Vote: Who has been the top high school tight end in Georgia so far in 2023?
Prolific football offenses, on all levels, have become more vertical over the years, and the tight end is no longer and an extra blocker on the offensive line. Some tight ends have become as prolific in the pass game as the wide receivers. Georgia has a long tradition of producing great tight ends who have gone on to stardom on the college and professional levels. That tradition figures to extend with excellent crop of young high school stars in the state, but who is the best.
We want you to help us to determine the answer by voting in our latest poll: Who has been the top tight end in Georgia in 2023? We've selected 10 candidates we believe are in this conversation and we're asking you to help decide by voting in our poll. Voting will conclude on October 31st at 11:59 p.m.
Here are the nominees:
Caleb Odom, Carrollton
Odom is the No. 3 ranked tight end in the nation in the class of 2024 and the No. 1 ranked tight end Georgia. Odom is a four-star and will be headed to Alabama and if you ever have the opportunity to watch him play you will see why. He is Carrollton’s leading receiver with nearly 500 yards and seven touchdowns. Although he is a tight end, in Carrollton’s offense he lines up in either the slot or out wide and he can do it all. On a game-to-game basis he is either running by his defender, breaking them down on the line of scrimmage with his footwork, or simply going up and catching the pass over the defender. His 6-foot-5 frame makes it easy to make those spectacular catches and he also has the speed that taller players just don’t possess.
Elyiss Williams, Camden County
Williams is a beast on the field and a physical specimen. Standing at 6-foot-7, 235 pounds, he towers over his opponents whether it’s lining up outside or at the traditional tight end position. If you watch him play his get off is surprising for someone his size, when the ball is hiked, he seems like he is already a few steps into his stride and past his defender. The University of Georgia is getting not just a really good tight end, but the No. 1 tight end in the Class of 2025 according to ESPN and 247.
Ethan Barbour, Alpharetta
Barbour is one of the best tight ends in the nation in the Class of 2025. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound beast has displayed pure dominance so far this season. He leads Alpharetta in yards with 710, yards per game with 101.4 and touchdowns with nine. He is second in receptions with 33. Just watch this young man’s highlights. He is either routing his defender up and creating yards of separation, making insane one-handed acrobatic catches, or simply just running by everyone on defense. His athletic ability is through the roof and he is able to to get more vertical than any one on the field while using his long wingspan to snag catches out of the reach of normal humans. Just to add on for good measure, he is a dominant downhill blocker. UGA is getting a stud with Barbour.
Emaree Winston, Calhoun
Winston is a four-star tight end in the Class of 2025 and a key factory in Calhoun’s success on the football field. Winston doesn’t have towering height like some of the other tight ends on this list, only standing at 6 -foot-1, but his 235-pound frame is nothing to mess with. Someone use the word "bully" to describe him and I thought that was a perfect description. Not only is he Calhoun’s leading receiver with 621 yards, but he is a dominant blocker in the run game and uses his size and strength to maul down anyone in his way.
Michael Smith, Calvary Day
The 6-foot-4 four-star will be heading to South Carolina after being a dominant pass catcher for Calvary Day. In the past two seasons Smith has finished with around 600 yards receiving, which seems like the projected total for this year as well but what really sets him apart is his ability to find the end zone. He becomes a big factor in the red zone, with 28 receiving touchdowns and counting in the past three seasons he is one of the best at what he does.
Landen Thomas, Colquitt County
Thomas made the flip from UGA to Florida State, so sorry Bulldog fans, but for Seminole fans you should be excited because Thomas is a beast on the field. The 6-foot-4, four-star has made noticeable leaps in his past couple of seasons. His sophomore season, he caught 31 passes for 516 yards and seven touchdowns. During his junior season he caught 44 passes for 753 yards and eight touchdowns. With Colquitt County undefeated and eyeing a state title, Thomas should have a lot more games to surpass his previous numbers.
Amir Jackson, Portal
The 6-foot-6 four-star tight end has been great for Portal on the field this year and will be attending the University of Florida next year. He already has nearly 500 receiving yards and has a career-high six touchdowns. Jackson is a tough runner and very physical after the catch, easily breaking arm tackles. With his type of physicality after the catch he can easily take quick hitches to the house for 90-yard touchdowns like we’ve seen from him. His 6-foot-6 frame also helps him go over the top and pull in contested catches in double and triple coverage.
Luke Harpring, Marist
Harpring has made a huge impact on the field for Marist and won’t have to go far to make a Collegiate impact as he will be attending Georgia Tech. He plays both ways for the War Eagles and is probably equally as impactful on the defensive end. But on offense he is a top tier tight end. He is one of the best that I’ve seen when it comes to catching the ball away from his body and catching the ball at its highest point. This skill makes those 50-50 jump balls more like 80-20 for Harpring.
Jamie Tremble, Wesleyan
Tremble was last year’s Region 7-3A Offensive Player of the Year, as he caught 55 passes for 890 yards and 11 touchdowns. So far in this season in half the time he has nearly 500 yards and five touchdowns as Wesleyan’s number one receiving option. While Tremble currently dominates the tight end position for Wesleyan, he will soon be doing so for Syracuse. As a four-star, the 6-foot-4 tight end will look to follow in his brother’s footsteps in a sense. Tommy Tremble was a highly touted recruit that went to Notre Dame and was drafted by the Panthers. That added advantage of having family in the NFL really shows on the field for Jamie Tremble at Wesleyan.
Kylan Fox, Grayson
Fox is a do it all threat for Grayson and he lines up in multiple positions to be impactful. At 6-feet-4 and 205 pounds, Fox has the height to go over top and make contested catches and the speed to just outrun the defender. He is a big reason why Grayson’s revamped passing attack has been so successful. Fox will be taking his talents to UCF after this season as a four-star recruit and is drawing a lot of excitement from Central Florida fans.
