AJC > Sports > Football Recruiting > Blog > Archives > 2008 > July
July 2008
Luella DB Roderick Sweeting is Tech’s 12th commitment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
For the second day in a row, one of the state’s top prospects committed to Georgia Tech before its practice session.
Luella defensive back Roderick Sweeting told Tech coach Paul Johnson on Thursday that he intends to sign with the Yellow Jackets. On Wednesday, Newnan offensive lineman Raymond Beno also committed before Tech’s practice.
Sweeting is perhaps Tech’s most celebrated 2009 commitment thus far. He is ranked as the nation’s No. 20 cornerback by Scout, and picked the Yellow Jackets over Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, Tennessee and Auburn, among 17 offers.
The 6-foot, 175-pounder said he spent most of Thursday touring Tech’s campus with his parents and finished it by committing. Said Sweeting: “I just felt great about Georgia Tech. They have been recruiting me very hard and showing a lot of love. Coach Johnson seemed excited. He told me I was always at the top of his list of cornerbacks.”
Luella coach Paul Burgdorf said Tech is getting a versatile player in Sweeting.
“I think in the ACC he could be looked at as a corner or safety,” he said. “He could also return kicks and punts. For us [at Luella], we’ve even got a quarterback package for him. He’s got great size and loves to hit. Georgia Tech is getting a pretty good student and a pretty good football player.”
Permalink | Comments (54) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Tech, Tennessee
Newnan’s Raymond Beno picked Tech over childhood favorite
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Newnan’s Raymond Beno, who committed to Georgia Tech, said it was a recent offer by his childhood favorite college that increased his recruiting stakes.
The 6-foot-2, 285-pounder was offered by Miami about three weeks ago. Beno closely followed the Hurricanes while his family lived in Tampa, Fla., for the first 11 years of his life.
“When Miami offered me, yes, I think it made some other schools take notice,” said Beno.
Beno said he turned down Miami because he felt like Tech was the “perfect fit” for him. He took a tour of Tech’s campus last week, and was offered after a long conversation with coach Paul Johnson. When Beno returned to watch the Yellow Jackets practice on Wednesday, he revealed his decision to Johnson before workouts.
“My family and friends, they are all real happy for me,” Beno said. “Georgia Tech is where I needed to be.”
He was considering Tech among 12 offers, including Wake Forest and Southern Miss. Also, Georgia, Florida State, West Virginia and Auburn had not offered but have displayed heavy interest. Beno, however, said recruiting is over.
“I’m 100-percent committed to Georgia Tech,” Beno said. “That’s where I am going, and I’m excited about it.”
Permalink | Comments (8) | Post your comment | Categories: Auburn, FSU, Tech, UGA
Oklahoma State hot on the trail of Cedar Shoals LB Lattimore
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Cedar Shoals’ DeDe Lattimore saw his scholarship count climb to 15 last week after claiming an offer from Marshall.
The intimidating 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker already had offers from programs such as Central Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Oklahoma State, South Florida and UAB.
“Oklahoma State is recruiting me the hardest,” Lattimore said. “I want to go there this fall. I also want to visit Michigan, Louisville and Central Florida.”
Lattimore, who lives in Athens, said he’s been a fan of the Wolverines for several years.
“My third grade teacher loved Michigan and he got me to loving them too,” he said.
Lattimore is scheduled to retake the SAT in September. He needs to improve on the 840 he scored in the spring.
“I’ve hired my own tutor to help me prepare,” he said.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment | Categories: Other schools
Tucker LB Jonathan Davis reschedules trip to South Carolina
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Tucker linebacker Jonathan Davis plans to visit South Carolina within the next few weeks.
The 5-foot-8, 205-pounder was scheduled to meet with the Gamecocks last weekend, but South Carolina assistant Ron Cooper told Davis to come at another time because coach Steve Spurrier was out of town at SEC Media Days.
“It works out for the better anyways because when I go this time, not only will I get to meet all the coaches, I’ll also get to see the team practice,” Davis said.
