Super 11 picks Edmonds, Wyman on list of Georgia’s 10 best HS defensive backs

Markel Aguirre, Luella

Playing free safety, Aguirre (6-0, 185) was a first-team GHSF Daily/AJC all-state player for a 6-6 Class 3A team. He had 42 solo tackles, 25 assists and two interceptions. He rushed for 189 yards on 22 carries and caught 23 passes for 355 yards. Nicknamed Chino, Aguirre is the highest-rated Luella prospect since former Georgia Tech and NFL cornerback Roderick Sweeting in 2008. Aguirre committed to N.C. State in June. His brother Raul Aguirre is a starting linebacker at Miami.

Dorian Barney, Carrollton

A cornerback, Barney made GACA first-team all-state and GHSF Daily/AJC honorable mention as a key member of Carrollton’s Class 6A runner-up team. He had 25 solo tackles, four interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, and five pass breakups. Barney is the highest-rated defensive back prospect from Carrollton this century. A four-year varsity starter with 16 career interceptions, he played at Peachtree Ridge as a sophomore and Eagle’s Landing Christian as a freshman. He is a top-250 national recruit who committed to Michigan in July.

Darnell Collins, Rome

Collins (6-4, 190) was a first-team GACA all-state player for an 8-3 Class 5A team last season. Playing safety, he had 32 tackles, three forced fumbles and two interceptions. Usually listed as an athlete in recruiting services, Collins is rated higher than any wide receiver or safety in Rome history. He’s a top-600 national recruit who committed to Georgia Tech in June. Tech plans to use him as a wide receiver.

Jorden Edmonds, Sprayberry

An AJC Super 11 pick, Edmonds (6-2, 175) is the consensus No. 2 cornerback prospect nationally. He made first-team GHSF Daily/AJC all-state last season. He had 24 solo tackles and 11 assists on defense, 35 receptions for 670 yards and four touchdowns on offense, and 282 return yards on special teams. Edmonds is a three-year starter. His father, Chris Edmonds, played two seasons in the NFL as a linebacker. Edmonds is the highest-rated Sprayberry prospect this century ahead of NFL player Trey Sermon. He’s the eighth-highest-rated Georgia cornerback this century, the highest since Travis Hunter was a senior in 2021. Edmonds committed to Alabama in March.

Cortez Redding, Jonesboro

Redding (6-0, 175) made first-team GHSF Daily/AJC all-state and was Region 3-4A’s defensive player of the year last season for an 8-4 Class 4A team. He had 118 tackles and three interceptions. Redding also is a two-time first-team all-region basketball player. A top-400 national prospect, Redding is the third-highest-rated recruit from Jonesboro this century. He committed to Miami in July.

Jordan Smith, Houston County

Smith (6-2, 185) was first-team all-region and honorable mention GHSF Daily/AJC all-state playing safety for an 8-5 Class 5A team. He had 69 solo tackles, 16 assists, three tackles for losses, two interceptions and seven pass breakups. A consensus top-100 national recruit, Smith is the highest-rated defensive prospect in Houston County history. He committed to Georgia in April.

Blake Stewart, Woodward Academy

Smith (6-0, 175) was a first-team GHSF Daily/AJC all-state performer last season playing for an 8-4 Class 5A team. He had 60 solo tackles, three tackles for losses and two interceptions last season. He scored touchdowns receiving and returning a punt, kickoff and interception. He had 38 receptions for 367 yards. He has played baseball, basketball and lacrosse in high school and run track. A top-400 national recruit, Stewart is the highest-rated Woodward Academy prospect since Elijah Holyfield in 2015. He committed to Clemson in July.

Markell Taylor, North Paulding

Taylor (6-0, 195) had 42 solo tackles, eight tackles for losses and two interceptions for a 6-5 Class 6A team last season. He returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown. He committed to Cincinnati in June.

Jaedyn Terry, Manchester

Terry (6-3, 175) made first-team GHSF Daily/AJC all-state last season after making 60 solo tackles and four tackles for losses and intercepting four passes playing safety for a Class A Division II semifinal team. Terry also made AJC honorable mention basketball all-state as the best player on a top-10 team. In track and field, he finished third in the 300-meter hurdles at the Class A Division II meet. A consensus top-400 national recruit, Terry is the second-highest-rated Manchester prospect this century behind Texas freshman Justus Terry, a cousin. Jaedyn Terry committed to Georgia Tech in March.

Jontavius Wyman, Jonesboro

An AJC Super 11 pick, Wyman is a cornerback and wide receiver who is the state’s only player in his region’s player of the year category two years in a row. Those awards came in Region 3-6A as a sophomore and Region 3-4A as a junior. He is a versatile four-year starter who has scored touchdowns rushing (four), receiving (14) and returning punts (three), interceptions (two) and a fumble (one). He threw 10 TD passes as a freshman. He has seven career interceptions. A top-300 national prospect, Wyman committed to Miami in April.