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DEL.ICIO.USHeyward: Georgia ‘just wasn’t the choice for me’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/31/07 4:05 PM
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Ohio State lost out to Florida in last month’s national championship game, but it was the Buckeyes who came away the winner in the Cameron Heyward sweepstakes.
The 6-foot-6, 282-pound Peachtree Ridge defensive tackle announced this afternoon that he plans top attend Ohio State, and play both football and basketball for the Big Ten school.
It’s a big blow for Georgia, one of four finalists for the son of late NFL star Craig “Ironhead” Heyward. In the past several weeks, Georgia has missed out on AJC player of the year Eric Berry of Creekside (Tennessee recruit) and Darien McIntosh County Academy defensive end Allen Bailey (down to Alabama, Florida, Miami).
“Georgia was definitely a possibility,” Peachtree Ridge’s all-state defensive tackle said Wednesday. “It was a great school and I appreciate them looking at me, but it just wasn’t the choice for me.”
Heyward also considered Florida and LSU.
He’d recently taken official visits to every one of his finalists but Ohio State. Heyward made an unofficial trip to check out the Buckeyes in November, for the Ohio State-Michigan game.
The Buckeyes left nothing to chance, however, putting on their version of a full-court press on Monday. They sent three assistant coaches — including co-defensive coordinators Jim Heacock and Luke Fickell — to meet with Heyward and his family at school and home.
Heyward, an all-state player and Gwinnett County defensive player of the year, is ranked as the state’s seventh-best prospect, according to Rivals.com. He recorded 116 tackles as a senior, including a team-high 16 sacks to help lead the Lions to a share of the Class AAAAA state championship.
Ohio State had always been the sentimental favorite for Heyward’s grandmother, who lives 2 1/2 hours away in Pittsburgh. Heyward’s mother, Charlotte Heyward-Blackwell, was raised in Pittsburgh and graduated from Pitt, where she first met Craig Heyward.
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