Davis denied published reports that he was leaning toward committing to South Carolina: “I like them, I like the direction that Coach Spurrier is taking the program. I feel like they can contend for a national championship soon. But no, I’m not pulling toward any school right now. I’m just checking out all the schools, and talking things over with my family.”
Davis said he has offers from South Carolina, Louisville, Penn State, Central Florida and Alabama-Birmingham.
Permalink | Comments (12) | Post your comment | Categories: South Carolina
Peachtree Ridge’s Kevin Minter has chance to play early at LSU
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Peachtree Ridge linebacker Kevin Minter, who committed to LSU, said he liked the idea of playing for the defending national champions. However, Minter said he liked the opportunity to see early playing time for the Tigers even better.
“I thought it was the perfect time to go there if you’re a linebacker,” Minter said. “They won’t have a lot of depth at linebacker after this season, so I feel like I have a good chance of [contributing] as a freshman. That was a factor in my decision.”
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment | Categories: LSU
UGA among finalists for Carver-Columbus LB Jones
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
In the eyes of many, Carver-Columbus linebacker Jarvis Jones is the most coveted player in Georgia in the class of 2009.
Earlier this week, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound recruit indicated that he plans to sign a letter of intent in February with Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Texas or Southern Cal.
But the drama surrounding Jones’ recruitment will likely continue over the next five to six months.
Carver coach Dell McGee said earlier today he’d be surprised if his prized linebacker commits in the foreseeable future.
“I think it will be in January when he commits, unless he just gets a conviction over a certain school,” McGee said.
Jones’ most recent visit was to LSU earlier this month.
“He said it was nice,” McGee said. “It was just like every other D1 school: nice campus and the coaching staff was ok.
“He could see himself playing there.”
Jones, who is rated as the fourth-best outside linebacker in the nation and the 39th-overall prospect in the country by Scout.com, may see his stock rise even more this fall.
“Last season was just his first year starting at linebacker,” McGee said. “This year, I think he’ll see things a lot faster and be more comfortable and know what to expect.
“I think you’ll see a big improvement, especially from a leadership standpoint.”
Permalink | Comments (23) | Post your comment | Categories: Clemson, Florida, LSU, Other schools, UGA
Alabama LB Nico Johnson wonders if he’s still UGA target
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Linebacker Nico Johnson of Andalusia, Ala., one of the nation’s top prospects, has said he will reconsider Georgia’s scholarship offer if the Bulldogs coaches let him know he’s still wanted.
Earlier this summer, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Johnson said he got the understanding that Georgia had withdrawn its scholarship offer after three other linebackers committed to the Bulldogs. When pressed on where he got that information on Tuesday night, Johnson said, “One of my friends told me that. They either heard or read that Georgia was full at linebacker and not going to sign any more. So I guess I believed it.”
Georgia coaches are not allowed to comment on prospective student-athletes.
Johnson again denied rumors he was close to committing to Alabama, saying he has no favorites.
“I haven’t talked to them in a while, but I would look hard at Georgia if they need more linebackers,” he said. “It’s a great program, about the same as Alabama. A great defense, and just a great program.”
Johnson is ranked as the nation’s No. 30 overall prospect by Rivals.
Georgia has commitments from three players who are listed as linebackers, although they could change positions in college: Chase Vasser of Chestatee, Michael Gilliard of Valdosta and Dexter Moody of Emanuel County Institute. The Bulldogs are also in the running for linebacker Jarvis Jones of Carver-Columbus, arguably the state’s No. 1 prospect.
Permalink | Comments (23) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, Other schools, UGA
Henry County loses TE Teknipp, makes adjustments
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Henry County is still adjusting to the fact that tight end Jimmy Teknipp moved to Ohio. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Teknipp has committed to Central Florida.
Last year as a junior, he played a major role in Henry County’s spread offense. He was big target for Drew Little, one of the state’s top quarterbacks. He could also be counted on to attract the attention of the secondary, freeing defenders covering Jamal Patterson, one of the state’s top wide receivers. Patterson has scholarship offers from most schools.
