Georgia
Georgia Tech Football: Top Prospects Expected To Be In Attendance For Yellow Jackets Game vs Miami
Georgia Tech could have one of the best atmospheres in college football on Saturday. Coach Key has been telling all of the students to come and Big Boi is set to perform at 10:00 am before the Yellow Jackets face the Hurricanes. Several big-name recruits are expected to be in attendance to see the Yellow Jackets take on No. 4 Miami.
Georgia Tech Commits
Spruce Creek DL Derry “Chuck Norris Jr– Norris has been a force on defense this season for the Hawks. He leads the team with 78 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks. There are a lot of D1 college programs that want his services. According to 247sports Composite, Norris is rated as a three-star prospect, the No. 64 defensive lineman, the No.73 player in Florida, and the No. 584 player nationally. Georgia Tech is trying to hang on to this commitment with multiple programs trying to flip him.
Lancaster OL Kevin Peay– Peay is rated as a three-star prospect and the No. 130 interior offensive lineman and No. 29 player from South Carolina. Peay helps solidify an older strong offensive line class that includes five-star Josh Petty and four-star Justin Hasenhuetl. The Lancaster product has been locked in with the Yellow Jackets since June 9th. He has taken some visits to other programs but will come back to the Flats for the game against Miami.
In-state recruits
2025
Buford WR Jordan Allen- Allen has been unstoppable this season in Georgia High School football’s highest classification 6A. He recently had 174 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a region championship win against rival Mill Creek. Allen is going to be a name to continue to watch as we come down the stretch for signing day. He is currently committed to Louisville but is not far from the Flats. He received an offer from the Yellow Jackets on October 14th. It will be interesting to see how much Georgia Tech pushes for him. Allen certainly fits their offense and his speed would fit in seamlessly with the offense.
McIntosh EDGE Evan Ward- Ward finished with the second-most tackles on the team with 83 this season. He also finished with a team-high 11 sacks this season. The USF commits also had two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and six quarterback hurries. He was one of the most disruptive players this season and caused havoc in opposing backfields.
2026
Carrollton WR Ryan Mosley– Mosley is a four-star prospect who has continued to improve each season and is now up to 27 offers. He picked up an offer from Georgia Tech back in March. The junior standout has 597 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. His best game this season came against Gainesville when he went off for 117 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Mosley has been giving defenses fits with his yards after catch and ability to stretch the field in 2024.
West Forsyth QB Max Walraven-Walraven is probably one of the most underrated prospects on this list, but call him Mr. Consistent. That is what he has been for West Forsyth this season throwing for 1,813 yards and 18 touchdowns. His best game of the season came against Forsyth Central where he completed 70% of his passes throwing for 250 yards and three touchdowns. I got a chance to see him in the season opener against Prince Avenue Christian and was impressed with his ability to never flinch in the midst of adversity and continue to lead his team. They came up short, but Walraven was big time the entire night. He’s led the Wolverines back to the postseason and they will face Brookwood in the first round of the playoffs.
Newnan LB Rodney Colton- The South Carolina commit will be in attendance to check out the action. Colton has been a leader in the resurgence of the Newnan program that has clinched a No. 2 seed in the 5A playoffs. Colton has 43 tackles, four sacks, and an interception this season. Colton is one of the best linebackers in the country and has pretty much every Power 4 offer a prospect could want.
Cambridge WR Hudson Cocchiara- It feels like this kid is about to explode in the recruiting world. Cocchiara put together a strong junior season finishing with 48 catches (led the team), 868 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns this season for the Bears. He was a consistent threat in the passing game this season. He is a YAC (yards after catch) monster that will make any offense better whether it’s on the high school or college level. He is also a deep threat that can take the top off the defense. He had his best game of the season against Westminster. Cocchiara had six catches for 151 yards and three touchdowns which were all season-highs. This is a name you could see picking up more offers in the winter and spring.
Cambridge WR Craig Dandridge- Dandridge is the thunder to Cocchiara’s lightning. They are a dynamic duo that complements each other well. It is really hard to slow both of them down. Dandridge has 40 catches for 977 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. He averaged 108 yards per game and was a consistent threat all season for Cambridge. His best game this season came against Centennial. Dandridge has a kickoff return for a touchdown, seven catches for 221 yards and three touchdowns. He was simply unstoppable. Dandridge is one of those underrated prospects looking for an opportunity that can make a big splash on the next level.
