Top football recruits to watch in 2020 around Chattahoochee Valley
The Chattahoochee Valley is stocked full of football talent yet again. Hopefully, the players have a full season to show their worth.
Here are just a few of the area’s seniors with significant Division I interest to watch for — if the 2020 season happens.
Class of 2021
Joseph McKay, Central
Central’s three-star running back is a threat running the ball and catching it out of the backfield.
As a junior, McKay was one of the main threats in Central’s high-scoring offense, running for over 1,200 yards and 20 touchdowns. He averaged just over 7 yards per carry and nearly 100 yards rushing per game.
McKay, a 5-11, 216-pound rising senior, has 13 offers, according to 247Sports Composite, including Alabama, LSU and Florida State.
Jackson Meeks, Central
Continuing the Central train is 6-2, 190-pound rising senior receiver Jackson Meeks.
Meeks, according to MaxPreps, caught 10 passes for 82 yards last season, adding one touchdown. He’s considered a three-star by 247Sports Composite, and the No. 56 player in Alabama.
Meeks currently has five offers: Appalachian State, Liberty, South Alabama, Texas State and West Virginia.
Jordan Jones, Smiths Station
Georgia State commit and three-star inside linebacker Jordan Jones caps off the major Alabama recruits. The 6-1, 215 pound Jones will join fellow Chattahoochee Valley alums Terrell Gordon and Mason Cook, both from rival Central, when he arrives on campus.
Jones recorded 98 tackles and two sacks in 10 games, and he was named first-team All-Area and All-State honorable mention for his breakout 2019 season.
Royce White, Troup
Three-star Troup offensive tackle Royce White commited to Memphis in February, 19 days after being offered by Tennessee.
Rated as the No. 51 offensive tackle nationally and the No. 54 player in Georgia, White had 11 offers when he chose Memphis.
Charlie Dixon, Callaway
Callaway running back and linebacker Charlie Dixon has big shoes to fill, should the 2020 season happen.
Dixon, a 6-1, 225 pound three-star, will step into the role left by current Auburn running back Tank Bigsby, who led the Cavaliers offense a season ago. He thrived as Bigsby’s backup in 2019, and there will certainly be more pressure now that he’s the feature back in head coach Pete Wiggins’ offense.
If he can replicate even a fraction of what Bigsby accomplished last season, the Cavaliers will be just fine.
Dixon has seven offers, including Tennessee and Mississippi State.
Demetrius Coleman, Callaway
Perhaps the second-most important player on Callaway’s offense last year was quarterback Demetrius Coleman. It’s not difficult to see why.
Coleman threw for close to 3,000 yards and 32 touchdowns in 2019. He loses many of his top targets from last season, including Bigsby, and four talented receivers. But he’s got a new offensive coordinator this year — Zach Giddens — who, before COVID-19 shut sports down, he was able to connect with, according to the LaGrange Daily News.
Coleman, 5-8, 160 pounds, has seven offers, including Alabama, Ole Miss and North Carolina.
Jailin Shephard, Callaway
Three-star Callaway cornerback Jailin Shephard has 10 offers, most notably from Rodney Garner and Auburn.
Shephard, who is 5-9 and 167 pounds, caught eight passes for 202 yards last season. He’s being recruited as a corner, but he’s Callaway’s top returning receiver.
