AJC > Sports > Football Recruiting > Blog > Archives > 2008 > September > 17
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Alabama-bound Bowman: “No hard feelings” toward UGA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Ridgeland’s Michael Bowman, who committed to Alabama, said he has “no hard feelings” toward Georgia.
“Georgia has to make recruiting decisions for what they feel are in the best interests of its program, I understand that,” Bowman said.
Bowman, who is arguably the state’s top prospect at wide receiver, said his recruiting “is over” and he intends to sign in February with Alabama. He said he would not change his mind, even if Georgia or any other colleges offer later this season.
“Everything happens for a reason, and I don’t feel like there’s a better place for me in the country than Alabama,” Bowman said. “Alabama has always really wanted me, they have big plans for me, and I love everything about the program. I feel like it’s a place we can compete for national championships.”
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Bowman ended up picking 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.
Bowman was a lifelong Georgia fan who said he was told by Bulldogs that he would be awarded a scholarship if he attended and impressed at the team’s June prospect camp. He ended up winning Best Receiver honors at the camp, but was not offered.
Bowman tried to hold out for as long as he could for Georgia, but then decided within the last 10 days that he needed to make a college decision after seeing scholarships starting to fill up at wide receiver at many schools. He officially committed to Alabama after meeting with coach Nick Saban after last Saturday night’s game against Western Kentucky.
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Stephenson’s Gilbert interested in walking on at UGA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Stephenson quarterback Carisseion “CC” Gilbert, projected as a running back/kick returner in college, says he has an interest in walking on at Georgia.
The 5-foot-7, 180-pound senior, who has an offer from UAB, said the feeling was mutual. “Georgia has been talking to me about using me as an all-around athlete,” said Gilbert. “I’m very interested in going there. … maybe get to special teams and work my way up.”
Gilbert said Mississippi State also is interested, but no offer has been made.
Gilbert said he told UAB he had an interest in walking on at Georgia. He said he is still leaning toward committing to the UAB scholarship.
Gilbert has led a Stephenson offense that has scored 64 points in two shutouts. Stephenson (2-0) plays at Ware County Friday. Gilbert has completed 7 of 16 passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns in two games.
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Peachtree DB Norman staying busy with visits
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Following a successful trip to the Ohio University last weekend, Peachtree Ridge cornerback Connor Norman is eager to visit the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga on Saturday and Wofford next month.
Norman, who has a scholarship offer from Army, was impressed with Ohio coach Frank Solich and his program.
“He’s a nice guy and a great coach,” said Norman, an AJC’s The Georgia Top 150 selection. “And I like the school and campus there.”
Norman is also being courted by Furman and several Ivy League programs.
It’s too soon for him to consider committing to Army.
“That is definitely an option,” he said. “I’m not counting it out.”
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North Cobb’s Lott confident of UGA offer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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North Cobb defensive tackle Derrick Lott said he feels good about his chances of earning an offer from Georgia.
The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Lott said he was told by Georgia coach Mark Richt that the Bulldogs would offer if he improved his grades enough to meet college entrance requirements. Lott won over the Bulldogs with his performance at last summer’s prospect camp.
“I’ve got two As and two Bs right now, so I’m feeling pretty good about the situation,” Lott said.
“Georgia would be a pretty big offer. My head coach said he has been coaching for 15 years, and never had one of his players offered by Georgia. So it would be a big deal for me, my head coach and my family.”
Lott has offers from South Carolina, Louisville, Michigan State, Central Florida, and Ole Miss.
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Road Trip: UCF recruit headed back to UGA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Miller Grove’s Stephen Hill, who is committed to Central Florida, plans another unofficial visit to Georgia for next week’s game against Alabama. He talked on the phone again with Georgia recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner.
“Coach Garner said [the staff] wants to see me again and talk some more,” Hill said. “He also said they were coming to one of my games to scout me.”
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Hill had never heard from Georgia until a few weeks ago, when Garner called “out of the blue,” seeking permission to recruit him. A few days later, Hill attended Georgia-Central Michigan and spoke with coach Mark Richt.
“[Richt] said for me to just be positive about my college choice, and that they [UGA] wouldn’t mind having me,” said Hill, who added Georgia has not offered.
Hill, the defending Class AAAA state champion in the long jump, committed to Central Florida over North Carolina, Mississippi State and Marshall. He is one of DeKalb’s leading receivers with nine catches for 240 yards and four touchdowns in three games.
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South Carolina tells Tucker’s Davis offer is still good
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Tucker’s Jonathan Davis, who was offered by Georgia Tech last week, said South Carolina called to reassure him that his scholarship offer was still available with the Gamecocks.
Davis said he had heard rumors that South Carolina had withdrawn its offer after landing commitments from three other linebackers, including Chaun Gresham of Winder. However, South Carolina assistant Ron Cooper called Davis to clear things up.