Lovejoy LB Chad Fairchild- Fairchild has been a consistent visitor on the Flats throughout the spring and summer. Fairchild is ranked as a four-star prospect on Rivals and is known for his ability to fit the gaps, come downhill and lay the big hit on running backs. A part of his game that has improved is his ability to cover in the open space. He also has great instincts and can read a play before it happens and not let it get started. Fairchild has been a key cog on the defensive side of the ball for the Wildcats this season.
Milton LB Gage Lawrence- Gage Lawrence plays for the undefeated Milton Eagles and plays behind some of the best linebackers in the state Hayden Tumminia and AJ Benton. He has still made his impact felt this season. Lawrence has 27 tackles, seven QB hurries, and four tackles for loss. He has taken advantage of his opportunities when they’ve been there and has come up with big plays for Milton.
Carrollton LB CJ Gamble- Gamble is starting to make quite a name for himself not only on the football field but also in the recruiting ranks. He is known for his big hits and excellent football IQ. He’s been a consistent player for the Trojans this season and has been making plays all season. Gamble recently picked up an offer from USF taking his total to eight. This is a name that you could see create more buzz for himself in the playoffs and going into the offseason.
South Paulding OL Jayce Sanker- This will be the third time this year the offensive lineman has been on campus taking visits back in the early spring, summer, and now fall. Sanker is continuing to build the relationship with offensive line coach Geep Wade. Sanker does have an offer from UNC Charlotte and is on the Jackets’ radar as he has been a constant presence on the flats.
2027
Stephenson EDGE KJ Green- Green is one of the best players in the class of 2027, already being rated high by 247Sports. According to 247Sports Composite, Green is rated as a five-star prospect, the No. 6 EDGE, the No. 6 Player in Georgia, and the No. 27 player nationally. He finished the regular season with 28 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and seven sacks. Green is elite at setting the edge in the run game and also rushing the passer with his bevvy of moves. Green currently has 11 offers and picked up an offer from the Yellow Jackets back in September. He is a game wrecker and will be a name to continue to monitor throughout his career.
Prince Avenue Christian OL Gabe Prince- Prince is a key offensive lineman for Prince Avenue Christian and has grown a lot since being a freshman from 6’1 240 pounds to 6’3.5 and 270 pounds. He has already blocked against some good defensive linemen including Georgia Tech commit Carrington Coombs and DJ Jacobs. Prince is a staple on the offensive line for the Wolverines and has continued to improve this season.
Prince Avenue Christian ATH Andrew Beard- In a region-clinching win over Hebron Christian, Beard rushed for 173 yards and a touchdown. He also had two catches for 51 yards and a receiving touchdown. Beard has been electric all season and finished with 1,451 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns before heading into the playoffs. Simply put, Beard is one of the best and most versatile running backs in the country and was a heavily featured piece on the Prince Avenue Christian offense. He can also play some safety too. Just call him a ball player.
Calhoun QB Trace Hawkins-It cannot be understated what the true freshman has done this season for the Yellow Jackets. He has led them back to playoffs as a region champion after they missed the playoffs for the first time since 1999 last year. He’s had several standout performances including a big win earlier in the season over Northeast Whitfield where he threw for 265 passing yards and five touchdowns. Hawkins is a name that could become big in the state of Georgia especially if he leads Calhoun on a deep playoff run as a true freshman. He has all the tools and intangibles to do so.
Collins Hill QB Makyree Cross- Cross stepped in this year as a first-year starter for the Collins Hill Eagles and showed some great strides as a quarterback for the Eagles. He finished the regular season with 1,272 yards passing and 11 touchdowns. I got a chance to see him up close this season in a key region win against Mill Creek. My impression is he took what the defense gave him and made big plays when they were called upon and helped Collins Hill knock-off Mill Creek. Cross has shown he can be the signal caller for the Eagles for the next few years and can make them a dangerous team.
Buford DB Ethan Hauser- Hauser is a standout defensive back who has the interest of a lot of college programs. He has been on the Flats quite often and continues to build a relationship with the Yellow Jackets. He has been a key special teams ace this season for the Buford Wolves and will play a larger role for the team next season. He is a very instinctual defensive back who plays the ball well and is also good at making plays in the running game. Hauser will be a name to watch over the next few years.
