Gainesville, Grayson stars move to the head of the class as Georgia's best linebackers in 2025
Georgia's best linebackers in 2025 headlined by five-star recruits at Gainesville, Grayson originally appeared on The Sporting News
Five-star prospects are few and far between.
There are 32 in 247sports.com's Class of 2026, and that's about par for the course. It's the third consecutive year with 32 five-star recruits after there were 33 in the Classes of 2021 and 2022.
With approximately 14,000 high schools playing football and more than a million athletes on those teams, a player with a fifth star is rare, indeed, representing roughly one three-thousandth of a percent in any one given class. Five of those 32 prospects this year hail from the Peach State, and two of them are linebackers – Gainesville's Xavier Griffin (6-3, 200 lbs) and Grayson (Loganville)'s Tyler Atkinson (6-2, 210 lbs).
It's splitting hairs to differentiate between the two, but thankfully, we have recruiting sites to do that for us. 247sports.com has Griffin rated as the No. 8 prospect overall in the Class of 2026, regardless of position, and Atkinson checks in at No. 20 overall. Surprisingly, neither of them had Georgia on their mind when it came to choosing a college destination with Griffin pledging to the Alabama Crimson Tide and Atkinson hitching his wagon to the Texas Longhorns.
This is Gainesville's last ride with Griffin patrolling behind the defensive line, and they'd like to make the most of it. Last year's finish was underwhelming; a 7-3 regular season ended quickly in the first round of the playoffs as the Red Elephants stumbled down the stretch after a 6-1 start.
Playing in Georgia's brutal Class 5A Region 7, they ended up losing three of their final four games, including two regional games to finish third in the division. That included losses to the eventual state champion Milton Eagles and the Roswell Hornets who beat the Elephants in a 48-45 shootout in the regular-season finale to determine second place in the region. That forced the Red Herd into a first-round playoff game against the Region 8 runner-up Sequoyah (Canton) Chiefs, and Gainesville was one and done after a 38-28 loss.
Milton, however, was hit hard by graduation, and Gainesville is well-stocked with Griffin and company, especially in the trenches with the state's No. 2 offensive line unit and No. 5 defensive line playing in front of the five-star senior. If 7-4 was Gainesville's ceiling in 2024 when Milton was the region's team of destiny, it would be considered falling on the floor in 2025 for Griffin and his Red Elephants.
Atkinson, meanwhile, plays for a Grayson Rams' defense that might be the state's deepest with arguably the top linebacking corps and top defensive line. One of Atkinson's linebacking mates is fellow senior and four-star recruit Anthony Davis Jr. (6-2, 200 lbs) who is committed to the Ole Miss Rebels.
Great defenses win championships, of course, and that's exactly what the Rams did last season, capturing the Class 6A Region 4 title en route to winning the Class 6A state championship. They are far and away the favorites to win it all again in 2025 with Atkinson and Davis leading the way on defense.
Five more four-star linebackers call the Peach State home
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Gregory Batson, Lee County (Leesburg) Trojans – Jr.
(Ht) 6-1 (Wt) 208, Uncommitted
Batson was a beast for Lee County in 2024, leading the Trojans with 100 tackles, 32 of which went for losses. He is uncommitted for now, heading into his junior season while drawing interest from a number of ACC and SEC programs. Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss are already on the list.
Rodney Colton Jr., Newnan Cougars – Sr.
(Ht) 6-1 (Wt) 220, Colorado Buffaloes
Colton Jr. registered 51 stops a year ago while logging 12 tackles for loss. The senior gave his word to Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes on July 12 and is considered a hard commit.
Kamarui Dorsey, Hampton Hornets – Jr.
(Ht) 6-3 (Wt) 200, Uncommitted
As a sophomore, Dorsey collected 58 tackles with four of them for losses. He holds offers from Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Wisconsin among others.
Brayden Rouse, Kell (Marietta) Longhorns – Sr.
(Ht) 6-2.5 (Wt) 220, Tennessee Volunteers
Rouse had a monster junior season for Kell, piling up 111 tackles with 15 behind the line. He added 3.5 sacks and heads into his senior season having committed to the Tennessee Volunteers on July 8.
Ja'Bios Smith, Swainsboro Tigers – Jr.
(Ht) 6-3 (Wt) 195, Uncommitted
Smith was Swainsboro's leading tackler as a sophomore with 88 stops, including five tackles for loss. He also caused three fumbles as an all-around disruptor for the Tigers. His list of suitors is growing, and he's already received offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Michigan, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas A&M.
