10 CSRA Legacies That Shaped 2026 Rankings

The CSRA region is tucked away on the left side of the state, mainly near the Georgia state line and away from the big Class 5A schools. In fact, there are no 5A schools and only a handful of 4A schools in this zone. It's predominately made up of Class 3A, 2A and A schools but that hasn't stopped it from producing high quality football players over the years.   That's no different for the 2026 Class. There's quality depth up and down this list. The CSRA produced two state champions this past season in Strom Thurmond (Class 2A) and Bamberg-Ehrhardt (Class A). Here is a look at 10 players that made impacts not only this season but over the course of their careers as well.    [player_tooltip player_id='402503' first='Mike' last='Doe'] RB and [player_tooltip player_id='1251916' first='Malcolm' last='Gaston'] OL, North Augusta   We had the opportunity to see these two players more than once in their career and they never disappointed us. Doe had his senior season cut short due to an injury, but he was magical before that. Our last in person glimpse of Doe came in a loss at Gray Collegiate but he put on a show that night. He finished that game with 329 yards on 30 attempts. He had 252 yards on 21 carries at the half and might have flirted with the 400-yard mark if the Yellow Jackets didn't have to throw the ball to play catch up. Someone had to be providing running room up front and Gaston did just that. The Shrine Bowl selection stands 6-foot-4, 340 pounds and is an opposing figure no matter where he lines up. He bullies defenders and was great in the run and passing game for the Yellow Jackets. His presence is going to be missed.   [player_tooltip player_id='816740' first='Marcus' last='Cann'] ATH and [player_tooltip player_id='1196428' first='Jalen' last='McGraw'] LB/RB, Bamberg-Ehrhardt   All these two seniors did was help lead the Red Raiders to their first state championship in 35 years. Both rushed for over 1,000 yards and averaged over 13 yards per carry. Cann battled the injury bug late but that didn't stop him from having 1,053 yards and 16 touchdowns while McGraw ran for 1,238 yards and 12 touchdowns. Cann was mostly an offensive standout, but he did add an interception on defense. McGraw on the other hand excelled on both sides of the ball. He finished with 86 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception. Given what they meant to the Bamberg-Ehrhardt program over the last several seasons, Coach Corey Crosby is going to have to search high and low to find replacements for this type of production.   [player_tooltip player_id='617663' first='Kaleb' last='Simpkins'] DB/WR, Strom Thurmond   Simpkins was another two-way standout that made this list. He capped a fantastic career with three catches for 107 yards; two tackles and a 62-yard fumble return that set up the Rebels first touchdown in the championship game. He scored on a 55-yard TD catch as well. That capped a season in which he had a team-best 797 yards receiving on 37 catches to go along with 18 tackles and two interceptions. His impact went deeper than the numbers though. He was a team leader that had the respect of the locker room, and he rarely came off the field. He made plays, always provided a guiding hand to the younger players and was an all-around great teammate.   [player_tooltip player_id='816739' first='Rayfield' last='Bell'] DL, Wagener-Salley   The War Eagles finished the season with a 5-7 record with a second-round playoff exit but that didn't stop Bell from racking up huge numbers. The 6-foot, 230-pounder was slightly undersized, but he utilized his talents to the maximum. He had 56 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 20 quarterback hurries, six sacks, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and three passes defended. He has a quick first move that he used well at the point of attack. He mostly came off the edge and that allowed him to get into the backfield before some tackles had a chance to get a hand on him.   [player_tooltip player_id='1395064' first='Messiah' last='McFadden'] LB/WR, Blackville-Hilda   It would be easy to call McFadden a jack-of-all-trades. Offensively, he can line up out wide or as a tight end and put his hand in the dirt to block or create mismatches in the secondary. He lined up in the backfield several times and even threw a few passes this past season. On defense, he came off the edge quick and made plays at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield with ease. He's 6-foot-4 and a lean 175 pounds so quickness was one of his strengths. But he also had enough moxie defensively that he could engage against blockers and still find a way to be involved in the play.   [player_tooltip player_id='1506464' first='Charles' last='Richardson'] DB, Midland Valley   Richardson was a big-time hitter that came downhill quickly and delivered a big blow whenever given the chance. He played safety and his biggest strength was providing support in the run game defense. Richardson was the Mustangs second leading tackler with 102 stops and 16 tackles for loss on the season, which was also second on the team. He had the ability to read and react that helped him come up to offer support. But he also was a solid coverage defender and more than held his own against receivers that came across the middle.   [player_tooltip player_id='1592558' first='Jabarius' last='Brunson'] LB, Ridge Spring-Monetta   Brunson was a tackling machine that finished with over 10 tackles per game for the Trojans. He has 93 tackles in nine games and added 18.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, an interception and two fumble recoveries. He even found time to carry the ball 11 times for 71 yards and a touchdown. But his calling card was on defense, and he made a point to let everyone know it. He usually arrived at the ball-carrier in a bad mood and wanted to make an impact with every tackle. He covered sideline-to-sideline and had the ability to adjust quickly that allowed him to make plays in a few different ways.       [player_tooltip player_id='1817436' first='Nehemiah' last='Brown'] RB/ATH, Barnwell   Let's face it – the Warhorses were ravaged by injuries one season after reaching the Class 2A state championship game. They limped home with a 4-7 record, but it would have been a lot worse without the contributions of Brown. He carried a lot of the load offensively, accounting for 149 of the 376 total rushing attempts and 861 of the 2,147 total rushing yards. He scored a team-best eight touchdowns as well. He also played linebacker and in the secondary to give Barnwell a steady force on that side of the ball. Brown turned into a workhorse when at the beginning of the season it looked like he would have plenty of help. But he filled a lot of holes on both sides of the ball.

The CSRA region is tucked away on the left side of the state, mainly near the Georgia state line and away from the big Class 5A schools. In fact, there are no 5A schools and only a handful of 4A schools in this zone. It's predominately made up of Class 3A, 2A and A schools but that hasn't stopped it from producing high quality football players over the years.