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POOLE SHOTS
MURRAY POOLE
2022National
Champions
Edition
Back-To-Back
NOT ALWAYS A RECRUITING HOTBED, THE 912
PLAYED MAJOR ROLE IN BACK-TO-BACK TITLES
For a good number of years, many
football lovers in the southeastern
part of this state thought college
recruiters might be overlooking
high school prospects in their area … in the
912 -area code of Georgia.
High school football in South Georgia
has always ranked up there with the best
played anywhere. Draw a line across
the lower part of the state -- from down
in the southwest corner at Bainbridge
and Thomasville, up to Moultrie and Tift
County, over to Valdosta and then on
through Waycross to Jesup and Brunswick
and then down to Kingsland/St. Marys and
back over to Folkston and Homerville.
While the Atlanta Metro area and heavily
populated surrounding counties have
produced the most college football
prospects, due to sheer numbers alone,
there’s a long, long list of great players
from the Bainbridge Bearcats, the
Thomasville Bulldogs and Thomas County
Central Yellow Jackets, the Colquitt County
Packers, Valdosta Wildcats, Lowndes
High Vikings, Ware County Gators, Wayne
County Yellow Jackets, Brunswick High
Pirates, Glynn Academy Red Terrors,
Camden County Wildcats, Charlton County
Indians and Clinch County Panthers,
who have gone on to dot SEC teams’
rosters as well as the other college teams
throughout the land.
But maybe unlike the heavily recruited
hotbeds of Valdosta and Moultrie in the
southern part of the state, the high schools
that comprise the 912-area code haven’t
always had a steady flow of major college
recruiting traffic come through their
athletic buildings … not when you go
back many years in comparison to schools,
as mentioned, in the metro Atlanta and
middle Georgia areas. Savannah would be
that exception due, again, to its size and
the many high schools that are in Chatham
County. Sure, there have been players such
as Willie McClendon, Lindsay Scott and
Champ Bailey come out of the 912 but
then, what recruiter could miss on such
great talents as these? A recent example
of such stellar prospects would be Darius
Slay, Justin Coleman and Tracy Walker, all
out of Brunswick High School and currently
playing in the NFL.
I’m saying all this, referring to maybe
some recruiting omissions in southeast
Georgia in the past, to now point out that
college recruiters, both from the Power
5 schools as well as the smaller college
programs, are presently combing the 912
area of Georgia with, well, a fine-tooth
comb. Not many stones are left unturned
when an outstanding prospect shows
up on the schools’ radar. And they’re
offering these kids full rides earlier than
ever. Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart
was in southeast Georgia the week of
January 16 and it’s been documented that
Georgia has already offered Brunswick
High freshman tight end Heze Kent, 6-6,
240, and Charlton County sophomore
tight end and edge rusher Elyiss Williams,
6-6, 235. … among others. Brunswick
senior offensive tackle Jamal Meriweather
committed to the Bulldogs back in the
early signing period.
And to get a better picture of how the 912
area is currently producing football players
that are making a huge impact on the college
front, I advise you to look at the back-to-back
national champion Georgia Bulldogs.
Stetson “The Mailman” Bennett, Warren
McClendon, Jack Podlesny and Nolan
Smith … all 912 area high school players
who played major roles – and then some--
for the program’s first-ever 15-0 football
team in 2022.
STETSON BENNETT
PHOTO BY: ROB SAYE
WARREN MCCLENDON
PHOTO BY: GREG POOLE
BULLDAWGILLUSTRATED 124 2022 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS EDITION