AJC > Sports > Football Recruiting > Blog > Archives > 2008 > November > 03
Monday, November 3, 2008
Florida inquires about Tennessee recruit Mitchell-Thornton
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The rumors had swirled for weeks. But reality sat in on Monday when Stephenson linebacker Nigel Mitchell-Thornton learned that Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer is resigning at season’s end.
“I was actually shocked when I heard,” said Stephenson, a member of the AJC’s The Georgia Top 150. “It was like ‘no, no, no. It can’t be true.’
“But I called [Tennessee assistant] coach [Latrell] Scott and he said it was true. He said ‘well, you should stay committed and keep your interest in Tennessee.’”
But Mitchell-Thornton, who is tentatively scheduled to enroll at Tennessee in January, admitted that he’s open to talking to other schools. He narrowly committed to Tennessee over Georgia Tech.
“I would say that my commitment to Tennessee is still solid,” he said. “But I would also say that I’ll still be waiting, or pending, with it because I don’t what coaching staff is coming.
“I’m still committed, but I’ll test the waters and see what happens.”
Mitchell-Thornton received calls recently from coaches at Florida and Stanford. He’s also receiving strong interest from Alabama, Louisville, Michigan and Nebraska. He is unsure about Georgia Tech because he doesn’t feel like he fits into the team’s defensive scheme.
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AJC’s THE GEORGIA 150 AJC’s The Georgia 150
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Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, Florida, Tech, Tennessee
UGA is the frontrunner to lure away Clemson recruit J.K. Jay
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Georgia has inside position on luring away a Clemson commitment, offensive lineman J.K. Jay of Greenville, S.C., according to GoGamecocks.
The 6-foot-7, 275-pound Kay told the website that he talked last week with Georgia coach Mark Richt, was offered a scholarship, and is setting up an official visit with the Bulldogs.
However, Georgia fans should not get too excited just yet: Kay also told the website he will sign with Clemson if the team’s current coaching staff, led by Dabo Swinney, is retained. Then, if only to make things a little more confusing, Clemson’s coaching decision will have to come by early December because Kay is graduating early from Christ Church and will enroll in college in January.
“If they don’t retain coach Swinney, that would be a difficult situation,” Kay said. “Georgia would be the front runner. They are number two right now. I’m going to try to make it to Georgia as soon as possible.”
Since Kay announced he was looking at other colleges last week, he was offered by South Carolina, Miami, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Vanderbilt. He is hearing from many other schools, including Florida and Alabama.
Clemson has lost four commitments since coach Tommy Bowden departed last month.
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Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, Clemson, Florida, South Carolina, UGA
Jarvis Jones liked “everything” about his USC visit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Carver-Columbus linebacker Jarvis Jones said he was very impressed with this past weekend’s unofficial visit to Southern Cal.
“I didn’t commit [to USC], but it was nice being out there,” Jones said. “It’s totally different. I liked everything about it: the players, coaches, school and L.A.”
The 6-foot-4, 229-pound Jones is taking an official visit to defending BCS champion LSU this Saturday. His six finalists are USC, LSU, Georgia, Florida, Texas and Miami.
He is no longer considering Clemson, which was once rumored to be his No. 1 choice before coach Tommy Bowden departed.
Jones and Booker T. Washington cornerback Branden Smith are Georgia’s top two targets among in-state players. Georgia told both that they will hold open scholarships as long as they need to make their decisions.
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Author=Phillip Giltman
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Clemson, Florida, LSU, Other schools, UGA
New SEC offers for Gainesville juniors Jones and Sims
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Ole Miss has extended scholarship offers to Gainesville juniors Tailer Jones and Blake Sims.
Jones, a receiver, and Sims, a quarterback, were offered by Arkansas two weeks ago. Jones also picked up offers from N.C. State and West Virginia last week.
Jones attended the Florida State-Georgia Tech game at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday.
Ole Miss is also showing strong interest in Gainesville senior defensive lineman Josh Jackson, who recently was offered by N.C. State.
Got some recruiting news? jhood@ajc.com
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AJC’s THE GEORGIA 150 AJC’s The Georgia 150
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Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Tech
Lassoed in: Walton’s Paulsen commits to Oklahoma State Cowboys
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Sophomore fullback Bryant Ward rumbled in for a 1-yard touchdown in the first quarter of No. 8 Oklahoma State’s 59-17 rout of Iowa State Saturday in Stillwater. It was the first score of the game, and Ward’s first score of the season.
It’s a role Walton’s David Paulsen hopes to expand next season. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound fullback committed to the Cowboys on Sunday while on an official visit to the Oklahoma State campus.
“The coaches joked with me that they gave him [Ward] the ball just so I could see the fullback score,” Paulsen said. “The place was perfect. The facilities, the people, the atmosphere around the campus. It was perfect.”
Paulsen plays on both sides of the ball for the Raiders, but he’ll only focus on offense at Oklahoma State. The coaching staff, including head coach Mike Gundy, liked Paulsen’s versatility and said that he would be used in a variety of offensive packages for the Cowboys as an H-back, fullback, pass-catching tight end and occasionally in the slot.
It wasn’t difficult for Paulsen to believe. Oklahoma State is seventh nationally in total offense and fifth in scoring offense. But the Walton senior didn’t need to see statistics to feel comfortable with Gundy and his staff.
“I heard before going out there that the people were great, and that really was it,” Paulsen said. “The facilities and all that are incredible. They’re some of the best in the country, but I really liked all the coaches, the players, the entire staff.”
Paulsen took in the game with his parents, spent time with Cowboy players, had lunch with his future position coach and then lunch with Gundy and the offensive coaches on Sunday. It was then that he delivered his decision.
“They were very happy, and I was too,” Paulsen said. “I don’t feel like I’m settling for anything. Sometimes you’ll see a place and think that you can live with certain things. That didn’t happen there. I loved everything.”
The Oklahoma State commitment is a member of the AJC’s The Georgia 150. He had previously visited Tulane and Miami (Ohio).
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Milton’s Toney Williams stays committed to Tennessee, but listening to other schools
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Milton fullback Toney Williams said Monday afternoon that he is sticking by his commitment to Tennessee, at least until he sees how everything unravels following the news that Volunteers coach Phil Fulmer will resign at season’s end.
“I’m with Tennessee for now,” Williams said before his football practice on Monday. “Everything is happening so quickly. I want to talk to people [at Tennessee] and get an idea on how everything is going to work out before I make any big decisions.”
In the meantime, Williams said he is open to listening to other schools.
“Coach Fulmer is a big reason why I picked Tennessee, but not the only reason,” Williams said. “I still love the school, and maybe they will pick someone from the current staff, or get a big-name coach from somewhere else. There’s just so much unknown right now.”
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Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Tennessee
