Camron Crump is a huge producer at linebacker returns for his senior season.
Amarion Whitfield moves to corner from WR this fall and looks good so far.
Devonte Gadson and Derrick Smith both had solid 2019 seasons in the secondary.
Breakout player this season will be AJ Wilson. Wilson has bulked up to 225 pounds this offseason and is ready to be an all-star candidate at LB for BHS.
Schedule and Predictions: * Region Game
8/21: @ Windsor Forest (Savannah, GA): Pirates go on the road and unleash the Wolfpack on the Knights. Pirates 34-7 go to 1-0
8/28: McIntosh County Academy (Darien, GA): The Bucs come to Glynn County Stadium and fight hard, but don’t have the depth to beat BHS. Pirates win 35-14 to go to 2-0
9/4: Beach (Savannah, GA): BHS goes to 3-0 with a 38-8 win over Beach.
9/10: @ New Hampstead (Savannah, GA): New Hampstead will have athletes. BHS and The Phoenix played a classic in 2019, but BHS has all of their playmakers returning on offense in 2020. BHS wins 40-18 to go to 4-0
9/25: Glynn Academy *: First region game is the City Championship against the Terrors.
BHS is the home team and has lost 6 straight in the series. Glynn won in 2019 with a walk off field goal, 24-21.
The teams look even on paper, but until BHS has a lead on a scoreboard that reads 0:00 then Glynn is the pick here. GA wins 25-22. Pirates drop to 4-1 and 0-1.
10/2: @ South Effingham (Guyton, GA)*: The Mustangs move back up to 6A after a playoff berth in 2019. Pirates go to the Corral and win 34-17 to go 5-1 and 1-1.
10/9: Statesboro (Statesboro, GA)*: The Blue Devils are also back in 6A. Statesboro made the playoffs in 2019 and have been a massive rebuild for the last few seasons. Pirates win at home 28-20 to go to 6-1 and 2-1.
10/16: @ Richmond Hill (Richmond Hill, GA)*: The Wildcats, with 7A numbers, stayed in 6A after getting a waiver from the GHSA.
The Wildcats should be the region favorites and BHS has lost two straight to them. Make it 3. Richmond Hill wins 24-20. BHS drops to 6-2 and 2-2.
10/30: @ Bradwell Institute (Hinesville, GA)*: Interesting fact is BHS has lost the last two times they have played the Tigers in Hinesville. That streak won’t reach three. BHS wins 35-13. Pirates go to 7-2 and 3-2 in region play.
11/6: Effingham County (Springfield, GA)*: Effingham County is in rebuild mode. Pirates win 40-17 to finish the regular season at 8-2 and 4-2 in the region.
BHS will be a solid playoff team in 2020.
Setting Sail
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
High football fast approaches and many hope we will not lose the season to CoVid-19.
One person in particular that hopes the 2020 season will kick off is the head coach of the McIntosh County Academy Buccaneers, Bradley Warren.
The Bucs appear to have found their long-term answer at the head coaching position of the football team.
Warren took over the program last season and got the Bucs into the playoffs; an accomplishment very few expected from MCA in 2019.
The Bucs fell to region foe, Emanuel County Institute 28-23 in the first round of the GHSA A Playoffs.
MCA returns in 2020 with a team that will be battled tested. The Bucs were considered to be young in 2019 and were in every game, even against teams that most thought would beat MCA handily.
The region also changes for the Buccaneers and will see new and old enemies in region 3-A. The Bucs will be joined by Metter, Bryan County, Claxton, ECI, Jenkins County, Portal and Screven County. This is a very winnable region and the Bucs may be the best team in the region.
In my opinion, region 3-A will be come down to ECI and MCA. The winner of that game may very well end up winning the region.
This is what MCA’s season looks like for 2020.
MCA @ Brunswick High-August 28: The Bucs will make the short trip over to Glynn County Stadium to take on the 6A Brunswick High Pirates. MCA will look good early, but BHS has too many athletes and spoils the season opener.
Windsor Forest @ MCA-September 4: The Bucs will welcome the Windsor Forest Knights to The Ship in Darien and show everyone how good they are. Look for MCA to win handily here.
