Who are the best players in the Southeast region? This is an open thread to discuss All-Region nominations, All-Freshman nominations, coaching awards, and more. Stay positive and keep it civil.
Avi Ghitterman, Vanderbilt’s Center Handler, is a very tough matchup for any team. Super shifty, and a super consistent distributor who does a ton for his team. Don’t sleep on Avi, he’s a baller.
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Kai Durvasula, Charles Lieberman, Charlie Smith. The three players that made Tulane’s offense so successful this past year. They often crossed over to defense as well and forced breaks more often than not. Durvasula was on the U-20 worlds team in 2020 and Smith had a tryout that year. Lieberman is oft overlooked but incredibly skilled.
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Some guys who deserves a load of credit in the SE are Luke Thomas, Brett Hulsmeyer, Will Bianca, Aidan Downey, and Adam Miller. They have taken a the region by storm with their play and experience in higher level ultimate. The same could be said about guys like Hayden Austin Knab and Matt Green, but I want to keep this post concise instead of a ramble on AU and UGA. Both Teams are incredibly deep in skill and will be exciting come to watch in nationals.
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There is no question that Reid Thackerson, Auburn’s coach, deserves some massive credit for the development of younger players at Auburn. Reid, an alumni of the team, has dedication like no other. Those young players helped carry Auburn to natties.
Scott Evans and Matt Green of Auburn are some of the most lock down defensive players in the region. Taking the toughest matchups against Jojah and Tulane. Main reason for the blow out against Tulane in the semis.
There was an absolute battle between Georgia’s, Adam Miller, Jared Bennet, Issac, and Drew Di Francesco, and Auburn’s Brett Huslmeyer, Will Bianca, Nick Smith and Luke Thomas.
Auburn’s main cutting core, between Brett, Will and Nick Smith is one of the most dynamic cutting cores in all of the country. Their ability to mix match their looks make them very dangerous.
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From the teams we regularly competed against this season in the region
Tulane: Their big three of Durvasula, Lieberman, and Smith are great and almost singlehandedly make them a threat in the region.
Auburn: Hulsmeyer is an obvious mismatch for any team, but another sneaky great player is Luke Thomas
Vanderbilt: Avi Ghittterman is clearly the heart and soul of the team and was the guy to lock in on in order to have success against them.
Alabama: Trip Crowley may be the most underrated player in the region. Convinced he just doesn’t get the recognition due to the lack of high-level tournaments that Alabama attends.
Georgia: How many players am I allowed to list? In all seriousness, though the whole team is great but players like Downey, Austin-Knab, and Miller stand out
UAH: Brad Flemming was an extremely player to play against on both sides of the ball
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Tulane: Guys like Kai Durvasula and Lieberman and Smith deserve credit for what they have done with that program.
Bama: Trip Crowley and Grant (Kern?) are both great players that helped beat an Auburn team in pool play at sectionals
Georgia: obvious guys like miller downey and austin-knab
Emory: Justin (Burnette?) and Alex Killingsworth are both threats
Auburn: bragging on teammates here. Brett Hulsmeyer is obvious
defensively: Matt Green is one of the most complete defenders I have ever watched. Not only am I basing this off of his ability to deny key pieces of opposing teams (see regional semifinal score against tulane) but his technicality. His footwork is pristine, and body positioning perfect each time to get whatever D is necessary at that time whether in the air or on a layout. By far the most deserving player who doesn’t get recognition.
Scott Evans is another defensive stalwart, and he may be faster than a cheetah. In the regional final against jojah, he covered 40 ish yards on a chasedown as deep-deep in a zone to get the D, then ran 75 yards and caught a full field huck outrunning jojah’s players, crazy sequence of athleticism.
Offensively: We have a ton of deserving guys here, but Luke Thomas, Will Bianca, and Brandon Beers are all deserving. Luke is in his first year at Auburn (previously played for firebird) and has become a key piece as our center handler on offense. Bianca and Beers are both hybrids who can morph into whatever you need them for in any given moment.
