Home > Football recruiting > Archives > 2007 > July > 01 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USTech lands QB; UGA in Butler mix; Adams near decision
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/01/07 7:39 PM
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Add a new name to the race to succeed Taylor Bennett as Georgia Tech’s quarterback.
Sean Renfree of Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, Ariz., said Monday he has committed to the Yellow Jackets and plans to sign in February, redshirt in the fall of 2008 when Bennett is a senior and compete for the starting job in 2009. Renfree said he chose Tech over Oregon State, Army, Stanford, Boise State, Arizona and Arizona State.
“It was just the right fit for me,” Renfree said of Tech, where he plans to major in engineering, possibly civil engineering. “It’s a great combination of athletics and academics.”
Jackets assistant coach Curtis Modkins found Renfree through a mutual acquaintance of Renfree’s father, Renfree said. Tech offered Renfree a scholarship a couple of months ago after viewing game tape.
Renfree and his parents came to Atlanta three weeks ago for one of Tech’s summer camps. The visit included a five- or 10-minute talk with Tech President Wayne Clough, who connected with the Renfrees by discussing the work Tech people have done on improving the Crescent City’s levees. Renfree’s mother is from New Orleans.
Rivals.com rates Renfree, 6 feet 3, 185 pounds, as the nation’s No. 8 pro-style quarterback. He is likely to compete with Steven Threet, Josh Nesbitt and Byron Ingram in 2009.
Adams decision imminent
Harrison wide receiver Darvin Adams is likely to announce his decision between Auburn and Tennessee before practice begins next month, his coach, Bruce Cobleigh, said Monday.
Adams hasn’t ruled out other offers, including ones from South Carolina, Maryland and North Carolina, according to Cobleigh,
Adams was Harrison’s quarterback as a junior, throwing for 974 yards, but he will return to his natural position this fall. Adams caught more than 40 passes as a sophomore.
Cobleigh compares Adams to former Georgia cornerback Paul Oliver, who played some wide receiver at Harrison.
”He’s not quite as fast [as Oliver] but is more athletic as far as agility, and he’s taller [at 6 feet, 4 inches],” Cobleigh says. “When he goes up on a cornerback, he’s usually got 4-5 inches, and he’s got a 36-inch vertical leap.”
Cobleigh said he has three other players getting Division I attention. Running back Alphonso Griffin has been offered by Colorado, and tight end/defensive end Kyle Madden has an offer from Cental Florida.
Jamal Austin, a running back, can expect Division I offers but is focusing on baseball this summer. A member of the East Cobb Astros traveling team, Austin is a top prospect in two sports.
Butler: ‘I like Georgia’
Norcross wide receiver Brice Butler said recent rumors of him dropping Georgia from consideration are unfounded.
“I like Georgia,” Butler said. “They have a good program. I know the coaches there real well. In fact, I see them a lot.
“They’re racking up a pretty good class. I’d be part of a good team if I commit to them.”
Butler, who is rated as the sixth-best wide receiver in the nation by Scout.com, also denied reports that had him narrowing his recruiting list to three programs.
He confirmed that Florida State, Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Arizona State, Penn State, Georgia, Oregon, Oregon State, Florida and LSU are still in the running to gain his commitment.
“I’m putting together my top-five,” Butler said. “It will be ready in about a week or two.”
The 6-foot-2, 189-pound Butler said he is working to develop a clear understanding of the abilities of the receiving corps at each school he is considering.
“I don’t look at the depth chart,” said Butler, the son of former Atlanta Falcon Bobby Butler. “But when I visit schools I want to see what kind of guys are there and if I can play with those guys.
“Now, I don’t want to go to a school with eight sophomore receivers. Wherever I go, I want to go in there and start my freshman year. But I know I’ll have to work hard.”
Roswell’s Okakpu visits North Carolina and Clemson
Roswell’s Ebele Okakpu spent the final weekend of June touring the campuses of North Carolina and Clemson.
The Tar Heels edged the Tigers in making a more favorable impression on the running back.
“It all went pretty good,” Okakpu said Sunday evening. “I like both of them. But North Carolina was probably the top one. It was really nice.”
Okakpu has scholarship offers from Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Miami, North Carolina and Virginia Tech.
Georgia made an offer to the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Okakpu last month.