MCA @ Charlton-September 11: This is a game in which 2 programs are heading in opposite directions. Charlton County, a perennial power, finds itself in a bit of a rebuild, while MCA will be very good. The Bucs will win this game, but nothing ever comes easy down in The Swamp.
MCA @ Bryan County-September 18: The Bucs will head up to Pembroke a 2-1 football team and the momentum will continue against Bryan County. MCA gets to 3-1 on the season and gets an important region win over the Redskins.
Claxton @ MCA-September 25: This is the beginning a tough and important three game stretch for the Bucs. MCA welcomes Claxton to the ship and will earn a hard-fought win at home to stay undefeated in the region and go 4-1 on the season.
MCA @ ECI-October 2: This game will likely determine the winner of the region. I think MCA has a more talented team than ECI, but with the Bulldogs will be at home and this will be the sixth straight game for the Bucs. I am not sure they will come out on top here.
Plus, ECI’s schedule is brutal. Especially, the first half. Thus, ECI will almost have to get this game. I really think this contest could go either way.
Metter @ MCA-October 16: The Buccaneers get a much-deserved off week before the Metter Tigers pay a visit to The Ship. Metter can score and score quickly. This will be a great test for the MCA defense.
The Bucs defense will be up to that test and hold off the Tigers in a high scoring affair.
MCA @ Screven County-October 23: Another region road game for MCA. The Bucs will be flying high off the Metter win and will ride that momentum to another victory. 6-2 for MCA.
Portal @ MCA-October 30: Portal pays a Halloween visit to Darien. There won’t be much tricking done by the Portal Panthers in this game. Instead the Buccaneers will be treating themselves to a 7-2 record.
Jenkins County @ MCA-November 6: Seeding will be on the line as MCA will be making a back to back trip to the playoffs. The Bucs will finish 8-2 on the season and will be a force to be contended with in the GHSA A Playoffs.
Names you will need to know if you are an MCA fan: Senior RB Trenton Johnson, Senior QB Dalton McClellan and Junior QB Austin Crosby. Both QB’s will see time.
Don’t be surprised if you see the MCA Buccaneers playing on TV in December.
Secondary To None
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The way Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, Joe Burrow dissected defenses last season may lead some to think the secondary play in the SEC is on a downturn. I’m here to tell you otherwise.
The secondary in the SEC for 2020 is loaded with future NFL talent. While I’m not sure this class can match the number of players drafted in rounds one and two of the 2020 NFL draft, I do think the talent as a collective is overall stronger than the 2019 class.
Here is my top five defensive back on SEC rosters this season:
- Marco Wilson, Junior CB, Redshirt Sophomore Florida: Wilson started in all 13 games for the Gators last season.
After suffering an ACL tear early in the 2018, Wilson recorded 36 total defensive stops (23 solo), 3 interceptions, and 2 pass break-ups.
Wilson is one of only four true freshmen to start at cornerback on opening day for Florida. He was named to the All-SEC Freshman team by the coaches in 2017.
The 6-foot-0, 190 pounder can play both boundary and slot. Wilson has good size and speed and is sticky in man coverage. This season, look for Wilson to lock up top wide receivers on the opposing end.
- Richard Lecounte, Safety, Senior Georgia: Lecounte is the top safety in the SEC period.
He has started 27 of 28 games over the past two seasons. The 5-foot-11, 190 pounder was third on the team with tackles with 61 (35 solo), led the SEC in fumbles recovered with three and second in interceptions with four.
Lecounte is the Alpha-Dog of the Georgia secondary. Playing alongside Tyson Campbell, Eric Stokes and DJ Daniels makes Georgia the top secondary in the SEC.
Lecounte is a Preseason All-SEC first team defense selection.
- Israel Mukuamu, CB, Junior South Carolina: Mukuamu had arguably the best game by any defensive back in the SEC during the 2019 season, when he helped propel the Gamecocks to an upset win over Georgia.
Mukuamu picked off Georgia QB Jake Fromm three times en route to a 20-17 win. He returned the first interception 53 yards for a touchdown. The final interception came at the most important of times, overtime.
