State's premier running backs setting school standards
GHSF Daily’s rollout of the Georgia Power 100 continues today with running backs. The Georgia Power 100 is chosen primarily on high school production, though college potential is considered.
*Carsyn Baker, Hughes: Baker (6-0, 200) rushed for 1,282 yards and 13 touchdowns on 145 carries as a junior for the Class 5A runner-up. He rushed for 136 yards and three touchdowns in the state final, a 56-35 loss to Milton. He has 2,204 career rushing yards on 8.9 yards per carry. He has a personal-best 10.61 seconds in the 100 meters. A top-200 national recruit, Baker is the highest-rated Hughes running back in history. He committed to Florida in June.
*Jerry “Andrew” Beard II, Prince Avenue Christian: Beard (5-9, 190) is a top-200 national recruit among juniors. He is the highest-rated Prince Avenue running back in history and third-highest Prince prospect overall behind Brock Vandagriff and Christian Garrett. He rushed for 1,937 yards and 21 touchdowns on 222 carries as a sophomore and was the GHSF Daily/AJC Class 3A-A Private Offensive Player of the Year and Region 8-2A’s Player of the Year. He ran for 361 yards in a playoff quarterfinal against Calvary Day but played injured in the final against Hebron Christian and was held to 7 yards on five carries. A nephew of former NFL and Georgia star Garrison Hearst, Beard played at Lincoln County as a freshman, primarily as a safety, and had 47 solo tackles and two interceptions.
*Bryian Duncan Jr., Cairo: Duncan rushed for 1,795 yards and 20 touchdowns on 164 carries (10.9 ypc) despite being lost for the season after an injury in the ninth game. He accounted for 56% of the Syrupmakers’ yards from scrimmage despite missing the final two games. He was the Region 1-3A Athlete of the Year. Cairo finished 6-5. Duncan (5-9, 160) has six offers, one from Mississippi State.
*Quinterrius "Moonie" Gipson, Kell: Gipson (5-10, 200) is the consensus No. 10 junior running back nationally and the third-highest-rated Kell prospect in history behind former NFL player Jonathan Dwyer and current teammate Brayden Rouse. Gipson rushed for 1,683 yards and 17 touchdowns and had 16 receptions for 222 yards and four touchdowns last season for a 7-5 Class 4A team. He was the Region 6-4A Offensive Player of the Year and was first-team AJC all-state. Gipson has more than 30 offers.
*C.J. Givers, Fellowship Christian: Givers rushed for 1,402 yards on 151 carries last season and broke 1,000 yards for the third consecutive season. He has more than 4,000 yards rushing for his career. He was first-team GACA all-state and honorable-mention GHSF Daily/AJC all-state last season and was the Region 5-A Division I Offensive Player of the Year. Givers is the highest-rated Fellowship Christian running back in history and second-highest prospect overall behind offensive lineman Josh Petty, a Georgia Tech freshman. The consensus No. 31 senior RB prospect nationally, Givers committed to Duke in June.
*Jae Lamar, Colquitt County: Lamar, the state’s highest-rated senior RB prospect, rushed for 885 yards and 11 touchdowns on 112 carries last season on an 8-4 Class 6A team. Lamar (6-0, 205) had almost no varsity experience until then but possessed elite speed. (His X profile reports a 22.7 mph GPS reading and 4.36 seconds in the 40-yard dash.) Rated the consensus No. 11 senior RB prospect nationally, Lamar is the third-highest-rated Colquitt County prospect this century behind wide receiver Ny Carr (signed with Miami in 2024) and linebacker J.J. Peterson (Tennessee in 2018). Lamar committed to Georgia in June.
*Amari Latimer, Sandy Creek: Latimer (6-0, 215) is the fourth Sandy Creek running back this century to be rated a top-300 national prospect. The others from Sandy Creek are J.R. Lemon (2001), Rajion Neal (2010) and Eric Swinney (2015). That’s the most of any Georgia school. (Only 48 Georgia schools even have one.) Latimer was the Region 2-3A co-Offensive Player of the Year and honorable-mention GHSF Daily/AJC all-state after he rushed for 1,113 yards and 15 touchdowns and caught 27 passes for 379 yards and four touchdowns for a 10-2 Class 3A team. Latimer committed to Wisconsin in June.
*Will Rajecki, Sequoyah: Rajecki (6-0, 200) had more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage last season with 1,541 rushing on 265 carries and 578 receiving on 38 catches. He scored 26 touchdowns. His 11-2 Class 5A team defeated top-10 opponents Gainesville and Woodward Academy in the playoffs. Rajecki rushed for 209 and 182 yards with six touchdowns in those two games. Rajecki is a grandson of Peter Rajecki, known as the “Bootin’ Teuton,” the German-born kicker on Georgia’s 1968 SEC championship team. Will Rajecki committed to Memphis in June.
*Brayden Tyson, Brookwood: Tyson (6-1, 235) rushed for a school-record 2,123 yards and 26 touchdowns on 209 carries in 11 games last season and made first-team GHSF Daily/AJC all-state. He was the Region 7-6A Offensive Player of the Year. He is Brookwood’s highest-rated running back in history and third-highest-rated prospect this century behind Matthew Hill (2018 Auburn signee) and QB Dylan Lonergan (Alabama 2023). He has about 40 offers. Tyson’s father is DeAngelo Tyson, a former NFL and Georgia player who was an AJC Super 11 pick from Statesboro in 2007.
*Jonaz Walton, Central (Carrollton): Walton (5-10, 215) has surpassed 1,300 yards rushing in each of his three varsity seasons for a total of 4,714 with 56 rushing touchdowns. In 2024, his rushing total was down to 1,387, but he was more versatile with his 39 receptions for 646 yards and four touchdowns for a 9-3 Class 4A team. He made first-team GHSF Daily/AJC all-state. He has run a 10.6-second 100 meters and thrown the shot put 47 feet, 9.5 inches. He has a max squat of 600 pounds. Walton, the consensus No. 10 senior RB prospect nationally, is Central’s highest-rated prospect this century, surpassing the school’s only other top-200 national prospect, Vicari Swain, from the 2023 class. Walton committed to Notre Dame in May.