The Corky Kell & Dave Hunter Classic has been kicking off Georgia high school football since 1992 when the Brookwood Broncos took on the McEachern Indians and the Newnan Cougars faced off against the Southwest DeKalb Panthers at the Georgia Dome, and will continue to bring excitement all around the state of Georgia 12,031 days later when the 34th annual edition kicks off at Kell High School on August 13th. There have been many notable players that have appeared in these games across the years, as 37 have gone on to play in the NFL. Here is a list of the top 10 all-time players in the entire history of the Corky Kell & Dave Hunter Classic.
WR Derrick Steagall – Newnan (1989-1992)
Steagall played multiple positions in his high school career with Newnan as he played quarterback, defensive back, and wide receiver for the Cougars. Most schools recruited him to play defensive back while schools like Alabama and Michigan recruited him to play quarterback. Steagall ended up committing to Georgia Tech where he got the chance to play quarterback. He was a part of Newnan’s 1992 region championship when his team went 11-1 overall and 6-0 in Region 4-4A. Steagall and Newnan dominated Southwest DeKalb in the inaugural edition of the Classic.
LB Rennie Curran – Brookwood (2003-2006)
Curran was dominant in his final two seasons with the Broncos as he was named Gwinnett County Touchdown Club Defensive Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006. He became the all-time leading tackler for Brookwood at the end of his high school football career. Curran and the Broncos defense locked down Stephenson in the 2005 edition of the Classic, winning 42-21 for their sixth-straight win in the tournament dating back to 2000. He ended up playing college football at Georgia where he was a Freshman All-American in 2007, Sophomore All-American in 2008, and a first-team All-American in 2009. Curran led the SEC in tackles in 2009 with 116. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the 97th-overall pick. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before going to the CFL where he played for the Edmonton Eskimos and BC Lions. Curran is a member of the 2023 Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame class.
OT Orlando Brown Jr. – Peachtree Ridge (2010-2013)
Brown in 2013 was a part of Peachtree Ridge’s first season with a second round playoff appearance since 2007. In the Classic that season, the Lions took down Walton 23-17 to snap a two-game losing streak in the tournament. He originally committed to Tennessee, but instead chose to go to Oklahoma where he was named the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2016 and 2017, along with being a Unanimous All-American in 2017. Brown was selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the 83rd-overall pick by the Baltimore Ravens. From 2019 to 2022 he was named to the Pro Bowl and won Super Bowl 57 with the Kansas City Chiefs. Brown is currently on the Cincinnati Bengals and has started 103 games throughout his career.
S Caleb Downs – Mill Creek (2019-2022)
Downs went 3-0 at the Classic with the Hawks by defeating East Coweta 38-6 in 2019, Parkview 43-10 in 2021, and Walton 44-41 in 2022. The game against Walton saw him dominate on both sides of the ball by scoring two rushing touchdowns on five carries and getting an interception. He scored 20 rushing touchdowns on 57 carries with 389 rushing yards and led Mill Creek in tackles with 83 during his senior year as the Hawks went on to win the Class 7A state championship. Downs committed to Alabama where he was named the SEC Freshman of the Year at the conclusion of the 2023 season. He transferred to Ohio State after the retirement of legendary head coach Nick Saban, and was named a Unanimous All-American and the Big 10 Defensive Back of the Year along with winning the College Football Playoff National Championship in his sophomore season.
RB Wayne Gallman – Grayson (2009-2012)
Gallman was a part of the Classic in his entire time at Grayson as the Rams went 3-1 at the tournament from 2009 to 2012 with a 14-10 win over Camden County, 7-0 win over Kell, and a 19-8 win over Chattahoochee. His junior season was a special one as Grayson went 16-0 and won its first-ever state championship. Gallman committed to Clemson, and after redshirting his freshman season he was a stellar running back for the Tigers as he rushed for 3,429 yards on 676 carries and scored 34 touchdowns on the ground. He was named second-team All-ACC in 2015 and 2016, and won the 2017 CFP National Championship. Gallman was drafted by the New York Giants in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft with the 140th-overall pick. Along with the Giants, he was on the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, and Seattle Seahawks before going to the United Football League where he played for the St. Louis Battlehawks.