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AND I ALMOST FORGOT:
Reid Thackerson deserves SE Coach of the Year and potentially even national coach of the year. He is a first year coach for Aetos and has sacrificed his time to make us better at practice each and every day. As a former defensive player, he has a knowledge for the game particularly on the defensive side. He knows how to push players and is willing to learn how each player wants to be coached personally. He asks for feedback from members of the team on what things he could do better as a coach. Auburn’s consistent defensive improvement throughout the year can be credited to Thackerson’s defensive game planning, and Auburn’s nationals birth cannot happen without his constant presence and support.
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Appreciate some of the love I’ve gotten here. Also would like to s/o Jonah and Jaime our D-line handlers working with a line of basically all underclassmen.
I want to s/o a couple guys on Auburn’s defense. Don’t know the names and they all look literally identical (couldn’t tell half of their team apart) but whoever was on me and Charlie Smith made life harder w the constant poaching in the lanes.
Center handler on Alabama does a good job for their O line too. #6 on LSU is a baller downfield. Avi on Vandy is rock solid too for their O.
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I want to name off people from teams in the region I’ve either watched enough or played against. There are some really really great players in the southeast that deserve recognition. I’ve played with Auburn these past two semesters.
UAH
Bradley Fleming - amazing defender and extremely skilled with moving the disc. At sectionals he got one of the craziest handblocks into his own teammates hand for a callahan. And if you haven’t heard about what he did to help for the comeback against UCF at regionals, that says a lot about this dude.
Chris Youngblood - another great defender, watched this dude layout for a D at head level against us at TTown Throwdown. And he’s big in the air. Great player
Georgia Tech
Victor Pria - best guy on the team to have the disc in his hands in my opinion. And he’s got some cleannnn layouts.
Chris Zou?? - fast as hell, gets open and gets the disc easily. He is also one of the nicest guys I think I’ve ever played against. He’s a big part in their run to the game to go this weekend.
(Their whole team was really nice in the game to go)
Georgia
Everyone’s already mentioned their big 3 guys Aidan, Hayden, and Adam. It’s obvious how skilled these guys are. Aidan and Hayden run the hell out of that offense.
Adam is a great defender and completely runs the offense when they get turnovers.
Alabama
Trip Crowley - this dues a monster on offense and defense. He mostly plays offense and gets the disc pretty easily, but hes also got some of the best hucks I’ve seen. He’s very consistent with them.
Grant Kerr - main handler for their offense and plays a lot of getting the disc every other. But his flick hucks are also absolutely outstanding. I think he went like 100% against us on deep throws at sectionals. He’s hard to manage.
Florida State
I’m not super familiar with these guys and don’t know many names and I couldnt find names on their social media. But they did have a guy that stood out to me and if any FSU guys wanna reply his name that’d be great.
He’s a pretty important handler to this team, his head is either shaved or just really really short and he wore a headband. And I think he played in some sort of leg brace or something. But he was pretty raw. He’s athletic and just moved the disc clean as hell in our game against them. I had never seen him before and we definitely had to make adjustments to keep him away from the disc as much as possible.
Emory
Justin Burnett - might be the most athletic guy in the game right now. I promise you if you play a game against him you will see at least one insanely incredible play that you would never see coming. He lays out big. Jumps high enough to hurdle you. Could smoke A LOT of people in a race. And he’s good with the disc in his hands. He really does it all. And another one of the nicest guys I’ve met. He’s fun to play with or against. Idk how many people get the all region award but I PROMISE you this guy deserves it.
Tulane
Their big 3 are really a big 3. They do everything for that team. I know their names are already in this thread. In my opinion, #11 is the most versatile guy on the team. He’s either Charlie or Charles, the names are too similar idk which one. But I think he stands out the most when we played them at least. He’s gonna get the disc, gonna make big throws, and score probably a lot. He skied a group of like 6 people in our game at regionals within the first few points. He crosses over a lot and plays tight the whole time, he works HARD.
