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Sunday, August 17, 2008
LSU commit Kevin Minter offered by Bama
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Peachtree Ridge linebacker Kevin Minter, who has committed to LSU, was recently offered by Alabama.
“It was cool,” Minter said. “It felt good to be offered by such a big-time program. [However] I’m still going to LSU.”
Minter, a member of the AJC’s Super Southern 100, picked the Tigers over Southern Cal, Oklahoma, Virginia, Purdue, Ole Miss, N.C. State, Kentucky and West Virginia, among other offers. Minter said he is unsure if LSU will be his only official visit.
“It depends on how my parents feel,” Minter said. “They have talked about wanting to compare LSU to another school, but it doesn’t matter to me because LSU is where I’m signing.”
Permalink | Comments (24) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, LSU
The Nest: Georgia Tech recruiting notes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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TV WATCH: Orwin Smith, who plays for Central High in Phenix City, Ala., will play in a televised scrimmage Thursday against Carver of Columbus, the defending Class AAA champion in Georgia.
Smith has indicated that Auburn, Clemson and Vanderbilt are his top three, but Tech, Alabama and Minnesota are still in the picture.
The Central-Carver scrimmage will be on Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast cable. …
STILL IN PICTURE: Wesley Johnson, a tackle from Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, now lists Auburn and Vanderbilt as his favorites, but Tech remains one of a handful of schools still recruiting Johnson hard. Tech has commitments on the offensive line from Jay Finch of Kennesaw Mountain, Ray Beno of Newnan and Will Jackson of Farragut High in Knoxville.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Other schools, Tech
Inside College Recruiting: Does baseball focus hurt football recruits?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Two of the most highly recruited football players in Georgia aren’t playing for their high school football teams this fall.
Cartersville’s Donovan Tate and Sandy Creek’s Braxton Lane, both original members of the AJC’s Super Southern 100 and The Georgia 150, will focus on baseball instead. Each expects to be drafted by professional baseball in June. Tate might be the No. 1 overall pick. That’s how good he is.
For Tate, a running back, it probably means the end of his football career. But Lane said on Sunday he wants the option of playing football and baseball in college.
Lane sounded a little reluctant to talk about it since many college coaches don’t know that he’s not playing high school football. He said he had been offered scholarships by Georgia Tech, Auburn, Kentucky, Oregon, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Minnesota and Central Florida.
But Lane has been traveling so much with baseball that he has not been visiting campuses or talking to many coaches this summer, as many top recruits have been doing.
Lane’s coach, Chip Walker, said Lane made a personal decision that the coach wouldn’t second-guess. But Walker did add, “I’m old-school,” and then pointed to the example of Ken Swilling, his high school teammate two decades ago at Stephens County who lettered in four sports and became a football All-American at Georgia Tech.
“It didn’t slow him down one bit,” Walker said.
Cartersville coach Frank Barden was expecting Tate at football practice until almost the last minute earlier this month, when Tate finally made a firm decision.
”I had said all along that our team and our kids and coaches would support Donovan and pull for him whether that’s being a football or baseball player,” he said. “If you look at all the athletes of the caliber he is, they could’ve been good in anything they played. Sometimes you have to pick.”
In the end, Lane’s decision is more intriguing because he’s simply a very good prospect, not a guy who is almost assured of a huge signing bonus next year, like Tate.
If you were Lane, do you play football at Sandy Creek?
Or what if you’re Georgia Tech? Lane, who is a nephew of former Green Bay Packers great McArthur Lane, was being recruited as A-Back, and Tech has no commitments from a player targeted for that position. Do you ease up on a player now that he’s not playing football this fall?
And most importantly, should Lane still be a grade “A” recruit on our recruiting lists? And what you think of the Georgia 150 list and the grading? Are we missing somebody that should be in there?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Auburn, Other schools, Tech, UGA
The Big Impact: UGA commit Vasser to miss Dogs’ opener
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Chestatee’s Chase Vasser, a 6-foot-3, 200 pound Georgia-bound linebacker, will miss the No. 1 ranked Dogs’ season opener against Georgia Southern on Labor Day weekend.
But expect Vasser to be a regular fixture at Sanford Stadium during the remainder of the season.
“I’ll be visiting my family in Tennessee [on Aug. 30],” said Vasser, whose senior season begins on Aug. 29 when Chestatee hosts Gainesville. “But I’ll be at the rest of the home games.
“And I might make it to the games at Florida and LSU. I’m about 90 percent sure on those two.”
Vasser, who plans to enroll at Georgia in January and room with incoming quarterback recruit Zach Mettenberger, said he’s still being recruited by several other colleges.
“I’m still hearing from Kentucky, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech,” he said. “Those are the main ones still sending personal, handwritten letters.
“And there are others still sending me junk mail. But I think they all kind of know that I’m going to Georgia.”
Permalink | Comments (12) | Post your comment | Categories: UGA
Dutchtown WR Joe Stewart not heard from Tech’s new staff
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Dutchtown wide receiver Joe Stewart was one of the first juniors offered by Georgia Tech last Sept., but he has not heard the Yellow Jackets after the coaching change.
However, Stewart, a member of the AJC’s Georgia Top 150, said he respects Tech’s decision, explaining, “I’d kind of like to get out of state anyways.”
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound speedster has plenty of options: Stanford, Missouri, Texas Tech, Tennessee, and Central Florida, among other scholarship offers.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Tech, Tennessee
