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DEL.ICIO.USBryant likes LSU; Gators land Savannah teammates
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/11/07 10:56 PM
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Decision day is looming for Peachtree Ridge defensive back Derrick Bryant.
A commitment could come as early as next weekend. That’s when the 6-foot, 185-pound Bryant heads to Baton Rouge to visit the LSU Tigers.
“I’ll visit LSU on July 20,” Bryant said. “That definitely could be a commitment.”
In the interim, Bryant insists he is focusing on scholarship offers from LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State and Virginia Tech.
Peachtree Ridge defensive back Cameron Demps’ recent decision to commit to Virginia Tech apparently won’t have a major impact on where Bryant plays college football.
“I know [Cameron] is a teammate of mine, but who knows,” Bryant said. “In college, I could play at safety or corner. They’re looking at me at both safety and corner. [Cameron’s decision] won’t really affect my choice.”
Bryant and Demps may or may not play in the same secondary on the next level. But they will compose half of one of the state’s best defensive backfields this fall.
Bryant said he is aware some of the competition will be tempted to test Peachtree Ridge’s pair of Division I defensive backs.
“I hope teams try to come after us,” Bryant said. “I don’t want them to think it’s a bunch of hype. I hope we are targeted.”
Bryant breaks down his top five:
— LSU: “They’ve got a great program. I think I have a good relationship with the recruiting coach. It seems like a place where I fit, can get a good education and, if at all possible, see some early playing time.”
— Alabama: “They’ve got a great coach in Nick Saban. He’s coached in the NFL and other college teams, including LSU. I know he puts a lot of emphasis on his defensive backs. And I know that can help get me to the next level. It would be a great learning experience for me.”
— Auburn: “An SEC school with a winning record year after year. They’ve got a good program. It’s the only college I’ve visited. I like the campus. And the coaches are good.”
— Ohio State: “They’re in one of the strongest conferences. They’re a good team year after year that competes at the highest level in college football. I’d like to get up there and see what it’s all about.”
‚ Virginia Tech: “Their defensive backfield coach [Torrian Gray] is really cool to talk to. According to him, they had the number one pass defense in the nation last year. That’s impressive to me as a defensive back. And I know they have great special teams every year. [Coach Gray] is one of the best defensive back coaches there is.”
Davis picks O’Leary’s Knights
Peachtree Ridge running back Brandon Davis has committed to Central Florida, choosing George O’Leary’s program over more than a dozen schools.
“UCF had been recruiting me highly ever since they offered me in early March,” the rising senior told UCFSports.com. “They’ve always been texting me, I’d talk with them on the phone and they’ve been coming after me strong, probably the strongest out of all the schools that offered me.
“Coach George O’Leary is a great coach and he’s a man of his word. After talking to the coaches and doing research, looking at the Web site and doing my due dilligence as far as what I needed to look for in a school, UCF was the best opportunity for me to be successful on the field and off the field academically as well.”
The powerful Davis rushed for 1,168 yards and 10 touchdowns as the Lions shared the 2006 Class AAAAA state championship. One of his teammates at Peachtree Ridge, wide receiver Sidney Haynes, is an incoming UCF freshman who is already enrolled in summer school.
“I did talk to him to kind of get a feel for what they had to offer,” Davis told the Web site. “It’s nice to play with somebody from high school, but that had nothing to do with my decision. I looked at everything and UCF was the best place for me.”
Davis also had offers from Virginia Tech, Maryland, South Carolina, North Carolina and Purdue, among others.
Brookwood’s Davis picks Wake Forest
When Wake Forest came calling, Brookwood’s Terence Davis was listening.
On Sunday, Davis received a text message from Wake Forest quarterbacks coach Jeff Mullen. By Monday, he was committed to the Demon Deacons.
“Syracuse was my first offer and I have one from Troy,” said Davis, “but once I got that text from Wake Forest on Sunday, I knew that was where I wanted to be.”
Davis attended a camp at Wake Forest in June and was impressed by the campus and the coaching staff’s ability to mesh with the players. The Demon Deacons were impressed by his versatility.
Davis, a 6-2, 180-pound senior, will likely play wide receiver, defensive back and even a little quarterback from Brookwood this year. He plans to stick to wide receiver at Wake.
“Coach Mullen said part of the reason they’re really excited about Terence is because of his versatility,” said Brookwood coach Mark Crews. “He’s such a great kid and such a great athlete.”
Davis moved New York to Gwinnett after his seventh-grade year. When he arrived at Brookwood, he had never imagined that one day he’d be playing Division I football. He credits the level of play in Gwinnett to helping him land at Wake.
“The speed of the game is so much faster down here compared to New York,” Davis said. “But I think I’ve adjusted pretty well.”