2028
Grayson EDGE Ismael Schiefer- You really have to be involved in the Grayson to know this name because he is flying under the radar in terms of media coverage. Now, Schiefer already has nine offers as a true freshman with a couple of notable ones from USC, Auburn, South Carolina, Texas A&M, and more.
Peach County OL Hunter Hill- Hunter Hill is only a freshman but is already a problem. He stands at 6’3 and 310 pounds and when you scroll through his X account you can see him demolishing defenders in the interior. He is young but already has a good grasp of the game and has made his impact felt this season. Hill is a name that could be among the top offensive linemen in the country in the next few years. Also, his team, Peach County, is coming off one of their second region championship in the past three years and looks like it will be a state champion contender for years to come.
Additional Links
Georgia Tech Football: Yellow Jackets Reveal Uniform Combination For Saturday vs Miami
ACC Football: Predictions For Every Week 11 Game
Georgia Tech Basketball: Big Takeaways From Yellow Jackets Season Opening Win Against West Georgia
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball has made the super regionals in the NCAA Tournament and will face a team its already played four times.
The No. 14 national seed Bulldogs (43-17) are matched up with No. 3 Georgia (49-12). The best-of-three series will take place in Athens, Georgia, because Georgia is the higher seed.
The super regionals run from June 5-8, and the winner will make the College World Series.
MSU is 0-4 against Georgia this season, getting swept at Dudy Noble Field and then losing a fourth time in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Georgia won the SEC regular season and tournament championships.
Both teams made it through their regionals without a loss. Mississippi State blew out Louisiana 19-5 on May 31, while Georgia defeated Liberty.
MSU has played Georgia only once in postseason history, losing in the 1990 College World Series.
Mississippi State baseball history in super regionals
Mississippi State has played in 10 super regionals and won five of them. It has won three straight super regionals. MSU is 2-4 as the visiting team in super regionals.
New Mississippi State coach Brian O’Connor is 7-2 in super regionals.
NCAA baseball tournament schedule
- Super regionals: June 5-8
- College World Series: June 12-22
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Georgia football landed a pair of commitments Sunday for its 2027 recruiting class.
Wide receiver Taurean Rawlins from Mount Vernon School in Atlanta posted on his X account on May 31 that he’s pledged to the Bulldogs.
Georgia also picked up a commitment from offensive tackle DJ Dotson from Hattiesburg, Miss., he posted on his Instagram account.
Both are rated 3-star prospects.
“I loved the support and love they showed towards me and my family,” Dotson said in a text message to the Athens Banner-Herald.
The 6-foot, 175-pound Rawlins is rated the No. 58 wide receiver in the 2027 class and the No. 478 overall prospect.
Rawlins had 67 catches for 1,395 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, according to MaxPreps.
Rawlins and Dotson give Georgia 10 commitments for this cycle.
Rawlins is the first wide receiver commitment. He also had offers from Ohio State, Florida and Michigan.
Georgia signed four wide receivers in its 2026 class: Craig Dandridge, Ryan Mosley, Dallas Dickerson and late addition Tre Shields.
Rawlins’ coach at Mount Vernon is former Georgia star wide receiver Terrence Edwards.
The 6-foot-7, 330-pound Dotson is rated as the nation’s No. 85 offensive tackle prospect and the No. 851 overall prospect.
He picked Georgia over Ole Miss, LSU and Georgia Tech, according to 247Sports.
Georgia also has offensive line commitments in its 2027 class from Kelsey Adams from Langston Hughes, Abram Eisenhower from Lowndes and Ty Johnson from Mount Pleasant, S.C.
Georgia
A Georgia Wildlife Haven Forged by Fire and Peat Nears UNESCO Recognition – Inside Climate News
FOLKSTON, Ga.—The world’s smallest heron hops from blade to blade in a patch of tall grass, testing its footing above the dark water as it searches for an evening meal.
“This was already worth the trip out today,” Joshua Howard said earlier this month from a gray flat-bottomed tour boat just a few yards away. The tiny creatures, called Least Bitterns, are secretive birds, not easy to spot.
With one quick movement of its neck, which seems to take up most of its body, the tiny heron plunges into the water and comes up with a fish. Howard and his guide continue down the swamp between walls of Spanish moss-adorned cypress trees and alligators, hoping to find more of the birds and wildlife that call the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge home.
