Mark it as a transition period for one of the most storied programs around. Jefferson saw Gene Cathcart move on to South Carolina while graduating several collegiate-bound players headlined by Malaki Starks, one of the nation’s top athletes. But the Dragons brought in Travis Noland, a coach with a big-time track record of success. He has also at his disposal the top athlete in the nation in the 2024 class in Sammy Brown. Big things await the Dragons, who also move up a classification.

Head Coach: Travis Noland, 1st season
2021 Record: 9-2; State 1st Round; #1 State Ranking; Region Runner-Up

“Our expectation every week is to win, the work we put in over June and July as well as the work we put in every week goes a long way in giving any team a chance to win,” states the staff. “Winning and being successful will depend very much on the work, focus, and effort we put forth prior to any Friday night.”

AIRED PREVIOUSLY on “ARMCHAIR QUARTERBACK” BLITZ Podcast

2022 Schedule

AUG 19 @ ALPHARETTA

AUG 26 vs WREN (SC)

SEP 2 vs ST. PIUS X

SEP 9 @ OCONEE COUNTY

SEP 16 BYE

SEP 23 @ CLARKE CENTRAL^

SEP 30 vs WINDER BARROW^

OCT 7 BYE

OCT 14 @ FLOWERY BRANCH^

OCT 21 vs LOGANVILLE^

OCT 28 @ HERITAGE^

NOV 4 vs EASTSIDE^

^REGION 8-AAAAA GAME

Personnel & Schemes

Key Departures: Malaki Starks, Kadin Bailey, Jordan Perry, Austin Redmon, Dylan Ryoul, Brian Habek, Tre Reece (transfer to Gainesville)

No doubt a beastly group that moves on from Jefferson. Starks, Bailey, and Perry were DI talents. Reece made the move to Gainesville. Ryoul will be missed along the line with Habek. Those two were dominant.

Key Returning Players: Sammy Brown, Isaiah Copeland, Bowman Horn, Max Aldridge

Brown headlines the comeback players. He will be more than welcomed for hopefully a full season uninterrupted by injury. He missed significant time last season, but prior to that was one of Georgia’s best players on BOTH sides of the ball.

Up & Coming Players: Kelan Butler

Butler is the name to look for, as he will be a prominent prospect moving forward. Look for him to do damage alongside Sammy Brown as an OLB. He’s only a sophomore.

Offense: Multiple

The starting QB is Max Aldridge, as we saw him get time last year. He can orchestrate the offense rather well. Sammy Brown is the bell cow in the backfield, and will be featured alongside Isaiah Copeland, Jarki Hardeman, Vermarion Davis, Justin Beatty, and Bowman Horn. Go-to targets will be Elijah DeWitt, Jack Eubanks, Oscar Escobedo, and Zay Minish.

Defense: Multiple

Sammy Brown (ILB), Butler (OLB), Guy Carson (DL), and Skylar Zimmerman (OLB) are the primary guys that you’ll hear a lot about. This has the potential to be an elite defense.

Trenches: “Depth on both lines of scrimmage should be good for our team,” says the coaching staff.

Strengths & Areas of Focus

Strengths: The team has a good sense of togetherness. Their work ethic and drive gets better each day, according to coaches.

Focusing On: “There has been a great deal to focus on, as this is a transitional time for the program. We have been working hard to install new and existing schemes on offense, defense, & special teams.”

GAME-BY-GAME & SEASON PREDICTIONS FOR JEFFERSON