DeKalb Football Kicks off with Media Day

This year’s DeKalb County football media day provided a glimpse of a very deep talent pool and included a live SEC commitment decision. 

For the Tucker Tigers, it was business as usual. Coach Franklin Stephens addressed the media briefly, introducing a few of Tucker’s players, and then led his contingent in politely listening to the rest of the county’s head coaches.

Coach Stephens did not hype his squad or state any specific achievement goals for the season. He did express disappointment in falling short of last season’s expectations (Tucker’s only loss came in the state semifinals, by one point), but said the important thing was that the players had fun. As for this year’s talent and expectations, Stephens said, “You’ll see when we see,” indicating the Aug. 25 season opener on WSB-TV against Southwest DeKalb in the Thursday night “Game of the Week.”

The public will actually get a chance at a sneak peek prior to the opener, as Tucker will face Stephenson in a scrimmage Aug. 12 at Hallford Stadium. While the game won’t count in the standings, don’t expect either of these powerhouse programs to be willing to settle for a loss. Stephenson coach Ron Gartrell brought a plethora of Division-I commits to media day, including seven SEC-bound players.

Not to be outdone, Lithonia offensive lineman Joe Harris announced his commitment to South Carolina from the podium.

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