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Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Orson Charles shatters Florida’s 2006 national championship
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Orson Charles, who is being recruited by the University of Georgia, has not played a down of college football, but he’s legendary in recruiting circles.
The tight end from Tampa accidentally knocked over and shattered Florida’s 2006 BCS National Championship trophy last April while touring the campus.
Charles said he still hears about the well-documented incident from Florida’s coaches, coaches from opposing teams, and random people —- six months after it happened.
“I guess we all kind of laugh and joke about it now, but it wasn’t funny when it happened,” Charles said this week.
“I was really, really scared. When that thing busted, I couldn’t believe it. Nobody in the room could believe it. And I thought I was going to have to pay for it.”
Fortunately for Charles, the hand-crafted Waterford crystal ball, shaped like a football with a price tag of around $35,000, was insured and eventually replaced.
But the infamous story has lived on and will follow Charles for the rest of his life. Here is how it all went down:
The bull in a china shop
Charles was interested in seeing Florida’s trophies because he recently had been offered a scholarship by the Gators.
Florida coach Urban Meyer had never seen film of Charles but made the offer after taking the advice of Plant High coach Robert Weiner. Charles had transferred to Plant earlier in the spring.
“Urban and I are good friends and he said he needed to know three things,” Weiner recalled this week.
Could Orson play football for Florida? “I told him, ‘Definitely yes.’”
Is he my kind of guy … you know, the type of personality, character and desire I like in my guys? “I told him yes, again.”
What is one phrase I can use to sum up what Orson is all about? “I thought about it for a second and said, ‘He’s a physical specimen and very agile … sort of like a bull in a china shop.’”
The two coaches didn’t see each other again until one of Florida’s spring practices, after the trophy had been shattered, and Weiner said the conversation went something like this.
“Urban said, ‘I’ll tell you one thing, I’ve never met a better evaluator of talent than you. You were dead-on about [Charles] being a bull in a china shop.’”
A shattering dilemma: Laugh, smile or cry
The legendary recruiting story happened when Charles was at Florida for a football camp. Charles and a few of his teammates and coaches were taken to a sectioned-off part of the stadium to see trophies for quarterback Tim Tebow’s Heisman and the national title.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Charles was taking snapshots of the Heisman and inadvertently bumped into the nearby table.
“The crystal ball looked like it was going to the ground in slow motion,” Weiner said. “It hit with a pretty good thud and exploded into a million pieces. It was a surreal scene.”
No one said a word for few minutes. Everybody just looked down, looked at each other, then looked down again.
“We didn’t know whether to laugh, smile or cry,” Weiner said.
One of Plant’s other coaches asked Florida assistant John Hevesy: “That’s a replica, right?” Hevesy shook his head, “No.”
Weiner said Charles was very upset, so Weiner tried to lighten up the mood in the room by joking, “Orson, Florida is either going to pull their scholarship today or make you commit. You going to have to make up that $35,000 somehow.”
A broken mess in the information age
Less than 30 minutes after mishap, word had spread around the state of Florida. Weiner said his cellphone was jammed with text messages.
“No one could believe it,” Weiner said. “They thought it was a joke, some big rumor.”
Charles relaxed once he was reassured about the trophy’s insurance policy. He then became an instant “cult hero” with fans of Florida State and Miami after the story was reported by local media outlets.
Even people who didn’t follow college football or recruiting knew about “the kid who single-handedly shattered Florida’s national championship trophy.”
Charles said Meyer joked the next day that Charles had to commit to Florida, but he never mentioned it again.
Charles hasn’t committed to Florida, but he has the Gators as one of his finalists with Miami, Georgia and Florida State.
“It’s not something I’m proud about —- it was an accident,” Charles said this week. “I don’t have any favorites, but let’s say I did go to Florida. I would do everything I could in my power there for them to remember me for something else, other than [breaking the trophy].”
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Jarvis Jones flying to Southern Cal for visit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Carver-Columbus linebacker Jarvis Jones, the state’s No. 2 prospect, will leave for USC on Friday on an official visit, coach Dell McGee said Wednesday night.
Jones will fly to California for the first time ever to watch the Trojans take on Washington on Saturday night. He is traveling with his mother.
Jones, a 6-foot-3, 229-pound member of the AJC’s The Georgia 150, was named to the 2009 Army All-American Team. He will play in the Alamodome in San Antonio on Jan. 3.
