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Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Carver RB Dennis mulls over Alabama and Auburn offers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Demond Dennis of Carver, Atlanta was thrilled to learn earlier this year that he had received scholarship offers from SEC powerhouses Alabama and Auburn.
But the euphoria subsided just a bit once he read the fine print.
“I was excited when I first got [the offers], but now they both want me to switch over to defensive back,” the 5-foot-10, 193-pound senior said. “I want to play running back.
“I haven’t had time to talk to either of them face-to-face. But I’ve been told that their depth charts at running back are full.”
Dennis also holds offers from East Carolina, Illinois, Louisville, Western Kentucky and UAB. He is being recruited by each of those programs as a running back.
Alabama and Auburn’s decision to target Dennis as a cornerback could open the door for the Cardinals.
“I know I’m going to take a visit to Louisville,” said Dennis, who started at cornerback for Carver as a sophomore before moving to running back during his junior season. “I’ll try to take a visit to UAB, Alabama and Auburn.”
Dennis, who runs the 40 in 4.45 seconds, has plenty of research ahead of him this fall.
“I believe once I do all of my visits and meet all of the coaches, I’ll commit,” he said. “It will probably be after the season.”
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Camden County WR Smith eager to see South Carolina in person
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Thursday night college football games can be a terrific recruiting tool in terms of national exposure for a program.
But Camden County receiver DeAngelo Smith is experiencing the downside of weeknight college football.
The 6-foot, 180-pound Smith, who committed to South Carolina in July, was unable to attend the Gamecocks’ season-opening victory over N.C. State on Thursday due to practice commitments with the Wildcats.
Now, Smith has learned that the threat of Tropical Storm Hanna has forced school officials to move Camden’s game with Columbia County of Lake City, Fla. to Thursday at 8 p.m.
The rescheduled event will prevent Smith from watching South Carolina’s SEC opener at Vanderbilt on ESPN.
“It’s frustrating, but there’s nothing I can do about it,” said Smith, who runs the 40 in 4.4 seconds. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to go to the rest of the home games.”
Smith also has scholarship offers from East Carolina, Illinois, Indiana and Western Carolina.
“Illinois is still trying to get me,” he said. “They’re sending letters and texting.
“But I’m kind of solid with South Carolina.”
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Tech Recruiting Report: Scouting the commits position-by-position
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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With 11 commitments, Georgia Tech is about halfway home with recruiting. Here’s a position-by-position look at how things are shaping up for the stretch run:
Quarterback
Committed (1): Jordan Luallen
Hopeful (2): Dontae Aycock, Courtney Dalcourt
Long shots (3): Ricky Johnson, Everett Proctor, David Sims
Comment: Luallen (Greenwood, Ind.) is the marquee recruit in this class. Tech is in great shape for Aycock (Tampa) and Dalcourt (Franklin, Ky.). Johnson (Lafayette, La.), a high school wide receiver, committed this week to Arkansas, and Proctor (Fayetteville, N.C.) committed weeks ago to N.C. State, although Tech hasn’t thrown in the towel. Sims (St. Matthews, S.C.) favors Kentucky.
A-Back
Hopeful (2): Al-Terek McBurse, Braxton Lane
Long shots (1): Orwin Smith
Comment: Tech isn’t sure what to make of Lane (Sandy Creek), a wide receiver who decided to focus on baseball this fall and skip football season. Smith (Phenix City, Ala.) would be a great snag, but he’s considering Auburn. McBurse (Winter Springs, Fla.) is a sleeper. If Tech pursues hard, he’s a good bet.
B-Back
Committed (1): Daniel Drummond
Long shots (1): Dominique Allen
Comments: Drummond (Flowery Branch) is a member of the AJC’s The Georgia 150 who is ranked the No. 5 fullback in the nation by Scout. Allen (Paris, Tenn.) is another 240-pound player, but he has committed to Tennessee. Tech has not written him off.
Wide receiver
Committed (1): Jeremy Moore
Comment: Moore (Austin, Texas) might be Tech’s only signee at the position. He’s a lanky 6-foot-3 possession type who committed in June.
Offensive line
Committed (3): Jay Finch, Will Jackson, Ray Beno
Hopeful (2): Wesley Johnson, Jimmy Staten
Long shots (2): Camden Wentz, Daniel Hood
Comment: It will be hard to get Johnson (Nashville) away from Vanderbilt, but Tech is a serious contender. Tech has a better shot at Staten (Ware County). Wentz is a Stanford pledge whom Tech has not offered, but might. Hood (Knoxville) is a high school tight end that Tech wants as a lineman. Tech has nabbed two in-state guys in Finch (Kennesaw Mountain) and Beno (Newnan), plus Jackson (Farragut, Tenn.).
Defensive end
Committed (2): Emanuel Dieke, Chris Crenshaw
Hopeful (2): Izaan Cross, Euclid Cummings
Comment: Tech is pleased with how this is going with commitments from the 6-foot-7 Dieke (North Clayton) and Crenshaw (Jefferson County) and an excellent shot at Cross (Flowery Branch), a teammate of Drummond’s. Cummings (Centennial) would be a steal. Tennessee leads.
Defensive end
Committed (1): J.C. Lanier
Comment: Lanier (ECI), who tops 340 pounds, is a Georgia 150 player and four-star recruit with Scout and Rivals. Tech might not recruit another interior defensive lineman.
Linebacker
Committed (1): Brandon Watts
Long shots (1): Chaun Grisham
Comment: Watts (Washington County) had offers from Florida and Clemson. Grisham, originally a Tech pledge, is committed to South Carolina, but Tech holds out faint hope.