Longtime friends commit to Florida
Jenkins defensive end Chaz Sutton preferred to delay a public announcement.
But when rumors began circulating on Wednesday that the 6-foot-4, 242-pound lineman from Savannah and teammate Franklin Green, a running back, were both committing to Florida, Sutton decided it was time to do the Gator chomp.
“Word wasn’t supposed to get out,” Sutton said. “It was going to be a silent commitment.
“But it’s cool. I’m really very excited about it.”
Sutton, who was also considering offers from Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Rutgers and West Virginia, had hoped to tour several of those campuses this summer.
His plans were derailed on Monday.
“I was going to visit some other schools,” Sutton admitted. “But now that word has gotten out, I’m going to Florida.”
When asked if his commitment to the Gators is firm, Sutton said “I’m 100 percent with Florida.”
Sutton said he never seriously considered Georgia.
“I caught some grief about that early,” Sutton said. “I went to Georgia for a junior day, but I wasn’t too impressed with it.”
Sutton claims it was mere coincidence that he and Green wound up committing to the same program.
“It really wasn’t planned,” Sutton said. “Florida was always his No. 1 school. I finally decided that I wanted to go to Florida. It just felt like home.”
Sutton said he’s eager to play alongside Green for another four seasons.
“We’re good buddies,” Sutton said. “We grew up together. This is all kind of like a dream come true.
“It’s a blessing to make it to this day because I never thought anything like this would happen to a kid like me.”
Charlton’s Bolden to visit Purdue
Charlton County running back/cornerback Ralph Bolden plans to visit Purdue on July 21.
His father, Ralph Bolden Sr., said the 5-foot-9, 195-pound back is receiving plenty of attention from major college recruiters in the small town of Folkston.
“He’s getting a lot of text messages from Georgia Tech and Wake Forest,” Bolden Sr. said. “And he’s getting a lot of mail from Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Clemson and N.C. State.
“Everybody that is sending him something has already offered.”
Bolden Sr. said his son wants to play running back in college. But most coaches have him pegged as a defensive back.
“That’s one of the biggest hang-ups he’s got because most of the major colleges are looking at him at cornerback,” Bolden Sr. said. “But he definitely wants to play the running back position.
“I told him ‘if that’s your goal and your dream, shoot for it.’”
Bolden Sr. said Charlton County alum Champ Bailey, a former Georgia standout and current NFL star, takes time to speak with his son about recruiting when he visits Folkston.
“Champ actually comes home pretty often,” Bolden Sr. said. “I let Champ talk with him and give him some advice.
“He tells Ralph that he sees some of the attributes that he possesses can work if he’s put into the right position.”
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Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By MadMerf
July 12, 2007 12:57 AM | Link to this
What’s up with gator recruiting? They have been relatively quiet thus far, leading me to wonder if they’re really offering schollys or not. These commits today only add to the confusion. And why is this news? I haven’t even heard of these guys, and I LIVE IN SAVANNAH!
D-1 stars rarely come from these parts, and when they do, it’s a big deal. Yes, I read a couple weeks ago that Meyer was in town looking at Green, but neither commit is highly rated, if at all. When talking about recruiting in SE Georgia, the big boys come from Charlton County (Folkston, mentioned above), not Chatham County (Savannah). The last notable prospect to emerge from here was Demarcus Dobbs, who joined the Dawgs last year, and TE Ben Patrick, who went to Duke, but could have gone anywhere he wanted. Before him you’d have to go way back to Josh Mallard, whom we all know went to UGA, and I think he’s still with the Falcons (not sure).
I see where Steven Threet has transferred from Tech. That was unexpected, especially after he enrolled in January, participating in spring drills (he was the leading backup QB to Bennett), completed the spring semester and was halfway through summer school before dropping the bomb.
By p
July 12, 2007 7:26 AM | Link to this
merf,
sounds like the gators are offering a lot of kids, trying to keep it quiet, then sign the best of them. probably leave a lot of players looking for a school on signing day and the way recruiting has moved up earlier and earlier, they’ll be out of luck.
By gatorsurfer
July 12, 2007 8:59 AM | Link to this
personally, I am OK with very few “early” commitments and I don’t want Urban to start getting kids early. I see no advantage with kids committing early like they are at UGA. Urban and the staff are great recruiters (obviously…consecutive #1 classes) so they’ll get who they need when the time comes.
What if one of the kids has a very sub-par senior year? They may be a top recruit now, but a bad senior year will make a 5 star recruit a 2 star recruit. Injury? And if there is another top recruit considering your school, they’ll see few scholarships available/lack of opportunity and not consider your school. Not to mention, commitments are non-binding. Finally, kids change their mind. I’ll bet 25% of UGAs recruits will sign with other schools after they take official visits. The other 75% won’t qualify…but that goes without saying.
