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Monday, September 15, 2008
Tucker’s Roberson out for the season with injury
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Tucker defensive end Deion Roberson, a member of the AJC’s The Georgia 150 list, will miss the rest of the season with a dislocated ankle, his coach said.
Roberson suffered the left ankle injury in Tucker’s season-opening 26-12 victory at Brunswick on Aug. 29, when a teammate was blocked into his leg during the game’s second play.
Tucker coach Franklin Stephens said Monday that Roberson is expected to make a full recovery.
“Anytime a player of that size [6-3, 258] and caliber is lost it affects the team tremendously,” Stephens said. “The loss of Deion is a big blow for a team that could not afford any injuries.”
Tucker is 3-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA.
Roberson has been offered by Memphis, West Virginia, N.C. State, Louisville, East Carolina, Michigan State, Maryland, Iowa State, Georgia Southern and South Alabama, and has said that he’s not concerned his injury will scare schools away.
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Road Trip: Milton RB Williams eager for Gators-Vols showdown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Milton running back Toney Williams has a simple message for college recruiters who don’t call Knoxville, Tenn. home: don’t bother calling.
“I really don’t know who is still recruiting me,” said Williams, who committed to Tennessee in May. “I completely told my coach ‘I don’t want to talk to any other colleges.’ And I haven’t.”
Williams, an AJC’s The Georgia Top 150 choice, is enjoying a stellar senior season.
In three games, 6-foot-1, 227-pound Williams, who is considered the 57th-best running back in the nation by Scout.com, has rushed for 665 yards and 10 touchdowns.
He plans to be among the 100,000-plus in attendance at Neyland Stadium on Saturday when the Volunteers host SEC rival Florida.
“I expect it to be as loud as it can be,” Williams said. “It should be real fun and a great atmosphere with school spirit.”
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Kentucky commit Adams switches positions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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South Forsyth quarterback Brian Adams communicates intuitively with his receivers — the same way he expects to with his quarterback as a wide receiver next season at University of Kentucky.
Adams, a member of the AJC’s The Georgia 150 list, is looking forward to the position switch he attempted for the first time in the War Eagles’ 24-14 season-opening loss to Alpharetta. He switched from quarterback to wide receiver in the second quarter and caught five passes for 88 yards.
“As a quarterback, I kind of knew when the ball needed to be thrown and how much time a receiver has to get there,” he said. “I just kind of went off of what I knew as a quarterback.”
South’s opener was the first game in which he ever tried being on the other end of passes. He began the switch at Tennessee and Kentucky camps during the summer.
Adams, who is 6-feet-4, 210 pounds, said Vanderbilt was interested in him as a tight end. But he felt Kentucky’s receivers coach Joker Phillips offered him the best concept as a receiver.
“As a quarterback, you get to have your hands on the ball every play and be a leader. You take the blame for the loss and the glory for the win,” Adams said. “As a wide receiver, though, you can be a game-changer.”
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How It Went: Banneker contingent visits South Carolina
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Running back Alfred Moreland and six of his Banneker teammates drove an SUV to Columbia for Saturday’s Georgia-South Carolina SEC showdown.
“South Carolina is interested in a couple of players that I play with,” said Moreland, whose group included Emmanuel Lartey, the 45th-best cornerback in the nation according to Scout.com.
“We all got to get on the field before the game. It was a great atmosphere. If I had the chance, I would consider going there.”
Moreland has a scholarship offer from Air Force and is receiving interest from Boston College and Middle Tennessee State.
The same group plans to take another road trip this fall.
I know we’re going to a Tennessee game later on in the year,” said Moreland, an AJC’s The Georgia Top 150 selection.
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Junior day: Here are six of Georgia’s best
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Most of the state’s elite senior players have made their college commitments, and many of the best juniors are beginning to get offers. Here are six of the top juniors who will be part of the signing class of 2010:
DT Denzel McCoy, Northview: This 6-4, 275-pound lineman is a key target for Georgia Tech and Georgia. He’s got a dozen offers. He’s comparable to former teammate Cordian Hagans, an AJC Super 11 now at LSU, but is more suited to the interior.
