We’re 45 days away from the kickoff of the high school football season, and the offseason has been particularly kind to several of the Augusta area’s best players.
According to the 247sports.com player rankings for the Class of 2025, five of the CSRA’s football players are considered among the best 179 players in the state.
Once we get closer to August, we’ll start unveiling our Augusta Press Elite 11 which will chronicle what our staff considers the area’s best-of-the-best football talent. But here are five players who are sure to make that list, considering where they rank on 247Sports’ all-state rankings.
OL Mason Short, Evans
247Sports.com Ranking: No. 36 overall prospect in Georgia. No. 18 offensive lineman in the nation.
College: Committed to Georgia.
2025 Expectations: Short’s presence alone is going to ensure that Evans’ offensive line may be the strength of this football team. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound senior ended speculations of his college choice when he pledged to Georgia after de-committing from Alabama upon Nick Saban’s retirement. The Bulldogs staved off a late push by the Crimson Tide’s new leader Karen DeBoer who came over from Washington as Saban’s successor. UGA coach Kirby Smart swooped down onto the Knights’ home turf in his helicopter shortly after Short re-opened his commitment, and his urgency paid off. Now, without the distraction of recruitment hubbub, Short can concentrate on leading a senior-laden o-line unit that will try to pave the way for a ninth straight postseason appearance for the Knights despite back-to-back 4-7 finishes. Short doesn’t have much left to prove on the high school level beyond just helping to make his team better.
247Sports.com Ranking: No. 92 overall prospect in Georgia. No. 88 linebacker in the nation.
College: Committed to Cincinnati.
2025 Expectations: A 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior, Crite may have left his junior season as one of the state’s most underrated talents. He did damage on both sides of the football for a young Lincoln County squad that may have exceeded some preseason expectations. On offense, he lined up at wide receiver and let the Red Devils with 549 receiving yards on 24 catches and eight touchdowns. He was dominant from his middle linebacker perch, tallying a team-leading 139 tackles — 112 of those being solo stops — and 17 tackles for loss with a sack and an interception to boot. Three 3-star prospect committed to Cincinnati on June 7, one week after his May 31 visit. He chose the Bearcats over Georgia State, Georgia Southern, South Florida, Appalachian State, Arkansas State and a Kent State program that has poached a pair of players from the area. With much of the talent from the 2023 7-4 playoff squad returning, Crite could turn some more heads in 2024.
OL Evan Scott, Lakeside-Augusta
247Sports.com Ranking: No. 171 overall prospect in Georgia. No. 147 offensive lineman in the nation.
College: Committed to Duke.
2025 Expectations: Scott will be a part of what should be a solid overall class of linemen in the local area. He comes over to Lakeside this year as a transfer from Augusta Christian where he was a bright spot for a struggling Lions bunch that finished 4-7 overall in 2023, making the playoffs despite a losing record. Scott’s presence on the Panther’s offensive line should aid a Lakeside offense that tallied respectable rushing numbers in 2023. As a team, the Panthers ran for 1,259 yards and a 4.8 yard-per-carry average with 16 total rushing touchdowns while employing a running-back-by-committee approach with junior quarterback Ty Jones leading the way, rushing for over 350 yards at a 7-yards-per-carry clip. Scott closed his recruiting when he pledged to Duke two days after a June 14th visit. He chose the Blue Devils over a list of offers that included Appalachian State, Arkansas State, USF and Georgia State and Navy.
247Sports.com Ranking: No. 172 overall prospect in Georgia. No. 135 running back in the nation.
College: Committed to Kent State
2025 Expectations: The 5-foot-9, 190-pound senior is a bowling ball of a tailback who filled in admirably for the graduated dynamo Jontavis Curry (Class of 2022). He paced the Bulldogs’ rushing attack with 1,138 yards and 19 touchdowns while running at an 8.6-yard-per-carry clip. And his play helped Thomson to another region title and playoff appearance, though the Bulldogs came up short in its quest to repeat as Class AA state champions. Thomson’s top two quarterbacks from this time last year are gone. Jahkiaus Jones has graduated and fellow senior Nate Story departed in a mid-season transfer to Evans. And while no one would dare call a Thomson football talent cupboard bare, it will be a luxury for coach Michael Youngblood to have Jeffery’s services in the backfield while he breaks in a new set of signal callers for the 2024 season. Jeffery and fellow senior Jamere Roberts are Thomson’s returning rushers. Roberts ran for 480 yards on 50 carries and 15 touchdowns in 2023. Perhaps a preview of this year’s two-headed rushing monster?
247sports.com Ranking: No. 179 overall prospect in Georgia. No. 274 wide receiver in the nation.
College: Committed to Kent State
2025 Expectations: One day Garrer may be helping shape the future of Kent State football’s offense with fellow CSRA commit Anthony Jeffery. But for now, all eyes will be on the 5-foot-9, 165-pound wideout to see if he can duplicate his 2023 Aquinas success at Evans in 2024. Garrer’s 56 catches, 906 yards and six touchdown grabs were second on the Fightin’ Irish squad only to sophomore Jack Rhodes as the duo made up one of the area’s most dynamic pass-catching tandem. But Garrer also did solid work defensively for Aquinas last year, registering 50 tackles, an interception and four pass breakups from his safety spot. The 3-star talent chose Kent State over Coastal Carolina, Eastern Kentucky, Howard and Marshall in early June. But before he gets there, he’ll have a chance to add some athleticism and considerable playmaking ability to the Knights’ roster with several of their top offensive performers from 2023 having graduated.
