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Douglas County head football coach Johnny White points to leadership when asked about the strengths of this year's team.

The Tigers are nationally ranked (No. 56) and state-ranked (No. 9 in all classes on Max Preps and No. 4 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Class AAAAAAA preseason rankings), and poised for another season where the talent is there to win a state championship. Douglas County made deep playoff runs each of the past two seasons, falling to Buford in the quarterfinals last year and to eventual state champion Grayson in the semifinals in 2024.

White said at the recent DCSS Football Media Day, "I've been telling them since I've been here, good teams, coaches lead, great teams, players lead. And I think for the first time, we truly have a player-led team."

Douglas County saw several players from last year's team move on to Power 5 college programs, including big-time receivers Aaron Gregory (Texas A&M) and Devin Carter (Florida State).

This year's team features a host of players being sought after by elite programs, including all-region offensive lineman Joshua Sam-Epelle and edge Justin Weeks, who both committed to play for Georgia Tech earlier this summer. Sam-Epelle and defensive backs Adryan Cole, who has committed to the University of Georgia, and Kennedy Green, who has committed to Mississippi State, were named to the AJC’s preseason All-State team.

White said he plans to use two quarterbacks this season, pointing out that the biggest problem the Tigers had defensively last year was getting ready for Carrollton's two-quarterback offense.

"You've got to prepare for two totally different offenses," White said of defending against two QBs. "Our offenses aren't really different, but I think they both do different things in it, and I think they both are very good at what they do. So, that being said, why should I play one and not the other? We're going to play both of them."

Douglas County's schedule will be tough, with the Tigers facing two state champions from last year (Sandy Creek in Class AAA and Carver-Columbus in Class AA) and Carrollton, which finished as the Class AAAAAA runner-up to Buford.

That tough schedule will come into play in the postseason under the Georgia High School Association's new postseason ranking system. Under the system, region champions automatically earn playoff berths and the remainder of the field qualifies based on a formula consisting of a team's record, its opponents' winning percentage and its opponents' opponents' winning percentage.

White is in his 11th year coaching the Tigers and is one win away from 100. He joked that it "better happen this year."

"From the time I was at Creekside to the time I've been here, I've been blessed to have great people around me," he said.

Douglas County is now in Region 2-AAAAAAA with this year's reclassification, where the Tigers will compete against Carrollton, East Coweta, Northgate and Westlake.

White highlighted several key players during Media Day:

• DB Adryan Cole, Sr.
• DB Kennedy "KJ" Green, Sr.
• LB David Parson, Sr.
• OL Joshua Sam-Epelle, Sr.
• DL Jordan Smith, Sr.

The Tigers open the season at Newton County in a non-region contest on Saturday, Aug. 22.