Coach Ferrell’s Spring Preview: South GA QBs Ready To Take Off

In the past few years, Georgia has been recognized has a hot bed for elite Quarterbacks. Georgia High School football has had the luxury of watching the likes of Gainesville’s Deshaun Watson, Harrison’s Justin Fields, Cartersville’s Trevor Lawrence and Greater Atlanta Christian’s Davis Mills dominate and move on to college and the NFL. Even more recently, Harrison Bailey, Aaron Mclaughlin, and [player_tooltip player_id="33998" first="Thomas" last="Castellanos"] are dominate QBs who are now in the college ranks. The list goes on, and here are some of the top up and coming signal callers from South Georgia. &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="165716" first="Jake" last="Merklinger"] | 6’3’’ 190 lbs | Calvary Day High School | Class of 2024</strong> Merklinger is listed as the 5th ranked QB in the state. He was named Offensive Player of the Year, led Calvary Day to a Region Championship, and a 10-0 regular season record. The Calvary Day QB is just a sophomore, but is one of South Georgia’s leading returning passers with 2,513 yards, a 70% completion percentage, 25 touchdowns, and a passer rating of 117.2. He already has offers from Pitt, UCF, Louisville, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech. &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="325150" first="Jay" last="Kanazawa"] | 5’11’’ 185 lbs | Schley County High School | Class of 2024</strong> Kanazawa earned All Region 5- A First Team and Class A- Public All State Honorable Mention honors last season. He led the Wildcats to a 10-2 record and the 2nd round of the 1A Public State Playoffs. The Schley County sophomore threw for 2,478 yards, completed 152 out of 262 passing attempts for 58 percent, scored 27 touchdowns, threw only 8 interceptions, and finished with a Quarterback Rating of 111.5. &nbsp; <strong>Jamal Sanders | 5’7’’ 170 lbs | Brooks County High School | Class of 2023</strong> Sanders, an All State selection, was a key piece of the Brooks County offense that averaged close to 50 points per game, and finished 12-2 last season on their way to a 1A Public State Championship run. Sanders, a dual threat athlete, threw for 2,310 yards, completed 111 of his 183 passing attempts, had a 61% completion percentage, threw for 28 touchdowns, had only 6 interceptions, and finished with a passer rating of 130.6. &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="325151" first="Neko" last="Fann"] | 6’ 165 lbs | Colquitt County High School | Class of 2024</strong> Fann was named All Region 1-7A First Team, led Colquitt to an 8-3 season, and a 1st round playoff appearance. Typically, a winning record and playoff appearance is a decent season for most programs, but Colquitt’s dominant history in the state playoffs has the Packers faithful looking for more. Fortunately, the young QBs’ production provides a bright spot for the Packers’ future. He threw for 2104 yards, completed 59 percent of his passes, scored 29 touchdowns, only had 5 interceptions, and had a QBR of 122. &nbsp; <strong>Jah’Marion "Bo" Smith | 5’10’’ 175 lbs | Bainbridge High School | Class of 2023</strong> Bo powered the Bearcats to a 9-4 season that included an 8 game winning streak, where they averaged over 35 points per game, and a State Quarter Final Playoff appearance. He passed for 2,087 yards, completed 52 percent of his passes by connecting on 128 of his 248 attempts, threw for 22 touchdowns, had only 6 interceptions, and finished with a Quarterback Rating of 99.6. &nbsp; <strong>Matthew Bruce | 5’10’’ 180 lbs | Veterans High School | Class of 2023</strong> Bruce was one of the more dynamic dual threat passers in the state for Class 5A. He threw for 2,000 passing yards, completed 134 passes out of 230 attempts for a completion percentage of 58, scored 10 passing touchdowns, and finished with a Quarterback passing rating of 81.4. The Veterans HS junior also rushed for 510 yards, averaged 5.5 per carry on 93 attempts, and scored 5 rushing touchdowns.