Official GMSAA 6th Grade FBU National Championship Preview

<strong>Get Familiar: </strong>For the first time in the history of the FBU National Championship tournament, the Georgia Middle School Athletic Association (GMSAA) was able to climb the top and win the National Championship on the 6^th grade level. Those athletes have now moved on to the 7^th grade level, and it's time for this current group of 6^th graders to leave their legacy. Will they continue the trend of their newly found success? Time will tell. <strong>How they'll light it up: </strong>The offense will be a balanced one, as the coaches talked about having to be prepared for all types of weather before making the trip down to Naples. Expect to see a good amount of spread offense in order to let their playmakers be stars. However, the staff said that if weather or playing style dictated it, they put together a team of maulers up front that “will make it nasty up front, if people want to get nasty with us.” <strong>How they'll shut it down: </strong>Expect GMSAA 6^th to come out in a 4-3 base and rolling two over top. They are ecstatic about their linebackers and the play they'll be getting from the secondary. Coaches feel they're defensive backs play at high enough level that they can go man-to-man and dare people to beat them deep. Up front they are confident in their depth and will have a healthy rotation to keep the guys fresh. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Mount Rushmore</strong></span> <strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-224072 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/CJCypher2028-copy-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />CJ Cypher | Quarterback</strong> I'm on record saying this is the best 6^th grade quarterback I've seen since Trevor Lawrence and Cypher has done nothing to make me walk that comment back. GMSAA head coach Leon Pickett said he has coached [player_tooltip player_id="33915" first="Tyler" last="Hughes"] (c/o '22 committed to Southern) and Chase McCravy (c/o '24, FBU Freshman All-American) and said Cypher is as good or better than they were at this level. <strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-217366 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/GavinHammett2028-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Gavin Hammet | Wide Receiver</strong> At a below 6-foot-1 and 150 pounds, Hammet was a standout at the tryout we attended in early October. He is physically dominant and towers over every corner that try's to match up with him. Coaches raved about one play in particular at a recent practice where Cypher threw a go route and Hammet brought it down with one hand. He has the type of ability that is drawing comparisons to former 4-star and Georgia Bulldog (now at Old Dominion), Trey Blount. <strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-231363 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/11/DemetriusCarter-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Demetrius Carter | Defensive Line</strong> If you have a nickname like “Meaty” you better be able to play like it, and coaches say Carter more than earns the name. Listed at 5-foot-7 and 210 pounds, the stout interior defensive tackle has better feet than most linebackers do at this level. He spent the past two seasons playing for the Red Dawg Unit (RDU) and while he may be under the radar a bit right now, expect a big tournament out of him. <strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-231364 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/11/TraceHawkins2028-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Trace Hawkins | Quarterback/Athlete</strong> Could hear the smile through the phone of the coaches when I brought up Hawkins. He is unanimously loved by coaches and players alike for that he brings to the table. One of the most athletic kids on the team, he is a natural quarterback but will also see time at receiver for this GMSAA 6^th grade squad. His coordination and ability to create plays with the ball in his hands is special. Hawkins also checks all the boxed in terms of intangibles and attitude he shows up with each day. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Offensive Ballers To Know</strong></span> <ul style="list-style-type: square;"> <li>RJ Brown | Offensive Line</li> <li>Weston Sturdivant | Offensive line</li> <li>Aiden Oprie | Wide Receiver</li> <li>Justin Spivey | Running Back</li> <li>Noah Cagle | Offensive Line</li> </ul> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Defensive Ballers To Know</strong></span> <ul style="list-style-type: square;"> <li>Mykahle Davis | Defensive End</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="206566" first="Kaiden" last="Kent"] | Defensive Back</li> <li>Kylen Pope | Defensive End</li> <li>Braylon Williams | Defensive Back</li> <li>Isaiah Nalls | Defensive Back</li> <li>Cooper Melvin | Linebacker</li> </ul>