Northwest Georgia high school campuses have been popular stops for college football recruiters as spring shifts to summer, with many of them coming to see what might be an all-time class of top prospects from local GHSA programs.
Even though none have begun their junior seasons, several area players in the class of 2028 have already garnered offers from Power Four programs, and more are likely on the way. Two of the area’s most historically successful programs, Calhoun and Dalton, lead the way with four players currently holding offers from schools belonging to the Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big Ten or Southeastern conferences.
Dalton defensive back Franck Atangana (6-foot, 170 pounds) has 22 offers, including from reigning national champion Indiana and fellow Big Ten program Nebraska; reigning SEC champion Georgia and league brethren Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt; and ACC members Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville and North Carolina.
Teammate Havyn Searels, a 6-4 receiver who had 610 yards and nine touchdowns in six games before an injury ended his sophomore season with the Catamounts, recently picked up an offer from Big 12 member West Virginia. He previously received offers from Georgia Tech and fellow ACC program Boston College, among others, and has visited the SEC quartet of Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
Quarterback Caine Woods, who led the state of Georgia in total yards with 3,219 as a Dalton sophomore, holds an offer from Georgia State, which is in NCAA Division I’s top-level Football Bowl Subdivision but outside the Power Four as part of the Sun Belt Conference. Most programs in the Power Four wait until later in a prep quarterback’s career before making an offer, though, and it’s notable that the schools Woods has visited include the SEC foursome of Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi State and Tennessee.