With the official kickoff of OT7, one of the top leagues in the country for 7 on 7 football, we also seen some major recruitment announcements from players all over the peach state spanning from Metro Atlanta, Northwest Georgia, to South Georgia. Here is the latest of what happened this past weekend and some commitment announcements that included two SEC programs.
Cartersville WR Brady Marchese- Marchese committed to the Georgia Bulldogs in a big move this weekend. The four-star WR had a standout season for the Cartersville Hurricanes who went 12-1 in 2024. Marchese finished with 44 catches for 1,051 yards and 11 touchdowns, leading the Hurricanes in yards and touchdowns. An impressive stat is that he averaged 24 yards a catch showcasing his big-play ability. He had four games with 100+ yards. One of his best games of the season came against North Oconee in the playoffs, where he finished with seven catches for 180 yards and three touchdowns. He detailed his decision with DawgsHQ/ON3 reporter Jeremy Johnson.
“It was kind of unbelievable. I couldn’t really believe it,” Marchese told DawgsHQ about receiving his offer in January. “It meant a lot to me being a Georgia boy and having that happen to me meant a lot.”
With his recruitment locked in, Marchese will shift to the offseason to prepare for the upcoming season. Marchese will be a go-to threat for the Hurricanes in 2025 and will look to build off a strong season in 2024.
Valdosta CB Jalon Copeland- Copeland committed to the Arkansas Razorbacks over the weekend.
Here was his reasoning for committing to the Razorbacks and what he told On3.
“Arkansas just feels like home for me,” Copeland told On3. “They are the school that’s been the most consistent with me, my family and my coaches.
Copeland is a stud cornerback for the Valdosta Wildcats. Per MaxPreps, Copeland finished with 21 tackles, eight pass deflections, and two interceptions. He had one of his best games against rival Lowndes in the Winnersville Classic. In that game he recorded a season-high four tackles and two pass deflections. Copeland is one of the best cornerbacks in the peach state and put together another productive season for the Wildcats. When you roll his tape, you see that Copeland can play man, zone, press, and be equally as effective in any. He has great ball skills and closing speed when attacking the football jarring the ball loose practically every time. He has a lot of potential at the next level and will now take his talents to Arkansas and play in one of the best conferences in college football.
Jonesboro Safety Cortez Redding- Redding announced his top eight programs late on Friday night including four SEC schools. His top eight are Florida, Indiana, Miami, LSU, Auburn, Florida State, NC State, and Ole Miss. Redding is known for his hard-hitting ability on the gridiron, impeccable ball skills, instincts, and ability to always make a play. That led to him improving even more during his junior season finishing with 118 tackles, 10 pass deflections, six tackles for loss, and three interceptions. I got the chance to see him play in a vital region game against Starr’s Mill in one of his best games of the season. He put on a masterclass. Redding finished with a season-high 17 tackles and two pass deflections. He was all over the field making plays for his team in a thrilling 29-24 game-winning victory. Redding had five games with 10 or more tackles and recorded at least five tackles in every game played last season. Redding was named the all-classification defensive player of the year by Score Atlanta after an incredible season with the Jonesboro Cardinals. What makes Redding so special is his versatility. Redding can play in the box and come downhill and take out a running back, he can play slot corner and guard against speed wide receivers or tall tight ends, and he can also be a single high safety in the middle of the field lurking running from one side of the field to the other just to make a play. Redding is that good and talented. Whoever lands his services, will be getting a player that can step in and play D1 at the collegiate level.
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