Week 1 Player of the Week: McEachern’s Casey Barner

Casey Barner of McEachern was joined by head coach Kareem Reid and Alfa Insurance’s Gary Nelson for the presentation of the GHSF Daily Player of the Week award at his school.

Casey Barner is the consensus No. 1 sophomore prospect in Georgia, but he wasn’t a household name in the GHSA before the season.

That’s beginning to change. Playing in Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, the McEachern 10th grader scored on a 98-yard kickoff return, a 39-yard reception and a 69-yard run and finished with 353 all-purpose yards in a 50-17 victory over Walton. He also returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown, but a penalty reduced it to a 62-yard return.

The performance came in the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic and was televised on Peachtree Sports Network and Atlanta News First. See highlights.

Barner, a transfer from Douglass, has more than 25 offers. He reportedly got new ones Monday from Texas A&M and Baylor.

“It was a special performance, for sure,” McEachern coach Kareem Reid said. “He’s a super instinctive player that’s really explosive once he finds a seam.”

Barner is GHSF Daily’s State Player of the Week. The award is sponsored by Alfa Insurance.