The 6-foot-4, 205 pounder earned second team All-SEC in 2019. Mukuama has been First Team All-SEC Academic Honor Roll for 2018 & 2019.
Mukuamu is a big corner who fights and competes and wins against big named receivers Saturday after Saturday.
- Patrick Surtain, CB, Junior Alabama: With Alabama consistently featuring a loaded secondary, it may be hard for a freshman to see the field.
However, Surtain was the exception. He played well in 2018 recording 28 tackles with an interception, seven passes deflected and one forced fumble.
As a sophomore, Surtain had 42 tackles with 2 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, and 8 passes broken up.
Surtain is a physical cornerback, the 6-foot-2, 203-pound corner routinely bullies receivers. With Josh Jobe, Daniel Wright and Jordan Battle playing with Surtain, Alabama will compete with Georgia on the top secondary in the SEC.
- Derek Stingley Jr, CB, Sophomore LSU: Stingley, a true freshman in 2019, was the top ranked cornerback in the country coming out of high school.
Now he is the top ranked cornerback in the SEC. During LSU’s national championship run, Stingley started every game.
The 6-foot-1, 195 pound corner earned a list of awards in 2019: Consensus All-American, First Team All-American (AFCA, AP, Athletic, CBS, ESPN, SI, Sporting News, USA Today), SEC Newcomer of the year (unanimous), first Team All-SEC, SEC All-Freshman Team & SEC Freshman of the Week.
He is, arguably, the most impactful freshmen in the SEC since Herschel Walker. He led the SEC in interceptions with 6 and passes deflected with 21.
He is the Grandson of the late Darryl Stingley, who’s NFL career was cut short after suffering a tragic injury in 1978.
In my opinion, Stingley is the best defensive player in the SEC.
Just outside the Top 5: Kary Vincent, LSU; Josh Jobe, Alabama; Eric Stokes, Georgia: Tyson Cambell, Georgia; DJ Daniels, Georgia; Kewin Joseph, Kentucky; Miles James, Texas A&M; Brandin Echols, Kentucky; Alontae Taylor, Tennessee; Elijah Blades, Texas A&M; Marcus Murphy, Mississippi; Jaycee Horn, South Carolina; JaCoby Stevens, LSU; Daniel Wright, Alabama
Breakout Player: Kaiir Elam Florida
HOF
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Atlanta Falcon franchise is no stranger to having Hall of Fame players.
In fact, some of the best players at their position have spent time in the ATL- Tony Gonzalez, Deion Sanders, Eric Dickerson, Brett Favre.
It’s just that when you think of those guys, their time in Atlanta isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, unless you happen to be a Falcons fan. (Gonzalez might be the one exception, although I believe most NFL fans think of him more as Kansas City Chief than a Falcon.)
The two Hall of Famers you could associate most with the franchise is Charles Humphrey and Morten Anderson. It’s obviously impressive and an honor to be elected to the Hall, but neither of those two names are going to win you a best in show prize.
There’s a good bet that ten years from now Atlanta will have at least one player, if not two, being inducted into the Hall of Fame that will drastically improve their profile in Canton.
The first player, Julio Jones, is basically a given. The All-Decade Team member has been one of the best wideouts since entering the league and as long as he stays healthy, should be productive for the next few years.
Even if he were to leave Atlanta in search of a title, or because both decided to part ways, the sure to be first ballot inductee will likely be the greatest player in franchise history, who has spent a majority of his professional career with them.
And unless Deion entered the Hall as Falcon, Jones will undoubtedly be their best to put on the golden jacket.
The other player, Matt Ryan, isn’t such a sure thing, but he isn’t far off either. Ryan is in that unenviable position where even though his individual stats and wins aren’t bad, neither category is great enough to justify his inclusion.
A perfect example is the comparison between Ryan and Eli Manning. For all intents and purposes Ryan has better individual stats than Eli in almost every category, including actual winning percentage.
But, those two Super Bowl rings Manning has given him a better chance, currently, at making the Hall because both those wins trump his more mediocre stats.
