Here are the Week 6 standouts from our weekend research. We have a brief write-up on each of the 12 athletes we selected, along with individual game footage from Hudl, when available.
Voting for the Player of the Week is directly underneath and ends Tuesday at 10 p.m. You can only vote once per hour! The winner will get a featured story on the website and a custom highlight video.
Aidan McPherson
SR Thomas Co. Central
Quarterback
Thomas County Central cemented itself as the #1 team in 6A last Friday in a 49-26 win over previously #2 Lee County. Senior Duke commit Aidan McPherson carried the offense, rushing for 271 yards and six touchdowns on 25 carries and completing 7 passes for 99 yards. This statement game sent reverberations across the state, and TCC can boldly claim to be the state’s #1 team. McPherson looks like a frontrunner to be the 6A player of the year, following Deuce Lawrence, the standout TCC RB who was voted Player of the Year in 2025 and is now making an impact at Wake Forest.
Xiquavian Teal
SR Cairo
Running Back
In a big 4A vs 3A matchup, Cairo was looking for answers. The team was only leading 7-0 at halftime against a program that won a state title in 2025. Xiquavian Teal, a 2027 running back, was a difference-maker, going for 237 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries to help beat Worth County 42-14.
Courey Bryan
SR Woodland-Stockbridge
Running Back
Woodland-Stockbridge enters our rankings for the first time in our 11 years. Coming off the heels of a 37-32 win over McDonough, the program is 5-0, and that’s largely behind the legs of the explosive SR RB Courey Bryan. The senior had 179 rushing yards, 29 carries and 2 touchdowns plus one reception for 52 yards, giving him a total of 231 yards. Bryan’s late carries controlled the clock and allowed the Wolfpack to run out the time.
Jae’Veon Williams
SR Pierce Co.
Running Back
The Pierce County senior is running the football on another level right now. Williams came into Week 6 with a two-game stretch of around 680 yards, but going up against Toombs County, who has the best defense in 3A, it was going to be hard to replicate. Well, the SR showed out again with 265 yards on 42 carries with a long of 78 yards that tied the game during the first half. Ultimately, Toombs County clamped down on the Pierce County offense, which did not complete a pass the entire game, but that actually makes the senior’s performance even more spectacular. According to my math, which is not the greatest, Williams has rushed for 948 yards and 12 touchdowns over the last three games. Williams leads the whole state in rushing with 1449 yards. With a 3.2 GPA, the senior back is the most prolific player with no major D1 offer in the state
Derrell Brown
SR Crisp Co.
Running Back
Crisp County senior has quietly had one of the best seasons of anyone in 3A. Brown helped his team to a blowout win against Landmark Christian, where he rushed for 210 yards and 5 touchdowns on just 19 carries. Talk about explosive. The senior averaged 10 yards per carry and one touchdown every 4 times he touched the football. Crisp beats Landmark Christian 63-7. The dynamic SR back has 970 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns on the season. Crisp County advances to 4-1 on the year and is currently ranked #9 in 3A. Brown just recently committed to Austin-Peay a week ago.
DeMarco Cody
FR Columbia
Athlete
The freshman who has every P4 team’s attention in the country is showing why on a weekly basis. Cody had three touchdowns on the night. The first was the opening kickoff, which went 79 yards for a score; then he returned an interception 97 yards, and then one more non-offensive score with a 56-yard fumble recovery returned. The electric freshman also recovered one more fumble and returned that for 25 yards. Three touchdowns, none of them coming on offense. The secret is out on Cody now. He’s one of the top 2030 prospects in the country, helping his team beat Cedar Grove 63-6, which is a wild score considering how much Cedar Grove dominated 3A just 5 years ago. The tide has turned, and Columbia is now the program loaded with P4 talent.
Kyle Johnson
SOPH Swainsboro
Running Back
Swainsboro sophomore Kyle Johnson had an impressive 236 rushing yards, 27 carries, and 5 touchdowns in a 42-13 win over East Laurens. The great performance is on the heels of a Vanderbilt visit, where Johnson earned his first P4 offer from the Commodores. The 5’11”, 205-pound back has impressive speed in the open field, burning East Laurens for several long runs, including a 58-yarder right up the middle. The sophomore figures to be a national recruit that will grab P4 programs’ interest across the country.
