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Monday, June 4, 2007
Hunter to Notre Dame, Jackson to Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The lure of Touchdown Jesus and everything else Notre Dame proved enough to eventually win over Omar Hunter.
The blue-chip Buford defensive tackle cited the Irish’s rich football tradition as one of the main reasons behind his decision to commit to coach Charlie Weis’ staff on Monday afternoon.
Hunter had narrowed his list of potential schools to Notre Dame and Michigan after taking unofficial visits to both along with his family last week.
Ultimately, however, the tradition in South Bend won out.
“I think it was really tough on him,” said Wolves coach Jess Simpson, who had labeled Hunter the school’s most high-profile prospect since Darius Walker. “He liked both places. In the end, though, all the things that go with Notre Dame just edged them over Michigan.”
Hunter, an agile 6-foot, 300-pounder with excellent explosiveness, plans to make his commitment a binding one during next February’s national signing day.
He’s expected to soon be fully recovered from a broken leg he recently suffered during the first day of Buford’s spring practice and ready when the fall practices.
Hunter had received scholarship offers from virtually every major program in the Southeast before recently trimming his list to Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida, Tennessee and Auburn.
Weis personally visited Buford in early May to better make his sales pitch.
Hunter will become the school’s second player to play at Notre Dame, following Walker, who starred at tailback for three years before leaving school early this spring in a bid for the NFL.
Tech enters Pridemore hunt
Buford linebacker T.J. Pridemore also appears closer to a college decision.
The son of former Falcons defensive back Tom Pridemore recently picked up an offer from Georgia Tech, with the Yellow Jackets, West Virginia, Tennessee and Duke ranking in his top four, Simpson said.
Bulldogs land Toby Jackson
Georgia has landed its 12th commitment over the weekend — and it’s a biggie.
Griffin defensive end Toby Jackson said he’d sign with the Bulldogs, picking Mark Richt’s program over Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
The 6-foot-4, 244-pound Jackson is ranked by Scout.com as the 50th-best prospect in the Southeast.
Three offers for Adetona
Gainesville wide receiver Tyler Adetona has scholarship offers from Middle Tennessee, Marshall and Indiana.
“But I know a lot of schools like Clemson, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Georgia and LSU are still waiting on my SAT scores,” Adentona said.
The 6-foot-2, 182-pound Adentona has his heart set on quarterback at the next level, though some programs are looking to play him on the defensive side of the ball.
“A lot of schools are recruiting me and telling me I should play corner or safety,” Adentona said. “They want me to come up and see my defensive back skills. But I want to catch balls.
“I feel like I have good speed. And I’m stronger than most wideouts. To look at me, you might not think much. But I push up 280 [pounds] on the bench press and I just run over defensive backs.”
Tennessee linebacker waits for Dogs, Vols
Whitehaven, Tenn., linebacker Tenarius Wright confirmed the receipt of offers from Miami, Arkansas, Indiana and Mississippi State.
“And Georgia and Tennessee are taking a hard look at me,” Wright said.
Wright, who lives in Memphis but is originally from Arkansas, already has his eye on depth charts.
“I’ve got schools that I like because of their reputation but I’m really looking for a team that needs me to step into their program to contribute to the team,” Wright said. “I want to be able to step up and help out with the team.”
Troy makes pitch to Calhoun star
Adam Urbano, a 5-foot-9, 183-pound running back from Calhoun, has an offer from Troy.
“And UAB is talking about offering,” Urbano said. “Recruiting has been fun. I’ve got to go to a lot of camps and meet a lot of people and new coaches. It’s been great so far.”
Johnson solid to Tennessee
Tennessee’s commitment from Hickory (N.C.) linebacker Andy Johnson remains firm.
“It’s pretty solid right now,” the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Johnson said. “I love the recruiting class they just signed. And I have a lot of family up there. And I’ve always been intrigued by Tennessee, so that’s kind of the first team.”
Johnson is still holding offers from North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama.
Alabama defensive end on hold
Willie Bohannon, a defensive end for Blount (Ala.), continues to take a wait-and-see attitude with Alabama. The Crimson Tide offered Bohannon earlier this year.
But the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Bohannon appears willing to gauge interest from other programs before saying yes to Tide coach Nick Saban.
“A lot of other schools have said they were going to offer me, but I’m not sure,” Bohannon said. “They have been undecided about it because I play defensive end and they want to see me at linebacker. And I’ve never played that position.”
Bulls enter Furr sweepstakes
South Florida made an offer to Carver Columbus quarterback DeRon Furr last week.
The Bulls join Auburn, Tulane, Duke, Marshall, Georgia Southern, Kentucky, South Carolina and Indiana in the race to gain a commitment from the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Furr.
“I don’t have a favorite yet,” Furr said. “I’m treating everybody the same.”
Interest picks up in Flowery Branch QB Recruiting activity appears to be picking up for Flowery Branch quarterback Jaybo Shaw, who has an offer from Air Force.
“Alabama, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Florida State have all been by my school and said they want me at a one-day camp this summer,” Shaw said. “Maybe it will come down to an offer. They want me on campus so the head coaches can see me.”
Shaw is sold on the importance of summer college football camps.
“Since my sophomore year, I’ve been going to camps,” he said. “I think it really showcases my talent.”
Shaw has modest interest in Air Force but is willing to wait past a self-imposed deadline to commit.
“I’d like to make my decision before the season,” Shaw said. “But if not, I’m going to take all of my official visits where I want to go.”
Griffin’s Jackson picks UGA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Georgia picked up its 12th football commitment for the class of 2008 when Griffin High defensive end Toby Jackson picked the Bulldogs during the weekend.
Jackson, a 6-foot-4, 244-pounder, visited Georgia on Saturday. Jackson was ranked among Rivals.com’s top 250 prospects.