“They’re still a possibility,” Okakpu said. “I liked them before and have visited them before a couple of times. But they’re not ahead of the other schools. They’re all about the same.”
“I’m just going to weigh all the schools and see how I like them and try to make a decision before the season starts.”
After some prodding, Okakpu finally hinted that the Tar Heels are the slight favorites to gain his commitment.
“A front-runner? Probably North Carolina,” he said.
Fayette’s Daniels still headed to Duke
One month after committing to Duke in early April, Fayette County safety Matt Daniels got word he had received a scholarship offer from Georgia.
But Daniels’ commitment to the Blue Devils has remained solid, despite the repeated efforts of Fayette teammate and Georgia-bound Brandon Boykin to convince his friend to become a Bulldog.
“Brandon was telling me that Georgia likes me a lot,” said Daniels, who has a 4.0 GPA. “I was still pretty surprised when they offered me.
“Brandon used to be on me all the time about [switching my commitment to] Georgia. He’s let up some. But a couple of months ago, he was on me hard. It was ridiculous. But he was just being a recruiter.”
Along with Duke and Georgia, Daniels has quietly accumulated offers from Georgia Tech, Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Daniels claims he has no intention of changing his mind.
“The campus at Duke is beautiful,” he said. “Even though Duke doesn’t have a great football team, the fans support them really well.
“They’re trying to turn things around. And I want to be part of that.”
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Jack
July 1, 2007 8:24 PM | Link to this
Wow, Duke fans supports their football team? Who sold this kid on that load of crap. 12,000 people who are either over 60 or there just to occupying themselves while camping out for basketball tickets, is not really fan support…and certainly not “really well”.
Kid must have been promised the world by a coaching staff that won’t be there after this year. Good luck with that.
By Kendall
July 1, 2007 8:34 PM | Link to this
Jack…he is a kid that has made a commitment and is sticking to it. Good for him. I dont know who you are a fan of, but I sure as hell hope you arent a Dawg. Leave the whining to the nerds, we will get ours, no worries.
By JB
July 1, 2007 8:37 PM | Link to this
LOL.. Fans supports Duke’s team? Is joking? Who told him that? Well you gotta lie to get a kid to go to Duke to play football.
By Hersh
July 1, 2007 10:01 PM | Link to this
So, what’s wrong with a kid going to Duke to get a good education and enjoy the beauty of the campus. He has a 4.0 GPA. Let him make up his own mind.
GO DAWGS!! Looking good for 2007, even better for 2008 (my prediction for a championship run)
By Sports Guy
July 1, 2007 10:41 PM | Link to this
I wish Matt Daniels well and hope he has a very successful career at Duke. I understand Duke has had great success in placing their student athletes in the Sociology Program. So that’s a viable option he may want to consider.
By Buck Cochran in the NW
July 2, 2007 7:33 AM | Link to this
IMO, after reading butler’s statements I don’t think he’ll come to Ga. Notice his approach of studying each schools depth chart at WR. Am I reading his statements wrong?
By Doug
July 2, 2007 8:02 AM | Link to this
Buck Cochran, I sure miss the old grapevine website. He had a table that listed each position and the class that the athlete was in. It was really helpful. A quick look would reveal whether we had a shot at that fantastic player. It would be cool to have two of the top 10 national receivers in this class.
By travis
July 2, 2007 8:46 AM | Link to this
Why would Brice Butler be considering FL if he doesn’t want a school with 8 sophomore wide receivers. Don’t they have like 12 redshirt freshmen and sophomores?
By Joe
July 2, 2007 8:56 AM | Link to this
Here is the updated Grapevine table for 2007 WR’s:
Seniors - Bryant, Gartrell, Henderson, Bailey Juniors - Goodman, Harris, Massquoi Sophmores - Moore, Durham Red Shirt Freshman - Tony Wilson True Freshman - Walter Hill, Isreal Troupe
Verbals for 2008 - AJ Green, Tavarris King
By RED&BLACK
July 2, 2007 9:16 AM | Link to this
brice come on and commit think about it you aj and tavarris wow i mean wow!!!
By Mike
July 2, 2007 10:10 AM | Link to this
Coach Richt, I saw Roswell’s Ebele Okakpu play twice this past season. Once on TV in the semi finals from the Dome, and once live at the state championship. He was by far the most talented guy on the field. He may be small for an SEC Linebacker, but he will either grow, or be a big tough safety. Don’t let this guy slip away to UNC.
