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Recruiting 2024: Rome at Carrollton
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We’ve never seen anything like Julian “JuJu” Lewis in Georgia High School Football. Before I start a firestorm of controversy on social media, we’re not talking about JuJu Lewis the Carrollton 5-Star quarterback rated as high as the No. 2 overall prospect in the country. We’ve seen lots of great QBs in this state. In fact, JuJu’s current coach, Joey King coached Trevor Lawrence a decade ago who became the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and is the starting signal caller for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
We’re talking about the persona of JuJu Lewis. The high school quarterback with a reported $2.1 million valuation by On3 Sports. We’re talking about the JuJu Lewis who has NIL deals with Under Armour, Jaxxon (an online jewelry company), Alo Yoga (apparel company) and Leaf Trading Cards. We’re talking about the 16-year-old JuJu Lewis who bought himself his own car (how many 16-year-olds can do that?) and then bought one for his dad.
We’re talking about the JuJu Lewis who was supposed to be playing his junior season this year but reclassified in January, bypassing the 11th grade, and going straight to his senior season. And not only that, will graduate at the end of the current semester and head off to play college ball.
Where will that be? Well Lewis has been committed to Southern Cal for a year but in this current era of college football where more and more it’s about the NIL than anything else, who knows? Two weeks ago, he told ESPN, “As of right now I’m still locked in with USC. That’ still where my home is. Taking visits is kind of a part of the process … but I’m still USC right now.” Sounds like a definite maybe.
This NIL landscape is brand new and JuJu was born at the right time. It’s as if he were made for it. He has fully capitalized on it. For the record, if it matters, I got no problem with it. He’s playing by the new rules of the game.
He’s a great quarterback. But like we said earlier, we’ve seen lots of those … every year or two seems to produce the latest “generational talent” (perhaps the most overused and most insincere phrase spoken in all of recruiting). His place in history as far as a quarterback is a long way (many years) from being determined. His place in history as a trailblazer in the new business of high school and college sports is being fashioned right in front of our eyes.
That leads us to tonight as JuJu Lewis leads the 6A No. 1 Carrollton Trojans against the 5A No. 6 Rome Wolves at Grisham Stadium. Our GPB Sports Football Fridays in Georgia coverage starts at 7:30 p.m. on GPB-TV Georgia Public Broadcasting.
The Trojans have started the season 2-0 in this season of urgency. Urgent in that this is suddenly the last go round for JuJu in his quest to lead the Trojans to their first state championship since 1998. He burst on the scene as a freshman in 2022 throwing for more than 4,100 yards and 48 TD as a ninth grader. He earned GPB Sports All-State and All-Finals honors and was Co-Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the State Championship Games throwing for 531 yards and five TD in the Trojans lost to Mill Creek.
He was just a ninth grader and we all wondered what will the next three seasons be like? How many state championships will he and Carrollton win? But here we are in 2024 and it isn’t three seasons anymore. It’s just this one. There hasn’t been a state championship and now we are entering the third game of his senior season.
By all calculations he would have most assuredly become the state’s all-time leader in passing yardage and all-leader in TD passes. Those records are safe for now. All that remains is that state championship and there’s a lot of football to be played between now and Dec. 16 when the 6A state championship game is played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on GPB.
Carrollton appears to be loaded for the run. Four major college prospects transferred into the program during the offseason, ironically three of them on the defensive side of the ball. Coach King agreed with me when I referred to it as the “Lebron-effect.” He said the same thing happened when he was at Cartersville with Trevor.
Their opponent tonight, the Rome Wolves, have had a tumultuous last three weeks. Returning home from a preseason scrimmage on Aug. 8, one of the team buses was hit by an alleged impaired driver causing it to flip “three-and-half times in two seconds,” in the words of Coach John Reid. Fortunately, none of the players suffered life-altering injuries. But there were plenty of sprained shoulders and concussions forcing the Wolves to cancel their season opener vs. Creekside Aug. 16 in the Corky Kell Classic. With a scheduled week off Aug. 23 that makes tonight’s game the season opener for Rome. Welcome to the 2024 season!
This is a Rome team that one could argue was the second-best team in 6A last season playing eventual state champion Thomas County Central closer than any other team in their 15-0 title run with the Wolves coming up short 19-16 in the state quarterfinals. Rome’s own star QB Reece Fountain is now at East Tennessee State and three all-region defensive lineman are gone as well including Justin Terrell at NC State. The Wolves will have their work cut out for them tonight.
So that’s the story. Here’s a look at the top prospects to watch.