“Coach Cooper said, ‘We want you’ and I said ‘Good, because I wasn’t sure,’” Davis said. “Coach Cooper then said they definitely want me, and they are going to keep recruiting me hard.”
The 5-foot-8, 205-pound Davis said he was invited to the Georgia game by Cooper, but could not make it because Tucker played last Saturday. However, Davis said he hopes to make it to another South Carolina game in the near future.
Davis, who is perhaps the state’s top overall player, nearly committed to Georgia Tech last week. He also has offers from Oklahoma State, Central Florida, Louisville, and Alabama-Birmingham. He was electronically clocked at 4.32 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
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Florida, Tennessee offer Warner Robins DL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Warner Robins defensive tackle Jeffrey Whitaker, who is a candidate to be the state’s top prospect for 2010, said he was recently offered by Florida and Tennessee.
“I kind of expected Florida, but Tennessee took me by surprise just because I’ve never talked to anyone from Tennessee,” said Whitaker.
The 6-foot-3, 285-pound Whitaker already had offers from Georgia, Clemson and North Carolina.
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Stone Mountain’s Nelson has 28 offers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Stone Mountain linebacker Robert Nelson may have led the state in gathering scholarship offers during the last month.
This week, the 6-foot, 205-pound Nelson got offers from N.C. State, Memphis and Appalachian State. Last week, he was offered by Purdue, Middle Tennessee State, and Savannah State. He has 28 scholarships and counting.
Nelson’s other offers are from Auburn, Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama, South Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio State, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Duke, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Troy, Louisiana Tech, Alabama-Birmingam, Liberty, Western Kentucky, Georgia Southern, Samford, Akron and Miami-Ohio.
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Douglass’ Lester plays big, looks for solid offers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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After his stellar performance against AJC Super 11 member Branden Smith of Washington last week, Douglass cornerback Caleb Lester hopes more recruiters take notice.
Smith, one of the nation’s fastest and most sought after recruits at defensive back and receiver, torched the Astros for a 68-yard touchdown reception on Washington’s first possession. Douglass’ defensive staff then made the move to have Lester cover Smith one-on-one the rest of the night. With negligible safety help over the top, Lester broke up three passes intended for Smith while giving up just one reception late in the game, which the Astros won, 27-16.
“He is really fast, and to me, it’s harder to play off of a fast receiver,” Lester said. “So I decided to press him, get physical with him. I wasn’t nervous. I took it as a challenge, and I went out and did my thing.”
Lester (5-foot-11, 185 pounds) has yet to receive his first offer, although he is being recruited by Auburn, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Florida and Mississippi State, where he ran the 40 in 4.4 seconds at the Bulldogs’ camp over the summer. He has been invited to take an unofficial visit to an Auburn home game this season.
“I hope this gets me a little more attention and exposure,” Lester said. “[Smith] is a great player. Everybody has him ranked pretty high, but I think I did a pretty good job on him.”
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Carver’s Jones impresses Northside’s Jones
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Northside-Warner Robins defensive tackle Abry Jones, who committed to Georgia, said he was impressed with Jarvis Jones of Carver-Columbus, who is rated as the state’s No. 1 prospect by numerous recruiting publications.
“He’s a good football player,” Jones said. “He’s big and he really gets after it. He hustles all over the field.”
Northside held on to defeat Carver 7-6 last weekend, with Abry Jones finishing with seven tackles and one forced fumble.
Jarvis Jones, no relation to Abry Jones, is versatile enough to play several positions in college, including defensive end. Abry said he thought the best spot for Jarvis probably would be linebacker.
“Definitely linebacker. He’s so mobile and sees the field real well.”
Both prospects are members of the AJC’s Super 11.
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Stansberry is Bremen’s first big-time prospect in more than 30 years
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Bremen offensive lineman Jay Stansberry, who has committed to Troy, will be the school’s first player to sign a major-college scholarship in more than 30 years.
“We’ve had some other players sign at different levels, but Jay will be our first Division I player since probably 1975,” Bremen coach Ricky Tolleson said.
“We’re really proud of Jay. He has been in our program for a long time. He really works hard and is an excellent student. We’re very proud of him.”
The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Stansberry said the Troy was his only offer, but he was also hearing from Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Iowa and Indiana.
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Five Cairo seniors offered by Middle Tennessee St.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Middle Tennessee State has offered five seniors from Cairo High.
The Blue Raiders are pursuing quarterback Angelo Pease, linebacker Logan Bennett, defensive tackle Montavious Williams, tailback Reginald Bryant, and tight end Anthony Brown.
The 6-foot-2, 260-pound Williams has committed to Troy.
“It’s a compliment to have that many seniors offered by such a good college program,” Cairo coach Tom Fallaw said. “They’ve got to take care of business and finish the deal with making good grades. But it’s a good thing for our school.”
Fallaw said his school is “recruited hard” by Middle Tennessee State because Blue Raiders assistant Brent Brock is from the area. Brock grew up in Albany and later played at Florida State.
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