WR Markeith Ambles, Henry County: Could Henry County have the best receiver prospect two years in a row? Teammate Ambles is the teammate of AJC Super 11 player Jamal Patterson, who has committed to Stanford. Ambles, a 6-1, 185-pounder, has offers from a dozen schools and has visited Georgia and Georgia Tech for games.
WR Antonio Goodwin, Washington: A lanky receiver (6-2, 170) with exceptional speed, Goodwin is the next in a line of big-time prospects from his school behind current Super 11 cornerback Branden Smith, Georgia safety Reshad Jones and Oklahoma All-America lineman Duke Robinson.
DT Jeffrey Whitaker, Warner Robins: The state’s best defensive tackle this year is Northside’s Abry Jones. Next year, it could be another player in the city of Warner Robins. Clemson, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee are among those who have made offers to Whitaker, a 6-3, 295-pound lineman. Strength is his calling card. He can squat more than 550 pounds.
CB Steven Atwater, GAC: His father, Steve Atwater Sr., was an All-Pro safety for the Denver Broncos. The son is a cornerback with the same hitter mentality but with more speed. He’s 5-10, 175. He has offers from Arkansas, his father’s alma mater, and Clemson.
S Alec Ogletree, Newnan: Ogletree got scholarship offers from LSU and Arkansas last week. He’s got about 15 in all. He’s a 6-foot-3, 215-pounder who could emerge as the top defensive prospect in Georgia next year. Others offers have come from Miami, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Clemson.
Six more to watch: TE Brian Vogler, Brookstone; QB Blake Sims, Gainesville; QB Nash Nance, Darlington; DT Garrison Smith, Douglass; DB Pernell Williams, Coffee; WR Tailer Jones, Gainesville.
Permalink | Comments (26) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, FSU, Florida, Other schools, South Carolina, Tech, Tennessee, UGA
UGA offers South Carolina defensive end
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Sam Montgomery of Greenwood, S.C., who is ranked as the nation’s No. 3 weakside defensive end by Rivals, was offered by Georgia last week, according to the website.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Montgomery has around 40 scholarship offers. He is a member of the AJC’s The Super Southern 100.
What are Georgia’s chances of landing Montgomery? Montgomery said he had never been to Athens and didn’t really know any of the Georgia’s coaches. Yet Montgomery told Rivals “everybody is equal” and said he hasn’t ruled anything out.
However, Montgomery later told GoGamecocks.com that he plans to take his five official visits to Southern Cal, Miami, Michigan, LSU and Oregon. He said he is also considering South Carolina and Clemson.
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Basketball: Georgia State lands big-time recruit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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James Vincent of Northside-Warner Robins, who is ranked as the nation’s No. 38 power forward by Scout, has committed to Georgia State.
The 6-foot-9 Vincent made an official visit to the Atlanta campus and decided to accept the scholarship offer from the Panthers.
This is the second big-time recruit lured to Georgia State in recent months: Point guard Marques Johnson transferred from North Carolina State and enrolled in school in August.
The 6-5 Johnson played as a freshman at Tennessee and then transferred to N.C. State, where he played in the 21 games last season.
“Marques felt it would be in his best interest to take advantage of an opportunity somewhere else,” N.C State coach Sidney Lowe said in a statement last summer. “He definitely has handled himself with as much class as anybody that I’ve been around since he has been at N.C. State.”
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SEC school scouts Newnan QB Russell Powell
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Vanderbilt is keeping in contact with Newnan quarterback Russell Powell, who said he is undecided between playing football or basketball in college.
“I talked to Vanderbilt the other day, they told me that are recruiting me as an athlete,” Powell said. “They like me at wide reciever or cornerback.”
The 5-foot-9, 165-pound Powell said he was told by Vanderbilt that he was still under consideration for a football scholarship, and they would know after evaluating film of the first few games of his senior year.
“I feel really good about Vanderbilt’s interest,” Powell said. “It’s one of the top academic schools in the nation. I’m looking for a college to play sports and get a great education.”
Powell’s only offer in football is from Air Force, while he also has strong interest from Wofford. In basketball, the point guard has been offered by Furman, Gardner-Webb, Toledo and Harvard
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Michael Bowman elaborates on Alabama commitment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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For the last 10 days, Ridgeland’s Michael Bowman has been the subject of discussion among those interested in recruiting because of his decision to commit to Alabama.
