Stover named Top Performer at Georgia Elite Classic event

Rabun County High School senior quarterback Keegan Stover was named the Top Performer of the Week at the 10th Annual Georgia Elite Classic on Thursday, Dec. 29.

Out of the over 1,200 athletes that have competed in the Georgia Elite Classic since its 2013 start, 13 players have made it to the NFL including Darius Slayton and Xavier McKinney of the New York Giants and Azeez Ojulari of the Atlanta Falcons.

“It’s an event with the top kids. The coaches are some of the best in the state. It was just a great learning experience,” Stover said. “These kids are going on to top colleges. It really helped me get used to the speed of the game at the next level.”

The event began on Tuesday, Dec. 27, and concluded with games on Thursday.

Stover, who transferred to Rabun County from West Forsyth before his senior year, competed in all 13 games for RCHS, throwing for 3,605 yards on 219 completions as well as 41 touchdowns with only three interceptions. Stover threw for 7,493 yards over his four years, good for 35th in state history. His 86 career passing touchdowns stand in 22nd place in Georgia high school history.

On his way to leading the senior National team to a 38-36 win, Stover scored on a seven-yard run in the first half.

“Throughout the year, I saw Keegan grow as a leader,” said RCHS head coach Michael Davis. “When he first got here he was unsure of his role with all the other players, just coming into a new school, but as the season came on he became more vocal and the kids really responded well to him.”

Gerald “Boo” Mitchell was the National head coach. Mitchell is the North Gwinnett wide receivers coach as well as the Gwinnett Football League’s president.

“We had four practices to learn a whole playbook,” Stover said. “It was pretty simple stuff but still a lot of work. I was able to pick it up pretty quickly because I’m a cerebral guy.”

The hard work Stover put in to learn the playbook Davis saw throughout the year.

“Keegan is one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever known,” Davis said. “He’s always working, either on speed work; throwing mechanics; in the weight room. I’ve really enjoyed him. He and I both like to joke so we had a good relationship.”

Practices were scheduled for two hours each, starting on Tuesday and ending on Wednesday night.

“I got to see Darius Cannon. We’ve been friends for a while so we got to hang out,” Stover said. Cannon is a wide receiver from Gainesville. “My roommate was Vicari Swain from Central and we got close as well.”

Swain is a four-star recruit committed to the University of South Carolina. Stover said he didn’t feel nervous throughout the event.

“My goal was to come in there and rip it,” Stover said. “I wanted to play my game and I knew I prepared well enough.”

Stover was named captain of the National Team as he was the first quarterback to play for the senior team.

Davis’ favorite memory of his quarterback came from Friday, Sept. 2, against Adairsville in the third game of the season, where Stover helped RCHS to a school record 72 points while he threw a record eight touchdowns. The eight touchdowns is tied for second place in state history, only behind Ed Staten from 1962.

“That game, he had a sprained ankle the whole week so he couldn’t practice,” Davis said. “He only practiced Thursday, to come in and play so well it shows his grit and how hard of a worker he is. He’s got this really quiet confidence. He isn’t arrogant but deep down he knows what he’s capable of.”

Stover’s favorite memory from RCHS is the new friends he made in his year at the school.

“My favorite memory from Rabun County is just hanging out with my friends. It’s the best thing you can ask for,” Stover said. “I got really close with Noah Legault and Paul Picciotti who I didn’t know when I transferred. We became closer as we worked over the summer and hung out and worked out together.”

Stover was joined by fellow RCHS player Hayden Ross at the Georgia Elite Classic. Ross, a junior, was a staple as an outside linebacker for the Wildcats with three sacks and 59 total tackles.

Stover described himself as a football player in one sentence.

“The first word that comes to mind is ‘gunslinger,’” Stover said. “I understand the game well. I’m a football junkie. Another way I’d describe myself is ‘sneaky athletic.’ I can get around some people, but looking at me you wouldn’t expect it.”

The quarterback’s recruitment is still open, as he plans to go into pre-law.

College recruitment for high schoolers has drastically changed over the past few years with the increase of the transfer portal. As of Dec. 16, more than 1,600 college football players have entered the transfer portal, which allows teams outside of the Power Five snag top recruits after a year on the bench.

This process, however, hurts high school seniors who are looking to play collegiately because most colleges would prefer a redshirt sophomore from a Power Five school over a high school senior they’ll have to coach along.

Davis summed up Stover with words like “fierce competitor with tremendous arm strength.”

“He understands the game so well, he’s really football savvy,” Davis said. “Somebody’s going to get a gem with him, he’ll be a steal wherever he goes. He’s going to keep getting better and he’ll win ball games for them.”