“It’s a big deal,” McGee said. “He had a lot of friends and family in for the occasion. It’s a good recognition for Jarvis and all his hard work.”
The Tigers play Thursday against 7-1 LaGrange. Jones will return from Los Angeles on Sunday.
Jones is considering Florida, Georgia, LSU, Clemson, Texas and Miami.
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Fulmer apologizes about fight song to Washington DB Branden Smith
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Booker T. Washington cornerback Branden Smith, the state’s No. 1 prospect, said hanging out with his recruiting host was the highlight of the official visit to Tennessee last weekend.
Smith was shown around by All-America safety Eric Berry, who played at Atlanta’s Creekside High. The two became fast friends and exchanged cell numbers.
“Even though Tennessee lost, the fans were still cheering his name after the game, they love him there,” Smith said.
Smith said Berry didn’t try to push him toward to Volunteers, only advising him “to pick a college where you think you’ll really get along with the players and coaches.”
What did Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer say to Smith? “He apologized they couldn’t do the fight song after the game, but he wants me to be part of the turnaround next year.”
Smith has made official visits to Florida and Tennessee, and has recruiting trips left to Auburn, Georgia and Florida State. He does not claim any favorites.
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Permalink | Comments (8) | Categories: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, FSU, Florida, Tennessee, UGA
Georgia Tech travels to see two Greenbrier seniors
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Georgia Tech linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary stopped by Greenbrier High in Evans earlier this week to meet seniors Dylan Turner and T.D. Davis.
The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Turner is a lineman who can play on either side of the ball.
“Dylan is being recruited pretty good,” Greenbrier coach Brian Smith said. “He’s got an offer from Air Force and expects to get an offer from Navy later this week. And Tennessee has expressed a little interest in him.”
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Davis, a receiver who is also being recruited as a tight end, is a key member of Greenbrier’s baseball team.
“We’re just now getting T.D.’s tape out,” Smith said. “He’s having a big year. He’s been getting some interest from schools like Coastal Carolina.
“But he’s also one of the best hitters on the baseball team. He’s a very talented baseball player. But he might be leaning a little toward football. He’ll have some decisions to make.”
Both players plan to attend the Jackets’ home game against Florida State on Saturday.
“They’ll be going to the game to check things out and shake hands with the coaches,” Smith said. “I think they’re on [Tech’s] recruiting board, but I’m just not sure how high.
“They’re in the mix.”
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WR Marlon Brown observes the UGA fans
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Wide receiver Marlon Brown of Memphis has taken official visits to both Georgia and Ohio State, and noticed a big difference in the crowds, according to SuperPrep.
“At Georgia, a lot of the fans are college kids or in their 20’s and 30’s.”
“At Ohio State, you saw kids from two years old to people in their 80’s.”
It was just an observation by Brown, who is coveted by UGA and will return for an unofficial visit for a basketball game in December or January.
Brown’s three remaining recruiting trips are to LSU on Jan. 10, Florida on Jan. 24, and favorite Tennessee on Jan. 31.
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Basketball: Is Derrick Favors on brink of college decision?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Is South Atlanta’s Derrick Favors about to make his heavily anticipated decision between Georgia Tech and Georgia?
South Atlanta basketball coach Michael Reddick declined to comment on Tuesday, but he said that he hoped that Favors would announce his decision by the early signing period, which begins Nov. 12.
The 6-foot-9 Favors is ranked as the country’s No. 1 basketball prospect by Scout. He took official visits to Georgia Tech and Georgia, which have always been believed to be his favorites, and a recruiting trip to North Carolina State.
Last weekend, Favors was scheduled to make an official visit to Memphis, but did not go. Reddick said he didn’t know why Favors didn’t go to Memphis, and he has not talked about that subject with his prized player. South Atlanta began basketball workouts this week.
Reddick also said he did not know if Favors would schedule any more official visits. Favors had hinted he may take a trip to Florida State, but never scheduled a date.
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Westside-Macon LB Julian Burnett wants to stay home
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Robert Davis has been a head coach for 36 years and is the state’s second winningest coach of all time. But what he sees everyday while leading Westside-Macon is something he has not seen in along time. He sees linebacker Julian Burnett.
“He is as good I’ve had since Ronald Simmons,” said Davis, who coached Simmons at Warner Robins in the middle 1970s. Simmons was an All-American at FSU and is in the Florida State Hall of Fame. “[Burnett] is strong; he is fast, and he loves contact. I don’t know another way to describe a linebacker.”
