Georgia football: Two future Dawgs will compete for state titles
Georgia football might not have a game until New Year’s Eve, but there is plenty of football happening across the Peach State as several high schools will be competing for the GHSA state championship in classes 1-7A this weekend.
The games will take place at the Georgia State University football stadium in Atlanta. If you aren’t familiar with their stadium, it was once the 1996 Olympic Stadium and Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves from 1997-2016.
Several college coaches and recruiters attend these games to scout players and visit with recruits who will be playing.
Head coach Kirby Smart himself attended the 2018 5A title game to see Bainbridge, his alma mater, defeat Warner Robins in what turned out to be an instant classic. It is an excellent opportunity to watch prospects perform on a big stage and evaluate their ability to perform when the pressure to win is at an all-time high.
It’s state championship week, and these two Georgia football recruits will get a shot at taking home some hardware.
For the Dawgs, two prominent recruits in the 2022 class will be on the field for two different games — Cole Speer and Carlton Madden. They hope to bring some bling with them before they head to Athens to compete for more championships.
Speer is the more well-known of the two recruits. If you like speed, you’ll love this guy next season.
Speer is a 6-1, 185-pound three-star receiver from Calhoun. On Saturday, his Yellow Jackets will take on the Warner Robins Demons in the 5A state championship game. The kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. ET, and streaming services are available.
He is a three-sport athlete as Speer competes in football, basketball, and track. Speer won the 2021 Region 7-5A Player of the Year award in November.
He is well-beloved by his teammates, and Calhoun quarterback Christian Lewis even called him a “generational athlete.”
During the summer, he ran a 4.38 40-yard dash. Smart and Monken caught wind of this and knew they needed this guy on the team.
Speer is essentially a carbon copy of current Bulldog wideout Ladd McConkey. Both have the same skill set, speed, and route-running ability. It will be fun to see these two burn defensive backs together for the next couple of years.
On the defensive side of the ball, Carlton Madden will be looking to help his Cedar Grove Saints defeat Carver-Atlanta for the 3A state title on Saturday at noon.
Madden is 6-3, 239-pounds and played both offense and defense in high school. He excelled at the defensive end position, however. He is very strong, and he possesses excellent play awareness of determining where the ball is to attack the play.
He was once committed to Colorado but decommitted earlier this year when he received offers to bigger schools such as Georgia and Ole Miss.
He compares well to former Georgia edge rusher and current New York Giant Azeez Ojulari. Ojulari racked up 15 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss in his three years at Georgia.
Next. Georgia football deservedly racks up awards for this historic year. dark
We wish both of these future Dawgs success in their state title games, and we look forward to seeing them display their talent in the Red and Black next season.