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Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Washington DB Branden Smith cancels Clemson, adds FSU
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Booker T. Washington cornerback Branden Smith, who is ranked as the state’s No. 1 prospect by numerous recruiting publications, said Tuesday night that he has canceled his official visit to Clemson.
Smith said he has replaced Clemson with Florida State on his list of five visits, and will make a recruiting trip to watch the Seminoles play Florida on Nov. 29.
Smith made his first official visit to Florida last weekend, and has trips planned for Tennessee on Oct. 25, Auburn on Nov. 15, and Georgia (undetermined).
Smith began considering other schools to visit shortly after Tommy Bowden stepped down as Clemson’s coach on Monday.
How serious is Smith about FSU? He said he not planned on visiting Tallahassee until he dropped Clemson, but has been following the Seminoles on television.
“They’ve always had a great program with great coaches, and they are losing a lot of defensive backs so I thought it would be good situation to check out,” Smith said.
Smith again stressed that he has “no favorites” and is still open to hearing from any colleges.
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Permalink | Comments (22) | Post your comment | Categories: Auburn, Clemson, FSU, LSU, Tennessee, UGA
Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino offers Gainesville juniors
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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On a whim, Gainesville assistant coach Todd Wofford picked up the phone Thursday night and called the Arkansas athletic department.
He proceeded to brag about two of the Red Elephants’ talented juniors: receiver Tailer Jones and quarterback Blake Sims.
“I told them we have a couple of kids here they might want to look at,” Wofford said.
Much to Wofford’s surprise, he noticed a gentleman wearing an Arkansas shirt enter the Gainesville field house less than 24 hours later.
“[Arkansas] head coach [Bobby Petrino] had said ‘get on a plane and get out there [on Friday]’,” Wofford said. “I had no idea they were coming.
“I gave them a couple of DVDs on [Jones and Sims] on Friday and they said they’d evaluate them.
“I checked with them today after practice and they said ‘we’re offering both of your juniors.’ They said they love them.”
It was the first scholarship offer for both players.
“It was great, just an overwhelming feeling,” Jones said. “I wasn’t expecting it from Arkansas.
“But they’ve got a great program and they compete with the best. It would be a great college to go to.”
Jones said he’d like to continue playing with Sims for the next six years.
“That would be great,” Jones said. “I’m trying to go to college with a teammate if I can, to make the transition easier.
“And me and Blake are very close.”
“It feels real good,” Sims said. “A big smile came on my face when I found out [about the offer].”
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Will UGA finally offer Henry County WR Patterson?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Stanford-bound receiver Jamal Patterson of Henry County will continue his whirlwind tour of college visits on Saturday when he travels to Clemson to watch the Tigers entertain Georgia Tech.
Patterson, a member of the AJC’s The Georgia Top 150, is coming off a trip to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., where he saw Florida defeat LSU on Saturday.
One of the state’s top players, Patterson’s impressive scholarship count is missing one crown jewel: an offer from Georgia.
With the recent dismissal of freshman Walter Hill, wide receiver has suddenly become a top priority for Georgia.
The Dogs are still hoping to gain commitments from receivers Marlon Brown of Memphis and Andre Debose of Sanford, Fla.
But Patterson has become more than a blip on the Dogs’ radar in recent days.
“I haven’t talked to [Georgia coaches], but my coach [Mike Rozier] has,” said Patterson, who attended a Georgia home game earlier this year. “They say they’re interested and are looking at me real hard. But I don’t get too involved in all of that.”
Even if the Dogs make a late pitch to Patterson, who already has nearly 50 other offers, they might be hard-pressed to pry him away from Stanford.
“Everything is still the same. I’m solid with Sanford,” Patterson said.
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Alabama offers Westside-Macon WR; UGA expresses interest
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Westside-Macon junior wide receiver Ronald Carswell received an offer from Alabama, coach Robert Davis said.
“Georgia has requested film on him as well,” Davis said. “He is a great athlete with great speed.”
Carswell, 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, also returns punts and kickoffs for the Seminoles. He runs a 4.5-second 40-yard dash.
Davis said Alabama assistant coach Kirby Smart saw Carswell two years ago when he was scouting Kareem Jackson. Jackson, a sophomore, currently plays cornerback for Alabama.
“Ronnie hasn’t thought about college yet,” Davis said. “He is a junior, but he has a lot of skill.”
