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Saturday, November 8, 2008
Cedar Shoals LB Lattimore not interested in nearby UGA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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DeDe Lattimore, one of the state’s top prospects, plays high school football in the shadows of the University of Georgia.
Yet the Cedar Shoals linebacker has not been offered by UGA. But he does not appear to be interested in the hometown Bulldogs. Besides, he has plenty of opportunities to leave Clarke County.
“I’m not sure why, he just doesn’t want to go to UGA,” Cedar Shoals coach Xarvia Smith said.
Lattimore, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound member of the AJC’s The Georgia 150, has nearly 15 offers, including Kentucky, Michigan and Louisville. He has scheduled an official visit to Oklahoma State on Nov. 29 to watch the Cowboys take on Oklahoma.
“He is very interested in Oklahoma State,” Smith said. “He likes what they have to offer, and they are a program on the rise.”
Smith said Lattimore made the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association North-South All-Star Game to be played in Columbus Dec. 29.
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Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Kentucky, UGA
Who will UGA or Georgia Tech offer next?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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If Georgia or Georgia Tech makes an offer to one of the state’s high school seniors this late in the recruiting process, there is a good chance the offer will be accepted. In the span of one week, North Cobb’s Derrick Lott was offered and committed to Georgia, and Fitzgerald’s Jemea Thomas had a similar timeline with his commitment to Tech.
Who will be the next state player offered by Georgia or Georgia Tech? Here are five candidates:
Duran Christophe, Woodstock
The 6-foot-6, 260-pound Christophe is beginning to show up on recruiting boards across the Southeast. The lineman already has 10 offers, and that number could increase.
Woodstock coach Mike O’Brien, who coached at Valdosta for seven years, has scouted or played against many of the state’s top players.
“I never had a player who is this big and this agile,” O’Brien said. “He has got the type of body frame where he could get to 300 pounds very quickly and not lose a step.”
Christophe had a sprained ankle when he participated in Georgia Tech’s prospect camp. Georgia assistant Stacey Searels watched Christophe play against North Cobb’s Lott in a recent game.
Justin Jones, Heritage-Conyers
Jones hasn’t received as much attention as many of the top recruits in the state. But the potential of the 6-foot-7, 230-pound Jones, a basketball-turned-football player, may be unequaled.
Jones could play as many as five positions in college, most notably tight end or defensive end. He backed off an early commitment to Kentucky and has offers from South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Alabama has jumped into the picture. He has had very little contact with Tech or Georgia.
Julian Burnett, Westside-Macon
Westside-Macon coach Robert Davis, who has 350 career victories in Georgia, is old school and does not believe in hyping his players. He would rather the player’s performance speak for itself.
But Davis can’t say enough about Burnett, comparing him with Ron Simmons, who is in Florida State’s football Hall of Fame. Davis coached Simmons at Warner Robins High.
Davis said Burnett, who is averaging 20-25 tackles a game, is a tackling machine at linebacker. Burnett is 5-11, but Davis doesn’t believe another two or three inches would make him any more dominating.
Tech assistant Charles Kelly is scheduled to stop by Westside this week, and Georgia assistant John Lilly visited last month to watch a recent practice.
Burnett has offers from Vanderbilt, South Carolina, North Carolina State and Ole Miss.
Deion Roberson, Tucker
The 6-3, 258-pound Roberson was being scouted by nearly every SEC and ACC school during his senior year. But he dislocated his left ankle on the second play of the season and was out for the year.
It was heartbreaking for Roberson. Many of the bigger schools stopped calling, but he showed enough glimpses of potential at defensive end during his junior year to earn offers from Louisville, West Virginia and N.C. State. He plans to take official visits to all three.
Tucker coach Franklin Stephens said he would not be surprised to see some of the bigger schools get back involved in late January. Georgia had expressed strong interest in Roberson but appears to be waiting to see how his rehabilitation goes.
Jadareius Hamlin, Mary Persons
The 6-3, 252-pound Hamlin reminds his coach, Rodney Walker, of one of his former players. Walker was at Peach County in 1997 when Randy McMichael signed with Georgia, the only SEC school that offered. McMichael later was an all-conference tight end and is playing his seventh year in the NFL.
