By: Kenneth Harrison

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Gainesville made national news last season when they had 35 players suspended for an on-field brawl in November.

This occurred in the 5A second round win against Brunswick, 42-0. They filed and won an injunction in court to overturn the player suspensions.

The Red Elephants advanced to the 5A state championship, where they lost to Thomas County Central 62-21. The GHSA stripped Gainesville of the 5A runner-up finish after determining they used an ineligible player during the state semifinals.

Gainesville has moved up to 6A this season.

Head coach Josh Niblett left to become the tight ends coach at Colorado in January. He coached the Red Elephants for four years and had a 45-9 record with two state championship game appearances.

This caused Grayson head coach Santavious Bryant to leave and take over in Gainesville.

“We are thrilled to welcome coach Bryant back to Gainesville,” Gainesville High School Athletic Director Adam Lindsey said in a statement. “During his previous time here, he made an immediate impact on our student-athletes and our culture. Watching his growth and the incredible success he achieved at Grayson only solidified our belief that he is the right person to lead this program.”

During Bryant’s three seasons at Grayson, the Rams were 37-5. They also made the state quarterfinals three times, the state semifinals twice and won the state championship in 2024.

Gainesville has won one GHSA state title and that was in 2012 when they had Deshaun Watson.

They have several talented players on the team. Senior LB Jeremiah Proctor (6’4, 210 lbs.) is a four-star recruit and he’s committed to Pitt. He spent most of last season at safety playing up top in Cover 2.

Senior RB Nigel Newkirk (5’11, 200 lbs.) is a three-star player and an Alabama commit. He finished his junior season (14 games) with 1,496 yards and 19 TDs on 184 rushes (8.1 ypc) and added 12 receptions for 128 yards and 1 TD. He also runs track.

QB Kharim Hughley (5’11, 205 lbs.) is also a three-star recruit and he’s committed to Clemson. Last year he completed 172 of 286 passes (60.1%) for 2,596 yards with 34 TD and 10 INT. Also carried the ball 61 times for 394 yards and 9 TD.

OT Tyler Ford (6’6, 307 lbs.) is committed to Miami. IOL Bryson Hurt (6’4, 300 lbs.) is committed to NC State.

Here is the 2026 schedule:

8/22 @ Buford

9/5 @ East St. Louis (Illinois)

9/11 vs. McEachern

9/18 vs. OCA (South Carolina)

9/25 vs. Alpharetta

10/2 @ Roswell

10/9 @ Johns Creek

10/16 vs. Riverwood

10/23 vs. Milton

10/30 @ Lanier

Week 1 against Buford will be tough. They’re the top team in 7A. They were undefeated last season and won the state and national championship but they have lost over twenty players from that team. This is a nationally televised game.

East St. Louis typically plays a tough national schedule against teams like Bishop Gorman (Nevada), IMG Academy (Florida) and American Heritage (Florida). I expect this to be a tough game.

McEachern is another 7A team that should be ranked in the top 10. They were 10-1 last season.

Region 7-AAAAAA play begins week 4 against Alpharetta. The only non-region game the rest of the season is against Riverwood.

Roswell was 12-2 last season and beat Gainesville, 37-35. I think they’ll be the toughest competition in the region. Milton is also a very good team.

I expect Gainesville to compete for the 6A state championship in 2026.