By Pro-tonix
July 2, 2007 11:21 AM | Link to this
I agree that his commitment is admirable, but his information is crappy. Duke supports their football team? You’ve gotta be kidding!
By JustMe
July 2, 2007 11:49 AM | Link to this
What most/all ugay fans don’t understand is that when a somewhat intelligent person makes a statement like “Duke supports their football team” this doesn’t solely mean attendence at the game on Saturday (even though this is all idiot ugay fans realize). It also means academically through tutoring help available, resources such as computers/library/etc., and so on. It also means socially (and I don’t mean the ugay DUI parties either). It also means career-wise (other than the ugay custodial career support center).
UGAY fans really need to get over themselves.
By JustMe
July 2, 2007 11:51 AM | Link to this
What most/all ugay fans don’t understand is that when a somewhat intelligent person makes a statement like “Duke supports their football team” this doesn’t solely mean attendence at the game on Saturday (even though this is all idiot ugay fans realize). It also means academically through tutoring help available, resources such as computers/library/etc., and so on. It also means socially (and I don’t mean the ugay DUI parties either). It also means career-wise (other than the ugay custodial career support center).
UGAY fans really need to get over themselves.
By JustMe
July 2, 2007 11:53 AM | Link to this
What most/all ugay fans don’t understand is that when a somewhat intelligent person makes a statement like “Duke supports their football team” this doesn’t solely mean attendence at the game on Saturday (even though this is all idiot ugay fans realize). It also means academically through tutoring help available, resources such as computers/library/etc., and so on. It also means socially (and I don’t mean the ugay DUI parties either). It also means career-wise (other than the ugay custodial career support center).
UGAY fans really need to get over themselves.
By alo
July 2, 2007 12:35 PM | Link to this
Joe, Don’t forget about Aron White. Rivals.com had an interview with WR coach, Jon Eason, and he repeatedly said White would play receiver, not TE.
By MarkArum
July 2, 2007 1:00 PM | Link to this
Great points, JustMe. The total package that Duke offers is second to none, it’s arguably the top academic school in the Southeast. This kid just doesn’t want to put up with the clouds of marijuana smoke and the gallons of booze that most UGaly football players major in. How many puffers will Richt have to suspend this year?
By Aaron
July 2, 2007 1:41 PM | Link to this
Not sure if you got that school right there MarkArum. Tech is the Pot smokers…just ask Rueben Houston. Silly insects…
By JustMe
July 2, 2007 1:51 PM | Link to this
Great QB recruit Tech! I can already see the jealous idiot UGAY posters here saying something about ‘tickle piles’ - LMFAO!!!!
Let the ugay fans have their tickle piles while GA Tech continues to improve.
By B-Dub
July 2, 2007 2:07 PM | Link to this
Tech’s quarterback recruit must be something else, he did not have a single offer from an SEC school. GO DAWGS!!!!
By Carter
July 2, 2007 2:17 PM | Link to this
The nerds are hilarious. Jealousy is a tough emotion to express. It might be a good idea to look at your own program before you start critisizing others. Even your great Calvin Johnson admitted to smoking pot while at Tech. Let’s not mention Ball, Houston, and the gang. Good luck Mr. Daniels on wherever you choose to go.
By Dave
July 2, 2007 2:19 PM | Link to this
When was the last time Tech beat UGA in football? It looks like JustMe needs to get over himself.
And the academic/career jokes are a little outdated - I think UGA’s average SAT score isn’t far behind Tech’s. (Like I’m going to be able to rationalize with a Techie who’s talking smack after we’ve beat them lord knows how many times. Oh well, I think most Tech fans are good people.)
By Jack
July 2, 2007 2:28 PM | Link to this
Not a Georgia fan…but I am a fan of reading comprehension, JustMe and others. The kid said…”the fans support them really well.” That was my point. I can careless if the kid goes to Duke and have no problem with him going to Duke, that’s not the big deal or point of my post. It has to do with the quote that the fans support them really well is bogus because no one at Duke cares about the football program.
So preach on about the great things the SCHOOL does, but understand that my post had to do with a statement about the FANS. Try reading a little better next time.
