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Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Georgia still in the hunt for Norcross’ Bolton
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Don’t expect a haphazard commitment from Norcross safety/wide receiver Devonta Bolton, who is determined to exercise due diligence on each of his scholarship offers.
“It’s been a great adventure so far with me and my family deciding where I want to go,” said Bolton, who has offers from programs such as Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Boston College, Kentucky, Mississippi State and South Carolina.
“I really don’t have any top schools that are above the other ones. I want to look at all of them.”
Bolton, who attend this spring’s A-Day game at Alabama, said the campuses at Tuscaloosa, Auburn, Gainesville and Auburn were equally impressive.
Georgia coach Mark Richt made a favorable impression on the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Bolton during a recent visit.
“Coach Richt has got a great program,” Bolton said. “He’s a religious man who believes in a strong foundation. He’s going to win some games.”
Kendrick standout visits Georgia Tech
Kendrick cornerback Cedric Chambers has his heart set on playing college football at Georgia Tech.
The 5-foot-10, 178-pound Chambers hope the Yellow Jackets have a similar mindset.
Chambers attended a one-day camp at Tech on Saturday.
“We really went through all the basic drills and everything,” Chambers said.
Chambers, who also visited Tech during junior day in February, met Yellow Jacket coach Chan Gailey.
“I really like him,” Chambers said. “He walked around during the drills and gave instructions. He’s willing to teach if you don’t know how and allow you to get better at what you do.”
Chambers is also waiting on a potential offer from Vanderbilt.
“I was supposed to go to a camp at Vandy last week, but I didn’t make it,” he said. “The coaches there told me they need to look at more tape and they still might offer me a scholarship.”
Chambers, who has a 3.3 GPA and scored a 20 on the ACT, is attempting to graduate in December.
McCutcheon chooses Marshall
Stephenson wide receiver Cory McCutcheon (6-foot-4, 190-pounds) has accepted an offer from Marshall.
According to Stephenson coach Ron Gartrell, the Thundering Herd is receiving a versatile player.
“Cory can run, jump and do it all,” Gartrell said. “He’s an above-average athlete blessed with a lot of talent.”
The veteran coach said one of McCutcheon’s memorable moments occurred during the season opener two years ago.
“His biggest game was his sophomore year when he had six catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns against Brookwood in the Corky Kelly. I think that projected him as a recruit.”
Lincoln County star transferring from Virginia Tech to Vanderbilt
After engineering Lincoln County to the past two Class A championships, quarterback Brandon Barden graduated in December and enrolled in classes at Virginia Tech the following month.
Despite participating in spring practice with the Hokies, the 6-foot-5, 219-pound Barden experienced a change of heart and elected to transfer.
After receiving a release from his scholarship from Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, Barden signed with Vanderbilt on Tuesday.
“Vanderbilt was in the running all along,” said Barden’s mother Becky Barden, who is the principal at Lincoln County. “He was always torn between Virginia Tech and Vandy.
“And when the shooting occurred at Virginia Tech, he was glad Vanderbilt still had something available. But all along it had been a tug of war between the two schools.”
Becky Barden praised Beamer for his prompt reaction to his son’s request to be released from his scholarship.
“He was very nice about it with an immediate reply,” she said. “He said it was fine.”
Brandon Barden is eagerly awaiting a ruling from the NCAA to determine if he will be eligible to play this fall or be forced to sit out a season following his transfer.
According to Becky Barden, there is no clear-cut precedence.
“They told us there is no blanket answer in cases like this,” she said. “We’re just waiting to hear from the NCAA to see if he has to sit out.
“If he’s eligible, he’ll start classes in July. Otherwise, he’ll enroll in the fall.”
Q&A with Georgia football recruit No. 14
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Jonathan Owens of Susan Moore High in Blountsville, Ala. committed to Georgia on Friday. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive lineman also had offers from Georgia Tech, Troy and UAB. He spoke with Journal-Constitution staff writer Jeff Hood about his decision to commit to UGA.
Q: How much thought did you give to committing to Georgia Tech?
A: I could have went with Georgia Tech, but I just didn’t feel like that’s where I needed to go.
Q: Did it come down to Tech being an engineering school, facilities, coaches or a campus located in the middle of a large city?
A: It was a little bit of everything. I just didn’t see myself fitting in there.
Q: How would you describe your future college coach, Mark Richt?
A: He’s just a great guy. He’s real easy to talk to. I think he’s a great coach who is very approachable.
Q: Was the opportunity to play for Richt the reason you decided to commit to Georgia?
A: A pretty good bit, but not all of it.
Q: Where do you think you will fit in at Georgia?
A: I want to play and be the best there is. I’ll play wherever they put me. Right now, it looks like it will be at center or guard.
Q: What did you do during your visits to Georgia?
A: I went last weekend. I also went to a scrimmage, so I’ve been twice. The last time we visited we got to take a tour of all of the facilities, the weight room and football field. We went around Athens and I got to talk to a lot of people.
Q: Do you think you’ll catch grief from Auburn and Alabama fans for leaving the state for college?
A: Probably, but I don’t really care.
Q: How did Georgia discover you?
A: It was probably Coach [Rodney] Garner, who saw me play in one of our playoff games last year.
Q: Will your schedule allow you to attend many UGA games this fall?
A: Oh yeah, definitely. I plan on going to most every home game.
