Kell's Brian Randolph 2010 Gatorade Georgia Football Player of the Year

Gatorade chose Kell High School running back and safety Brian Randolph as one of 50 candidates for its national award because of his record in the classroom and on field, where he amassed stellar statistics in helping lead the Longhorns to a 12-1 record.

The 6-foot, 185-pound Kell senior is unusual among today's gridiron specialists because he plays 48 minutes nightly, no matter which team has the ball. And Kell head football coach Derek Cook can't say enough about Randolph's contributions.

"I've coached some of the best players to come out of Cobb County, and Brian's probably the best," said Cook, who has coached future NFL players. Cook coached quarterback Kenny McKinley at South Cobb High School prior to McKinley's seasons with the University of South Carolina and the NFL's Denver Broncos, as well as Kell graduate Jonathan Dwyer, who has distinguished himself at Georgia Tech and with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Cook also coached Cherokee High School quarterback Jayson Foster, who won the Heisman-equivalent Walter Peyton Award for 1AA schools at Georgia Southern, "and Brian is as good or better than them all. He plays on both sides of the ball, and he's great at it all."

In his final season at Kell, Randolph rushed for 1,068 yards and 16 touchdowns and caught 17 passes for 414 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, the Longhorn safety had 162 tackles, 98 of them by himself, four interceptions, broke up nine pass plays and recovered two fumbles. On special teams, he returned seven kick-offs for 191 yards and a touchdown.

Randolph was ranked on Georgia's all-state first team as a junior, when he rushed for 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns and had 125 tackles and three interceptions.

"He's had an unbelievable career at Kell," said Cook. "He's been a big part of our success since he arrived. He's an amazing player on the field, on the practice field and in the weight room.

"Anything that has Brian Randolph on it is great; he doesn't do anything halfway. I've never even seen him finish second in a sprint while conditioning – he's going to be first. When it's time to work, he's going to be in the front of the line. He's the guy you want everybody watching – he has an incredible work ethic, character, integrity and leadership. There's not a knock on the kid, and that's hard to find. He's got it."

Randolph has also excelled as a sprinter on Kell's track team, posting a 10.8 time for 100 meters and finishing third in the county meet. The Kell track MVP also runs sprint relays and the 200-meter-dash and says he's working toward faster times and higher places next spring.

Randolph also excels in the classroom, where he has a 4.08 grade point average.

He says he is driven "because my mom and dad [Mark and Lisa Randolph] want me to do my best and support me in everything I do."

Randolph began playing football on the Blackwell Bears in third grade and then advanced to Kell's middle school team, primarily playing running back. Now he prefers playing on the defensive side of the ball "because I'm better at it."

Despite Kell's 12-1 record and advancement to the Elite Eight this fall, he wasn't satisfied with the season.

"We did a lot of hard work, and we were trying to be 1-0 every week," said Randolph. "We didn't have our best game the night we lost to Statesboro. We felt we could have gone to the state championship."

 About a dozen colleges tried to recruit Randolph, including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Maryland, but his decision came down to Tennessee and Georgia Tech, where brother Justin walked on to the team. He chose Tennessee because of "the facilities, the coaching staff and because it is a nice college town and football school."

Randolph says he hasn't decided on a major or career track but knows he wants "to help out and become a starter" at Tennessee, and that appears likely.

"He will definitely get playing time on special teams as a freshman," said Cook. "He will get starting time as a true freshman, and that's out of [UT head coach] Derek Dooley's mouth himself. He could have started at UT this year with his current ability."

Randolph wants to help the Volunteers on kickoff returns and defense and has no preference between playing free safety or strong safety. "I just want to get on the field," he says.

His ability on the field is unquestionable to his coach and Kell opponents.

"He's got great speed, great hands and he's incredibly physical," says Randolph's high school coach. "He weighs 185-190, but he hits you like he weighs 220. He runs 4.4, but he hits you at 4.2; he runs right through a tackle. Several times the last few years he's about knocked himself out hitting so hard.

"He's a great safety and also could be a great cornerback or linebacker because he's fast and strong," said Cook. "And on offense he could play wide receiver. He can catch as well as anybody, and he's had numerous game-winning catches for Kell."

 His coach says that if Randolph puts on enough weight to reach 215 to 225 pounds, "he could be an all-pro NFL player due to his speed, instincts and how he hits people. He lights it up."

 Randolph's high school coach predicts his star player will probably play defense in the NFL.

"That guy cleans it up," said Cook. "He will not miss. And he will run you down if you break through."

When he isn't "lighting it up" on the football field, track or in the classroom, Randolph says he enjoys playing basketball with friends, going to movies and being active in the FRIEND youth program at Friendship Baptist Church. He has served his community through Kell's Christmas gift-giving campaign, with a cancer research foundation and with a baseball program for special-needs student-athletes.