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Wednesday, May 9, 2007
King down to 3; Poole backs off Vols; Simmons high on Tide
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Habersham Central wide receiver Tavarres King is down to three schools — and a decision is due soon.
King says he has whittled down his list to Clemson, Florida and Georgia. He plans to make an announcement on May 18.
“I just want to get it out of the way,” King said. “This recruiting thing is getting kind of overwhelming.”
The 6-foot-1, 165-pound King is ranked by Scout.com as the 71st-best junior prospect in the Southeast. He reportedly had scholarship offers from dozens of programs, including Georgia Tech.
King’s father, Anthony, is a former Clemson standout. The younger King would be a huge catch for the Tigers and coach Tommy Bowden, who starts salivating when he talks about the state of Georgia’s high school football talent.
“Georgia always is one of the top states in the nation,” Bowden told the blog Wednesday morning. “Not as big of a state as Texas or Florida or California, but in terms of productivity to population, there might be none better.”
Bowden can’t talk about specific players — guys like early Tigers commitment Jon Richt, the quarterback son of UGA coach Mark Richt. But he says this year is no different than other years. There are plenty of guys who can come in an make a difference right away, and Bowden is chasing a handul of those guys.
“We’re having a hard time breaking into Georgia, but this year, like every year, there’s a lot of skill players on both sides of the ball and some big linemen who can play right away,” Bowden said. “We’re recruiting guys like that, but it’s hard.”
Bowden might not get a lot of the top recruits out of Georgia, but the ones he’s gotten have paid off.
Atlanta’s James Davis figures to be one of the best running backs in the ACC this year, perhaps in the nation. Walton graduate Aaron Kelley will start at receiver for the second year and should take over as the main pass-catching threat now that Chansi Stuckey has moved on the NFL.
Clemson is also among the frontrunners for two-way Jefferson County lineman A.J. Harmon, who told Scout.com the Tigers and Georgia are the schools to beat for his services.
Harmon is especially high on the Bulldogs, telling Scout, ““They are still the two teams to beat,” he said.
Georgia seems to have the edge.
“I kind of want to go to Georgia. Think about it — they have A.J. Green coming, and he is the top receiver in the country. They will still have [Matthew] Stafford up there that first year that I would be up there, too. Their offensive line is young. Chris Little will probably play soon and [Trinton] Sturdivant starting as a freshman. They’ve got a lot of talent up there.”
Poole looking around
Stephens County running back Tauren Poole calls his commitment Tennessee “soft,” adding, “I’m still looking around a little bit.”
Poole continues to listen to overtures from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson and Georgia Tech.
Simmons high on Tide, Gators
Banneker safety Darrell Simmons is being courted by Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Tennessee.
Simmons, who plans to graduate in December, is leaning toward the Crimson Tide and Gators.
“I think Alabama is going in the right direction,” he said. “And Florida has all the momentum.”