Cornerback
Committed (1): Roderick Sweeting
Hopeful (1): Marsalis Teague
Long shots (1): Branden Smith
Comment: Sweeting (Luella) is Tech’s most prized commitment on defense. Teague (Paris, Tenn.) is a teammate of Allen’s. Smith (Washington) would be a miracle.
Safety
Long shots (3): Darren Myles, Jarvis Jones, Jawanza Starling
Comment: Of the three, Tech has the best shot at Myles (Carver-Atlanta). Jones (Carver-Columbus) and Starling (Tallahassee, Fla.) also are big-time blue-chippers.
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ECI’s Ealey, Moody have fast starts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Emanuel County Institute safety Dexter Moody took the spotlight from his more publicized teammate and fellow University of Georgia commitment Washaun Ealey during the Bulldogs’ opening 28-13 victory against Savannah Country Day.
Moody blocked a punt, had two sacks, broke up two passes and had seven tackles. Ealey ran for 137 yards with touchdown runs of 39, 15 and 2 yards on 17 carries.
ECI lineman J.C. Lanier, who has committed to Georgia Tech, did not play with a minor injury.
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Tennessee joins chase for Cartersville’s Alexander
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Cartersville running back and receiver Morgan Alexander said Tuesday night that Tennessee is recruiting him. Alexander has offers from Arkansas, Indiana, Louisville and South Carolina State.
“[Tennessee] has started to send me letters, too,” Alexander said. “I’m probably going to set up an official visit to Louisville. I’m supposed to meet with them when they come down next week.”
But Alexander said his primary focus is on helping Cartersville win the Class AAA title. The ‘Canes got off to a good start with a 25-20 victory against neighborhood rival Cass last week.
“Winning state is something this senior class has talked about since we were freshmen,” Alexander said. “We have so much talent, so many weapons and we have great team chemistry. There’s something about this team. If we keep working hard, I think we can definitely win state.”
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Calhoun DT schedules official visit to Purdue
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Calhoun defensive tackle Eric McDaniel (6-foot-2, 295 pounds) said Tuesday night that he has scheduled an official visit to Purdue on Sept. 19.
Purdue is one of four schools that have made scholarship offers to McDaniel, who was selected to the AJC’s The Georgia 150 list. The other three are Louisville, North Carolina State and East Carolina. McDaniel said he is scheduled to meet with a Louisville assistant this week to set up a visit.
“I’d say Purdue and Louisville are in the lead because I have such a great relationship with the coaches who are recruiting me,” McDaniel said. “But I’ll probably [visit] N.C. State too, and East Carolina is still in the mix.”
McDaniel said Clemson and Central Florida have stepped up their recruiting of him lately, but neither has offered a scholarship.
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Douglass coach predicts big things for junior DE Garrison Smith
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Douglass is one of the state’s top high schools for turning out prospects on a yearly basis, with at least five seniors on this season’s team earning attention from major colleges. The Fulton school is also the alma mater of countless college players, including Clemson tailback James Davis and Georgia defensive end Rod Battle.
First-year coach Ken Burrow said junior defensive tackle Garrison Smith could be one of the state’s top recruits for 2010. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Smith already has attracted the notice of college scouts stopping by Douglass to look at film of seniors.
“The kid is something special,” Burrow said. “He’s like a wild man out there. He has a great motor and just gets after people. He’s very athletic and fast.”
The top senior for Douglass appears to be linebacker Jonathan Atchinson, who committed to Auburn over Alabama, while considering other schools.
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Carver DE Harvey attracts major-college looks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Carver-Atlanta defensive end Phillip Harvey got offers from Western Michigan and Western Carolina during the summer.
Now some bigger schools are getting involved.
Middle Tennessee State called the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Harvey on Tuesday night, and Auburn and Ole Miss have shown a little interest. Harvey was excited about hearing from MTSU.
“They asked me how everything was going, how I felt about their school, and how they have been thinking about me and want to recruit me hard,” Harvey said.
Harvey said until MTSU offers, his favorite is probably Western Michigan, although the cold weather concerns him. He said he plans to set up official visits to Western Michigan and Western Carolina.
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SWD’s Mitchell big on recruiting letters
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Southwest DeKalb wide receiver Jacoby Mitchell says it’s nice to get letters from the schools he’s considering, including Wisconsin and Miami.
The notes he has been getting from Eastern Michigan — many of them hand-written by assistant head coach Jay Patterson — have been a little more personal. Eastern Michigan has wished Mitchell happy holidays (Labor Day included) and success on the field.
“They were really nice,” said Mitchell said of the notes. “They make me want to keep up the good work.”
So, do the notes give Eastern Michigan the nod over offers from Bowling Green and Akron?
“No, not really,” he said with a laugh.
Bowling Green probably leads the other two schools, but Mitchell (6-1, 190) is waiting to see if bigger offers come down the road.
And Eastern Michigan is still in the running — sort of. Southwest DeKalb running back Michael Johnson also has been offered by the school.
“You never know. We just might commit to Eastern Michigan together,” Mitchell said.
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Stephenson LB to enter Tennessee early
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Stephenson High linebacker Nigel Mitchell-Thornton, who commited to Tennessee last month, plans to enroll early and participate in spring practice.
An honors student, he says he is on track to graduate in December and enroll at Tennessee in January.
“That way I’ll be able to get a head start on the football aspect and the academic aspect, too,” said Mitchell-Thornton, who wants to earn an exceutive MBA degree in business.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker had standout performance in Stephenson’s victory against McNair in the season-opener. He had two sacks, two tackles for losses and 12 total tackles in a 21-0 victory.
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