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Friday, August 1, 2008
Tennessee edges Tech for Stephenson’s Mitchell-Thornton
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Tennessee narrowly defeatedGeorgia Tech in an intense recruiting battle for Stephenson linebacker Nigel Mitchell-Thornton.
The 6-foot-2, 225-pounder said he was influenced after a “4-0” vote in favor of Tennessee during a recent meeting with his parents and Stephenson coach Ron Gartrell. All four wrote down a list of five schools which would be the best for Mitchell-Thornton.
“Tennessee was No. 1 on all four, and that was important to me, that those people closest to me felt the same way about the same school,” Mitchell-Thornton said. “However, they all told me to think more about it, and that the final decision had to be mine.”
Mitchell-Thornton felt the timing was right on Friday, calling Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer: “He thought I just calling to talk. When I committed, he said it was a great day for linebackers because they [Tennessee] had gotten another linebacker commitment just a few minutes earlier.”
D.T. Shackelford of Decatur, Ala., also committed to Tennessee on Friday.
Mitchell-Thornton said Tech was the runner-up: “I really like the new coaches and think Georgia Tech’s program is going in a great direction. But they are doing a lot of changes on both offense and defense. On defense, it seems like they will be using smaller linebackers who will be used more in coverage. Georgia Tech didn’t tell me that, but that’s just the way I saw it. I just felt like my style of play fit in better at Tennessee.”
Thornton-Mitchell’s other offers included Stanford, Duke, Mississippi State, Wake Forest and Nebraska, among others.
Jeff Hood contributed to this story
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Luella’s Richard Barnes and Sean Davis get college looks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Luella’s Roderick Sweeting, who committed to Georgia Tech, won’t likely be the last senior from the Henry County school to sign with a major college later this year.
Luella defensive back Sean Davis has been offered by Ball State and Akron, and is also being heavily scouted by Jacksonville State. Said Luella coach Paul Burgdorf: “He has good technique, plays very physical and plays the deep ball very well.”
Luella tailback Richard Barnes has attracted the attention of Memphis and Presbyterian. Burgdorf feels more schools could be after the 5-foot-9, 175-pounder if he improves his test scores: “We run the I-formation, and Richard is not the prototypical I-back. But he’s a tough runner with breakaway speed. He runs the 100 meters in track and I think his best time was 10.65 seconds. He’s a shifty type runner with good feet.”
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Louisville and N.C. State top choices for Calhoun DT
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Calhoun defensive tackle Eric McDaniel will likely accept a scholarship offer from Louisville or N.C. State during the upcoming season.
The 6-foot-2, 290-pound lineman had been rumored to be on the verge of a commitment to the Cardinals last month. But McDaniel has decided to take a close look at the Wolfpack.
“[Louisville and N.C. State] are the front-runners,” Calhoun coach Hal Lamb said. “He’ll visit N.C. State this fall before deciding. But he’s also going to visit Purdue, and probably East Carolina.”
McDaniel, who logged 52 tackles and three sacks during his junior season, also has an offer from UAB.
“He had a great summer,” Lamb said. “I think he’ll do well this season. I’m looking forward to coaching him.”
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