DeKalb County’s Class of 2026 scores big with 92 football scholarship signees

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—Ninety-two football players from DeKalb County high schools have signed scholarships to continue both their academic and athletic careers at colleges and universities across the nation this fall. 

The number of signees this year marks the highest since DeKalb’s Class of 2014, which had 101 signees.  

The Class of 2026 includes 10 athletes headed to top level college football programs in the Division 1 FBS, including Southeastern Conference schools Arkansas (Lithonia’s Zae’Quan Jackson) and Mississippi State (Lithonia’s Tico Crittendon). Southwest DeKalb’s Earnest Rankins, Jr. chose the ACC’s Florida State University.

Another 10 DeKalb athletes signed with Division 1 FCS  programs including two to Bethune Cookman (Stephenson’s Shane Moore and Cedar Grove’s Dexxtre Mincey) and two to South Carolina State University (Columbia’s Antonio Whiters and Stephenson’s Emari Green).

DeKalb’s signees have found homes at 16 Division II schools (32); six Division III colleges (6); 10 NAIA colleges (29); three junior colleges (6); and one NCCAA college.

DeKalb has two student athletes headed to high profile academic schools as Lithonia’s Braylon Jackson (linebacker) chose the Air Force Academy and Arabia Mountain’s Joshua Owens (defensive back) heads to the Ivy League to play at the University of Pennsylvania.

Lithonia put forth the largest signing class with 20 players moving on to the next level followed by Columbia with 13, while Martin Luther King Jr., Miller Grove and Southwest DeKalb had 10 signees each. Lithonia had the largest number of signees in DeKalb since Stephenson’s 25 signees in 2012. Miller Grove’s signing class of 10 players was the most in school history.

Fourteen of the 19 high schools participating in football had at least one player sign in this class with several schools continuing long streaks of players signing.

Southwest DeKalb’s 10 signees this spring extended the school’s streak to forty-three consecutive seasons dating back to 1984. Cedar Grove made it 38 consecutive seasons with its three signees this year which dates to 1989. Other streaks over 20 include Stephenson 29 (1998), Tucker 26 (2001), Columbia 23 (2004) and Lithonia 22 (2005).

Arabia Mountain has a streak of 16 seasons with a signee dated back to 2007, which was just the third season of football at DeKalb’s newest school (2009).

Towers broke a seven-year drought with two signees in the 2026 class with Javonta Callaway (OL, Miles College) and Corinthius Collins (LB, Brevard College). Clarkston’s AmunRa Lee (athlete, Carleton College) and Shak Shukuru (DB (Luther College) gave the school its first signees since 2023 and the most since 2006 (10).

Sixty-three schools from 20 states grabbed up the 92 DeKalb student athletes this year. Athletes are going as far away as Colorado, Delaware and Minnesota to continue their careers.

Story and photos by Mark Brock, Athletics Specialist  for DeKalb County Public Schools