After saying goodbye to the 2025 class following the final National Signing Day for this season, it is time to look ahead to the 2026 class. Usually, we take a look at some of the top prospects in the class, but it’s worth highlighting some prospects who might be underrated. Where do they stand now?
Landmark Christian QB Skylar Hamilton - Hamilton finished his junior year with 1,914 yards and 20 touchdowns for the War Eagles. He can also make plays with his legs and is an underrated dual-threat quarterback here in Georgia. In 2024, he ran for 681 yards and nine touchdowns. One of his best games came against Mount Vernon, where he threw for 233 yards and three touchdowns in the final game of the regular season. He had six games this past season where he had multiple passing touchdowns in a game. Hamilton led Landmark Christian to one of its best finishes since 2016 when it closed the season 10-2. When you roll his tape, you see how accurate a passer he is. He has good footwork and always squares up his shoulders when making a throw. He has several highlight reel throws fitting the ball into tight windows of the defense and also showing his great deep ball down the field with elite placement. He never panics and is also calm and collected when adverse situations arise. He can scramble and improvise and make plays on the run, which is probably the most underrated part of his game. Hamilton is definitely a name that needs to be mentioned more in quarterback conversations.
Peachtree Ridge QB Darnell Kelly - Yes, Darnell Kelly is an underrated quarterback. When we discuss the top quarterbacks in the state of Georgia we rarely put Kelly in the conversation. He only has a rating on one recruiting platform: Rivals and is a three-star. Kelly threw for 2,521 yards and 28 touchdowns. He also rushed for 463 yards and five touchdowns this season. One of his best games of the season came against Mountain View where he went 27-33 for 316 yards and five touchdowns. He also led Peachtree Ridge past North Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs after the Warriors had a historic season in their program history. Kelly has shown he can thrive on the big stage and plays his best when the lights are bright. Also, another thing to point out is he is doing it for a good program in Peachtree Ridge that is still building, not a powerhouse program with a litany of talent at its disposal. It makes what he is doing even more impressive and he is being coached by a great Peachtree Ridge staff that has continued to unlock his talent. Kelly is a prolific passer and should be talked about more for what he has accomplished in his prep career.
Jonesboro Jerimia Collier – Collier dealt with a lot of injuries in the 2024 season that affected his stat line this past season. Regardless, he is an exceptional talent and is one of the marquee LB/EDGE returns for the Cardinals this season. Collier has a quick first step and bend that allows him to devour opposing offensive linemen. He is also great at containing the edge and can be a three or four-technique linebacker showing his versatility at the position. With the departure of Jeremiah Ticket to Georgia Southern, Jonesboro will need Collier this next season to be one of those guys. The Cincinnati-commit is more than capable and has shown over the course of his career how effective it can be. He will be one of the best returning players next season returning for the Cardinals to go along with Jontavius Wyman (Georgia-commit) and four-star Cortez Redding.
Cambridge WR Hudson Cocchiara – Cocchiara was part of an explosive offensive attack this past season with the Bears that made it to the quarterfinals. It is no accident especially after you acquire one of the best offensive minds in Georgia in head coach Tyler Jones. Cocchiara thrived in his system posting career bests in receptions (66) yards (1,180), and 10 touchdowns. He averaged 90.8 receiving yards per game for Cambridge. One of his best games came in the first round of the playoffs against an elite secondary in Cedartown that featured several D1 prospects in Tae Harris and Demarcus Gardner. He finished with seven catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a dominant stretch in the middle of the season going for 100 yards in three consecutive games against East Coweta, Westminster, and Centennial. He also recorded four catches in each of those games. When you roll his tape, Cocchiara is a route-running technician. He can run any route in the route tree and always gets open. An underrated part of his game is his explosiveness. He is very quick out of his breaks and as soon as he catches the ball, he is a threat to take it for a touchdown. Despite all that, he still is a very underrated prospect and currently only has two offers from Georgia State and Eastern Michigan. Cocchiara definitely needs to be talked about more as one of the top receivers in the state and I think he could be one that becomes more on the radar as the 2025 season approaches.
Stephenson DL Sergio Mason - Mason finished his junior season with 87 tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks. He isn’t talked about enough with the impact that he has on the defensive side of the ball for the Jaguars. He is also great at his interior pressure affecting the quarterback and causing chaos. He can beat double-teams, has explosive hands, and is great at getting to the backfield and closing down running lanes. He also is a key contributor on special teams blocking several kicks and he returned one for a touchdown this season. You don’t see a lot of interior defensive linemen with his kind of numbers and being able to do what he can on that side of the ball. College coaches have taken notice and begun to send out offers to the Stephenson standout. Currently, he has three offers from FIU, Western Kentucky, and Miami (OH). Mason is currently coached by one of the best defensive line coaches in the state — Rockshawn McNeil aka Coach Rock, who also coaches five-star KJ Green. Imagine how he is coaching Mason at Stephenson. He is still very underrated and should have some more buzz around him for what he has done on the gridiron.
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