Three-star talent abounds in Georgia's 2025 linebacker ranks
Westen Ard, Houston County (Warner Robins) Bears – Sr.
(Ht) 6-2 (Wt) 230, UConn Huskies
With 123 tackles in 2024, Ard was a force to be reckoned with, and 23 of those stops were in the backfield. He committed to the UConn Huskies on June 10.
Kaden Carter, Lamar County (Barnesville) Trojans – Sr.
(Ht) 6-2 (Wt) 205, Maryland Terrapins
Carter was the Trojans' second-leading tackler a year ago, making 65 stops with nine tackles for loss. The senior has been committed to Maryland since April 26.
Jerimia Collier, Jonesboro (GA) Cardinals – Sr.
(Ht) 6-2 (Wt) 185, Uncommitted
Collier was a force for the Cardinals in 2023 as a sophomore, but he missed most of his junior season due to injury. Originally committed to Cincinnati, he has since reopened his recruitment. His sophomore highlights from hudl.com below are a reminder of his full potential.
Cole Crawford, Cartersville Hurricanes – Jr.
(Ht) 6-3 (Wt) 225, Uncommitted
Crawford's just a junior, but is already drawing interest from top ACC, SEC, and Big Ten programs like Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Minnesota, Tennessee, and USC among others.
Michael Domanik, Kell (Marietta) Longhorns – Sr.
(Ht) 6-2 (Wt) 225, Charlotte 49ers
Domanik forms a nice tandem for Kell with the four-star Rouse above. He's listed as a hard commit to Charlotte, making his decision known on June 2.
Chad Fairchild, Lovejoy Wildcats – Sr.
(Ht) 6-0.5 (Wt) 235, East Carolina Pirates
Fairchild pledged to East Carolina on June 16, and he's considered a lock to join the Pirates on signing day.
CJ Gamble, Carrollton Trojans – Sr.
(Ht) 6-0.5 (Wt) 206, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Gamble chose to stay in Georgia and play in Atlanta for Georgia Tech. He's been committed to the Yellow Jackets since May 6.
Jake Godfree, North Gwinnett (Suwanee) Bulldogs – Jr.
(Ht) 5-11 (Wt) 218, Uncommitted
Godfree was everywhere in 2024, making 129 tackles with 19 for loss. He'll get to write his ticket anywhere he wants to go with more than 40 FBS programs already extending offers. It's the best of the best, too, with Alabama, LSU, Miami (FL), Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Tennessee on the list. Conspicuous in its absence, however, is an offer from the home-state Georgia Bulldogs.
Noah LaVallee, Walton (Marietta) Raiders – Sr.
(Ht) 6-1.5 (Wt) 220, Florida State Seminoles
LaVallee made 124 tackles with eight behind the line a year ago. He committed to the Florida State Seminoles on June 17.
Chan Lumpkin, Taylor County (Butler) Vikings – Sr.
(Ht) 6-4 (Wt) 220, Tulane Green Wave
Lumpkin was mostly pursued by Group of Six schools, and he announced his decision to be a member of the Tulane Green Wave on June 24.
Zeke Marshall, Rabun Gap-Nacoochee Eagles – Sr.
(Ht) 6-4 (Wt) 190, Uncommitted
Marshall is one of the rare seniors that hasn't committed, yet, but he holds at least 21 Division I offers. It appears it might come down to Memphis or Virginia Tech.
Terrence Penick, South Gwinnett (Snellville) Comets – Sr.
(Ht) 6-3 (Wt) 200, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Penick put up solid numbers a year ago with 44 stops, including 7.5 tackles for loss. He committed to Coastal Carolina on June 24.
Latrell Sellers, Jeff Davis (Hazlehurst) Yellowjackets – Sr.
(Ht) 6-2 (Wt) 210, USF Bulls
Sellers has been committed to the USF Bulls since May 24.
Omari Stephenson, Thomas County Central (Thomasville) Yellow Jackets – Sr.
(Ht) 5-11.5 (Wt) 200, Kennesaw State Owls
Stephenson registered 88 stops last fall with 10.5 tackles for loss. He'll play for Kennesaw State in college after committing to the Owls on June 27.
Billy Weivoda, Milton (GA) Eagles – Sr.
(Ht) 6-2 (Wt) 210, Iowa Hawkeyes
With 82 tackles last season, Weivoda was a key cog on the Eagles run to Georgia's GHSA Class 5A state title. He made 11 tackles behind the line a year ago and has chosen the Big Ten route in college, committing to the Iowa Hawkeyes on June 27.
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