By July, the vast swamp Howard has visited since childhood and still tries to reach at least once a week could be internationally recognized as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.
The Okefenokee, on the Florida border in southeast Georgia, hosts the largest blackwater swamp in North America, a slow-moving wilderness roughly five times the size of Atlanta. It began forming hundreds of thousands of years ago, as the Atlantic Ocean retreated and left behind Trail Ridge, a long, low fossilized beach dune, and a shallow depression that trapped water between the ridge and higher uplands to the west.
The Okefenokee is a blackwater swamp, meaning its dark waters are stained by tannins released from decaying vegetation and cypress trees. Beneath the dense canopy, the water takes on the color of steeped tea, reflecting cypress trunks and drifting lily pads like dark glass.
The refuge was established in 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, following a series of visits from Cornell biologist Francis Harper. Harper had come to admire both the swamp’s landscape and its people, but it was his wife—who had once tutored Roosevelt’s children—who ultimately helped push the president toward protecting the land.
The refuge’s latest conservation effort now depends partly on another layer of federal and international politics. The Okefenokee’s UNESCO nomination comes amid renewed uncertainty over the United States’ relationship with the organization.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump moved to again withdraw the United States from UNESCO, though the withdrawal would not take effect until December—months after a decision on the Okefenokee nomination is expected. The United States also remains part of the World Heritage Convention, the international agreement governing World Heritage Sites.
In addition, World Heritage designations have continued in the United States during previous periods when the country was formally withdrawn from UNESCO, including under both Trump and President Ronald Reagan. The Okefenokee effort has also received support from prominent Republicans, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, who served as Trump’s agriculture secretary.
Still, regardless of shifting politics around UNESCO, the landscape at the center of the nomination remains largely unchanged.
Today, the Okefenokee stands as a protected wilderness of blackwater channels, peat and dense wetland forests, supporting a rich array of wildlife and plant life.
A great blue heron and a barred owl perch among Spanish moss in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Credit: Ryan Krugman/Inside Climate News
As Howard floated through the swamp at the refuge’s eastern entrance for about an hour and a half, he saw nearly 200 alligators, owl fledglings, hawks, herons and more. What he somewhat incredulously called an “above average” number of encounters was partly driven by drought conditions that pushed animals toward remaining water, though abundant wildlife sightings are far from unusual.
Across the swamp, an estimated 15,000 alligators inhabit the blackwater alongside almost 250 bird and 64 reptile species. Black bears and bobcats move through the uplands, and there are rumors of Florida panthers wandering the refuge. It is also a stronghold for endangered species, including red-cockaded woodpeckers, wood storks and eastern indigo snakes.
To fully experience the Okefenokee, visitors often paddle deep into the backcountry by canoe or kayak, traveling through areas inaccessible to motorboats. Along the way, they pass open prairies filled with lilies, wildflowers and carnivorous plants, including the Okefenokee giant pitcher plant, which can grow more than four feet tall and traps insects inside its tubular leaves.
Some visitors spend nights on raised wooden platforms scattered throughout the swamp, with multi-day trips carrying paddlers far into the blackwater wilderness. Yet even with those routes, only about 5 percent of the Okefenokee is currently accessible to humans.
Despite being one of the best-preserved wetlands in North America, and especially on the eastern seaboard, the Okefenokee has repeatedly faced pressure from industry and development. Before it became a wildlife refuge and federally designated wilderness area nearly a century ago, logging companies cut through vast cypress forests, disrupting habitats and the natural systems that shaped the swamp.
Later, the Suwanee Canal Company attempted to drain the Okefenokee to clear the way for development. The company planned to carve a canal through Trail Ridge and connect the swamp to the Suwannee River, but water repeatedly flowed back into the basin. The project ultimately collapsed, driving the company into bankruptcy before the canal could be completed.
More recently, the Okefenokee has faced renewed pressure from a high-profile mining dispute near Trail Ridge and continued development across the Florida border. Yet the swamp’s beauty and biodiversity continue to draw roughly 800,000 visitors each year—and now the attention of UNESCO.
The Okefenokee was first placed on the United States’ tentative UNESCO World Heritage list in 1981, but the nomination stalled for decades. In 2023, the Department of the Interior authorized work on a formal nomination, a push driven in large part by advocates including Kim Bednarek, executive director of Okefenokee Swamp Park.
