Bowdon’s hunt for a four-peat among top stories to watch in 2025
The 2025 football season is under way, and it reaches full throttle tonight with about 175 games. Here are 10 of the better storylines fans will be following this season.
Four-peat isn’t a word, but it’s a thing
Bowdon, the reigning Class A Division II champion, can become the fourth school in GHSA history to win four consecutive championships. Those that have done it are West Rome (1982-85), Buford (2007-10) and Eagle’s Landing Christian (2015-19). Bowdon is ranked No. 1 in every poll in the GHSF Daily composite rankings.
There’s something about Buford
No Georgia team is more watched than Buford, and the numbers will multiply this season with the City of Buford’s opening of a 10,000-seat, $62 million stadium. In the first game there, Buford defeated Milton 20-13 Thursday night. It was televised on ESPN2. Buford has won 13 state titles this century but none in the highest class, which the Wolves joined for the first time in 2022. Buford has nine seniors committed to Power 4 conferences. Buford began the season ranked No. 2 behind defending Class 6A champion Grayson.
The Richt era and others of that ilk
The most newsworthy offseason coaching change took place when Prince Avenue Christian bid farewell to Greg Vandagriff and promoted Jon Richt, the offensive coordinator. Richt is the son of former Georgia coach Mark Richt, so that alone makes it intriguing, but Vandagriff’s legacy was immense with his 107-16 record and three state titles. It happened far more than usual this offseason that winning programs initiated a coaching change. Also fascinating to watch this season will be Appling County with Robby Pruitt, Commerce with Lenny Gregory, Cedartown with Tommy Atha, Jones County with Justin Montgomery and Dutchtown with Kevon Glynn.
Year of the Tigers
The loudest buzz about a team that’s not historically buzzing is coming from Douglas County, the preseason No. 3 team in Class 6A. The Tigers haven’t won a state title since 1964. They have three of the top 20 Georgia seniors on the 247Sports Composite (WR Aaron Gregory, WR Devin Carter, DL Jordan Carter) and three of the top 30 juniors (OL Joshua Sam-Epelle, DB Adryan Cole, DB Kennedy Green). And they have a quarterback, Michael Johnson, committed to Utah. Douglas County coach Johnny T. White said in today’s Four Questions that he’s prepared to enjoy it, come what may. “Most teams would love to have the pressure and notoriety of the games we play,” White said.
What QB will emerge?
Unlike last season, when Carrollton’s Julian Lewis, Milton’s Luke Nickel and Houston County’s A.J. Hill were AJC Super 11 picks chasing state and local records, Georgia doesn’t have an established, bona fide superstar at quarterback entering this season. Things almost certainly will look much different by December. Some candidates for greatness include Grayson’s Travis Burgess, North Cobb’s Teddy Jarrard, Gainesville’s Kharim Hughley, Lowndes’ Jayce Johnson, Milton’s Derrick Baker, Cass’s Brodie McWhorter, Hughes’ Darnell Kelly, Douglas County’s Michael Johnson, Benedictine’s Stephen Cannon, Carrollton’s Mason Holtzclaw and North Oconee’s Harrison Faulker.
Great job, tough act to follow
Two teams that won state titles have new coaches. They are Jarvis Jones of Carver-Columbus (replacing Pierre Coffey) and Kenny Dallas at Hebron Christian (replacing Jonathan Gess). Dallas has won a state title before. Jones is coaching high school football for the first time. But he’s a former Georgia All-American and NFL first-round pick, so his new journey is perhaps most interesting of all. Others in similar spots – great job, following a successful coach if not a legend – are Jason Cameron at Calvary Day, Andrico Hines at Hughes, Corey Richardson at Norcross, Jonathan Thompson at Roswell, Nelson Stewart at Westminster, Wesley Tankersley at Fitzgerald and Larry Harold at Irwin County.
Time to wake up
Following a legend is tough. Awakening a sleeping giant is more fun for a new coach. Which of these teams will rise to the sound of banging cymbals: Parkview (Adam Clack), Northside-Warner Robins (Daniel “Boone” Williams), Dalton (Chris Prewett), Marietta (Cameron Duke), Griffin (Bernard Goodrum), Eagle’s Landing Christian (Richard Freeman) and Cedar Grove (Richard Freeman)?
The North-South thing
No. 7 Colquitt County, No. 9 Lowndes and No. 10 Valdosta are in the Class 6A top 10. That’s the most teams from one region in the highest classification. Can these South Georgia teams still contend for a title in the high class? Or have the metro Atlanta powers become too magnetic to transfers to allow that? It’s been 10 years since the most recent South Georgia champion, Colquitt County. The top four in the rankings – Grayson, Buford, Douglas County and Carrollton – average six major Division I commitments. Region 1 has six total among its five schools.
Player of the year: Who could it be?
In December, a player of the year will be announced. The frontrunner is probably Grayson linebacker Tyler Atkinson, an AJC Super 11 pick. He is the state’s consensus No. 1 prospect, the reigning Class 6A defensive player of the year and a member of the No. 1-ranked team in the highest class. But the most recent defensive-only player to win the AJC’s all-class award was Rome’s Adam Anderson in 2017. The most recent who wasn’t a big-time recruit was probably Washington County’s A.J. Gray, a mere three-star prospect in 2014. About a quarter of the time, it's a quarterback.
It’s happening: Reclassification
The GHSA will put its 465 member schools in their classifications and regions for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 academic years this fall. Nothing is set in stone, but the GHSA’s reclassification committee has endorsed maintaining the current structure, which means the Class 3A-A Private playoff division likely will remain. Expect the GHSA to adopt power ratings for all classifications instead of the current three and for those power ratings to supersede region finish except for region champions. And while only a cosmetic change, the GHSA plans to rename the seven classifications. Expect it to be 7A through A instead of 6A to A Division II. Details will be finalized in October.