By: Jeff Doke

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

It is a common turn of phrase to say that someone that is ahead of others in their chosen field is “head and shoulders above the rest.”

Usually, this is a figurative statement. In the case of #88 for the Frederica Academy Knights football team, it is literal as well.

John Cannon Wessel – known as JC to everyone but his mother and his quarterback – is a rising junior that is drawing attention from sources local, regional, and national.

Entering his third year as a starter for the Frederica Knights, Wessel is building on a sophomore season that saw a significant statistical uptick from his freshman campaign.

After seeing action in 6 games his freshman year with 142 all-purpose yards, the 6’7” 225 lb. TE prospect more than doubled his stats with 338 yards on 18 receptions for 3 TDS over 12 games.

Not bad for someone sharing receiving time with Jaylen Baldwin, Jayden Gibson, and Braxton Sykes. Wessel puts a lot of that growth on the improved chemistry with Knights starting quarterback Stanton Beverly.

“Stanton and I are really good friends,” JC describes the relationship. “…The summer between freshman and sophomore year, we did a lot of work on just going to camps, and I learned a ton, just was trying to develop more and more.”

Add to that the fact that he hadn’t played football since Pop Warner, it’s no surprise that he’s noticeably working his way up the recruiting boards.

“I had played basketball the whole time,” says JC about his gap between time on the gridiron, “(but) I knew that I kinda wanted to try out football again just because my dad played football and see what I could do. I just started playing, and it was just super fun, and I loved the physicality of it.”

His family knows a thing or two about football. Not only did his uncle play for West Point after graduating from Colquitt County High School, his father Tadd Wessel won an Ivy League championship in 1995 with the Princeton Tigers. JC might just wind up following some of those footsteps.

As of mid-March, On3.com reports JC as having offers from Princeton as well as a dozen other D1 schools including 5 from the SEC, 4 from the ACC, and 2 from the Big 10.

With two seasons yet to play before graduation, JC hasn’t started narrowing down his choices yet, much less whether he actually wants to play past high school.

“I definitely have a lot interest in going that route, especially because my parents pushed me super hard towards that kind of path, but I have to take into account everything about the future and about my chances and about what I wanna actually do when I grow up,” says Wessel. “So as, as of right now, I have no idea, but hopefully as I go through high school, I’ll get a better understanding.”

The needle seems to be pointing in the collegiate ball route regardless. After earning all-region honors in his second season, words from his Head Coach Brandon Derrick are succinct and unmistakable; ”He’s only going to get better.”

With the schedule the Knights face in 2026, hopefully better happens sooner rather than later. Even though he understands that he’s not supposed to look past the next opponent, Wessel is making some exceptions to that rule.

“I’m looking forward to Charlton County because I haven’t played them…Stratford because we should have won that game last year…and Valwood because we hate them. Same for Bulloch.”

From a fan’s perspective, it’s hard to say he doesn’t have his priorities in order. The biggest payback he’s looking forward to is against the boys from the shores of Lake Sinclair.

”I don’t really remember that much of the (John Milledge) game. I was mad during the game. If we face them again in the playoffs, we’ve got a good chance this year.”

The Knights begin their 2026 March to Mercer with a home opener against Bethesda Academy on August 14th.