Jefferson looks to rebuild offense after runner-up finish in 2024

Jefferson came one game short of the ultimate prize last season.

For some, this came as a surprise after some uninspiring games early in the season – losses to eventual Class 4A finalists North Oconee and Marist.

With a quarterback battle underway, lots of graduate firepower on offense and a household name on defense who’s only a junior, Jefferson is banking on internal growth this season.

Coach Travis Noland knew he had a special team in 2024 despite graduating the AJC’s all-class player of the year, Sammy Brown, to Clemson from a team that reached the Class 5A semifinals the season before. The Dragons returned quarterback Gavin Markey, who had 24 passing touchdowns as a junior. He followed that up with over 3,200 combined rushing and passing yards and 40 total touchdowns in his senior year, earning first-team all-state. Markey is now playing at Florida State.

“You don't replace great players like that,” Noland said. “Gavin was such an integral part of everything we did last year, but you know, when you lose a great player, it also creates the opportunity for other players.”

Now, there seems to be a quarterback battle between senior Colton Grant and junior Boone Horn. Noland says whoever the guy is under center against powerhouse Marist on Aug. 15 may not be Markey, but he’ll be ready.

To whom the quarterback will be throwing, that’s a different question.

Wide receiver Dalton Dye is the lone returning starting skill player on offense. He had 29 receptions for 465 yards and five touchdowns and returned a punt for a touchdown.

Electric player, no doubt, but the Dragons will need more than that to return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. No other returning player scored a touchdown last season.

Running back Dallas Russell, a three-time state champion wrestler, was expected to be back after racking up nearly 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. But after committing to Oklahoma to wrestle, he may skip his senior football season altogether.

“We don't have a tailback that played, we don't have a fullback that played, we don't have very many wideouts that played, and (we have) a quarterback that has not played very much,” Noland said.

Upfront, the team has three returning starters, and that’s where Noland believes he can gain the early advantage against his opponents. Tackle Mikey Pauley, a senior, has been the biggest surprise for the coaches this offseason. This time last year, Pauley was 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds. Now, he’s over 6-4 and weighs 275.

On defense is where you’ll find a household name, junior Max Brown. Like his brother Sammy, a former AJC Super 11 player now at Clemson, Max plays linebacker and has committed to play for Clemson. Noland says Max has added 15 pounds this offseason while increasing his speed, a difficult thing to do.

Brown ran an 11.7-second 100-meter dash at the end of his freshman year. This past spring, Max got that number down to 11.1 seconds.

“He's a pretty tenacious player,” Noland said, “like he's got a side to him, but Sammy was a very consistent, very non-emotional, kind of player. Max is a very emotional, very tenacious type of player.”

Along with Brown is the senior leader, Chance Payne. Noland says Payne, a Minnesota commit, is a guy that he’s really proud of. He said just a year ago, Payne had no offers and no one knew his name. Noland calls him a “self-made” player.

“He's a good player that's assumed a lot of leadership roles,” Noland said. “He plays the way that he works. He's very consistent, (and he’s) very serious about what he does (as a) worker.”

Noland’s ultimate goal is to lead his team to a state championship victory, something done only once in Jefferson history.

The Dragons’ first and only title came under Georgia Sports Hall of Fame coach T. McFerrin in 2012. Jefferson went 14-1, beating No. 1-ranked Calhoun 31-14, in his final game as a head coach.

Coach McFerrin passed away earlier this month, at age 83. He left a legacy across the entire state as the only coach to win region titles at seven schools.

Noland was hired to Jefferson in 2022 by coach McFerrin’s son Rob McFerrin when McFerrin was still the principal at Jefferson.

“He was such a special guy,” Noland said of T. McFerrin. “Coach McFerrin and that family have a lot to do with me being here, and I'm very grateful to both of them (McFerrin and his son). It's such a loss, but wow, what a life and career. He'll be remembered here for a long, long time.”

McFerrin’s picture still hangs in the fieldhouse — the lone coach to bring a title to Jefferson. Noland is working to be the next.