Burnett is approaching 500 tackles for his career and has three defensive touchdowns this season. He is also academically qualified with a 3.4 grade-point average and a 930 SAT.
“He would love to play for one of the state schools,” Davis said. “Georgia is dickering with him right now. Ole Miss has offered, Vanderbilt wants him bad, N.C. State wants him. I just know one thing — somebody is going to get a real football player.”
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Marist’s Chris Williamson commits to South Alabama
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Marist punter Chris Williamson committed to South Alabama on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Williamson will play next year for South Alabama in its inaugural season. For Marist this year, Williamson averages 39 yards per punt, with one 57-yarder. The excellent “hang time” of Williamson’s punts has allowed an average of only seven return yards.
Last season, Williamson averaged 37 yards per punt, with a long of 50.
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Henry County QB Drew Little planning Clemson trip
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Henry County quarterback Drew Little has scheduled an unofficial visit to Clemson on Nov. 15 to watch the Tigers take on Duke, coach Mike Rozier said.
Little, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound member of the AJC’s The Georgia 150, went to Knoxville this weekend to watch the Tennessee-Alabama game.
He currently has offers from Boston College and Georgia State.
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Centennial junior OL David Yankey gets early offers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Centennial junior offensive tackle David Yankey, who already has scholarship offers from Duke and South Carolina, is expecting another when he visits Florida with Knights senior defensive end Euclid Cummings on Nov. 15, Centennial coach Jeff Measor said.
Measor also believes Georgia, Auburn and Alabama will extend offers to the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Yankey. The coach said that colleges like his lineman’s long arms, great feet and flexibility.
“David is very aggressive, consistent and extremely smart and able to understand complex blocking schemes easily,” Measor said. “I’ve coached in college and have been part of the recruiting process from the other end, and David is the best offensive line prospect I’ve ever seen.”
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Dunwoody DE Malcolm Mitchell has three leaders
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Dunwoody defensive end Malcolm Mitchell said he has three favorites from his list of scholarship offers.
All three — South Carolina, West Virginia and Louisville — have three things in common.
All offer a curriculum in Sports Management, his choice for a major.
All play his style of defense. “I play hard on every down,” the 6-foot-2, 220-pound senior said.
The third? “I really want to go to a good team, a well-coached team that can have a chance at a national championship,” which he says includes all three.
Mitchell hasn’t scheduled any official visits, but those three programs are at the top of his list.
Other schools which have made offers are Alabama-Birmingham, Marshall, Tulane, Indiana and Central Florida.
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Recruiting Inside the Stat: Henry County QB Drew Little
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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— 336: Passing yards by Henry County’s Drew Little, a member of the AJC’s The Georgia 150, in the Warhawks’ victory against Northeast-Macon last week.
— His best ever: “I had more against Perry last year [he passed for 514 in that game]. It was a lot like that, though. It was a tight ball game and we had to move the ball all night. Playmakers made plays for me and everybody around me did a good job.”
— Have to have it? “In the first half offensively we moved the ball. We scored twice. Only punted once or twice. We had a fumble and shot ourselves in the foot.”
— Biggest play? “The biggest play, passing-wise, was we ran a quick out to [Markeith] Ambles early in the second half and he took it 50 or 60 yards for a touchdown. I think that made it 27-27.”
— Difference from first half to second: “Our defense set the tone and made a big stop. We went out there fired up. We were down 17-0 to Harris County in the second half last year in the playoffs and came back to win. So we’d been there before.”
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Northside LB Eric Fields picks Clemson over UGA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Northside-Warner Robins linebacker Eric Fields has ended his flirtation with UGA and committed again to Clemson, according to GoGamecocks.com.
“I like [Clemson interim coach Dabo Swinney],” Fields told the website. “They told me they want me to play free safety, where I can blitz a lot.”
Fields, an AJC Super 11 selection, committed early to Clemson but backed away from it in early September, saying he wanted to take official visits with both the Tigers and Georgia.
Fields took an unofficial visit to Georgia for the Alabama game with his high school teammate, defensive tackle Abry Jones, who has committed to UGA. According to Jones, UGA linebackers coach John Jancek spoke with Fields at the game but only about taking the ACT test again and not a scholarship.
Fields also told the website that he will only take an official visit to Clemson.
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