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Saturday, August 4, 2007
Harmon, Daniels, Commings in Athens; Okakpu to UNC
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Several recruits turned out for Georgia’s first practice Saturday afternoon, most notably Jefferson County two-way lineman A.J. Harmon.
Harmon, a consensus national top-100 recruit, spurned the Bulldogs earlier this summer, committing to Clemson.
Also in attendance Saturday were safety Matt Daniels of Fayette County and multi-position athlete Sanders Commings of Augusta.
Okakpu picks Tar Heels
Roswell linebacker Ebele Okakpu committed to North Carolina Saturday after Tar Heels coach Butch Davis impressed him with his humility.
“What put them over the top was his attitude,” Okakpu said. “He’s a very humble person. He already has money, but he wants to coach for the kids. I guess he just loves coaching college football.”
The commitment came as no surprise to Roswell coach Tim McFarlin, who said, “He went up there [Friday] and told me before he left that he was probably going to do it. He followed through.”
Okakpu, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound rising senior, was the Hornets’ leading tackler and one of the reasons why they reached the Class AAAAA championship, which they shared with Peachtree Ridge.
On his first visit to Chapel Hill a month ago, Okakpu met with some assistants but Davis wasn’t around. The second visit was about meeting Davis face to face, and once Okakpu accomplished that, he chose the Tar Heels over Georgia and Clemson.
Okakpu also considered Virginia Tech, but the Hokies faded once he stepped foot in Chapel Hill.
“He decided not to take his visit to Virginia Tech,” McFarlin said. “He went to Clemson and Chapel Hill on the same weekend and when he went to Chapel Hill he really liked it.”
Said Okakpu, “When I went up the first time, it just felt right.”
Butler to USC; Bolton to Alabama
The decisions are in for a pair of Norcross High School star receivers.
An hour after Devonta Bolton announced Saturday he’d play college football at Alabama, teammate Brice Butler said at a 3 p.m. news conference he was heading to Southern Cal.
Bolton picked the Crimson Tide over Auburn, Boston College, Florida and Georgia.
Butler picked the Trojans over Arizona State, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, Oregon State and Penn State.
Butler, ranked by Scout.com as the nation’s sixth-best receiver, spurned Florida State, the school where his father, Bobby Butler, starred before embarking on a 12-year NFL career.
Butler said he knew one month after visiting USC that it was the school for him. The weather, the coaches and the program’s recent success under Pete Carroll swayed the star receiver.
“I just felt this was the place to go,” Butler said. “When I went to USC, I just felt at home. That was my last visit, and that was it.”
Butler lined up the hats of LSU, Notre Dame and Florida State on the table at the Paul Duke House before making his announcement.
He’s a warm weather guy so that ruled out Notre Dame, he said, flipping over the Fighting Irish cap.
LSU wasn’t for him. He flipped that lid, too.
It looked like he’d become a Seminole, which would have delighted his dad, but he grabbed that hat, and flipped it, too, unveiling a USC hat underneath.
Butler and his dad shared a long embrace as more than 150 supporters applauded.
USC has a rich history of wide receivers, including Keyshawn Johnson, a former No. 1 overall pick, but Carroll told Butler he could play right away, the recruit said.
“He saw my highlight tapes and he thinks I can play my freshman year,” Butler said. Bobby Butler, a first-round pick of the Falcons in 1981, said he has tried to “brainwash” his son.
“Since he’s been born, it’s been Florida State, Florida State,” Bobby Butler said.
But FSU wasn’t high on his son’s list until the end.
“We had to allow Brice to make this decision,” Bobby Butler said.
The father said, as much as it hurts, that he’s in agreement with his son’s decision.
The Butlers evaluated each team’s head coach, position coach, offensive coordinator and academic support, and USC was the choice.
“USC felt at home for him. He felt comfortable,” Bobby Butler said.
The Butlers like the Trojans’ pro-style offense and Norcross receiver said, “I will fit in with the team.”
Butler ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash this spring, but he plans on working on his speeed, his route-running and his hands between now and next year.
Norcross coach Keith Maloof has watched Butler develop since he was in middle school. He’s worked hard at Norcross and on his own with trainers to become a polished receiver. Last season he led the Blue Devils with nine touchdowns while playing opposite Darius Hanks, now at Alabama.
“[USC] is getting obviously the top receiver in the nation,” Maloof said. “The thing all the coaches are saying about him is that he’s the best route-runner in the nation, on top of having great hands.”
His teammate, Bolton, is Rivals.com’s 61st-ranked receiver nationally and 23rd-best prospect in Georgia.
Bolton said it was a long process and so many of the schools were equal. As he got closer to his decision, it came down to a choice between Alabama and Florida. Sold on the academics and the care and warmth the school showed, Bolton rolled with The Tide.
Sitting at a table at the Paul Duke House, the soft-spoken Bolton talked about how he labored over the decision, which he reached about two weeks ago. He reached in a bag and said, “I choose the University of Alabama,” breaking out into a huge grin.
“They went the extra step, the extra mile,” Bolton said.
Bolton, who plays wide receiver and safety, said he is going to the school as an athlete. Coaches have told him he could play wide receiver or an H-back position or play safety if they need him on defense.
Butler and Bolton became the 14th and 15th Gwinnett County stars to commit to Division I-A colleges.
Should UGA fans be worried?
How concerned should Georgia fans be after Norcross’ Butler and Bolton opted Saturday to go elsewhere to play their college football?
Not very, three recruiting analysts tell the blog.
“They shouldn’t be,” Rivals.com editor Bobby Burton said. “The state is loaded with high-quality receivers this year. If this were two quality defensive tackles, that’s a different story.”
“I think Georgia fans should focus on the fact that they have two outstanding receivers already on the commit list,” Scout.com’s Scott Kennedy said Saturday. “You can’t sign them all.”
“I don’t know if UGA fans should be down in the dumps at all,” Rivals.com’s Jeremy Crabtree added. “Both are high-quality players and both would have been welcome additions, but Georgia already has both A.J. Green and Tavarres King on board, and both are special players.
“They’re also still involved with some other high-quality receivers, guys like DeAndre Brown out of Mississippi, Chris Tolliver out of Louisiana, Joe Adams in Arkansas and Joshua Jarboe from Ellenwood. You never want to see high-quality in-state kids leave, but when it comes to receivers there never seems to be a shortage of kids interested in the Dogs.”
News and notes
— Gainesville defensive end Keith Wells plans to choose between Auburn, Florida and Florida State on Thursday.
— Banneker safety Darrell Simmons is leaning toward Miami but says he’s also considering Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Ohio State and Tennessee.
— “I like [Georgia] Tech a lot,” said Miami Krop linebacker Etienne Sabino, who calls himself “a city kid” and claims to be a big fan of Yellow Jackets defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta.
— Stephens County running back Tauren Poole has committed to Tennessee but isn’t ruling out South Carolina. Tech could also enter the mix.
— Chamblee lineman Taylor Loftley has narrowed his options to Duke, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.
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