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DEL.ICIO.USWhat’s Caleb King’s status
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Is Caleb King eligible or not? It’s the hot question from Athens to Gwinnett. I thought my colleague, Georgia beat writer Chip Towers, had the most sensible take on his blog over the weekend.
“As for King’s eligibility, we don’t know yet, and let me tell you why that’s all right by me.
I understand completely how Georgia fans desperately want to know whether a signee is eligible or not and, as a beat reporter, obviously I am interested, too. But try to view it from a 17- or 18-year-old kid’s perspective. It’s hard enough to gain admission to an elite college or university of your choice without the whole world wanting to know every week whether you’ve raised your test score 20 or 100 points or passed all your core classes. I don’t know all the details of King’s academic profile and I’m not supposed to know. There’s a federal law (FERPA is the acronym for it) that guarantees individuals academic privacy. I’ve always respected that law. I remember when my daughter was taking her college boards and how much pressure she felt trying to get into the college she wanted, and she didn’t have sportswriters and Rivals and Scout and every Tom, Dick, and Harry at her high school and all the local alums and fans of the college asking her about it everywhere she went.
The fact is, King has well into the summer to do what he needs to get eligible and nobody is until they’ve graduated high school. Back when I was college editor, I told our beat guys to chill about it until it was time for freshmen to report, then it became news. Of course, that’s not possible nowadays with all the recruiting sites and newspapers competing to have information first.
Meanwhile, I don’t see what the big deal is regarding King’s eligibility. It comes down to this: Either he’s eligible and comes in as the No. 5 tailback on Georgia’s depth chart (remember Jason Johnson) or he comes up short and goes to prep school for a semester or a year and gets the tutoring and extra time he obviously needs, then comes in for next season. So what’s the urgency?”
Just Noticing
Former Norcross star Larry Grant forced a fumble and returned it 80 yards for a game-clinching touchdown in Ohio State’s spring game. Grant, a rising senior, was a backup to superstar middle linebacker James Laurinaitis last season, but is slated to be the Buckeyes’ starter at strong side linebacker this year.
Speaking of Linebackers
Greater Atlanta Christian’s Christian Robinson had an impressive performances at this weekend’s Athens NIKE Camp. Robinson was named the camp MVP at linebacker. Other Gwinnett players that impressed at the camp: Dacula safety Khiry Battle, Peachtree Ridge corner Cameron Demps and Buford linebacker T.J. Pridemore.
Just Saying
What would you rather read about: High school spring sports championships or spring football practice?
Most high schools kick off their spring practices in the upcoming weeks, while soccer, baseball, golf and tennis wind down toward state tournaments. Judging by the turnouts at most spring sports, I’d guess you’d rather talk about football. But I’m sure there’s some diehard tennis fans, also called parents, out there.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: David Purdum
Comments
By Steve
April 23, 2007 4:19 PM | Link to this
Has anyone heard about a stud transfer linebacker that has transfered to Peachtree Ridge? Davis, I think?
By Henri
May 2, 2007 9:49 PM | Link to this
No, I haven’t. However, “studs” in Gwinnett sports are a dime a dozen. Methinks the word is used a little too much and is usually began by a relative or the “stud” himself.