Biggest Sack-Machines In South Georgia

Everyone knows how important it is to rush the passer in today’s era of high school football. Not only do edge defenders still need to set the edge in the run game and not allow running backs to get to the outside, but they have to be able to rush the passer as well. Even linebackers are asked to come down into the box and rush the passer more and more on obvious passing downs. Whether you’re a massive interior lineman or a quick speedy linebacker, players in the front 7 need to be able to get after the passer and record sacks if they want to help their defense be one of the best. Here are a few top pass rushers to know in South Georgia for the 2021 season... &nbsp; <strong>Kenwan Felton - Macon County</strong> Macon County has produced one of the NFL’s best current linebackers in Chicago Bears star Roquan Smith, and they have another pass-rushing machine currently on the roster in rising senior, Kenwan Felton. Unlike most pass-rushers, when Felton comes close to the QB, he finds a way to make the sack. The 6-foot-2 210-pounder totaled 16 sacks on the season and made just 12 QB hurries. So when he went after the QB, he usually got there. He’s not the biggest pass rusher in the area, but he was absolutely one of the most productive. He has a long, lean frame that helped him get around the tackle with ease. He’s quick off the ball, he uses his hands well to get off blocks, and he showed great pursuit of the QB. Look for him to lead the region in sacks once again as a senior this fall. &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="33882" first="Donelius" last="Johnson"] - Pierce County</strong> One of the more underrated defenders in South Georgia, Johnson is an athletic 6-foot-0 215-pounder who is an excellent tackler. He’s a multi-year starter who had an outstanding season as a sophomore in 2019 and backed it up with an even bigger junior season last fall. Johnson was one of the most reliable and productive defenders in the entire state last year as he made 113 tackles, 12 sacks, and 24 TFLs. He’s a strong kid who loves to put his shoulder into the ball-carrier or a potential block from a lineman. He gets off blocks with ease and can do it in a number of different ways. He’s extremely physical and uses more than his hands to get off initial blocks. He also shows great instincts and takes some really nice angles to the ball-carrier. IT’s not easy to tally over 100 tackles, but Johnson had no problem accomplishing that feat the last two years. Johnson holds offers from Akron, Troy, Rice, and Dartmouth. &nbsp; <strong>Jacquez McGowan - Valdosta</strong> The Valdosta Wildcats are one of the most historic programs in the entire country, so it's no surprise that they have one of the top pass-rushers in the entire southern half of the state. Another tackling machine with 107 total tackles on the season, McGowan proves that he can also get after the passer with his 11.5 sacks. He showed toughness, quickness, and natural instincts from his linebacker position all season and proved that he was one of the more productive linebackers in the region. The 6-foot-2 190-pounder was as reliable as it gets for the Wildcats this year and is expected to lead their defense once again to a big season in 2021. &nbsp;