He had called Georgia, “his dream school,” but did not receive an offer because he is not academically qualified at this time.
On Saturday night, Bowman did what he told the AJC he was going to do a week ago: The 6-foot-4, 215-pound senior, arguably the state’s top prospect at wide receiver, committed to Crimson Tide’s coaches after Saturday night’s victory against Western Kentucky.
“It was fun, I loved it more than Georgia,” Bowman said. “I met with coach [Nick Saban] before the game, and he told me everything I needed to hear. He was really straight-forward about everything, which I really appreciated.”
After the game was over, Bowman caught up with Alabama wide receivers coach Curt Cignetti, who had scouted Ridgeland’s game on Friday night. Bowman smiled and told the assistant, “I want to ‘Roll with the Tide.’ I’m ready to commit.”
After Saban finished talking to the media, he met again with Bowman and congratulated him on the decision. “He was so happy he almost burst into tears. Heck, we were both so happy. They need a lot of big receivers to complete their offense. It’s a great fit for me, the offense, the team, everything.
“The day couldn’t have gone any better. I love the Alabama people. I’m happy with my decision. My recruiting is over.”
Bowman picked Alabama over LSU and Oregon, among a dozen offers. All schools, except for Georgia, had gone ahead and offered Bowman because he is “very close” to meeting college entrance requirements.
Georgia, perhaps due to limited slots remaining in its 2009 recruiting class, was waiting on Bowman to fully qualify before extending an offer. The Bulldogs have 14 commitments and are expected to sign no more than 20 players.
Bowman is a member of the AJC’s The Super Southern 100, and ranked as the state’s No. 7 overall prospect by Rivals.
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Tech offer excites Tucker’s Jonathan Davis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The scholarship offer from Georgia Tech kind of caught Tucker’s Jonathan Davis off guard.
“It means a lot to mean that they offered,” Davis said Sunday night. “I was really surprised. … They’ve been talking to me for a while, but I thought they were going to wait.”
Davis, who also is considering South Carolina, UAB, Central Florida and Louisville, said he’s tempted to lean toward committing to Tech, but says his parents (Ty and Inger Davis) want him to hold off. “They want me to go on more visits,” Davis said.
Davis said Tech is interested in him on either side of the line. Though recruited mostly as a linebacker, Davis is Tucker’s leading rusher. “I just want to play football. It doesn’t matter where,” he said.
Davis has been clocked at 4.32 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
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How It Went: Miller Grove CB Gilstrap takes official visit to South Carolina
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Miller Grove’s Kenneth Gilstrap, one of the state’s fastest football players, took an official visit to South Carolina for track this weekend.
Gilstrap has a track offer from the Gamecocks, but is hoping to work out a way to play his favorite sport of football for the SEC school.
“They are seeing what they can do about offering me in football,” said Gilstrap, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.31 seconds. “If they do, they’re probably my No. 1.”
Gilstrap, who plays defensive back, is also talking to Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Middle Tennessee State and Western Kentucky about track or football, or playing both.
Gilstrap, an AJC’s The Georgia Top 150 selection, arrived in Columbia Saturday morning prior to the football game against Georgia.
“Everything is going real good,” Gilstrap said via phone from Columbia late Sunday. “I went to the game and really liked it.
“I plan on hanging out with some of the guys on the team tonight.”
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Stephenson LB impressed with Rocky Top
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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A trip to Saturday’s Tennessee-UAB game in Knoxville has Stephenson linebacker Nigel Mitchell-Thornton thinking even better about his decision to commit to the Vols.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Mitchell-Thornton, who will graduate high school in December and enroll early at Tennessee, said the one-on-one chats with players and coaches made the weekend a “special experience.” The hoopla, the crowd and the result — a resounding 35-3 victory against UAB — spiced up the visit.
Mitchell-Thornton was impressed with head coach Phillip Fulmer’s relationship with the players.
“It’s impressive. He’s really personable with his players,” Mitchell-Thornton said. “He came up to me and asked ‘How did you like the game?’ He was really busy with interviews and everything, and he took the time to talk to me.”
Mitchell-Thornton hopes to attend this weekend’s Tennessee-Florida game in Knoxville.
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