Either way, recruiting commitment dicussions before their senior season is just contributing to unecessary CO2 emmisions…wasted breath.
By Lake Wales Dawg
July 12, 2007 10:34 AM | Link to this
Frankly, if I were a Gator, I’d be a little nervous about now. Most of the Big Guys are into double digits on the verbal committ slate; Fla has what, 4? 5? You can reach a sort of point of dimensioning returns in recruiting, I believe. Almost all blue chippers want the chance to play early. Yes, Fla has done a great job in recruiting the past two years (although they were not no.1 year before last as stated in the previous post). But kids today are much sharper than in years past. With the internet and all the recruiting services, it’s easy to keep tabs on all phases of the recruiting process. Depth charts are quite prominent in the minds of these kids, and Fla’s recent success has left them well stocked to the point where recruits are looking elsewhere. Just look at the school choice lists of some of the top athletes in Florida; also look at the top kids who have given verbals to out of state schools. I personally look for FSU to out-recruit Fla this year as well. Maybe some of these kids aren’t buying into Meyer’s we always play freshmen bunk. Yes, some kids from some schools will change their minds. Unfortunately a kid’s announced decision to go to certain school other than their own means nothing to some college coaches, and they’ll keep working him hard. If you want to know who the world’s worst is at this, merely cast your eyes towards Gainesville, Fla.
By Championship Sandwich
July 12, 2007 12:24 PM | Link to this
Lake Wales, quit your whining. You know as well as I do that every coach keeps recruiting the so-called “committed” kids, up until the minute that LOI is signed. It’s part of the process, and just because Meyer happens to be a little better at it than you’d like doesn’t give you the right to gripe, although I can understand the sour grapes, considering the embarrassment UF has put on your beloved Puppies over the past two decades. Worry about your own house, and maybe one day you guys will figure out a way to actually beat UF in a sport (or in recruiting, for that matter).
By tiger 08
July 12, 2007 2:46 PM | Link to this
the ajc has once again failed to mention the accomplishments of a tucker football player. Jamoris Slaughter has (earlier this summer) verbally committed to play at NOTRE DAME.
By tiger 08
July 12, 2007 2:47 PM | Link to this
the ajc has once again failed to mention the accomplishments of a tucker football player. Jamoris Slaughter has (earlier this summer) verbally committed to play at NOTRE DAME.
By Jeff
July 12, 2007 3:25 PM | Link to this
Tiger 08 - Go back and look at the AJC’s college football recruiting blog posted on June 26 and you’ll see that Tucker’s Jamoris Slaughter’s commitment to Notre Dame was fully documented.
By truth
July 13, 2007 10:37 PM | Link to this
I agree 100% about Florida. They stock pile talent and then tbey just sit. Every football player worth their weight wants to play. If you play football, its in your blood. Recruits better be careful who they sign with because many of these to college teams will have blue chippers sitting for 2-3 years because they are “loaded with talent”. Yes that may put you in place for a national championship but not necessarily put you in place to get on the field.
As far as signing early, it just depends on where you rank and who is recruiting you. If you are a 3 star recruit, my advice is as soon as a school you know you want to go to offers, jump on it. If you are 4 or 5 star, you can afford to be choicey and wait the process out. But before anyone commits, you better be smart and check out that depth chart.
By Buck Cochran in the NW
July 14, 2007 11:45 PM | Link to this
Mad Merf, my Reptile Relative was stunned to find out that his team had two guys from Savannah commit. He’d never heard of them. As far as our commits so far, I think that 2-3 may be swayed the rest are rock solid. Meyer has always been a good recruiter so that’s no new idea it just means that the Dawgs needed to change a thing or two and the major change was CMR was out in the schools during the “Evaluation” period and it can’t be proven but I think it helped Ga. ,get the class we’re going to have.
By heeldawg
July 14, 2007 11:46 PM | Link to this
These two guys are both outstanding players. Both are marginal students, however. May be ineligible due to academics.
By invisible1
July 16, 2007 12:22 AM | Link to this
Talking about whining and crying. For goodness sakes put on your big boy pants. Some of you puppies act just like that—-puppies. Florida is doing no more than anyone else. That’s the idea, stockpile talent and let the cream rise to the top. USC didn’t get to be USC by worrying about whether or not too many blue chip players were getting recruited at one time. Get a clue guys and try to follow recruiting so you really learn how the game is played.
By invisible1
July 16, 2007 12:34 AM | Link to this
Heel, dawg. I will put our recruiting numbers of signed vs who actually made it in against the pups at any time. Thing is, it isn’t even close!
By fan
July 16, 2007 9:01 PM | Link to this
first off, i just wanna say LSU sucks.. you wanna talk recruiting, talk about FLA!