Jeremiah Scott
JR Johnson Co.
Running Back
Johnson County has another player make the top performers list this week with Jeremiah Scott joining the party. The junior helped beat Glascock County 61-22, rushing for 257 yards and four touchdowns on 9 carries, also catching a 30-yard pass and returning a kickoff 67 yards for a touchdown. The JoCo product has been a huge difference-maker for the undefeated program that is widely viewed as the #1 team in Class A. Scott has been a consistent offensive force for the program.
Rae’Shawn Clyde
SR Randolph Clay
Athlete
Randolph Clay continues their undefeated start with a 52-0 thumping of Kendrick. The Class A program is ranked for the first time since we started in 2015, and a portion of the credit goes to senior playmaker Rae’Shawn Clyde. The QB/ATH rushed for 145 yards and 3 touchdowns on 7 carries and completed 7 passes for 248 yards and four touchdowns. Clyde is a 6’1″, 187-pound athlete, powerful running between the tackles, keeping the pile moving for extra yards. He’s an excellent student with a 3.9 GPA and has a top speed of 4.52 in the 40.
Markyl Allen
JR Long County
Running Back
Junior running back Markyl Allen broke the single-game rushing record at the school after he put down 294 yards and 4 touchdowns in a tough 35-32 loss to Harlem. The long-striding junior back exploded into the open field and broke away for several long scores, blowing by the pursuit. Allen’s explosive acceleration is noteworthy and the type of breakaway speed we look for in D1-caliber prospects. This breakout game is an early indicator that college programs need to target Allen.
Alexander Baert
JR Towns County
Running Back
The Towns County junior back continued his great season last Friday, breaking his single-game rushing record at the school with a 349-yard rushing performance and scoring 3 touchdowns in a 26-20 win over SE Whitfield. Baert, who also plays off the edge on defense, forced a fumble that resulted in a defensive touchdown. Towns County gets the homecoming victory. Beart celebrates the great performance with a visit to Georgia State over the weekend. The junior back is quickly becoming a favorite over here at RG. He runs with the football like his hair is on fire, hitting his top speed and just creating space that few 2028 backs in this class show.
Kamden Patterson
JR Baldwin
Athlete
Baldwin’s Kamden Patterson makes the top performers list for the third time this season in just 6 weeks, and with good reason. Patterson completed 26 out of 28 passes for 558 yards and 6 touchdowns on offense while also tallying 4 tackles, 1 int, 1 sack, and 1 tackle for a loss on defense, helping his team to a 55-21 win over Westside-Macon. Patterson is proving to be among the most dynamic players in 4A and in the class of 2028. Georgia State offered earlier in September, but we suspect more colleges have the talented Baldwin JR on their recruiting board; the biggest question is what position they be targeting him for?
Bishop Dameron
SR Blessed Trinity
Linebacker
The Blessed Trinity needed a big game from the senior linebacker, and he delivered with 15 tackles, 13 solo, 1 sack, and 1 tackle for a loss in a 17-14 win against Marist. The big GPB Game of the Week, going up against a traditional running powerhouse in Marist, showcased Dameron’s high IQ and physicality to get off blocks and make defensive stops. Dameron has been on a tackling streak lately and on track for an All-State caliber season if he continues this level of production in big games.
Thomas Holland
SR Savannah Country Day
Athlete
The lone GIAA pick, Thomas Holland, and his Savannah Country Day team took down Bethesda Academy, who earlier this season beat powerhouse Savannah Christian, by a 20-16 score. Holland had 23 carries, 99 rushing yards on offense, and had 14 tackles with 3 for a loss on defense. The final score resulted from a late-game pick-six that was featured on the top 10 plays of the week. From an individual performance, Holland showed why he is one of the best two-way players in the GIAA and capable of impacting the game in multiple ways.