The nonprofit, which runs tours and educational programs near and in the refuge, helped lead the campaign and raise money for the years-long nomination process. To qualify, researchers and advocates had to demonstrate the swamp’s “outstanding universal value,” the central standard for World Heritage designation.
The nomination was formally submitted in January 2025. Later that year, scientists with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which advises UNESCO on natural sites, visited the swamp as part of the evaluation process. Advocates are now awaiting a recommendation from the organization ahead of a final decision expected this July at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Busan, South Korea.
UNESCO’s standard of “outstanding universal value” is reserved for places considered significant not just to one country, but to humanity. Advocates and scientists argue the Okefenokee qualifies because of its biodiversity and the remarkable condition of its peatlands, which have remained largely intact for thousands of years and are a natural carbon sink.
Peatlands form when organic material builds up faster than it decomposes. In the Okefenokee, still blackwater, low oxygen levels and acidic conditions—created largely by tannins from cypress trees—slow decay enough for layers of plant matter to accumulate over thousands of years.
“We do not have a similar peatland in the world in the subtropics,” said Hans Joosten, one of the world’s leading peatland experts. According to Joosten, the swamp’s location—sandwiched between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic—provides the humidity and rainfall needed to sustain this rare subtropical peatland.
An inch of peat can take more than 50 years to form. In parts of the Okefenokee, those layers reach more than 15 feet deep, storing an estimated 124 million tons of carbon and forming one of North America’s most significant peat systems.
Many of the estimated 15,000 Alligators in the Okefenokee are tagged as part of research initiatives. Credit: Ryan Krugman
The swamp’s Muscogee Creek name, often translated as “land of the trembling earth,” reflects what lies beneath its surface. Deep peat can shift, swell and occasionally rise toward the top, where visitors may see methane bubbles break through the blackwater or floating mats of peat drifting at the surface. Those peat mats can become platforms for new plant growth, reshaping the swamp as they move and settle.
The biodiversity hotspot is supported by another cycle, one much faster than peat formation. The swamp is frequently reshaped and renewed through natural wildfires. The fires clear dense vegetation and invasive species, return nutrients to the soil, and maintain the open conditions needed for fire-dependent ecosystems like the longleaf pine, one of the most endangered forest types in North America.
“To be put on the same list as places like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone would just be amazing,” Howard said with a Southern drawl as he floated along the remnants of the Suwannee Canal.
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Howard, tall and broad with silvering hair and an easy smile, had arrived at the swamp after a long day working as a school administrator in Charlton County. “You want to know why I think this place deserves to be on that list?” he asked. “Because when I got here this evening, I was stressed and now I am not.”
Howard has been coming to the swamp for almost 50 years and has spent the last seven serving as president of Friends of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, a nonprofit that helps raise money for its preservation. While the group is not directly involved in the UNESCO bid, Howard said its members strongly support the designation.
If approved in July, the designation would make the Okefenokee Georgia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site and the first national wildlife refuge in the country to receive the status.
For Bednarek, the recognition would do more than honor the swamp’s ecology. It could fundamentally change how the Okefenokee is seen internationally. National wildlife refuges typically operate with far less tourism, funding and global visibility than national parks.
“They have this iconic brand that refuges don’t,” Bednarek said. UNESCO World Heritage status, she said, functions differently. “It’s a global brand that people travel far and wide to see.”
For now, though, the Okefenokee remains what it has long been: a slow-moving wilderness of blackwater, peat and cypress.
As dusk settled over the swamp, Howard’s guide cut the boat motor and the sounds of insects and distant birds filled the blackwater again. Methane bubbles continued rising quietly to the surface, signs of the trembling earth beneath the water.
In July, delegates in South Korea will decide whether the Okefenokee receives World Heritage status. But the swamp itself will keep moving at its own pace.
About This Story
Perhaps you noticed: This story, like all the news we publish, is free to read. That’s because Inside Climate News is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. We do not charge a subscription fee, lock our news behind a paywall, or clutter our website with ads. We make our news on climate and the environment freely available to you and anyone who wants it.
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Ryan Krugman
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Ryan Krugman is a recent graduate of Columbia University’s Climate School focusing on climate change reporting and communications. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University where he studied Environmental Science and Sociology. As a former Inside Climate News fellow, he is now reporting on climate and environmental issues in New England and Georgia.
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