Small-Town OL Players To Know

There’s nothing like high school football in rural Georgia. The small-town teams play as hard as anyone, and it’s because they play for their tight-knit community. For some in the area, high school football is a way of life. It’s all that matters on Friday nights. Too often small-town kids get overlooked due to not being noticed on a regular basis and playing in small towns each and every week. The talent is there, and there are plenty of young offensive line prospects in rural areas to keep an eye on this fall.   Elyjah Thurmon - Bradwell Institute - Class of 2024 He may be young, but the 14-year old from Hinesville has a very bright future ahead of him. He’s very athletic and has great flexibility for being so big and so young. The kid can really run. He’s a coachable kid who is already standing out in the weight room among the team. Thurmon squats nearly 400-pounds already and continues to improve his weight-training numbers weekly. He played JV basketball as an 8th grader and averaged over 15 points per game. He’s expected to start at one of the tackle spots for Bradwell Institute this fall as a freshman. The sky is the limit for this small-school stud over the next few years.   Khamari Solomon - Dutchtown - Class of 2022 A big 6-foot-5 280-pounder out of Hampton, Georgia, Solomon is a guy with great size and length. The potential is there, and Solomon has a chance to really step it up and have a big year. He’s got some good upper body strength and is mobile enough to get out and block someone at the next level. He’ll need to continue to develop his pass protection and continue to work on his overall mechanics, balance, and footwork, but he’s a hard-working kid who is very coachable and getting better by the day. He has the frame to transform his body a little more too, so while he may still be raw, it’s easy to see the upside in his game.   [player_tooltip player_id="37660" first="Christian" last="Cotton"] - Harris County - 2022 There’s a lot to like about the versatile 6-foot-5 330-pounder out of Harris County. He started at center last year as a sophomore, and he’ll now transition over to guard due to his big, barrel chest and quick feet. He does a good job of latching on to defenders and moving them with ease when run blocking. He’s also getting better with taking on interior pass rushers. The Covid-19 crisis has really hurt him on the recruiting trail, but once more FBS offensive line coaches find out about him, the offers are expected to roll in. He still has time to develop his body a little bit, but this strength and ability to move for his size really stands out.   [player_tooltip player_id="33728" first="Mason" last="Bundy"] - Fannin County - Class of 2021 One of the top lineman in all of north Georgia, Bundy is a native of Fannin County up in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Bundy is a mountain himself at 6-foot-6 280-pounds who has committed to play football at Liberty University. The rising senior has above-average length to go along with his tough, physical style of play. He does a great job of finishing his blocks and consistently drives his opponent backwards in the run game. He plays with good balance and his length really helps him out in pass protection. He racked up a ton of pancake blocks last year and is expected to be one of north Georgia’s top offensive linemen again as a senior.