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Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Citadel and Troy recruiting Social Circle DL Baynes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Tytus Baynes, a 2007 AJC Class A all-state defensive lineman, headlines a Social Circle roster preparing for the Redskins’ season opener against Monticello on Aug. 29.
Social Circle coach Troy Morris is confident that the 5-foot-11, 280-pound senior has the ability to play football on the collegiate level next fall.
“Tytus looks great,” Morris said. “In the spring, he had Troy, Citadel and some other smaller schools talking to him.
“He’s on track with his grades and is doing very well in class. And we’ve got him in a weight training class.
“I see him as a Valdosta State, Georgia Southern or Furman-type kid.”
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Tight end Fontaine is UGA’s 13th commitment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Tight end Arthur Fontaine of Dartmouth, Mass., who committed to Georgia on Tuesday, still can’t believe the way his recruiting played out. He is Georgia’s 13th commitment for the 2009 recruiting class.
“I never had any intentions of going to Georgia when they first offered,” Fontaine said. “But I visited and loved it. Then I visited Georgia again last week and loved it more.”
Fontaine, who is ranked as the nation’s No. 4 tight end by Rivals, actually gave a secret commitment to Georgia coach Mark Richt at the end of his three-day trip to Athens last Friday. Fontaine waited until Tuesday to reveal his decision because he wanted to inform his other finalists: Boston College, Virginia and Maryland.
“Coach Richt was real excited, and then [Georgia assistant Mike Bobo] told a funny story: He said he had a dream about me, that I signed with Georgia but reported at 211 pounds. He said ‘Oh no, I thought you were going to be 245 because we really need that big tight end in our offense.’ I was laughing the whole time.”
Fontaine said it was his “gut feeling” that led him to the Bulldogs. He also said the blessing of his mother played a critical role in his final decision.
“My mom loved Coach Richt and Georgia, which just confirmed how I felt about everything,” Fontaine said. “I still can’t believe this kid from Massachusetts is going down to Georgia, and that the No. 1 team in the country wanted me so badly. My mom just said everything happens for a reason, and she’s right.”
Fontaine committed to Boston College in early May, but backed off it a few weeks earlier because he felt he rushed his decision. He said he won’t be changing his mind about the Bulldogs. “Recruiting is over for me.”
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Cartersville’s Tate expected at football practice Monday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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After his whirlwind summer of baseball concludes with yet another national baseball all-star game this weekend, Cartersville’s Donavan Tate is expected to be in school and at football practice on Monday, Hurricanes head coach Frank Barden said.
“That’s the plan,” Barden said. “[Aug. 18] will be his first day.”
Tate, a member of the AJC’s Georgia Top 150, is also one of the country’s best high school baseball players. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound switch-hitting center fielder is listed by Baseball America.com as a likely first-round pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft.
After leading Cartersville to the Class AAA baseball state title in May, he helped lead the 18-and-under U.S. National Baseball team to a silver medal in the International Baseball Federation’s World Junior Championships in Edmonton, Canada. He participated in last week’s AFLAC All-American Baseball All-Star Game in Los Angeles, where he was named a finalist for the 2008 Jackie Robinson Award, given to the national high school player of the year, and he will play in the 2008 Under Armour All-American game on Sunday at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Not much time for offseason football training in that itinerary, and Barden says he completely understands, considering Tate’s considerable talent. Tate has been offered football scholarships from Southern Cal, Georgia and Florida, among others.
“We know he’s [been] working,” Barden said. “He’s a tremendous athlete and a tremendous kid. It’s a shame he has to narrow the sports he plays, because I think he could even be a great basketball player. He’s so naturally gifted.”
Tate lined up primarily at quarterback and safety last season for the ‘Canes. This season, he’ll remain at safety on defense. But opposing defenses will have to work to find him on offense. Senior Elijer Martinez (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) will take most of the snaps at quarterback, while Tate and fellow AJC Georgia 150 selectee Morgan Alexander will be the primary playmakers, lining up at running back and receiver.
“[Martinez] has had a good offseason and has worked really hard,” Barden said. “He’s a good athlete, but his strength is the intangibles you like your quarterback to have. We think he’ll do a good job leading us, and it allows us to move Donavan and Morgan around a lot.”
Alexander said he’s excited about the adjustment to the ‘Canes offense. “Me and Donavan will be able to move around and line up in different spots all over the field,” he said. “It’s going to make us pretty hard to stop. I can’t wait.”
Permalink | Comments (13) | Post your comment | Categories: Florida, Other schools, UGA
Cartersville’s Alexander waits for ‘dream’ offers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Morgan Alexander is a lot more than Donavan Tate’s sidekick at Cartersville.
In fact, Alexander, a speedy (4.43 seconds in the 40) running back/receiver/defensive back has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Louisville and Indiana. But he says he’s waiting on his “dream offers,” which he hopes will come this fall.
“I’m going to hold out to see if I can get some offers from Tennessee, Auburn, Florida State and Clemson,” said Alexander (6-feet, 180 pounds), a member of the AJC’s Georgia Top 150. “I like the [offers] I already have. But those are some other schools I’d really like to hear from.”
Georgia is noticeably absent from his list and for good reason, says Alexander. He will play on either side of the ball, but prefers offense over defense.
“Man, Georgia is already too stacked,” Alexander said, noting that the Bulldogs have running backs Richard Samuels and Caleb King waiting in the wings behind Knowshon Moreno. “And they’re trying to bring in [Emanuel County Institute’s Washaun Ealey]. I’d never see the field [early]. Maybe at defensive back, but they’re stacked on offense.
“Arkansas has told me that if I come in and work hard, I can earn a position early,” Alexander said. “They are short at running back.”
If he doesn’t hear from another school, Alexander said he’ll be more than happy to choose from the offers he has. He plans to take official visits to Arkansas, Louisville and Indiana sometime this fall.
“I have to try to figure out the best time to do it, because I want to get a really good look at all three campuses,” Alexander said. “All three of them have good athletic programs and good academic programs, which is really the most important thing to me.”
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Auburn, Clemson, FSU, Other schools, UGA
Sandy Creek WR Lane could opt for baseball over Tech football, others
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Braxton Lane’s status as a football player is up in the air.
Lane, a wide receiver for Sandy Creek High in Tyrone, has spent most of the last three weeks pursuing his baseball interests. He played in Saturday’s AFLAC All-American Game in Los Angeles and is in Chicago this week for a similar event.
Lane has football scholarship offers from Georgia Tech, several SEC schools and Oregon. He is a member of the AJC’s Super Southern 100.
Sandy Creek coach Chip Walker said he has heard rumors that Lane would spurn football this season and concentrate on baseball.
“We don’t really know what he’s going to do,” Walker said. “If he does play, he’s going to be behind. But that’s probably the deepest position we have. We’re not going to beg anybody to play.”
Lane caught 55 passes for 1,055 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2007 and holds all of the receiving records at the school, which is the alma mater of Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson.
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