Marino is another example where he only appeared in one Super Bowl but his play and stats were so other worldly, there was no way he wasn’t going to be a Hall of Famer.
Either Ryan is going to have to win more games and at least make another Super Bowl in order to see his bust enshrined, or he’s going to have to have a couple great seasons that really pad his stats.
The good thing for Ryan is much like Jones, as long as he can stay healthy, he’ll have enough time to do what’s necessary to achieve a player’s ultimate individual honor.
Of course, I’d be remissed if I didn’t mention that Julio Jones will certainly play a big part.
It’s like having a team’s quarterback and wideout on your fantasy football; it’s a win/win situation.
Making it into the Hall of Fame is an honor and I’m not trying to demean that accomplishment for anyone.
The inductees entering as an Atlanta Falcon may not bring the most notoriety with them, but that’s about to change within the next year’s or so. Only question is, will there be more than one?
Play Ball
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Now that baseball seems to be a reality in late July. Let’s take a good look at the Atlanta Braves for 2020.
The 2020 season will be 60 games and the season will feel like a prolonged playoff instead of the 162-game grind.
Let’s take a look at your Atlanta Braves:
Ronald Acuna Jr. is, in my opinion, the best young player in baseball. Acuna will be in the NL MVP discussion this year. Freddie Freeman is also an MVP candidate and at age 30 still has a lot left in the tank. Acuna and Freeman give the Atlanta roster two superstars in the lineup every day.
Marcell Ozuna was added in free agency from St. Louis. Ozzie Albies and Dansby Swanson will be up the middle, with what should be an above average bench featuring Nick Markakis and Austin Riley.
The team did lose Josh Donaldson and his 37 HR’s in free agency, Can Ozuna offset that production?
My Projected Starting Lineup:
Ronald Acuna (RF)
Ozzie Albies (2B)
Freddie Freeman (1B)
Marcell Ozuna (LF)
Johan Camargo (3B)
Nick Markakis (DH)
Dansby Swanson (SS)
Travis d’Arnaud (C)
Ender Inciarte (CF)
I’m assuming Johan Camargo will win the third base job for Atlanta in my lineup card.
Austin Riley may be the future at 3B, but I am betting on a good season for Camargo in 2020.
This batting order is as good as any in baseball in my opinion. Universal DH in the shortened season will be adopted in the National League will give the Braves the opportunity to let Markakis get swings every day to protect his body from the daily grind of the outfield.
Starting Pitching: Alex Anthopoulos went out and signed veteran, lefty Cole Hamels to a one-year deal and signed former Mariner Felix Hernandez also.
Hernandez could be the wild card here if he looks like he did in Seattle. This addition will put the Braves in the World Series discussion. Hamels, who was set to start the regular season on the injured list, should be rested and ready to go now that the season has been delayed.
Mike Soroka, Mike Foltynewicz, who was brilliant down the stretch until getting blistered in Game 5 of the NLDS, Max Fried and Sean Newcomb will be your starters. Soroka will win a Cy Young Award in Atlanta.
Kyle Wright and Touki Toussaint both got big league innings in 2019.
I like this rotation talent wise, and in a 60-game season, the pickup of Hamels and Hernandez could be looked upon as two of the best moves in Braves history.
Relief Pitching: Going into the 2019 season the Braves bullpen was a big issue. Going into a shortened 2020 season it could be the best in baseball.
The bullen will be anchored by Mark Melancon, Shane Greene and Chris Martin. They re-signed Martin this offseason before he tested free agency.
Atlanta signed former Giants closer Will Smith to maybe form a duo with Melancon at the back end of the bullpen. Darren O’Day, who missed almost all of the 2019 season with a forearm injury, returns healthy. Quality arms are everywhere.
Manager: Brian Snitker has something to prove in 2020.
Snitker has been with the Braves organization since 1977. The roster is there for a trip to the World Series. Can Snitker get this team over the hump and erase those awful Game 5 NLDS memories from 2019?
Predicted Record: 38-22. NL East Champions, National League Champions, Lose in 7 games to the New York Yankees in the World Series.
Biggest potential hurdle in 2020: Covid-19 wipes out the proposed season.