Carrollton Trojans
Seniors
Julian “JuJu” Lewis – 6-0, 186, Senior – Committed to USC August 2023 over 40 other offers including Georgia and Colorado – Highest Ranking: ESPN 5-Star QB and No. 2 overall prospect in the country 2025.
Shamar Arnoux – 6-1, 175, Senior – Committed to USC June 26 over 30 other offers including Tennessee – Highest Ranking: Rivals 4-Star and No. 12 CB in the country 2025. Transfer from Milton.
Zion Cooley – 6-4, 225, Senior TE/Edge – Committed to East Carolina over 10 other offers – Highest Rating: 247 Sports 3-Star Edge.
Kai Callen – 5-10, 180, Senior – Committed to James Madison June 19 over nine other offers – Highest Rating: 247 Sports 3-Star ATH. Move in from Idaho when his dad took the DL coaching job at nearby West Georgia.
C.J. Kelly – 6-0, 230, Senior DL/LB – Four offers including Arkansas State.
Cole Norred – 6-3, 280, Senior – Committed to Army July 4 over 5 other offers including Charleston Southern and Shorter – Highest Rating: Rivals 2-Star OL.
Antonio Cromartie – 5-11, 170, Senior CB – Offered by Southeast Missouri State and Houston Christian.
Kiyun Cofer - 5-11, 183, Senior WR – Offered by Reinhardt and Jackson State.
Kameron McClure – 5-9, 160, Senior ATH (CB) – Offered by Tuskegee.
Ryan “R.J.” Sizemore – 5-11, 260, Senior OL – Seven offers including Reinhardt.
Aaron “AJ” McNeil – 5-11, 174, Senior WR – Offered by Reinhardt.
Juniors
Zelus Hicks – 6-1, 180, Junior – 33 offers including Auburn - Consensus 4-Star – Highest Rating: ESPN No. 1 Safety in the country 2026. Transfer from Parkview although he was in the Carrollton program through the 8th grade and has returned after two seasons with the Panthers.
Dorian Barney – 6-1, 163, Junior – Committed to Alabama May 19 over 39 other offers – Consensus 4-Star – Highest Rating: On3 No. 6 CB in the country 2026. Transfer from Peachtree Ridge.
Zykie Helton – 6-2, 250, Junior – 19 offers including Alabama who he originally committed to July 2023 but then decommitted – Highest Rating: Rivals 4-Star and No. 1 Interior OL in the country 2026.
Ryan Mosley – 6-2, 175, Junior – 22 offers including Georgia - Highest Rating: ESPN 4-Star and No. 26 WR in the country 2026.
C.J. Gamble – 6-1, 190, Junior – Six offers including Tennessee - Highest Rating: 247 Sports 3-Star LB.
Peyton Zachary – 5-7, 145, Junior – 16 offers including Georgia and Louisville – Highest Rating: On3 3-Star WR. Transfer from Kell.
Kimauri Farmer – 5-9, 180, Junior RB – 11 offers including Georgia State, UAB and Georgia Southern.
Beau Ball – 6-4, 304, Junior OL – Offered by Georgia Southern.
Jay Hagan – 5-11, 155, Junior CB – Offered by Georgia Southern.
D.A. Logan – 6-3, Junior DL – Offered by Georgia Southern.
Kaden Spratling – 6-1, 200, Junior LB – Offered by Shorter.
Rome Prospects
Seniors
Jaedon Harmon – 6-1, 215, Senior – Flipped to Tennessee from Alabama August 18 – Consensus 4-Star – Highest Rating: On3 Recruits No. 13 LB in the country 2025.
Rae Sykes – 6-2, 185, Senior – Committed to Boston College June 10 over offers from Middle Tennessee, West Virginia, and Michigan State – Consensus 3-Star Safety.
Jamiel Williams – 6-4, 260, Senior OL – Offered by Navy and Army – Receiving interest from Georgia Southern and Boston College.
Chance Arthur – 6-0, 220, Senior RB – Committed to Princeton August 12 over seven other offers including Georgia Southern and App State.
So, join Wayne Gandy, Jon Nelson, Hannah Goodin, and me for our Emmy Award-winning Football Fridays in Georgia Game of the Week as the 5A No. 6 Rome Wolves play at 6A No. 1 Carrollton Trojans. Remember at halftime Hannah will highlight this week’s Make That Kid an Offer nominees.
You can watch Football Fridays in Georgia in so many ways. You have traditional TV (GPB), online at GPB.org, GPB Sports app, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Twitch.
Now if somehow, you miss it live or just want to watch it again, don’t worry, we replay the entire Football Fridays in Georgia Game of the Week at 11:15 p.m. or you can watch it on demand anytime at GPB.org.
Enjoy your August 30, 2024, Football Friday in Georgia!
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