Walton faced off against North Clayton in a Week 2 matchup in Raider Valley, where they won 42-7. Some might coin this matchup the ‘Burnett Bowl,’ with brothers Cap Burnett, the head coach at North Clayton, and Morgan Burnett, the DB coach at Walton, both legendary players at North Clayton; then Morgan’s son, Walton SR, MJ Burnett, is also in the fold. Beyond the family ties, both teams are top 15 programs in their respective classification (7A & 4A), so this matchup served some level of intrigue, despite the difference in school sizes.
At Walton, they are headlined by Georgia Tech commit MJ Burnett. He was all over the field during the first half, getting 3 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, and a near-interception opportunity. Unfortunately, like last season’s Corky Kell game, Burnett suffered an unlucky ankle roll after receiving a personal foul targeting on a back end zone attempted catch. Burnett’s insane length was on full display during this play, and while editing, you can see a reach that almost no other safety prospect in this 2027 class can reach. While there are differences, there are also similarities to scouting NFL star and former Marist alum, Kyle Hamilton, back in the day.
Now, the Peacock brothers. First, Jordan Peacock, the 2029 WR, looks like one of the best you’ll find in the country. Great acceleration out of his release, extremely smooth route running, and elite ball skills. The pass caught pinned against the DB’s helmet was one of the best of the week, potentially the season even. Later in the game, he jumps up for an errantly high pass on the sideline where he absolutely flies to make the catch. Insane reactions and leaping ability. Unfortunately, he was also injured on this play, but he walked off. Christion Peacock had a solid game throwing for 304 yards, but had a few passes where he is just too high. This led to a 55.6% completion %. Peacock is a quick-twitch passer who can move around in the pocket, and you have to like how he got outside the pocket a few times and ran the ball. The JR makes tough throws off platform. His first deep ball in the game was a perfect dime 50 yards down the field on the run where it hit the receiver in stride, but it was dropped. Peacock rushed for 27 yards on three carries; there are more opportunities as a runner, and as the season goes along, Walton will probably take advantage of his wheels.
The offensive star of the night was Ayden Opore, who, at 6’4″, looks every bit ready to play at the highest level of college football. The 2028 receiver was simply too large, shielding North Clayton’s DBs away from the football, making many catches no contest despite the DB being nearby. Opore got out into the open field a few times, almost scoring off a screen pass that went for 48 yards, but was tripped up. Opore finishes the night for 158 yards, 8 catches, and one touchdown. Big 6’7″ NC State TE CJ Jordan wasn’t much of a target, aside from catching the game’s first touchdown on a 3-yard pass in the back corner of the end zone. One aspect of his game that stood out was the pass blocking, which he showed good effort and remained engaged while moving his feet. Given his size, you like to see this type of commitment for a young TE with an NFL frame.
Junior DB Tomi Abimbola had a really solid game, landing an interception and making a few nice plays in space. At 6’1″ and 180 lbs, I can see more FBS programs joining UCONN, Toledo, and Miami of Ohio soon. This young man plays with good instincts and does a great job of reading the QB’s eyes, which is something you see honestly from the whole DB group at Walton. SR safety Garrison Muller is another great example of a smart football player, who had 5 tackles and was on the spot, recovering a fumble, then returning it for a score, putting the game completely to rest in the 3rd quarter.
Moving over to North Clayton, and immediately the attention goes to Georgia State QB commit Justin Murphy. The do-it-all QB had his work cut out against a 7A front seven that was ready for redemption after a Week 1 loss against Roswell, where they struggled against a dual threat. Murphy didn’t have much time to throw, but managed to elude defenders and make tough passes that were on the mark. He finished with 76 yards passing and 57 yards rushing, plus a score. Murphy chose Georgia State over several big P4 offers, and will look to be an impact player for the Panthers.
JR Dre’Von Glass was impressive. The speedy #4 in the highlight video above was a big play waiting to happen, and everyone on the Walton defense struggled to tackle him in 1v1 situations. Glass immediately pops. The top-end acceleration to jump upfield led to two carries for 53 yards, four receptions for 91 receiving yards, and several returns where he weaved around the coverage for nice chunks. Glass had over 200 all-purpose yards on the night. At 5’9″ and a slighter frame, Glass will have to continue to show this level of production throughout the season, but early impressions is Glass can play FBS ball. Looks like 170-180 lbs. is well in reason.
North Clayton SR DeAnthony Grooms might be a villain for the Walton faithful after the hit he delivered to the aforementioned MJ Burnett, but from a scouting perspective, the 6’4″ safety prospect does show good upside. First, the propensity to deliver big hits, which he also did clearing Christion Peacock early in the game at the goal line. He was hustling all over the field; he really accelerates to the football. That said, we’d like to see him focus more on getting lower with his attempts. The same impact would be more effective (and legal) at the midsection rather than at shoulder level.
Although the defensive stats are not available, North Clayton junior linebacker Javion Johnson led the team in tackles. The 5’11”, 222-lb. linebacker was all over the field, chasing down ball carriers. Love how hard he plays. Very clean, solid, fundamentally sound tackles where he drives his legs through the ball carrier. Johnson is a grinder on the field. Played his rear end off until the final whistle; this type of attitude is infectious. He’s going to be a really valuable player for North Clayton this season.
Overall, both teams showed a lot of good, but also much more they need to work on. For both teams, getting snaps down might be the #1 priority in practice. That plagued both teams throughout the night, which was edited mostly from the game footage above.
Regardless, you can see the talent in both programs, and how they will be competitive teams that make it to the quarterfinals or beyond in their respective classifications, depending on how the ball bounces.