DE Jonathan Ledbetter – Tucker (2011-2014)
Ledbetter was a part of a tight game in the Classic for his senior year in 2014 as Tucker narrowly fell to Norcross 32-29 in overtime. That game was the Tigers’ first appearance in the annual event. He originally committed to Alabama before de-committing and going to Georgia instead. Ledbetter’s junior season saw him total 38 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks in 11 starts as the Bulldogs made their first appearance in the College Football Playoff where they went to the National Championship and lost to Alabama. He did even better his senior season, leading the team in total tackles with 56 and posting 6.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and two forced fumbles. Ledbetter was named second-team All-SEC for that solid season. He went undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft, and the Miami Dolphins signed him as an undrafted free agent. Ledbetter played with the Dolphins until 2021 when he was waived by Miami and then signed by the Arizona Cardinals.
DT Willie Blade – Warner Robins (1996)
Blade transferred to Warner Robins for his senior year after being at Northside High School in northern Warner Robins. At Northside, he played under current GHSA executive director Tim Scott who was the defensive line coach for the Eagles at the time. With Warner Robins, Blade was named to the Peach State Top 40 by the Augusta Chronicle as the Demons went 8-3 overall and won their ninth-consecutive region title in Region 2-4A. In the Classic, he was a part of Warner Robins’ third-straight win in the event as the Demons defeated Pope 21-14. Blade first played at Northwest College, but transferred to Butler Community College for his sophomore season where he received All-Jayhawk Conference honors after posting 42 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and six sacks as he led his team to win the National Junior College Championship. He played his final two years of college football at Mississippi State where he totaled 79 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and five sacks in his time with the Bulldogs. Blade was named second-team All-SEC in 2000. He was selected in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys with the 93rd-overall pick. Blade had three stints in his NFL career with the Cowboys as he also played with them in 2003 and 2005. He also spent time with the Houston Texans, New York Giants, and Jacksonville Jaguars before ending his professional football career with the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League in 2007.
S Willie Gary – Valdosta (1993-1996)
Gary and the Wildcats were state runners-up in his sophomore and senior season while competing in Class 4A. In the 1996 edition of the Classic, Valdosta took down Brookwood 31-28 in its first-ever appearance in the event. Gary played college football at Kentucky before playing one year for the St. Louis Rams in 2001 where they lost Super Bowl 36 to the New England Patriots. In 2002, Gary played for the Scottish Claymores of the NFL Europa League, a developmental minor league of the NFL. He finished his professional football career with the Georgia Force of the Arena Football League, playing from 2003-08. Gary spent four years as the head coach of Berkmar High School from 2018 to 2021 along with coaching stops at North Gwinnett and Shiloh.
WR/CB Travis Hunter – Collins Hill (2018-2021)
Hunter was in the Classic for his junior and senior season with the Eagles where they won by 20-plus points in both games. Those two seasons saw him total over 1,000 receiving yards and double-digit touchdown receptions as he ended his high school career with 48 touchdown receptions and 3,963 receiving yards. Defensively, Hunter had 19 interceptions, 18 pass breakups, and 116 total tackles in his career at Collins Hill. He played his first year of college football at Jackson State under NFL legend Deion Sanders. Hunter followed Sanders to Colorado where he played his sophomore and junior seasons, with his junior year being one for the record books as he totaled 1,258 receiving yards on 96 receptions along with 15 touchdown receptions. On defense, he posted 36 tackles, 11 pass breakups and four interceptions. Hunter won the Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Award, Fred Biletnikoff Award, Chuck Bednarik Award, and Lott Trophy along with being a Unanimous All-American and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year for his senior year. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the second-overall pick in this year’s draft after a pick swap between the Jaguars and the Cleveland Browns.
QB Quincy Carter – Southwest DeKalb (1992-1995)
Carter was a multi-sport athlete at Southwest DeKalb as he played both football and baseball. The Panthers were a part of the first two editions of the Classic where they were defeated by Newnan in 1992 and Brookwood in 1993. His senior year was a big one as the Panthers went 15-0 en route to winning the Class 4A state championship 14-7 over Parkview, and Carter received Parade All-America and USA Today Georgia Player of the Year honors. Carter wrapped up his high school career with 4,450 passing yards, 37 touchdown passes, 1,489 rushing yards and 32 touchdown runs. After trying to pursue a professional baseball career, he returned to college football in 1998 and decided to play at the University of Georgia instead of Georgia Tech, whom he was originally committed to play football for in 1996. He was named second-team All-SEC in 1999. In three seasons at Georgia, Carter recorded 6,447 passing yards on 483 completions and threw 35 touchdown passes. He was selected in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys with the 53rd-overall pick. Carter played in Dallas until 2003 as he went to the New York Jets for the 2004 season. The rest of his professional football career saw him go to the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings and Kansas City Brigade of the Arena Football League, and the Abilene Ruff Riders and Corpus Christi Fury who were professional indoor football teams. Carter was inducted into the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame in 2023.
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