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Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Southerland looking forward to Vandy trip
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Greater Atlanta Christian linebacker and Vanderbilt commitment Blake Southerland will make an unofficial visit to Nashville this weekend to watch the No. 19 Commodores game with No. 13 Auburn.
“[ESPN] is up there; it fell on perfect timing,” said Southerland, a member of the AJC’s The Georgia 150. “[Vanderbilt is] definitely starting to make some national headlines. I’m anxious and excited to see the environment.”
Southerland, who said he’s 100 percent set on his commitment, plans to make another unoffical visit on Nov. 22 for the Tennessee game, then an official trip in January.
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Lowndes players getting serious recruiting attention
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Lowndes’ Greg Reid (Florida commitment) and Gerald Demps (Florida State) have received most of the Vikings’ publicity, but two of their teammates also will play college football next fall.
Safety Marcus Solomon (5-foot-11, 200) receives calls every week from Middle Tennessee State, Troy, Central Michigan and Western Michigan. And even though he has not received an offer, he feels it is just a matter of time.
“My coaches keep telling me an offer is coming soon,” said Solomon, who has forced three fumbles this season. “I would really like to get it all over by the end of December.”
And wide receiver Darius Howell (6-1, 195) has received interest from Tennessee State and Georgia Southern.
“I haven’t gotten a catch so far this season because we just haven’t thrown the ball much at all, but I have had some great blocks,” said Howell. “And now I’m working as a nickleback to let coaches know I can be physical there, too.”
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After de-committing to Kentucky, Heritage’s Jones sets visit to Alabama
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Alabama, South Carolina and Vanderbilt are hot on the trail of Heritage defensive end Justin Jones, who backed out of his commitment to Kentucky last week.
The toughest part of the decision was realizing he won’t be playing college football alongside South Forsyth quarterback and Kentucky commit Brian Adams
“Yeah, that [hurt],” said Jones, an AJC’s The Georgia Top 150 choice. “Brian is a good guy and one of my good friends.
“But in the end, it’s what’s best for me. And I don’t think Kentucky was best for me.”
Jones will now focus on scholarship offers from East Carolina and South Carolina. And Alabama and Vanderbilt are showing strong interest.
He has received an invitation to visit Tuscaloosa on Saturday.
“I’m going to Alabama for the Kentucky game,” said Jones, who attended junior day last year and a camp this summer in Tuscaloosa. “I’m hoping to pick up an offer [from the Crimson Tide].
South Carolina coaches turned up the heat on Jones when he attended the Gamecocks’ home game with Georgia on Sept. 13.
“They made it clear that their offer was still solid, but I was committed to Kentucky at the time,” Jones said.
“South Carolina is coming on pretty good and Vanderbilt has come by [Heritage]. Right now, I’m just looking to see what each school has to offer.”
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Perry’s Johnnie Farms commits to South Carolina after Alabama fills up
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Perry offensive lineman Johnnie Farms, who is an AJC Super 11 selection, committed to South Carolina on Monday night.
The Gamecocks were actually the second choice for Farms, who tried to commit to Alabama a few days earlier. However, Farms said the Crimson Tide coaches told him that they were “full” at his position.
“It was very upsetting that it did not work out with Alabama,” Farms said. “I had to move on, and South Carolina is where I want to be. I’m excited about going there. And they are excited about having me.”
The 6-foot-3, 290-pound Farms said he talked on the phone with South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier on Monday night. He also generated interest from Auburn and Florida.
Farms said he learned about South Carolina from two trips to the SEC school - summer prospect camp and the Georgia-South Carolina game. He will play offensive guard in college.
“It’s a big relief to get recruiting over with, takes a lot of pressure off me,” Farms said.
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No more UGA trips likely for Alabama prospect
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Dre Kirkpatrick from Gadsen, Ala., one of the nation’s top cornerbacks, made an unofficial visit to Georgia for the Alabama game.
But Kirkpatrick told Scout that “the visit to Georgia was probably my last trip over there.”
Kirkpatrick told the website that he got mixed signals from Georgia’s coaches, including Mark Richt, during his visit.
“They kept saying saying they didn’t think they can get me,” he said. “I kept asking them why they were saying that. They wouldn’t really even give it a shot.”
Kirkpatrick also said Alabama’s coaches waved at him when he was on the Georgia sidelines before the game with all the other recruits.
“I was trying to look away from them,” he said. “It was funny. I didn’t know what the Georgia coaches would think.”
What happened from Georgia’s perspective? Because of NCAA rules, college coaches are not permitted to comment on prospective student-athletes.
Kirkpatrick, a member of the AJC’s Super Southern 100, is ranked as the country’s No. 4 cornerback by Scout.
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M.L. King’s Kight weighing offers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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M.L. King linebacker Joel Kight says he’s going to stay open on all scholarship offers until he learns more about the schools.
He’s also learning a new position. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Kight has moved to safety to help the Lions (3-1) put the best 11 [defenders] on the field. He says it’s possible that he will play safety in college.
“It’s not really hurting me. I think it’s helping me,” said Kight of the position change. “As long as we’re getting wins, it’s fine with me.”
The biggest difference in the positions? “You think pass first as a safety,” he said. “Linebackers are always thinking run first.”
If Kight had to pick front-runners, he said he’d pick Mississippi, Boston College and Oklahoma State. He also has offers from Connecticut, Duke, Miami-Ohio, Indiana and Arizona State.
One requirement in the program he chooses is team effort. “As long as they play hard, I like that because I play hard,” he said.
Kight is MLK’s leading tackler. He averages 11 tackles (solos and assists) in four games.
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Inside the Stat: Lowndes’ Greg Reid
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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102
Return yards by Greg Reid of Lowndes, who picked up a fumble in the end zone during the Vikings 28-14 victory against Tift County. Reid, a member of the AJC’s The Georgia 150, has committed to Florida.
— On whether he got hit: “I didn’t get hit at all. It was kind of like the 100 meters in track.”
— On how the play developed: “I was watching the quarterback the whole time, and one of our linebackers hit him hard. I saw the ball and I didn’t hear a whistle so I picked it up and ran. There wasn’t really nobody around but white jerseys. I didn’t think I was going to take it to the house, but I knew I was going to make a big play out of it.”
— On the better highlight - this fumble return or his 95-yard TD run in last year’s state championship: “I’d take this play [the fumble return]. Really, I believe that was a game-changing performance. Our defense was on the field way too much [against Tift County], and that just showed we weren’t going to give up.”
—On how many touches he thinks he needs: “We’ve got a lot of good players. It doesn’t really matter to me. Just enough to win the ball game.”
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