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Monday, July 28, 2008
UGA-bound QB Mettenberger assesses effort at Elite 11 camp
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Georgia was well represented in last week’s Elite 11 quarterback camp in Laguna Beach, Calif. Future Bulldogs Zach Mettenberger of Oconee County and Aaron Murray of Plant Senior High in Tampa, Fla. took part in the activities.
“It went really well,” Mettenberger said. “I definitely learned competition is a good thing.
“I learned a lot about coverage, especially deep coverages, and a lot of footwork stuff that I need help in.”
Mettenberger crossed paths with Georgia junior quarterback Matthew Stafford during the camp.
“He was there as a counselor,” Mettenberger said. “He mainly told me about coverage stuff.”
Mettenberger is done with camps and visits for the summer. The first day of class at Oconee County is Aug. 6. That’s the same day the Warriors go into full pads.
But the 6-foot-5 QB still hopes to continue finding time to make the short drive from Watkinsville to Athens on a regular basis.
“I’ve been going over there and working out at Butts-Mehre,” said Mettenberger, who is scheduled to enroll at UGA in January.
Mettenberger is rated as the 10th-best class of 2009 quarterback in the nation by Scout.com. Murray is listed as the fourth-best QB.
Permalink | Comments (31) | Post your comment | Categories: UGA
Chattahoochee’s Brendan Cross picks Wake Forest
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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NFL analyst Randy Cross got some surprising news from a “caller from Atlanta” on his national radio show on Monday.
“How would it feel if your son was a Demon Deacon?” asked Chattahoochee coach Terry Crowder on “The Opening Drive” on the Sirius Radio NFL Network.
“That would be great,” responded Cross.
“That’s great, because he just committed,” Crowder responded.
After a brief moment of silence, the elder Cross realized what was going on and laughed, as did his son, Brendan Cross, who was in his coach’s office.
“I think we got him pretty good,” Crowder said. “Randy is so proud of his son and was very happy with Wake.”
The 6-foot-2, 198-pound Cross picked the Demon Deacons over Air Force, Bowling Green and Ohio University. He also had serious interest from Vanderbilt and South Florida. When Wake Forest offered on Monday, Cross quickly accepted it.
“It may look like a [rush decision], but it wasn’t,” Cross said. “I knew there was the possibility of an offer, and I had thought it all out. It’s a great fit for me for football and academics.”
As a junior last season, Cross passed for 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 400 yards in helping the Cougars reach the Class AAAA playoffs.
“His arm strength is something all the colleges have bragged about,” Crowder said. “He makes great decisions. He’s a ‘football guy.’ He has just been around the game his whole life.”
The elder Cross played 13 years in the NFL as an offensive lineman and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Other schools
Newnan’s Powell picks hoops over football
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Newnan’s Russell Powell, who has scholarship offers in football and basketball, has decided on which sport he will play in college.
“Basketball — it’s my first love,” Powell said. “I’ve grown up playing basketball, and I play basketball every day.”
The 5-foot-9, 160-pound Powell plays quarterback for Newnan’s football team and has an offer from Air Force, which runs a similar spread offense.
Powell averaged 19 points at point guard last year as a junior. He has offers from Furman, Gardner-Webb, Toledo and Harvard.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment | Categories: Other schools
Stephenson LB has Tech high on wish list
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Stephenson linebacker Nigel Mitchell-Thornton doesn’t plan to use one of his five official visits on Georgia Tech, but he said the Yellow Jackets remain one of his favorites.
“I really like Georgia Tech,” Mitchell-Thornton said. “I’ve probably been to their campus more than any other college. And I plan on going to some games there this season. It’s just that I’ll probably save my official visits for schools that are a little farther away.”
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Mitchell-Thornton has 19 offers and said Tech, Tennessee, Stanford and Mississippi State are his favorites. He said he also hearing from Auburn, Alabama and Clemson, but has not been offered by those schools. Mitchell-Thornton has decided two of his official visits will be to Tennessee and Stanford, although he has not set dates.
Mitchell-Thornton plans to enroll in college in January.
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Chamblee RB Norman picks Vanderbilt over Georgia Tech
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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One week after participating in a camp at Vanderbilt, Chamblee running back Warren Norman pulled the trigger on a commitment to the Commodores.
Norman confirmed to The State Sunday night that he will sign a letter of intent with Vanderbilt in Feb. 2009. He’ll join former Chamblee teammate Taylor Loftley, a freshman at the Nashville, Tenn.-based university.
“[Vanderbilt has] great coaches,” Norman told the AJC. “They just want to win. They feel like they need a couple of great players to win, and they said I’m one of them.”
The 5-foot-10, 191 pound back chose the Commordores over Georgia Tech and Iowa State.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: Other schools, Tech
Perry’s Johnnie Farms plans Auburn trip
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Perry’s Johnnie Farms, who is one of the nation’s most heavily recruited offensive linemen, said he has one more college to visit this summer.
“Auburn, that’s where I want to go,” Farms said. “My high school coaches said they will take me there soon so I can look around.”
The 6-foot-3, 285-pound Farms said he only went to Alabama and South Carolina camps this summer. He has 38 scholarship offers and is ranked as the country’s No. 9 offensive guard by Rivals.
Farms has remained tight-lipped about which colleges are at the top of his list, but he said playing time and location will be the two most important factors.
“I’d like to play close to home so my family and friends can watch me play,” he said.
Permalink | Comments (17) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, FSU, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee, UGA
