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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Examination of UGA-bound QB Aaron Murray in ESPNU loss
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Armwood’s coaches took unusual and lengthy measures to prepare for Georgia-bound quarterback Aaron Murray, according to ESPN.com.
Murray, the highest-profile commitment for Georgia’s 2009 class and MVP of the Elite 11 camp, completed only 17 of 36 passes for 120 yards in Plant High’s 9-2 loss to Armwood. The game between the Florida powerhouses was televised on ESPNU last Friday.
Armwood defensive coordinator Matt Thompson told the website that he regularly turned in 14-hour days over the summer watching film of Murray, and asked for advice from many people, including former NFL linebacker Keith Newman. Thompson considers Murray one of the most gifted and special players he’s ever coached against.
How was Murray stopped? Thompson said he constantly switched between three- and four-man fronts. He also installed 36 different twists, stunts and blitzes, along with 15 different zone coverages. The result was relentless pressure on Murray, who rarely had time to set up when he passed, and found it difficult to scramble because of Armwood’s quick defenders. Plant’s offensive line appeared overmatched and failed to provide much protection for its leader.
Murray was sacked four times in the first half by Armwood defensive end Ryne Giddins. Then when Murray rallied his team in the fourth quarter, his pass was deflected and intercepted at Armwood’s 26-yard line with two minutes remaining in the showdown.
After the game, Armwood’s coaches had nothing but nice things to say about Murray to media outlets. Of course, the two teams are expected to meet again in the state playoffs. And Murray, who is known for being an ultimate student of the game, will likely be ready for any and all surprises in the next meeting.
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SWD’s Johnson hopes for Florida offer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Southwest DeKalb running back Michael Johnson has offers from Eastern Michigan and Akron, but he’s hoping that his regular contact with Florida could mean something bigger.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound senior says the Gators have stayed in contact since he had a 45-minute talk with Florida running backs coach Kenny Carter last spring. There’s been no offer, but Johnson thinks Florida is very interested. “I’m hoping they can turn [an offer] out for me,” he said.
Johnson plans visits to Florida and Eastern Michigan, but has not scheduled one.
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Dogs and Vols recruiting Gainesville junior QB Sims
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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By engineering Gainesville to a 2-0 start, the Red Elephants’ Blake Sims has quickly established himself as one of the premier junior quarterbacks in the state.
Evidence of his status with college recruiters can be found in his mailbox each day.
“I’ve been getting a lot of letters lately from schools like Georgia, Florida, West Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia Tech,” he said. “They all want me to come and visit and check things out.”
Sims will take the Volunteers up on their invitation this weekend.
“I’ll be visiting Tennessee on Saturday [when the Vols host UAB],” said Sims, who attended a scrimmage in Knoxville last month. “I’ll be going with some friends.
“I’m just trying to find a school that is a good fit for me.”
If Tennessee winds up offering Sims, their major competition could come from SEC-rival Georgia.
“I would love to sign with Georgia,” Sims said. “Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve wanted to be a bulldog. I’m a diehard Georgia fan, and I like [Georgia coach] Mark Richt a lot.
“I’d like to spend four years playing football for him.”
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How It Went: Salem’s Sam Watts visits SEC school
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Salem offensive lineman Sam Watts felt like part of the Mississippi State family Saturday night when the Bulldogs hosted Southeastern Louisiana.
It was the tackle’s third visit to Starkville to attend a game, but his first since committing to the Bulldogs earlier this year.
“The experience was a lot better than I could have imagined,” said Watts, a member of the AJC’s The Georgia Top 150.
“It was just Southeastern Louisiana, but they had a big crowd and you could hear the cowbells ringing.”
Watts, who sat in the recruiting section behind the Mississippi State bench, felt as though he was standing on the sideline.
“I know the guys on the team a lot more, and it means something knowing that they’ll be my future teammates,” he said. “When they made a mistake, it really hit me hard too.
“And before the game, I met with the coaches. It was pretty cool just to look around on the field and think ‘next year, I’ll be out here.’”
Watts hopes to be at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Sep. 20 when Georgia Tech hosts Mississippi State.
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Air Force, Army vying for Longhorns linebacker Rutherford
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Kell senior linebacker Clay Rutherford said Tuesday night he is considering offers from two military academies. Rutherford, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound linebacker, was given a scholarship offer from Army in the summer and received another from Air Force two weeks before the season.
The Longhorns senior is in no hurry to make a decision.
“I plan on waiting until the end of the season,” Rutherford said. “I have some other verbal offers from schools I’d like to wait on first, but Army and Air Force are both great places. I’d love to play for either one.”
