Deuce Geralds, defense key Collins Hill's hot start in Georgia high school football

Junior 4-star DL — who holds offers including Alabama, Michigan and Ohio State — is the early national leader in sacks with 7

The Collins Hill (Georgia) defense swarms Graham-Kapowsin (Washington) in the 2021 high school football national championship game. / Photo by Jann Hendry

Heading into the 2024 high school football season, Collins Hill had fallen from grace since winning its first Georgia state championship and playing for the national championship in 2021.

But the Eagles are flying high early in 2024, starting the season unranked in the SBLive/SI Georgia Top 25 and already ascending to No. 6 after a 2-0 start against tough competition.

Collins Hill beat Grayson 20-19 in Week 1 in what was perceived as one of the biggest upsets in the country, and then a 21-14 win over Woodward Academy in Week 2 made it clear this year's Eagles are for real.

A big reason for Collins Hill's early success is the defense, and nobody's been bigger on that side of the ball than junior defensive lineman Deuce Geralds.

The 6-foot-2, 265-pound quarterback wrecker is the early national leader in sacks with seven, getting four against Grayson to break the school record and another three of the team's eight sacks vs. Woodward Academy.

He's already halfway to his sack total from his sophomore year, when he brought down the quarterback 14 times.

Geralds is up for SBLive/SI North Georgia high school football Player of the Week honors for his performance against Woodward Academy.

“Friday he was great at everything he did, and the past two games he has been a man amongst boys, and his elite stats prove he is the best player out there every Friday,” Collins Hill coach Drew Swick told Georgia High School Football Daily.

The four-star DL has Power Four offers from just about everybody, but some of the highlights are Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State and Ole Miss.

More: 5 Takeaways from Week 2 of Georgia high school football

Geralds also showed his wheels on offense against Woodward Academy, scoring the game-winning touchdown on a 41-yard run around the edge:

GAME WINNING TD 🔥🙌🏾@DeuceGeralds @SwickONE8 @CollinsHillFB @On3Recruits @SportsRecruits @adamgorney @ChadSimmons_ @CoachBeck56 pic.twitter.com/z99m4yhUh9

— Jo📸 (@flicksbyjo) August 24, 2024

After that magical 2021 season led by two-way superstar Travis Hunter, Collins Hill went 4-6 in 2022 and 5-7 in 2023.

Geralds started as a freshman and sophomore on those teams, but he didn't take the path — transferring — that so many big-time high school recruits have taken in similar situations in recent years.

He has Collins Hill looking like an early state title contender in Georgia and a candidate to crack the national SBLive/SI Top 25 if the Eagles can win out through Oct. 4 against Buford.

Geralds has football in his blood, as he's the son of former Ole Miss starting center Daverin Geralds:

Mississippi Rebels center Daverin Geralds, right, hoists running back Dexter McCluster after the 2009 Cotton Bowl Classic. / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app:

Download iPhone App | Download Android App

—

-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports

SBLIVE SPORTS LAUNCHES HIGH SCHOOL ON SI

High School On SI will serve as the premier destination for high school sports fans, delivering unparalleled coverage of high school athletics nationwide through in-depth stories, recruiting coverage, rankings, highlights and much more. The launch of a dedicated high school experience expands Sports Illustrated’s reach to even more local communities as fans can now truly follow athletes from “preps to the pros” on a single platform, bringing them closer to the action than ever before.

For more information, visit si.com/high-school.