Local Football Talent We Will Have to Watch From Afar

Over the years, the CSRA has produced some incredible football players. We have had five-star recruits, college All-Americans, first round NFL draft picks, Pro Bowlers, and Super Bowl champions. There is no doubt we have had some solid recruiting years. Looking toward the 2025-26 high school football season, I cannot help but think if this will be a year where we wonder what might have been.

You see, most years, this area produces dozens of college football signees, but only a couple of big time recruits. It is not rare to have SEC and ACC Signees, but it is definitely unusual to have several in one class. However, now that transferring schools seems to be trending for top level players, the area will miss out on what was shaping up to be the best recruiting class in CSRA History.

There are four players who began their prep careers in the area but are finishing elsewhere. These players alone would have made for an incredible class, but when you couple them with Cole Trupp (Greenbrier), Jack Rhodes (Aquinas), Malcolm Gaston (North Augusta) and Solomon Mathis (Hephzibah), along with a handful of other top talent, 2026 could have been off the charts.

Here is a look at the four CSRA products we will now have to admire from afar this season.

Jerry Beard (Junior)

Prince Avenue Christian School
4-Star Running Back/Safety
Ranked 185^th overall and 15th amongst running backs in the Class of 2027

College Offers: UGA, Alabama, FSU, Florida, Michigan, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee, Miami, and about a dozen others

Beard’s family all hail from Lincoln County and the Beard name is synonymous with Red Devil Football. This youngster has been groomed to be another in a long line of great Lincoln County tailbacks. He was highly touted before he ever played a down at the high school level. As a freshman he was a standout as a starter for the Red Devil defense and played a key role for the offense. However, after transferring to Prince Avenue Christian and getting another year of growth under his belt, Beard exploded in 2024. He carried the ball 222 times for 1,937 yards and 21 touchdowns as he led his squad to the state semi-finals. He also hauled in 32 passes for 525 yards and five more touchdowns. In all he piled up nearly 2,900 all-purpose yards and flew up all the recruiting charts. Beard should have another monster year this fall.

Aaron Gregory (Senior)           

Douglas County High School
4-Star Wide Receiver

Ranked as the 63rd best recruit in America. He is also rated as the eighth best wide receiver and the seventh best overall player in Georgia.

College Offers: Texas A&M (Committed), Alabama, UGA, Ohio State, Florida, FSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Oregon - basically any school in the country

Gregory has great bloodlines as he is the nephew of former Westside and Duke basketball star William Avery. He began his prep career as a two-way starter at Augusta Christian before transferring a couple of years ago to Douglas County. Gregory has flourished in their system and college recruiters have taken notice. Gregory caught 53 passes for 914 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior and helped guide his squad to the State Final Four and a 38^th place ranking nationally.

The Aggies are getting a good one.

Devin Carter (Senior)

Douglas County High School
4-Star Wide Receiver

Ranked nationally as the 120th best recruit and 17th best wide receiver in the class of 2026. Carter is also ranked the 15th best player in talent-rich Georgia.

College Offers: FSU (Committed), Auburn, UGA, Alabama, UNC, Ohio State, Texas, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, and a host of others. Like his teammate Gregory, Carter can pick from any school in the country.

Carter is the son of former Florida State star and NFL running back Dexter Carter. Like his dad, Devin can fly, and he has used that to rack up dozens of scholarship offers. Last season, he caught 41 passes for 669 yards and five touchdowns and helped guide Douglas County to the State semis.

Jaden Wuerth (Junior)

Dutch Fork High School

Wuerth was easily the premier defender in Augusta each of his last two seasons at Aquinas.

College Offers: South Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, and a host of other D-I Schools.

Wuerth is a freak of nature - on the field and in the weight room. He burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2023, leading the state in sacks with 14. He also piled up 139 tackles, which is an astonishing number for a defensive end. Last season, he proved that was no fluke, leading the CSRA with 147 tackles and 38 tackles for loss. He also had 42 QB hurries and 13.5 sacks. While his recruitment has not been as active as Carter, Gregory, or Beard, it is definitely heating up. Dutch Fork is a perennial powerhouse and draws recruiters like bees to honey. I have no doubt that Wuerth will be rolling in significant offers by the end of the year.

Sure, it would be awesome to have this quartet playing for local teams this fall. But just because they will be playing out of the area does not mean we still cannot root for them, hoping they each have a monster 2025.