2024 North GA Spring Breakout Team

The northern section of the state might not have the talent per capita that the Atlanta area has, but there is still plenty of future CFB talent floating around. Here are some of the players this spring that took their game to another level.    [player_tooltip player_id='1080831' first='Javin' last='Gordon'] has produced since his freshman season and has finally started to emerge onto the P4 radar as a rising senior. Gordon plays with a stout, strong 5'10 200 frame, possessing the muscle profile and play strength desired in P4 RBs. He is a one-cut style runner, making subtle explosive movements to blast through openings and jump across the face of defenders. Between the tackles, he can sink on his hips and make himself skinny to squeeze out to the second level. He maintains his breakaway speed as he trots down the field, distancing himself from defenders and rarely getting caught from behind. Gordon shows enough as a returner and as a pass catcher to iron out a role on every down. Gordon is well-rounded and should find himself on the field at a P4 program if he can adjust to the speed at that level.     [player_tooltip player_id='1319901' first='Chase' last='Tatum'] has raised his stock more than any TE in the state this spring. Hovering around 6'4 235, Tatum is naturally strong and plays with more than functional play strength at TE. He can wipe out defenders as a blocker and possesses the speed to caravan RBs out of the backfield in the open field. He has reliable hands as a pass catcher, settling down in soft spots and using his size to protect his catch point. After the catch, most of his damage will be down as he creates momentum downfield, where his large frame will be harder for most DBs to bring down. Tatum is also a standout baseball player.     Ian Williams is a thin, athletic 6'0 185 with plenty of physical development ahead of him. Williams plays mostly safety, where he is both willing and capable of coming downhill to support the run. He closes to the football in a hurry, and arrives by striking with good pad level. He is super fluid in his lower body, which allows him to roam centerfield efficiently and track the football. He has the instincts to produce takeaways, making acrobatic plays around the football. Williams has high physical upside, but his instincts will carry the most intrigue around his game.     Tinerious Stallings is one of the more electric players in the state with the ball in his hands, and he is rightfully picking up momentum on the recruiting trail. Stallings is perhaps the best return man in the state, frequently housing kickoffs and utilizing his excellent mobility to dance around defenders. He has the breakaway speed to pull away from defenders, but his start, stop, and change of direction are on another level. He uses the defenders' momentum against them, pausing his pursuit to the endzone to jump into a different running lane. He is difficult to catch from behind and is nearly impossible to get a hand on in a 1v1 in the open field. He projects as a productive slot WR at the college level who can yield a lot of targets and find the field early on special teams.     Logan Stokes is a big, strong two-way player with FCS offers under his belt after this spring. Stokes spends a lot of time at TE, where he can physically manipulate defenders as a blocker and drag bodies to the endzone once he gets going downhill. However, he might be asked to play DE at the next level, where he possesses the play strength needed to set the edge and dent the pocket. For a bigger guy, he also offers good backside pursuit skills and closes to the football in a hurry.     [player_tooltip player_id='1566964' first='Zayden' last='Cook'] is a verified track athlete who picked up his first D1 offer this spring from Wofford. Cook takes most reps at RB, where he relies on his vertical speed to quickly explode through openings and find open field. His track speed is on full display, carrying away from defenders with each stride and maintaining enough speed to prevent being caught from behind. He isn't a bruiser, but he puts his head down and drives through contact, which allows him to bounce off a few defenders and tack on some physical yards at the end of each run.     Braxton Ryan is a stout IOL prospect with a handful of small school offers under his belt. He should stick at OG due to his stout 6'4 315 frame. His play strength is off the charts, cleaning house in the gaps and instantly knocking defenders off the ball. To go along with his strength, he plays with good leverage and strikes with good pad level, lifting through the chest of defenders to drive them onto their heels and get them moving backward. Ryan is hard to move and does plenty of moving himself.     Most recent in-person eval of Faulkner:   "Faulkner is a fleet-footed 6'2 185 that skates around the field. Faulkner got reps at essentially every skill position at practice, but he will play WR in college. With the ball in his hands, he can float past defenders and make subtle lateral movements to get defenders off-platform. His leaping ability is off the charts, frequently rising above defenders and plucking it at its highest point. Once he adds more twitch and explosiveness, he could develop into a P4 difference-maker in just a few years. Faulkner has 23 MPH GPS speed and is a multi-sport athlete."   Since then, Faulkner has added his first P4 offer from Georgia Tech.

The northern section of the state might not have the talent per capita that the Atlanta area has, but there is still plenty of future CFB talent floating around. Here are some of the players this spring that took their game to another level.