“We were sad to see Jimmy go. We were looking at putting some [new twists] in our offense this year,” Henry County coach Mike Rozier said. “But we’ll be OK, and we wish him the best.”
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Other schools
Warner Robins RB Rashad Wynes lists 15 offers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Warner Robins tailback Rashad Wynes has 15 scholarship offers, including South Carolina, Boston College and Louisville.
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Wynes did not attend any camps this summer because he was enrolled in summer school.
Wynes is projected to start both ways this year. His play at cornerback has intrigued several colleges.
“Ole Miss is recruiting me as an athlete, and they said they could see me playing free safety,” he said. “It really doesn’t matter which position I play in college, just wherever I have the best chance to help the team.”
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Other schools, South Carolina
UGA-bound QB Mettenberger assesses effort at Elite 11 camp
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
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
Categories
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
Categories
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
Categories
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.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Other schools, Tech
Chamblee RB Norman picks Vanderbilt over Georgia Tech
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
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
Categories
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
Henry County QB Drew Little plays waiting game
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Henry County quarterback Drew Little is still waiting on his first offer.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound senior attended seven college camps this summer and played in two national passing league tournaments. Little said he got positive feedback from scouts after each appearance, yet he remains without an offer.
“I’m being patient about the situation; everything will work out,” Little said. “Colleges take their time with quarterbacks. Many colleges will only sign one quarterback each year, and some might even skip a year. They really have to find someone who they feel will be a perfect fit for their [offense]. They seem to do a lot more evaluating for a quarterback than they do for many other positions.”
Little, a drop-back passer, said he went to camps at Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Jacksonville State and Georgia Southern. His teammate at Henry County, wide receiver Jamal Patterson, has nearly 50 scholarship offers.
“Drew doesn’t have anything right now, but he’s going to get something,” Henry County coach Mike Rozier said. “He’s a pure drop-back passer, [so] it’s just going to have to be the right system for him.”
Little said at least a dozen schools have told him that he is a scholarship candidate and that they will be observing his senior season. Little said he is doing his best to not think about recruiting.
“I’m playing football for Henry County,” he said. “I care about my high school season more than anything else right now.”
Permalink | Comments (13) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, Other schools, South Carolina, Tennessee
ECI’s recruits prepping for upcoming season
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Washaun Ealey, J.C. Lanier and Dexter Moody, three of the state’s most coveted recruits, continue preparations to defend ECI’s Class A championship.
“They’ve been lifting and working and getting ready for the season,” ECI coach Milan Turner said. “It’s been a great summer. Those three guys have made all of the workouts.
“But they’ve done that for the past three years. I wouldn’t expect anything less from them.”
Ealey and Moody have committed to Georgia. Lanier is headed to Georgia Tech. Turner said each commitment is solid and nearly all rival college coaches have accepted that fact.
“They still get mail, but that’s about it,” Turner said. “I think [the other colleges] are pretty convinced where those kids are going to go.”
Ealey and Moody have visited Athens this summer, while Lanier has found time to make the trek from Twin City to Atlanta. To Turner’s knowledge, none of them have visted other colleges recently.
ECI’s team camp in Americus prevented Ealey and Moody from attending “Dawg Day” in Athens on Friday July 18.
Expectations are high in Twin City for another banner season and the opportunity to see the trio play on Saturdays in the not-too-distant future.
“I think everybody is excited and happy for those guys,” Turner said. “But they’ve got to finish their senior year first.
“We try to do a good job of keeping them grounded and focused. Right now, we’re looking at an Aug. 15 scrimmage against Evans and our first game against Savannah Country Day.”
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment | Categories: Tech, UGA
Tampa’s Orson Charles is elite TE, but also getting WR offers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Orson Charles of Tampa, Fla., is rated as nation’s No. 1 tight end by one recruiting service, but he has gotten a couple of scholarship offers to play wide receiver.
