Bacon County’s Santiago Bizzell finishes the regular season as one of Class A DI’s major surprises. The explosive 6’2″ two-way player had 897 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on offense, which ranks him 3rd in the whole classification, and on defense, Bizzell has 30 tackles and 5 interceptions.
During Week 12 against Brantley County, Bizzell made another impressive catch on offense. The football was thrown from midfield, lofted deep down the left sideline, where Bizzell acrobatically adjusted around a high safety, tipping and juggling it before firmly controlling the ball as he fell to the ground just outside the end zone.
Bizzell’s great play earned him a spot in the top 10 plays of the week, where he was voted the #3 play of the week for his efforts.
“In the regular season, we had some ups and downs, but we pushed through it and got better. I want to achieve the first playoff win for Bacon County football in a long time,” Bizzell said.
Bacon County will face off against Swainsboro on Friday night in the first round of the GHSA playoffs, where they will lean on their talented multi-sport star to pull off the upset. No doubt, when you watch the senior move on the field, you see fragments of the other sports he plays. Just from the great catch he made last week, you can tell Bizzell is a well-rounded athlete.
“I feel like the advantages of my playing basketball, baseball, and football give me more versatility because each sport requires a different level of abilities. For instance, jumping is a big thing in basketball, for me especially, and helps me make difficult catches in the game, while eyes, mental, and quickness for baseball. That helps me track the ball down, and plays a really big part in my football game, helping me track the football in the air better than most,” Bizzell said.
We always look for multi-sport athletes. There is a competitive streak to someone who wants to excel at multiple sports that is hard to quantify, plus the experience produces a well-rounded game, sharpening hand-eye coordination.
With an impressive regular season, Bizzell should be hearing from college programs at this point.
“As of right now, the recruiting process is a little slow, but we are getting somewhere. The big thing is just sending my film out and getting college coaches to react and take a chance on me. Recently took a visit up north to Georgia Tech, and as of right now, November 15th, I will be down in Tallahassee to visit FSU,” he said.
The word is getting out soon enough. Bizzell’s emergence this season will throw a wrench into recruiting boards, but with the looming transfer portal upcoming, it’s easy to get lost in the recruiting sauce. That’s today’s college football recruiting climate, but when an athletic player like Bizzell emerges, D1 schools need to wake up.
We don’t call them sleepers for no reason, and with a 4.0 GPA to boot, we believe that Bizzell remains a true hidden gem in the class of ’26. Be sure to follow @RecruitGeorgia on Twitter/X to hear the latest on the senior and athletes across the state of Georgia.