Auburn
This is my team but I do want to try to stay unbiased so I’ll stick to 3 names.
Brett Hulsemeyer - this guy literally does everything. He will always be open. He’ll take big matchups and lock someone up. He wins in the air A LOT. He gets any throw off he wants. I’m sure you’ve seen his name within the AUDL. He’s one of the best in all of college for sure.
Scott Evans - I don’t know where to start with this guy. He’s one of the fastest guys on the field. He’ll get open for anything and roast any dude deep. If you happen to be under a disc with them, you’re likely going to lose. He’s our go to guy to guard the best cutter on the team and he does it EVERY SINGLE D POINT. And it works. If you haven’t seen him close on a disc that looks like it’s out of reach for anyone, I promise you will eventually.
Matt Green - another outstanding defender. I would beg him to guard every go to handler of every team we played for the entire series. He lays out for everything. He plays some of the most lock down face up defense I’ve seen. I love watching this guy play defense so much. If he’s on you, he will most undoubtedly make your life hell. And on offense, he’s a go to guy to move the disc up the field. He’s definitely a key cutter for that defensive offense. And he’s our only defensive man to cross over to offense this past weekend when we really needed an extra top end cutter if that doesn’t say enough already.
I wasn’t able to play some other teams recently enough to give some credit. I’m sure there’s more underrated guys out there. Georgia State definitely has at least one guy on their defense. One who got a nasty layout D against FSU in one of their last points. But I don’t know a name or remember much about what he looked like so maybe someone can help there. Vandy definitely has a few too. But didn’t get the privilege to play them or watch much.
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Ah yes, somehow we always seem to stay under the radar. I guess that’s a good thing. But before I talk about us, let’s talk about some Southeast opponents we’ve played against that deserve some recognition! In my opinion there’s a lot of people in the Southeast that deserve some love, but I have bolded the truly elite playmakers though, if that’s the only thing you are here for. 
Georgia State
Krishan Chib - It’s certainly tough leading a small team that isn’t extremely deep in talent and experience. To find a captain of such a team that never seems to get flustered and always provides his team with positive support is rare; his friendliness with opposing teams and his eternal willingness to amicably resolve on-field and off-field disputes is a gem.
Vinny Nguyen - GSU’s trusty lefty handler is incredibly shifty and a master of the throw-and-go move; playing handler defense against him is always a rough time. On top of that, he’s always all smiles like Krishan and happy to converse with you on and off the field.
UTC
Colored hair guy - Unfortunately I don’t know his name, but this guy was a beast on defense, making plays to create break chances for his team.
Little guy with glasses - A handler for UTC, he’s quick and is a rock for their offense. He’s also someone you’ll see making plays on defense to get the disc back for his team. Putting him on everybody’s radar for future years
(I think his team calls him Mr. President?)
Emory
Justin Burnett - This man is a highlight reel generator. I’m excited to see what his Callahan video will be like one day because he’s an absolute beast on defense and incredibly difficult to guard on offense. Also a Hustle player
Matthew Shu - Underrated cutter, absolute workhorse for Emory. He grinds out cuts for his team and has all the necessary throws when he gets the disc, quite difficult to guard.
Florida
Michael Arbutine - Ultiworld wasn’t joking when they said he is “capable of taking over games”. If he has the disc, he’s a Brodie Smith incarnation. If he doesn’t have the disc, will you’re in trouble because he’s about to roof you in the endzone deep. As an individual player, he’s well polished and is always ready to carry Florida on his back. As a person, he’s very quiet and seems like a great guy.
Alabama
Trip Crowley - Well he’s certainly a giant, and if you give it to him for free, he’ll certainly go deep and score a couple of points on you. But he’s not your “I’m tall and I go deep for glory all the time” type of guy. He’s a composed workhorse for Alabama’s offense, using his defender’s fear of getting skied to grind huge under cuts. With the disc, he’s a solid thrower providing calm and rhythm to Alabama’s offense. Also a Hustle player.