“LSU and Louisville are a few that have talked to me about playing wide receiver in college,” Charles said. “I’ve played a lot of wide receiver in high school, so I can see where they are coming from. But I feel like tight end will definitely be my main position in college.”
However, while Charles says he sees his future at tight end, he does like the idea of being able to switch to wide receiver in passing situations. Henry County coach Mike Rozier said the 6-foot-3, 227-pound Charles is athletic enough for both positions after observing him in a national passing league tournament this summer.
“He has a big enough [body frame] to play tight end, but he can play wide receiver, too,” Rozier said. “The best thing about this kid is that he catches everything in sight.”
Charles plays at Plant High with quarterback Aaron Murray, who has committed to Georgia. Charles is ranked as the nation’s No. 1 tight end by Rivals.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: FSU, Florida, LSU, Other schools, UGA
Byrnes’ 2010 prospects attract UGA, Clemson, many others
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Georgia’s coaches will be making plenty of trips to Byrnes High in Duncan, S.C., over the next two years.
Byrnes has a star-studded junior class, led by Marcus Lattimore, of nation’s top-rated tailbacks for the 2010 class. Lattimore, who attended Georgia’s camp earlier this summer, has been offered by many of the nation’s top schools, including the Bulldogs.
The other two 2010 headliners are defensive lineman Brandon Willis and Corey Miller. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Willis was offered at Georgia’s most recent camp, and he ranks the Bulldogs third behind Florida State and Clemson but ahead of Texas A&M. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Miller said Georgia coaches told him they are interested, but have yet to offer. Miller already has an offer from Clemson.
Two of the top senior prospects from Byrnes, which is the defending S.C. Class AAAA champions, are safety Justin Bright and wide receiver Ricco Sanders. Bright, a lifelong Clemson fan, committed to Florida State after getting an early offer, while Sanders is deciding between Auburn, Clemson, Florida, FSU and Georgia.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Auburn, Clemson, FSU, Florida, Other schools, South Carolina, UGA
Washington High’s Goodwin gets early offer from UGA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Booker T. Washington High’s Branden Smith is one of the nation’s most heavily-recruited cornerbacks. He said his teammate, wide receiver Antonio Goodwin, has just as much potential.
Goodwin, who is a rising junior, is virtually unknown on the recruiting circuit but picked up his first major-college offer from Georgia. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound speedster was offered by Georgia coach Mark Richt following the “Dawg Night” prospect camp.
“I knew [Goodwin] could do it, get the Georgia offer,” said Smith, who rooted on his teammate at the camp as an observer. “He’s a great player, and I think a lot more offers are coming. It’s just a matter of the word getting out about him.”
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment | Categories: UGA
UGA-bound Murray impresses Henry County coach
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Henry County coach Mike Rozier said quarterback Aaron Murray was worthy of all the high praise after recently observing the UGA-bound senior. Henry County played against Murray and his teammates from Plant High in a national passing league tournament.
“I think he’s going to be the starting quarterback at the University of Georgia one day,” Rozier said. “[Murray] is a double threat. I know it was passing league [where I saw him], but I’ve watched film, too. He throws on a line with great accuracy. He can also tuck it and run. I was very impressed with everything I’ve seen the kid do.”
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment | Categories: UGA
Sandy Creek’s Rio Johnson compared to ‘young’ version of Falcons QB
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Sandy Creek quarterback Rio Johnson, who has committed to East Carolina, is drawing comparisons to Atlanta Falcons quarterback D.J. Shockley.
“Rio reminds me of a ‘young’ D.J. Shockley,” said QB guru Tee Martin, founder of Playmakers Sports. “Rio has good passing mechanics and can get out of the pocket and make things happen with his feet. I’m not sure he was asked to do much running last year [at Sandy Creek], but he can do it. This kid can do everything at QB.”
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Johnson committed to East Carolina over Alabama-Birmingham and Ohio.