Star athletes take the field in 2026
DeKalb County School District football is no stranger to big names and star athletes on the gridiron, and the 2026 high school football season has the potential to be one of the most talented in recent county history.
Topping the talent charts is no easy task for any group of athletes in DeKalb, but the county’s 14-plus nationally ranked football players will give the 2026 season a chance to make that claim.
Below is a rundown of some of the top athletes and recruits in DeKalb, including several players with next-level potential.
Arabia Mountain’s Willie Jones Jr. was the top freshman signal caller in DeKalb last season, throwing for 1,626 yards and 11 touchdowns. Collin Mason, one of Jones’ top targets, also returns for the Rams.
Cedar Grove’s Brenden Flournoy had a breakout sophomore season, racking up 39 tackles and seven tackles for loss in just eight games. On offense, the Saints will focus on sophomore quarterback Brandon Davis, 969 passing yards and six touchdowns, to lead the team.
Chamblee’s Brayden Doss led the team in rushing and passing yards last season, finishing with 498 yards and six scores on the ground and 1,531 yards and 17 touchdowns through the air. Jazz Lewis returns at wideout, after going for 329 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore.
Clarkston’s Shaka Shukuru had an explosive junior season, accounting for 75 tackles, six tackles for loss, and one sack. Shukuru will play behind returning defensive linemen who accounted for more than 10 tackles for loss last season in Andrew Eberly and Cody Tong.
Columbia returns its top passer, rusher, and receiver from last season. Czar Daniels led the offense at quarterback, passing for 1,831 yards and 14 touchdowns with Damarion Davis—365 yards and three touchdowns—returning as his top receiver from last year. Dequarrion Trammell returns after a freshman campaign that saw him go for 328 yards and five touchdowns in just eight games.
Cross Keys’ Amari Perretta and Kevin Castro will lead the defensive. Perretta accounted for 40 tackles at defensive back, and Castro had 36 tackles and four tackles for loss on the defensive line.
Druid Hills’ Caleb Rouk had 80 tackles, one sack, 7.5 tackles for loss, one interception, and two fumble recoveries at line backer last season. Junior quarterback Malachi Pace, 868 passing yards and six touchdowns, will lead the offense for the Red Devils.
Dunwoody’s Jack Quartaro will seek to capitalize on his successful junior campaign, which saw him throw for 1,064 yards and six touchdowns in just nine games — completing 64 percent of his passes on the season. Bradley Stephens is Dunwoody’s top returning receiver and rusher, having accounted for 659 rushing yards, 316 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns in 2025.
Lakeside’s Seth Williams is a four-star safety committed to UGA. He’s joined by Cole Ellerman, 71 tackles and 12 tackles for loss, on defense and Cannon Davis, 584 receiving yards and three touchdowns, on offense.
Lithonia’s Kennedee Jackson anchors a Bulldogs’ offensive line that helped lead Lithonia to one of the best seasons any DeKalb team saw last season. Jackson, a University of Georgia (UGA) commit, is a top 100 recruit in 2027 and helps make up one of DeKalb’s most talented teams heading into 2026, with four-star Louisville commit AJ Tillman Jr., three-star UGA commit Jamonel Edwards, and three-star Anthony Flournoy.
M.L. King Jr. returns its top quarterback and receiver from 2025, with Javion Dobbs, 1,584 passing yards and 18 touchdowns, and Aaron Graham, 809 receiving yards and nine scores, leading the way for the Lions.
McNair’s Rashod Blaylock had as big a freshman season as anyone in DeKalb in 2025, catching 67 passes for 1,005 receiving yards and nine touchdowns and rushing for 393 yards and five scores. Gemere Adams had 75 tackles, five sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and two interceptions at defensive back for the Mustangs last season.
Miller Grove returns one of the county’s most productive linebacker cores from last season. Jayden Bowden had 106 tackles, 14 sacks, and 19 tackles for loss last season. He’s joined by Brandon Sutherland Jr., who added 98 tackles, six sacks, and 20 tackles for loss for the Wolverines.
Redan’s Chase Truitt returns after throwing for 1,513 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025. Junior Fred Johnson is the Raiders’ leading returning tackler, having put up 66 tackles last season.
Southwest DeKalb is led by DeKalb’s 2025 passing leader in Braylon Carter. As a junior, Carter threw for 2,345 yards and 25 touchdowns. His top receiver from last season, Liberty commit Jordan Christie, returns after a 953-yard, 11-touchdown performance in 2025.
Stephenson’s KJ Green is ranked the No. 5 recruit in the country by 247Sports, making the edge rusher DeKalb’s highest-ranked football recruit since Broderick Jones suited up for the Lithonia Bulldogs in 2019. Green is joined by a host of talented college recruits at Stephenson, including four-star tight end Xevien Brinson, three-star defensive back Aaryn Chastine, and three-star running back Jayden Johnson (Middle Tennessee commit).
Stone Mountain’s top passer and rusher from last season returns in Braydon Surprisse who had 283 rushing yards and five touchdowns to go with his 936 passing yards and seven touchdowns a season ago.
Towers returns several defensive impact players from last season, with Trevon Milsap and Josh Kent-Bailey leading the way. Milsap had 47 tackles and five tackles for loss, while Kent-Bailey added three tackles for loss, three sacks, and a fumble recovery.
Tucker’s Jace German has led the Tigers at the quarterback position since his freshman season, and the Boston College commit has a chance to build on what was an impressive junior campaign with a talented roster around him in 2026. Jujuan Graham, a three-star West Virginia commit, anchors the offensive line for German, and Thaddeus Tillman returns after rushing for 1,164 yards and 13 touchdowns. German’s top target, Jayden Joyner, also returns after catching 21 passes for 521 yards and nine touchdowns.
Photo by Adam Coleman