Grant Kern - Ultiworld mentioned him, and that put a target on his back. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a very good handler and a guy you want with the disc. But handling isn’t the only thing he’s good at, he’s also a defensive stalwart for Alabama, locking down handlers in the backfield.
Cannon Kvicala - Always in a red hat, he’s another downfield workhorse for Alabama. Incredibly fast, his ability to make solid cuts and get open all the time as a continuation cutter is extremely underrated. Shoutout to his cutter defense too, he’s given some cutters quite a fit.
Tulane
Charles Lieberman - Ultiworld said it right. “An O-line handler with a defensive grinder’s mentality”. A solid handler for Tulane, he’s always hungry to get the disc back in his hands to keep Tulane’s offense humming. Another master of the throw-and-go.
Charlie Smith - The guy with the hammers. He’s quite shifty in the backfield and also a solid rock for Tulane’s offense.
The third handler in the white hat - Tulane ran a H-stack against us and there was a third handler in a white hat. No idea who he was but Ultiworld definitely needs to get that guy on their radar too. Also an incredibly shifty guy in the backfield and completes the throwing trio for Tulane.
Auburn
Brett Hulsmeyer - He’s not flashy, but he’s obviously on a different tier from his opponents when on the field. Also a Hustle player.
Luke Thomas (Hustle), #21, #24 - These other three guys were also very strong players for Auburn on both offense and defense. I hope somebody else is shouting them out.
Auburn in general - They’re a deep and solid team; they made nationals on the shoulders of the entire team, not just the aforementioned playmakers. I hope they pull off some upsets at natties and bring some pride back to the SE.
Georgia
Okay obviously Hayden Austin-Knab is incredible (go checkout his Callahan teaser, it’s lit). But this whole team, is just on a different level compared to the rest of the Southeast. Obviously they’ll be title contenders at nationals because of how deep they are, and despite our so called rivalry, I really do hope they bring the natties trophy back to the SE. But beyond their on-field abilities, I want to shoutout the team’s spirit and friendliness. Every time we play UGA we have an absolute blast and a very fun game, people who don’t know would probably be surprised to find out that there is a “rivalry” between us and them. I mean come on. What other team out there will bring a rainbow noodle to Regionals, get it stolen by a GT rookie, and then have a good laugh all around trying to get the noodle back.
Georgia Tech
And then there’s us. We’re not surprised that we’re not on peoples’ radars because our team isn’t propped up by flashy players. Our run to the game-to-go this time around was achieved through the grit, spirit, and dedication from an entire team. It’s true that Victor Pria and Jeff Minowa are great players, but the rest of the team also pulls their weight to make upsets happen.
So then who am I making a nomination for? I want to nominate the person who worked five years to help Georgia Tech reach this high, our coach, Cate Woodhurst. It’s definitely a feat to coach a team for five years and take it from a team that couldn’t even make it to the Sunday bracket of Regionals, to a team that reached the game to go. It’s even more difficult to find a coach that constantly reaches out to each individual player on the team, trying to understand what we want out of frisbee in College, and trying her absolute best to help us reach our goals while making us not just the best ultimate player we can be, but also the best teammate and mediators we can be on the field. I’m happy we’ve left an impression as a friendly opponent, the team atmosphere can be accredited to Cate’s work in developing our team culture, serving as an inspiration to the rest of us. So yeah, Cate Woodhurst for Southeast Coach of the Year!!
We aren’t flashy and we’ll bring the same energy again next year.
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One of UTC’s captains here.
Colored hair guy’s name is Jared Beazley, a sophomore for us. He is an absolute beast on defense as well as being a mainstay on our O-line and absolutely deserves consideration for all-region.
The little guy with glasses is Andrew Barczak, he is our senior president. Andrew is a workhorse on both sides of the disc and one of our most consistent players.
UTC has been fortunate enough to have multiple games against a lot of teams in the region, so I will shoutout some individuals we played this year as well as some of our own guys at the end.
Tulane
Kai Durvasula and Charles Lieberman. These guys lead an outstanding O-Line for Tulane, they gave us fits and did not give us many chances to break them at all.
