When the Dalton High School football team begins spring practices April 30, the visitors’ parking area adjacent to the field will likely be full of vehicles from out of town.
Two years removed from the program’s first 0-10 season, the Catamounts are a hot topic for college recruiting, with five players holding offers and four of those having two prep seasons still ahead of them.
The fastest riser is Franck Atangana, a speedy 6-foot-1 cornerback in the class of 2028 who was an all-region first-team pick after recording 50 tackles and blocking four kicks last season.
Atangana attended Nike and Under Armour high-profile camps in recent weeks and was one of three athletes at the latter camp who was invited to the next UA All-American Game, which will take place after high school players have finished their seasons.
“From this time last year, he went from zero offers to 15,” said Dalton head coach Chris Prewett, who took the Catamounts to the GHSA state playoffs last fall in his first season. “If you do this long enough, you get guys who you feel so good for, and Franck is one of them. He’s worked so hard. He got in front of the right people and they made him an offer, and it’s just taken off.