The 2024 Georgia High School Association state playoffs get underway tonight, marking the start of one of the best postseason tournaments in prep athletics.
Georgia is one of three states (Texas, Florida) to have more than 200 high schoolers sign to play at the FBS level over the past two recruiting cycles, a figure that becomes even more impressive when you consider the Peach State has half of the population of Florida and nearly a third of the state of Texas.
There is arguably no state that produces higher quality football prospects on a per capita basis than Georgia and the best of the best are ready to compete for a shot to play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
We rounded up six 247Sports recruiting analysts who cover high school football in the state of Georgia to help preview the biggest storylines and players to watch as the first round of action kicks off in the Peach State, along with further insight on every classification in the state.
Who is the player you’re the most excited to watch in the GHSA Playoffs?
Hudson Standish, 247Sports national scouting analyst: North Atlanta edge rusher Chase Linton debuted in our Top247 rankings over the offseason the four-star and has continued to shoot up our board, now coming in as the No. 45 player in the country and No. 7 prospect from the state of Georgia. Linton’s superb play as a senior earned him Region 6-AAAAAA Defensive Player of the Year honors, and he’ll need to be at his best if the Warriors want to make a deep run in the playoffs. The four-star prospect also recently set an official commitment date for November 20th, with a final three of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Rutgers.
Anna Adams, 247Sports national recruiting analyst: Carrollton four-star quarterback Julian Lewis has been out to prove he’s the leader of the best team in the entire state this season and has a chance to show just that. Lewis has completed 177 of his 231 pass attempts (76.6%) for 2,549 passing yards, totaling 36 passing touchdowns with only four interceptions for the Trojans.
ARE COLORADO AND GEORGIA ON FLIP WATCH FOR USC QB COMMIT JULIAN LEWIS?
Benjamin Wolk, recruiting analyst Dawgs247: Valdosta all-around athlete Todd Robinson. The Georgia commit came into the 2024 calendar year as a relative recruiting unknown, but he’s been one of the most productive football players in Georgia for a few years now. Robinson has a few big-time potential north Georgia matchups lined up early in Valdosta’s bracket. A potential Todd Robinson vs. Julian Lewis matchup in the second round of the playoffs is one everyone should be looking forward to.
Brett Greenberg, recruiting analyst Bama247: Four-star Tennessee receiver commit Travis Smith Jr. with Westlake High School. The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder has long been one of my favorite prospects in the 2025 cycle out of the Peach State. Smith Jr. has nearly double the amount of receptions compared to the next most on the Lions’ offense and that production will need to continue against a very, very talented Collins Hill defense in round one on Friday night.
Christian Clemente, recruiting analyst Auburn Undercover: We already have Tyler Atkinson in the 5-star range for 2026 and it’s no secret he’s one of the best linebackers in the nation, but he’s a guy I can’t wait to see more of this postseason. The few times I’ve gotten to see him I’m more and more impressed each time as he’s proven to be absolutely dominant in a variety of ways on the field. Grayson boasts one of the best defensive fronts in the country, in my opinion, so you could very easily pick out some other names from this defense. It’s tough for anyone to score on them.
Auburn is absolutely involved with Atkinson, but in a much more Auburn-related pick the second choice is Joseph Mbatchou. His snaps are limited for Grayson as he learns the game of football, but the 2025 defensive lineman has enough tools to make a few plays a game and change things in favor of the Rams.
Ben Moore, publisher PantherTalk.com: Sugar Hill (Ga.) Lanier running back Tojuan Peyton. The electric running back is one of the best ball carriers in a loaded 2025 running back class in the state of Georgia. The Memphis commit recently set the all-time single-game rushing record in Gwinnett County and travels to take on 9-1 Sprayberry HS.
Another selection is Houston County quarterback and Memphis commit Antwann Hill. While everyone knows QB Julian Lewis and his loaded Carrollton squad, Hill is currently the state of Georgia’s leader in passing yards. His Houston Country squad travels to take on Clarke Central which will be a heck of a test for the Bears who lost to eventual state runner up Woodward Academy in the second round of the GHSA Playoffs last season.