By JUST ME2
July 2, 2007 2:32 PM | Link to this
HEY GUY, IN ALL YOUR ACADEMIC/SOCIAL SUPPORT SESSIONS I GUESS YOU SKIPPED THE SECTION ON FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS. IE: POST DELAYS FIVE MINUTES. PLEASE CLICK ONCE THEIR GENIUS!!!!!!
By Eric
July 2, 2007 2:41 PM | Link to this
Daugs suck!
By TechWreck
July 2, 2007 2:52 PM | Link to this
Even your great Calvin Johnson admitted to smoking pot while at Tech.
Really? Cite your source, or shut your piehole.
By Creetin
July 2, 2007 3:02 PM | Link to this
In response to Carter:
As a UGA fan, I admit that I respect Calvin Johnson for telling the truth about his “pot-smoking” while at Tech. He was honest. I would imagine that 75% of those college athletes have smoked pot, maybe even a little, while in college. So, that means that a lot of those guys at the draft were probably lying. Calvin was honest and I won’t be critical of that.
As for Brice Butler, it is only natural for him to desire to be a star. This may have been one of the reasons Calvin went to Tech. He knew he would be an instant starter and an instant star. At UGA, he might have had to wait a while before becoming the superstar he was at Tech. There would have been better WRs for him to be compared to (on the team and in the conference) and, thus, relatively speaking Calvin might not have seemed so great, so soon. (However, I still can’t help thinking what kind of numbers Calvin could have put up if Ball wasn’t his QB).
With all the WRs at UGA, Butler is probably afraid the seniors and juniors will get more PT and more attention. Thus, he may go somewhere where he isn’t second fiddle to someone like A.J. Green. If he looks at how UGA has treated the RB situation over the past couple of years, he would probably not want to deal with that.
Having said that, it still baffles me that so many WRs consider Florida given the amount of superstar WR recruits they have on their roster.
By cdawg
July 2, 2007 3:07 PM | Link to this
To tech wreck…ur mr cj admitted smoking pot in the NFL COMBINE interview look it up idiot….
By TechWreck
July 2, 2007 3:15 PM | Link to this
To tech wreck…ur mr cj admitted smoking pot in the NFL COMBINE interview look it up idiot….
Hmm. Where did he say anything about smoking pot while at Tech? Please post a link. Thanks!
By Jason
July 2, 2007 3:29 PM | Link to this
TechWreck- you can’t try this on a calculator. All you have to do is search on any search engine about Calvin Johnson admitting that. Search ESPN, FOX sports, AOL sports, etc. It was all over the draft coverage. I don’t really care if he did or not. I think the guy earlier was making the point that Tech fans need to look in the mirror before they start “cutting” on UGA players for smoking pot.
By jrm
July 2, 2007 3:31 PM | Link to this
Forget about CJ…
What about that Tech’s Houston who was busted by the feds for being a key player in a national marijuana distribution ring WHILE AT TECH? (Did you get that TechWreck? WHILE AT TECH.) Thanks!
By AaronC.
July 2, 2007 3:39 PM | Link to this
Well we know Matt Daniels has commen sense in not going to that agricultural school and sticking with a great academic school like Duke. This kid has a head on his shoulders.
By TechWreck
July 2, 2007 3:46 PM | Link to this
TechWreck- you can’t try this on a calculator. All you have to do is search on any search engine about Calvin Johnson admitting that. Search ESPN, FOX sports, AOL sports, etc. It was all over the draft coverage. I don’t really care if he did or not. I think the guy earlier was making the point that Tech fans need to look in the mirror before they start “cutting” on UGA players for smoking pot.
No, it wasn’t. This is simply a case of the U[sic]GA nation somehow justifying their poor opinion of Tech by making things up. Calvin admitted that he had smoke pot in the past - never was there anything said about being in college. Of course, I guess you can’t figure that out on a calcuator, either.
**Forget about CJ…
What about that Tech’s Houston who was busted by the feds for being a key player in a national marijuana distribution ring WHILE AT TECH? (Did you get that TechWreck? WHILE AT TECH.) Thanks!**
First, let me say that Houston was an idiot for even associating himself with that riffraff. Second, when was he convicted of any of this?
Obviously, Matt Daniels has convictions about where he wants to go. Good for him.
