With just three weeks remaining until the official kickoff of the 2023 Georgia High School Football season, more than 70 of the state’s top teams, hundreds of the state’s most highly-touted varsity stars, head coaches, staff, media, family and fans celebrated the upcoming season on Wednesday at the IBEW Auditorium in downtown Atlanta for the Inaugural Georgia High School Football Media Day. The event was presented by Hudl and was the first of its kind—setting a blueprint for a statewide media that was broadcasted and open for media in attendance to conduct their own coverage. Sports Turf, scoutSmart, Gatorade, IBEW, GeorgiaConstructionCareers.com and GSMACNA also sponsored the event and each attendee was given a backpack with goodies and informational sheets on ways to advance their recruitment goals.
There were stages set up throughout the auditorium around the central main stage that hosted player interviews with representatives from each of the teams. Roughly eight teams were assigned to each 45-minute slot starting at 10 a.m. Teams were asked to bring seniors and underclassmen that will play key roles this upcoming season and the size ranged from five to as many as 25 from an individual school.
The event was broadcasted live in its entirety on the Atlanta News First app and the NFHS Network. On3’s Rusty Mansell, Score Atlanta’s Najeh Wilkins and DawgNation’s Brandon Adams and Kaylee Mansell did the bulk of the coaches’ and players’ interviews, with Craig Sager II also filling in for several interviews with special guests, players and coaches. An onsite production team and multiple camera operators captured the action start to finish and included season highlights for each team into the amazing broadcast.
Only a few teams out of the 80-team list of attendees were unable to make it, including Heard County—who unfortunately missed the event after the tragic loss of senior linebacker Antwan Carter this week. With more than 70 teams coming through during the day, the broadcast was a non-stop showcase that featured exclusive interviews with more than 100 players and every head coach.
The first group of teams arrived at 10 a.m. and included Cass, Collins Hill, Hiram, Kell, Marist, Mountain View, Pebblebrook and Seckinger. Immediately after showcasing those eight programs, the Buford Wolves and their new five-star quarterback and UGA-commit Dylan Raiola arrived and the venue remained buzzing with eight more slots of teams arriving.
To view the full broadcast CLICK HERE
The group assignments below reflect the order of arrival and the broadcast with Group 1 going first and Group 10 closing out the event.
GROUP 1
Cass, Collins Hill, Hiram, Kell, Marist, Mountain View, Pebblebrook, Seckinger
GROUP 2
Banneker, Buford, Hillgrove, Lumpkin County, North Forsyth, North Gwinnett, North Paulding, Trinity Christian
GROUP 3
Carver-Atlanta, Discovery, Lanier, Mays, McEachern, Milton, River Ridge, Roswell
GROUP 4
Archer, Douglass, Fellowship Christian, Mt. Paran Christian, Pace Academy, Stephenson, Therrell, Wheeler
GROUP 5
Calhoun, Centennial, Jackson-Atlanta, Jefferson, Lovett, Manchester, Midtown, Norcross
GROUP 6
Greene County, Harrison, Holy Innocents’, Kennesaw Mountain, Peachtree Ridge, South Atlanta, South Paulding, Tift County
GROUP 7
Alpahretta,, Jackson County, Landmark Christian, Mt. Bethel, Rockdale County, Sonoraville, Walton
GROUP 8
Central Gwinnett, Chamblee, Cherokee, Creekside, Gainesville, Mt. Pisgah, North Atlanta, Prince Avenue Christian, Westminster
GROUP 9
Creekview, Georgia Military Prep, Kell, Sequoyah, Tucker, Woodward Academy
GROUP 10
Dunwoody, McNair, Meadowcreek, B.E.S.T. Academy