By: Colin Lacy

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

2024 saw Southeast Bulloch return to the GHSA State Playoffs and make the quarterfinals for the first time since the 1973 State Championship season.

While the Jackets saw graduation time come for some key contributors, the core is still intact in Brooklet to be able to not only replicate last season but add on to as well.

The ground game dominated for the Jackets as SEB racked up nearly 250 rushing yards per game and had two of the top five rushers in Region 3 of the 3A classification.

While Jayden Murphy finished the year fourth in the circuit with 752 yards on the ground last season, Colby Smith had a breakout season.

Smith scampered for 1,619 yards on the ground to lead the region and also was atop Region 3 with 22 total touchdowns. Smith became the first 1,000-yard rusher for SEB since Chase Walker in 2017.

The Brooklet native senior has contributed in virtually every way he can in his SEB career. As a freshman and sophomore in 2022 & 2023, Smith was a stalwart on the defensive side of the ball as a safety, linebacker and at the “Jacket” position.

Because of injuries at the end of the 2023 season, Smith was thrust into action at quarterback (had been the back-up QB all season) for the final three games of the year.

Last season, in addition to having a historic season out of the backfield, Smith also served as the kick returner and also punted twice on the year. This year, I’d expect more of the same for Smith as a Swiss-Army knife for the Jackets.

Southeast Bulloch will have a new signal-caller at quarterback this season with Rhett Morgan deciding to forego his senior season on the football field to focus on the baseball side.

The leading candidates for the job are Aaden Peterson and Colton Zito.

Peterson, the son of legendary Georgia Southern quarterback Adrian Peterson, stepped up as a cornerback last year for the Jackets but has unquestionable athletic ability to be able to run the offense.

Colton Zito, the son of Jackets Head Coach Jared Zito, has grown up with and has football in his blood.

In addition to the two headed monster at running back with Smith and Murphy, SEB returns a strong nucleus of talent on both sides of the ball.

Offensively, the biggest hit from graduation was on the offensive line but do return the recent Georgia Tech commit in Bear Fretwell along with Kam Miller and Daniel Shuman.

Defensively, linebacker Brant Horst (who will also see time as a tight end) was the second leading tackler and racked up 4 sacks and 7.5 TFL. Jason Anthony’s defense will also return names like Chase Douglas, Tyrone McGee and Stevie Padgett who made impressive impacts in 2024 and look to take the next step in 2025.

In 2024, the Jackets knocked off Heritage after the long trip to Ringgold in the first round of the playoffs. Then they blanked the number two team in the GHSA power ranked team in the state in Harlem in round two before reaching Stephenson in the quarterfinals to finish the year 10-3.

After the second 10-win season in the first four years under Head Coach Jared Zito, the Jackets look to recreate some of the magic of 2024 while continuing to build and return SEB to their march to a third state championship in program history.