“He has the same type of explosion as [McMichael],” Walker said. “I also had [Kedric] Golston at Sandy Creek [another former Georgia player now in the NFL], and Jadareius is not as big or as powerful, but he’s got more speed.”
Hamlin has offers from Mississippi State, Auburn and Central Florida. Georgia Tech and Georgia have shown some interest.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Tech, UGA
Duke commit Kadeem Wise listening to Georgia Tech, others
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Berkmar defensive back Kadeem Wise has committed to Duke, but he’s still listening to other schools make their pitches.
Wise, who committed to the Blue Devils before the season, has been in contact with Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Furman and Western Carolina.
“[Wise is] leaving his options open,” said Berkmar coach John Thompson. “He loves coach [David] Cutcliffe and them up at Duke, but he’s going to look at everything.”
Got some recruiting news? mcarvell@ajc.com
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Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Other schools, Tech
Alabama makes early offer to Westside WR Ronnie Carswell
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Running the football has been Westside-Macon coach Robert Davis’ staple for 37 years. But with receivers like he has this season — senior Danny Madison (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) and junior Ronnie Carswell (6-1, 180) — Davis has happily changed his habits a bit.
“No doubt I’ve got two good ones. [Madison] is the best receiver in the state. He’s got good hands and when he gets going, he is about unstoppable,” said Davis, who has the Seminoles ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA.
Madison has 31 catches for 644 yards and seven touchdowns, and Carswell has 21 receptions for 402 yards and two scores. Madison will have to attend a junior college next fall due to academic shortcomings while Carswell has already been offered by Alabama.
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Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, UGA
Greenville junior OL Kenarious Gates on verge of SEC, ACC offers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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College coaches will drive to the end of the world to find a 6-foot-5, 300 pound player with mobility. Greenville junior Kenarious Gates can attest. Virtually every SEC and ACC program has found its way to this Class A program, located some 20 miles east of LaGrange, to look at the 2010 recruit.
“You’ve got Georgia, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Alabama - all of your major programs,” Greenville coach Jeremy Williams said. “I think right now they’re looking him as a left tackle. He has got long arms so he is a tailor-made left tackle.”
Gates has not received an early offer, but Williams feels that is inevitable. In addition, Gates will easily qualify academically.
Got some recruiting news? mcarvell@ajc.com
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Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, Auburn, FSU, Florida, UGA
Douglass DB Caleb Lester offered by Georgia State
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Bolstered by a solid one-on-one performance against AJC Super 11 member Branden Smith, Douglass defensive back Caleb Lester picked up his first offer from Georgia State.
Even though he has lived in Atlanta his entire life, Lester said he’s never been on the Georgia State campus. Still, he’s happy about the offer and the possibility of being on the school’s first football team in 2010.
“I was excited, very excited,” Lester said. “It would be cool to be a part of history and play games in the Georgia Dome.”
But Lester said he will wait a while before making a decision. He plans to take an official visit to the Georgia State campus on Dec. 6, and Vanderbilt and Louisville are still calling.
“But right now, Georgia State is my No. 1 option,” he said.
Got some recruiting news? mcarvell@ajc.com
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Roswell OL Cade Yates likes Western Carolina
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Roswell offensive tackle Cade Yates, who had made unofficial visits to Samford and Jacksonville State, made a recruiting trip last weekend to Western Carolina, where he witnessed the Catamounts’ first Southern Conference win since 2005, against Tennessee-Chattanooga.
Yates, who likely will play guard or center in college, was impressed with Western Carolina.
“I liked how it’s out in the mountains and the stadium is surrounded by mountains,” Yates said. “Their facilities were pretty nice.”
Yates was scheduled to make an unofficial visit to Wofford’s game against the Citadel this weekend.
Got some recruiting news? mcarvell@ajc.com
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Note: Any inappropriate comments will not be tolerated, along with offensive “screen names.” Your posts are identified by the AJC with logging your IP address, not your screen name or email address. We encourage your comments and opinions, and only request that you use good judgment.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Other schools
