For an early‑season high school game, Thursday night in Tennessee didn’t feel early at all.
Packed stands, a playoff atmosphere, ESPN cameras and a rematch of last year’s state championship game gave Baylor School vs. Brentwood Academy the kind of stage every recruit wants.
And several Ole Miss commits and targets took full advantage of it.
Here’s how each of them looked in one of the Southeast’s best opening‑week showcases.
David Gabriel‑Georges
He isn’t committed to Ole Miss, but the Rebels would love to flip him from Tennessee, and Thursday night showed exactly why.
Gabriel‑Georges was the best player on the field. He piled up roughly 250 total yards and scored three touchdowns, but the numbers still undersell how dominant he was. Brentwood Academy didn’t give him many clean lanes, yet he kept turning crowded runs into explosive plays with elite balance, power and contact strength.
THIS KID IS UNBELIEVABLE!
DGG is a walking highlight reel!
Baylor goes up 2 scores on Brentwood Academy. pic.twitter.com/6r2oVgZeqG
— One11 Recruiting (@One11Recruiting) August 21, 2026
One defender wasn’t enough. Sometimes two weren’t either. He impacted the game as a runner and receiver and looked every bit like a player who could walk into a college program today and compete for real snaps.
Keegan Croucher
Ole Miss has a good one coming. Croucher completed around 11 of 18 passes for roughly 177 yards and added another chunk of rushing yards, but his athleticism was the real headline.
Cool under pressure. Ole Miss commit Keegan Croucher fumbles the snap, no big deal. Just another completion as Baylor School continues to march into the red zone
17-13, 11:48 left in 4Qhttps://t.co/hkV0Xqd62Z pic.twitter.com/jv6keDhYPP
— Zach Berry (@Zach_Berry) August 21, 2026
He escaped pressure, climbed the pocket and extended plays like a veteran. Several of his best throws were wiped out by penalties, but the arm talent was obvious all night.
His opening touchdown to Antwaun Adams was a perfect example of his ability to push the ball vertically and stay accurate while on the move.
Antwaun Adams
Every time Adams got behind the Brentwood secondary, Baylor had a chance for a big play. The 2028 standout finished just shy of 100 yards and grabbed a touchdown, and he nearly added another before replay overturned it.
HE GOES BY "CORNBREAD" 😯🍞
WR Antwaun "Cornbread" Adams gets Baylor School (TN) on the board first in this ESPN Kickoff matchup 🔥 pic.twitter.com/u2js0V56Qd
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) August 21, 2026
His speed jumps off the screen. He created separation downfield, made tough catches underneath and played meaningful snaps at safety, where he was active in coverage and around the ball. Ole Miss and LSU are battling at the top of his recruitment, and performances like this are why.
Crews Jenkins
The Ole Miss commit kept Brentwood Academy competitive against one of the best defenses in the state. Jenkins threw for more than 200 yards and delivered accurate, catchable passes throughout the night.
A few drops kept his stat line from looking even better, but he consistently put the ball where it needed to be. He showed timing, touch and poise, and it’s easy to see why Ole Miss views him as a future piece of its quarterback room. He and Croucher will eventually compete head‑to‑head in Oxford.
Braylen Bedford
One of the top 2028 defensive backs in the country looked the part again.
Bedford played physical coverage, competed on every rep and held his own against Baylor’s talented receivers. The Mississippi native has the length, confidence and versatility to play corner or slide to safety down the road.
Tennessee #Vols target Braylen Bedford (@braylen_bedford) making some moves in the return game. pic.twitter.com/sIUFomZqJ1
— Caleb Sisk (@CalebSisk_) August 21, 2026
Tennessee would love to keep him home, but Ole Miss and Mississippi State are very much in the mix. Performances like Thursday night only strengthen his case as one of the region’s best young defenders.