By AubGT
July 2, 2007 3:49 PM | Link to this
Nerds… haha. As someone who’s recently ascended to college, I am in perfect position to observe the gaping difference in intelligence between GT and UGA students.
By GPB
July 2, 2007 4:07 PM | Link to this
Calvin Johnson made the right decision to go to GT instead of UGA, get over it!! When he stepped on the field as a freshmen receiver, he was the best college receiver to ever play in the state of Georgia. Three years later, he was the best college receiver in the NFL draft. As good as Calvin was when he arrived at GT, he was a far better receiver when he left that received a tremendous amount of national exposure while playing with the Yellow Jackets. Name one UGA receiver who has actually improved while playing at UGA since Mark Richt has been the head coach (What about Freddie Franchise?).
By JustMe
July 2, 2007 4:08 PM | Link to this
To the ugay poster that said there wasn’t a large difference between SAT score averages comparing uga and Tech…. How wrong you are - look it up. The difference is in the hundreds. And, that amounts to about a 10% difference.
The translation here is that Tech students are about 10% smarter than ugay students.
And for the idiot ugay fans that call us nerds, thank you. Yes, we are proud of our intelligence and abilities. But don’t think for a moment that we don’t party. Check out fraternity and sorority row at Tech on the weekends and see for yourself.
While alcohol and pot could be found on both campuses, it seems that the biggest difference in the way we ‘party’ is that ugay players like to drink and drive. Tech people have more sense than that.
By mike
July 2, 2007 4:12 PM | Link to this
hey there Jack, “sold this kid a load of Crap”, he has a 4.0 for a reason…. hello
By SW
July 2, 2007 4:17 PM | Link to this
If I were trying to make it to the NFL, I would go to UGA over Duke because they would give me the best opportunity to do so. Hands down they send more players there than Duke does year in and year out.
If I knew that there is at least a 30% more chance to be a doctor, lawyer, etc. than play in the NFL, I’d choose Duke because they do academics (i.e., placement) far better than UGA. I wouldn’t give a d@mn about a washed up old fart reliving his youth and gaining a false sense of personal worth by my every move (ex. the 1st poster “Jack”).
The kid has a 4.0, I think he knows very well what he is doing…
By Kendall
July 2, 2007 4:30 PM | Link to this
Nerd = Social pariah. If you are proud of that, rock on. Your parties are a bunch of wankers standing around discussing World of Warcraft. The three trade school grads that work at my plant call me Sir. I make sure of it.
By Cal
July 2, 2007 4:47 PM | Link to this
It’s my understanding that our Tickle Piles are what make up Seans mind to come. I understand he loved being on top of them.
By JustMe
July 2, 2007 4:59 PM | Link to this
Cal -
I just knew that jealous ugay fans couldn’t resist making some idiotic statement using ‘tickle pile’.
Tech got a great recruit. Get over it.
And, Tech is ranked pre-season ahead of ugay (see today’s ajc article) by a leading football magazine. Get over it.
Kendall - How interesting that you even know what ‘World of Warcraft’ even is!!!! Sounds like you are more of a nerd than most Tech students.
By Clemson Mania
July 2, 2007 5:35 PM | Link to this
Justme… I would hardly say your recruiting class is anything to be jealous of. Don’t be so full of yourself. Your program is mediocre at best.
By JUST ME2
July 2, 2007 5:59 PM | Link to this
Just me, I’m glad to see your supreme smarts finally kicked in and you only posted your lame messages once. Way to finally display that average 10% more intellegence. I am very proud of you. Now if that 10% more intellegence only equated to a W against GA you’d be king of the universe!
By bb
July 2, 2007 6:59 PM | Link to this
wow, a clemson fan telling someone else their program is mediocre. “Hey pot, this is kettle, you’re black.”
By Kirk
July 3, 2007 2:26 PM | Link to this
Auburn Sucks.
By pac
July 3, 2007 5:54 PM | Link to this
I suspect most of the folks posting above re: lying to get a kid to go top Duke couldn’t get a football scholarship to PC or Wofford and have zero chances of being admitted to Duke otherwise. It is these sorts who have completely mucked up intercollegiate football, making it the minor league of the NFL. What’s wrong with liking a game and using what skill you have to get a stellar educatioin since the odds on making it big in pro football are so slight? Do you really give an RA what happens to these kids? Grow up for God’s sake.