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Sunday, September 7, 2008
Ridgeland’s Michael Bowman ends wait for UGA, will commit to Alabama
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Ridgeland’s Michael Bowman, arguably the state’s top prospect at wide receiver, said on Sunday night that he has decided not to wait any longer on his “dream school” of Georgia, and he will commit to Alabama.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Bowman said he is “very close” to meeting college entrance requirements. He said Georgia promised a scholarship offer, providing he raises his test scores. Bowman said other schools recruiting him, including Alabama, have gone ahead and extended offers, assuming he’ll eventually qualify.
“It’s very disappointing that things didn’t work out with Georgia,” Bowman said. “They’ve been my ‘dream school’ since the first time I stepped on campus.”
“I feel like I have done everything they asked. Georgia asked me to come to summer camp, and I did that and won [best wide receiver] at camp. I’ve visited for games and practices. I’ve been studying for the SAT, and feel like I’m not going to have any problems getting a few extra points.”
When Bowman was asked why he lost patience with Georgia, he said, “These other schools, like Alabama, feel like I am going to make it [academically], and I wish Georgia would have the same [faith] in me. Georgia has, with other players they signed in past years. I just don’t understand it.”
“Everyone knows Georgia already has a lot [14] of commitments. And if I wait any longer, Georgia could fill up, and I could jeopardize my scholarships with other schools as other wide receivers pick their colleges. I probably shouldn’t have even waited this long … but I did because I wanted to be a Georgia Bulldog so badly.”
Bowman said he is choosing Alabama over LSU and Oregon, among around a dozen offers. “Alabama said with [freshman sensation] Julio Jones on one side at receiver, and me on the other, who could stop us? They told me ‘I am a big part of the future of Alabama football’ and that I shouldn’t wait on Georgia any longer while they already have a place for me.”
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State’s top two prospects, Carver’s Jarvis Jones and Washington’s Branden Smith, flooded with phone calls
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Carver-Columbus linebacker Jarvis Jones and Booker T. Washington defensive back Branden Smith are the consensus choices as the state’s top two prospects.
On Sept. 1, colleges could begin calling senior football players again. So who was dialing the digits of Jones and Smith? Both said they couldn’t remember all of them for sure, but listed as many as they could.
Jones, who denied rumors he is leaning toward Clemson, said he got voice mails from LSU, Georgia, Texas, Purdue, Michigan and Texas, among others. Jones said he missed all of the calls because of school and football practice.
Smith said he talked to Georgia, Michigan, LSU, Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Illinois, Auburn, Tennessee, and South Carolina, among others.
Jones and Smith are members of the AJC’s The Super Southern 100
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, FSU, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee, UGA
Wake Forest commitment Cross continues to impress
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Chattahoochee quarterback Brendan Cross, a Wake Forest commitment, continues to pile up passing yardage and impress Cougars coach Terry Crowder.
Cross threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns in the Cougars’ 51-49 season-opening loss to Milton, then added 223 yards and his fourth touchdown, 37 yards to Hunter Thomas, in last week’s 49-12 loss to Parkview.
Although the Cougars are winless entering Friday’s Region 7-AAAAA opener at home against Collins Hill, Crowder raved about his 6-foot-2, 198-pound quarterback, who has 501 yards and four touchdowns passing in two games.
“”He’s shown he can play major college football,” Crowder said.
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Georgia commitment Mettenberger off to slow start
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Oconee County quarterback Zach Mettenberger, a Georgia commitment, has struggled to start the season.
Mettenberger has completed 23 of 50 passes for 201 yards and one touchdown and has one touchdown run. Oconee has lost games to Blessed Trinity and Dunwoody.
Mettenberger and his teammates play host to Class AAA No. 4 ranked St. Pius Friday. Oconee is seeking its first winning season since going 8-4 in 2004.
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How It Went: Georgia commit a regular fan on Saturday in Athens
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Buford defensive tackle Dallas Lee blended in with the crowd in Athens on Saturday during Georgia’s 56-17 victory over Central Michigan.
“I watched the game from the stands,” said the 6-foot-3, 305-pound Lee, who committed to the Dogs in April. “I went with a friend and their family. I hung out with them and we tailgated.”
“It was fun. It was an awesome game. I noticed that a lot of people stayed around after the game.”
