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Tuesday, July 24, 2007
National recognition for Butler; Chattahoochee’s Smith to Arkansas
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Brice Butler, Norcross’ prized wide receiver recruit, knows exactly where he is ranked by Rivals.com and Scout.com.
“Scout’s got me ranked higher,” Butler said. “They’ve got me 36th. Rivals has me at 66. I pay attention.”
But Butler admits to being a little surprised when he found out where he was ranked by ESPN.com.
Not only is Butler the state’s highest ranked recruit in the ESPN 150, but he’s also the 16th-best prospect in the nation, according to the rankings released on Monday.
Butler, the son of former Atlanta Falcons defensive back Bobby Butler, was the second-highest ranked receiver, behind Georgia commitment A.J. Green of Summerville, S.C.
“My friend called me to congratulate me on being No. 16,” said Brice Butler. “I didn’t even know ESPN had released rankings.”
Butler has narrowed down his dozens of offers to a top 10, which includes Georgia, Southern California, Florida and Notre Dame.
He plans on making his announcement on Aug. 4 at 3 p.m. at Norcross High School.
Smith picks Arkansas over Boston College and Ole Miss
Chattahoochee defensive end Justin Smith knew for weeks that his heart was tugging at him to play football for Arkansas.
He made those feelings public on Saturday when he made committed to the Razorbacks.
“I flew into Fayetteville on Friday morning and had an unofficial visit on Friday afternoon,” Smith said. “I got to look at all of the facilities.
“They had a camp on Saturday, but I didn’t participate. I just watched. After the camp, I committed to coach Houston Nutt.
For Smith, it was love at first sight when he stepped onto the Arkansas campus.
“Arkansas has always been high on my list of schools,” he said. “I liked the campus the first time I drove up.
“And the first day I met all of the defensive coaches, they seemed close. There’s a family-like atmosphere at the school.”
The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Smith, who chose Arkansas over Boston College and Ole Miss, will be a defensive lineman for the Razorbacks.
“They told me they want to wait to see how much I grow because I can play both defensive end and defensive tackle,” Smith said.
“They want to see how my body changes and what I grow into. I was told I will not be redshirted.”
Maryland offer forthcoming for Roswell’s Daniel?
Despite the fact he’s holding scholarship offers from Arkansas, Central Florida, East Carolina, San Diego State, Troy, Ball State, Air Force, Miami (Ohio), Utah and Akron, Roswell’s Alex Daniel is in no hurry to commit.
“I’ll wait to decide this fall,” the 5-foot-11, 198-pound running back said.
“I’m hoping an offer from Maryland is coming. They said they like my film. They still need to show it to some of their coordinators first.”
Daniel is drawing some interest as a defensive back.
“Some of the schools that haven’t offered yet are interested in me at safety,” Daniel said. “But I’m pretty sure that all of the schools that have offered want me at running back.”
Three offers for LaGrange lineman
John Oliver, a 6-foot-6, 270-pound offensive lineman for LaGrange, holds offers from Arkansas, Akron and South Florida.
But he plans to delay a commitment until near the end of the upcoming regular season after assessing all current and future scholarship options.
“I went to camp at Jacksonville State and ran pretty well there,” Oliver said. “I’m going to South Florida and Central Florida this weekend for camps.
“And Southern Miss just came into the picture. They want me to come by.”
SEC offers for Fortson
Carver, Columbus wide receiver Jarmon Fortson is set to choose between South Carolina, Auburn, Alabama, LSU, Louisville, Indiana and Mississippi State.
“Jarmon is going to weigh his options and make a commitment later,” Carver coach Dell McGee said. “It seems like he’s going to wait until the season starts.”
McGee said there’s plenty of reasons Division I programs covet his talented receiver.
“He’s a real physical receiver who, at 6-foot-3, 220-pounds, is very competitive,” McGee said. “He has great hands and adjusts to the deep ball well. And he has 4.5 to 4.6 speed [in the 40].
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