Emory
Justin Burnett and Matthew Shu? (Guy in blue hoodie at sectionals). These two guys are great athletes that we struggled to find answers to in our 3 matchups this year. A lot of people know about Burnett, and deservedly so, but I think Shu is one of the most underrated guys in the region.
Georgia Tech
Tall, long haired guy who can handle. Wish I knew this guy’s name but I really enjoyed matching up with him at Sectionals and he seemed like a pretty versatile handler and was throwing his body around a ton on defense as well.
Alabama
Van Cleave: Only got to play these guys once this year, but this guy stood out to me, great athlete and pretty complete player.
UTC
As for my own team, I’d like to shoutout the two individuals I mentioned in an above reply for all-region, Jared Beazley and Andrew Barczak.
The other player I would like to mention is for All-Freshman, and that is Jackson Bushore. A freshman from Knoxville’s STEM Academy, I would find it hard to believe that there was another Southeast team that asked for more from a freshman than we did of Bushy. Super versatile player that has played on D line for us before becoming a staple of our O line set in the spring, and delivers for us both out of the handler set and downfield. He brings a wide variety of throws to our O line and is a guy we rely on to help us break through zones, as we have really been able to count on his over the top throws this semester. There have been countless times this semester where he has saved points and games with crazy layout catches to keep possession or super athletic layout D’s to get it back for us. Looking forward to how the rest of his career unfolds and seeing him mentioned for all region on here
Here are some of the best players I have watched or played in the Southeast at Florida.
Georgia
I haven’t played Georgia since my freshman year regionals but as others have said Adam Miller, Hayden Austin-knab, and Aidan Downey have been very impressive. Enjoyed seeing some Florida love from Aidan Downey’s mom, she was extremely nice. Pulling for them to rep the SE well at nationals again.
Auburn
The obvious one is Brett Hulsmeyer, a threat both ways that can be impossible to deal with. A difference I’ve seen from last year to this year is his willingness to command the backfield. With the disc his break throws and lefty backhand are hard for a defense to deal with.
Georgia Tech
Christopher Zou was a difficult matchup, threatening both to and away from the disc and made sound and consistent decisions within their system all game.
Tulane
Another game breaker that a defense has to prioritize in the SE is Kai Durvasula. An incredible athlete and cutter that is always open. Also is always a pleasure to guard, sucked to see him injured down the stretch for Tulane.
Another player strictly on the defense side that is a game changer is Jaime Befeler. He is probably the best defender I have faced in the Southeast. Someone you can plug in to shut down an opposing teams best player.
Alabama
In the couple of games I’ve played them Grant Kern seemed like the hardest to deal with. He can always get off his low break throws to run this offense.
UCF
The two top guys on UCF that run this team are Alex Nelson and Jordan DeWitt. Alex is a great handler and difficult matchup that puts this offense on his back. Jordan, who is playing with me on Cannons this year is a great defender with fantastic break throws. For sure two SE players that I think are very underrated.
Emory
A player that I didn’t notice playing in the fall but impressed me this regionals was Justin Burnett. He was athletic and brought a lot of competitive energy which I liked.
Florida State
The biggest difference maker for them I think is John Locke. He is a great defender that brings great physicality that can lock down an opposing top cutter.
Florida
I’m a little biased because I play for Florida but someone for us who has gone under the radar, due to injury a lot during the season is Logan Diehl. A top athlete in the Southeast and on the Cannons this year that will sky anyone. Look for him to dominate the air in the southeast for the next few years.
Someone who has been under the radar from the Southeast despite being our center handler for years is JC Cox. While this year has limited him with injury, he’s a great athlete with unstoppable break throws. Best inside flick in the SE and should be on display this year for the Cannons. Luke Alexander for us is a candidate for Freshman of the year. A starter on o line this year for us because of his game breaking speed. He is going to be a matchup nightmare for the whole southeast for years to come.
Thanks for the high praise dawg. I’m Sean Kaiser from DUF.