Lee, a member of the AJC’s The Georgia Top 150, said he’ll be back at Sanford Stadium for the Alabama game later this month.
“And I might go to the South Carolina game [on Sept. 13 in Columbia] with my friends,” he said.
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How It Went: Lassiter TE Lutzenkirchen visits Auburn
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Philip Lutzenkirchen of Lassiter got a glimpse of life as a Tiger during Auburn’s 27-13 victory over Southern Miss at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday.
Lutzenkirchen, the ninth-best tight end in the nation according to Scout.com and a member of the AJC’s The Georgia Top 150, committed to Auburn in May.
“It’s a lot more relaxing knowing I can go there for a home game and just enjoy myself,” the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Lutzenkirchen said. “It’s a little awkward because some people come up and say ‘hello’ and you don’t even know who they are.
“But it’s still a lot more enjoyable.”
Lassiter junior quarterback Hutson Mason traveled with Lutzenkirchen to the game.
“I just wanted him to see the campus and what Auburn football is all about,” said Lutzenkirchen, who visited with coach Tommy Tuberville and several of his assistants on Saturday.
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How It Went: Thomson’s Eubanks watches MTSU shock Maryland
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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A large contingent of recruits, including Thomson safety Darius Eubanks, witnessed Middle Tennessee State’s 24-14 victory over Maryland in Murfreesboro, Tenn. on Saturday.
“I sat in the recruiting section with about 150 recruits,” said Eubanks, a defensive back in the AJC’s The Georgia Top 150. “It was my first time there. I got to meet the head coach and several other coaches.
“It was a really good atmosphere. I can see that they support their football team. They had a good crowd.”
Eubanks believes the Blue Raiders will forward a scholarship offer to him later this month.
“They want to have an offer to me by the third game of the season,” Eubanks said. “I guess they still want some more tape. I know that coach Antonio Goss, who is the cornerbacks and special teams coach, will be at my game this week.”
So how did the weekend visit impact Eubanks?
“It was a better school than I thought it would be,” he said. “It really surprised me.
“I’m really serious about them if they offer. I don’t know if I would commit right then, but I’m really looking at that school.”
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How It Went: Friday night hero visits East Carolina
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Just hours after tossing a 36-yard winning touchdown pass Friday night on the final play of Sandy Creek’s 17-16 upset victory over Shaw, quarterback Rio Johnson hit the highway for the seven-hour drive to Greenville, N.C.
Johnson, who committed to East Carolina this summer, wound up witnessing arguably the biggest win in the school’s history after the Pirates slammed No. 8 West Virginia 24-3.
“It was just great,” said Johnson, a member of the AJC’s The Georgia Top 150. “The game was sold out and the atmosphere was crazy.
“They got the recruits out of there and off the sidelines with about 50 seconds left because they didn’t know what the fans would do.”
It was the second trip to East Carolina for Johnson, who attended a camp there earlier this year.
Johnson, who also has scholarship offers from Memphis, Ohio and UAB, said he’s set with East Carolina, even if an ACC or SEC program make a late run at him.
“I’m 100 percent with East Carolina,” he said. “They liked me from the beginning. Other schools are just now noticing me.
“And that game [on Saturday] made me smile a little more about my decision.”
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UGA commit Fontaine ready for regular season
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Arthur Fontaine of Dartmouth, Mass., who committed to Georgia over Boston College, is ready for his senior season to begin.
The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Fontaine, who is ranked as the nation’s No. 4 tight end by Rivals, was one of his team’s top performers in a recent jamboree. Fontaine played defensive line and had one sack, one fumble recovery, two tackles for losses, and a half-dozen tackles in two quarters of play.
On offense, where he will play in college for Georgia, Fontaine finished with two catches for 61 yards and a touchdown.
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Great news for Griffin’s Kentorious Jackson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Griffin linebacker Kentorius Jackson, who has been recovering from knee surgery since Aug. 8, made his senior debut against Spalding on Friday.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Jackson, who missed the season-opener, finished with 12 tackles and one interception. Most importantly, Jackson said his knee “felt just fine” after the game.
Jackson, a member of the AJC’s The Georgia Top 150, is hoping his strong performance will spur interest from colleges. He has interest from Alabama-Birmingham, Alabama, Auburn, and Clemson, but some scouts were waiting to see how Jackson’s knee recovered.
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