Rutherford will visit Air Force on Nov. 15 for the Brigham Young game with teammate Justin Randolph, who also has a scholarship offer from the Falcons.
“Clay is a smart, fast player,” Kell coach Derek Cook said. “They’ll probably like to put some size on him, but he’ll make a great player for whoever is lucky enough to get him.”
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Alabama flirts with Auburn commit Atchinson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Douglass linebacker Jonathan Atchinson, who narrowly committed to Auburn over Alabama, appears to be taking another look at the Crimson Tide.
It all started after Atchinson watched Alabama’s defense dominate Clemson on TV. “I was kind of shocked. I didn’t think Alabama was going to be able to stop [Clemson running backs], but they sure did. It was impressive to see.”
Then Alabama linebackers coach Lance Thompson followed up with phone calls to Atchinson letting him know his services are still needed in Tuscaloosa.
“Even though I made a verbal commitment to Auburn, I haven’t closed the door yet,” Atchinson said, choosing his words carefully. “I’m still listening. [Thompson] wants me to come down for a game, so I’m going to check things out.”
Would Atchinson consider switching his commitment from Auburn to Alabama? “I can’t even say right now. It’s still early in recruiting. But Auburn’s still No. 1 with me.”
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Permalink | Comments (51) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson
Recruiting Profile Q&A: GAC’s Colton Chapple
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Greater Atlanta Christian quarterback Colton Chapple, who was selected to the AJC’s The Georgia 150 list, is being recruited by Vanderbilt, Duke and Princeton, among others. Chapple, who wants to become a doctor, talked with staff writer Jay Stone about football, recruiting and college.
— On making official visits: “Me and my parents decided we were going to focus on me and my team right now, and we’ll worry about recruiting after the season is over.”
— On which school he’s always been a fan of: “I’ve been a fan of Wake Forest ever since Ben Wooster signed with them, and Micah Andrews from [GAC] went there. I watched them when I was a little kid at GAC. I’ve always been a fan of [Georgia], but that kind of stopped when my brother signed with Georgia Southern.”
— On his nickname: “Taylor Boone [a lineman at GAC] was watching ‘Friday Night Lights’ and picked up QB 1 and started calling me that, and they call me QB 18 sometimes.”
— On the most doctor-like thing he’s done: “Last year I was top 10 in my anatomy class, and the top 10 in that class got to go sit in on an autopsy. Some of us got to help with the autopsy, and I actually got to remove some of the organs. When we first got to the place I was gagging a little bit myself. The first 10 minutes just blew me away. The whole class was shocked. Our eyes and mouths were just wide open, and those people were just acting like it was nothing.”
— On how much time the recruiting process is consuming: “I’m sending out my film. I’m talking to a couple of schools right now that are calling me. I can’t really take visits during the season, because football is seven days a week for us. My main focus is GAC right now.”
— On what he’d be if not for football: “A full-time baseball player.”
— On what he’s looking for in a college program: “There are a couple things. I like a good balance of strong academics and a winning tradition on the field. Another thing I really look for is how the position coach coaches the kids. I saw how the QB coach at the camps I’ve been to coach their kids, and that helped me prioritize the schools.”
— On the first school to make contact: “The first personal contact I had with a school was Liberty or Wofford.”
— On interacting with fans: “I know a couple of little kids and they like for me to throw footballs to them and say hi to them. We don’t really do much in the way of autographs.”
— On going to college games as a fan: “I’ve probably been to Georgia the most because of our connections there. I’ve probably been to 15 overall.”
— On how big a factor a schools’ current depth chart is: “It is a factor. If a school’s got five QBs on scholarship and two of them freshman, I might be less inclined to go there than to a school that has four and three of them are sophomores or juniors.”
— On Princeton and the Ivy League: “My brother’s senior year we had a cornerback [Meko McCray] go to Princeton, and when they first started talking to me I called him and he had nothing but good things about the school and the staff. I do want to have a life after football. Football ends at some point, and I want to have something to fall back on.”
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Alabama fans getting to know Jonesboro’s McKeller
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Jonesboro lineman Darius McKeller visited Alabama last weekend and watched the Crimson Tide’s victory against Tulane.
He left impressed, although parts of the experience were strange.
“It was the first time I’ve been in a situation where a lot of people I don’t know were calling my name,” said McKeller, a member of the AJC The Georgia 150 list who has committed to ‘Bama. “It was a little weird.”
But he said the trip was good. He met with Alabama coaches and several of the other recruits.
McKeller is scheduled to take the ACT Saturday and has no visits planned this weekend, although he also said he hopes to attend all of Alabama’s home games.
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