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North Gwinnett’s Barnes commits to Wofford
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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North Gwinnett’s Kenny Barnes committed to Wofford College after making an unofficial visit this past weekend.
“I think it’s a great fit,” North Gwinnett coach Bob Sphire said. “Kenny’s done a really great job for us, and I think he’s got a lot of upside to become a physical tight end. He’s a first-class kid.”
After committing, Barnes, a 6-2, 215-pound tight end, cancelled this weekend’s unofficial visit to Furman.
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Clemson loses two recruits within hours of Bowden’s departure
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Clemson lost two of its top 2009 commitments within hours of coach Tommy Bowden’s resignation on Monday, according to TigerIllustrated.com.
Defensive back Craig Loston of Aldine, Texas, who was ranked as country’s No. 21 overall prospect by Scout, told the website he is finished with Clemson and will likely decide between Texas, LSU, Oregon.
Safety DeVonte Holloman of Rock Hill, S.C., has also backed off his commitment to Clemson. He said he’s looking at South Carolina and LSU.
Georgia Tech and Georgia do not appear to be heavily involved with either Loston or Holloman.
Baldwin linebacker Corico Hawkins, the only Georgia player committed to Clemson, told the AJC’s Phil Giltman on Monday that he remains loyal to the Tigers.
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Alabama, South Carolina pursue Heritage TE Justin Jones
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Two weeks after backing off a commitment to Kentucky, Heritage tight end Justin Jones has been busy working the recruiting trail.
He spent Saturday Oct. 4 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and saw Alabama edge Kentucky 17-14. He plans to travel to Columbia, S.C., this weekend to watch South Carolina host LSU.
Jones has a scholarship offer from the Gamecocks. He’s lobbying for one from the Crimson Tide.
“The coaches at Alabama like me a lot,” said Jones, a member of the AJC’s The Georgia 150. “Every time I go over there I get to meet coach [Nick] Saban.
“I think they have priority athletes they want, and they’re trying to get their scholarship [allotment] worked out.”
And Vanderbilt is making a late push for Jones, the 67th-best tight end in the country, according to Scout.com.
“I’m just waiting,” he said. “I plan on going to see Vanderbilt when they play Florida [on Nov. 8]. I’m still just trying to weigh things out.”
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Eastside’s Justin Wray making official visit to Alabama-Birmingham
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Eastside’s Justin Wray will make an official visit to Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday.
UAB is recruiting Wray as a quarterback, but Wray, who also plays safety, said it doesn’t matter which position he plays at the next level.
“I don’t have any preference, I just want to help out the team anyway possible,” Wray said.
Wray also has offers from Central Florida and Presbyterian. Wake Forest and Vanderbilt have expressed interest, Wray said. He added that he’s not waiting for an offer from an ACC or SEC school, but he’s in no rush to make a decision. He said he wants to weigh his options.
“I’m just feel like I’m going to wait for the right fit for me and my family,” he said. “Basically, I’m trying to go through my season before I make a decision.
Wray said he will visit Central Florida but he’s not sure when.
Wray has 778 yards passing and five touchdowns and he has rushed for 228 yards and four touchdowns for 5-1 Eastside. He also has recovered a fumble for a touchdown.
In its homecoming game, UAB plays Marshall on Saturday.
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Marist’s Chris Williamson leaning toward South Alabama
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Colleges aren’t knocking down Chris Williamson’s door, so he’s knocking on theirs.
The Marist punter, who’s averaging 45 yards per punt and booted a season-long 57 yarder in a victory against Chamblee, is marketing himself in attempts to get a scholarship.
He has a firm offer from South Alabama, but recently sent a highlight tape of himself to another 20 schools or so, including Wofford, Connecticut, Elon and Holy Cross.
“I don’t know a whole lot about recruiting,” he said. “I’m hoping that, by sending out my highlight tape, I’ll catch someone’s attention and they’ll call me.”
Even Williamson’s private kicking coach, Mike McCabe of Alabama, with whom he sometimes works out at North Gwinnett, was calling around to see who might want a punter.
Williamson took an unofficial visit to South Alabama in Mobile, and liked what he saw. He hopes to announce his decision by the end of football season.
“If I don’t talk to anyone else [South Alabama] is likely where I’ll wind up going,” Williamson said.
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