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DEL.ICIO.USTar Heel blue for Roswell’s Okakpu?; Ellis to Wake Forest
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/30/07 10:28 PM
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Roswell running back/linebacker Ebele Okakpu is considering a commitment to North Carolina, perhaps as early as this weekend.
Okakpu, who is also weighing scholarship offers from Georgia, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Auburn and Miami, will travel to Chapel Hill on Friday for an unofficial visit.
“Yeah, there’s a slight chance I might commit on the spot,” Okakpu admitted Monday evening. “The last time I went to North Carolina, coach Butch Davis and the defensive coordinator [Chuck Pagano] wasn’t there.”
Okakpu said he’s not concerned about the Tar Heels’ longstanding reputation as a basketball school.
“I think it’s an up-and-coming program,” Okakpu said. “They already have a lot of good recruits like Marvin Austin.
“And Butch Davis is there. I know he’s had a pretty strong coaching career. And I like the linebackers coach [Tommy Thigpen] and the whole campus.”
Darlington School’s Ellis commits to Wake Forest
The combination of brains and brute force resulted in offers from Duke, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest for the Darlington School’s Derricus Ellis.
On Friday, the 6-foot-2, 235-pound defensive end chose to commit to the Demon Deacons.
“I spent a lot of time talking to Derricus, and I told him he couldn’t go wrong with any of those programs,” Darlington School coach Tommy Atha said.
Atha said Wake Forest is gaining a versatile player.
“I think Derricus’ greatest asset is how explosive he is,” Atha said. “He’s a kid that can do a number of things. He was recruited as a blocking fullback to a linebacker to a defensive end.”
Ellis will have an advantage over most incoming freshmen in the fall of 2008. His older brother, Chantz McClinic, is a redshirt junior for the Demon Deacons.
“When I made my decision, it didn’t have anything to do with my brother being there,” Ellis said. “But it will help because it will make it a lot easier for me.”
Ellis expects to be redshirted during his freshman season.
“I like the idea of being redshirted because I get a year to learn everything,” Ellis said. “I don’t have to go in and learn on the fly.”
Down to three for Chamblee’s Loftley
It’ll be Duke, South Carolina or Vanderbilt for Chamblee defensive end Taylor Loftley.
The 6-foot-2, 250-pound lineman said Monday night he plans to commit this fall.
Loftley on his top three:
Duke - I went to a camp there [as a spectator] and got to talk to the coaches. I think they’re recruiting a lot of good players. I like the coaching staff. It’s a real tight unit. I thought the campus was real nice. Coach [Ted] Roof is a really cool guy. He basically tells it like it is. He explained everything to me.”
South Carolina - “I really like the conference they plan in and, of course, coach Steve Spurrier. I think they play good football. I tried to plan on visiting before the summer was over, but now I think I’ll make a visit during the season.”
Vanderbilt - “I visited Vanderbilt about a week ago. I really like it. The campus was really beautiful. It was better than I thought it’d be. I talked to my recruiting coach, position coach and coach [Bobby] Johnson. They made me feel real comfortable. One of the things I really like about the campus is it’s all close together. And they’re building new freshman dorms.”
Sylvester talks Tech
Union Grove linebacker Steven Sylvester, who committed to Georgia Tech earlier this month, said he’s impressed with the fellow members of his recruiting class.
“I think we’re going to be strong,” Sylvester predicted. “We have a lot of big time players. And they already brought in a really good recruiting class last year.
“We’ll be good for years to come.”
Sylvester plans to be a regular fixture on Saturdays at Bobby Dodd Stadium this fall.
“I plan on attending all of the home games, unless I have a game or a prior conflict,” he said.
The 6-foot-1, 212-pound linebacker/running back hopes to push Union Grove deeper into the playoffs this season.
“For the past two years, we’ve made it to the playoffs and been eliminated in the second round,” Sylvester said. “I want to go all the way this year.”
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Comments
By Dane
July 31, 2007 7:57 AM | Link to this
Steven will add to our good linebackers. There physical beasts!! Still don’t know why we can’t recruit our big in-state players. We offer all of them, but they choose elsewhere.
By RED and BLACK
July 31, 2007 1:42 PM | Link to this
Because it’s Georgia Tech….you guys will struggle when and if Georgia State fields a football team.