AJC > Sports > Football Recruiting > Blog > Archives > 2008 > November > 29
Saturday, November 29, 2008
How It Went: Buford junior running back Johnson watches Tech beat UGA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Buford junior running back Storm Johnson was among the large group of recruiting targets at Sanford Stadium on Saturday for the annual Georgia-Georgia Tech contest.
“It was a nice experience,” Johnson said. “It was raining, but other than that it was a good visit.
“The coaches at Georgia treat you really well.”
Johnson, whose first scholarship offer came from Stanford, said the Dogs and several other prominent programs have indicated that they will offer him during the winter.
“A lot of schools are telling me they will offer me in January or February,” he said. “That includes Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Miami, Ohio State and Texas.”
On Stanford: “It’s a great school. The academics there are really good. They run the ball about 65 percent of the time. I like the coaches and atmosphere at Stanford. They’re high on my list.”
Got some recruiting news? jhood@ajc.com
Click below to see the following:
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 (35) | Post your comment | Categories: Tech, UGA
Road Trip: Gainesville junior wonders if UGA will be next to offer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Less than 24 hours after a Class AAA quarterfinal meeting with Carver-Columbus, Gainesville juniors Tailer Jones and Blake Sims will trek to Athens on Saturday to watch Georgia host Georgia Tech.
Jones, a receiver, and Sims, a quarterback, are two players on the Dogs’ class of 2010 recruiting list.
Jones received word on Wednesday that he had received a scholarship offer from Miami. The Hurricanes are recruiting him as a cornerback. He received an offer from Stanford today.
“Miami is a great school with great athletic programs,” said Jones, who also has offers from Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, N.C. State, Ole Miss, South Carolina and West Virginia. “And they have a broadcast journalism department that is one of the best in the nation.”
Jones isn’t sure if the Dogs will offer him this weekend.
“An offer from Georgia would be superb,” he said. “I’m hoping for the best on Saturday, but I’m not sure if they will offer me or not.”
Got some recruiting news? jhood@ajc.com
Click below to see the following:
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 (9) | Post your comment | Categories: Tech, UGA
Are you a senior prospect “overlooked” by colleges? Here’s what to do about it
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
So you’re a high school senior and you feel like you’ve been overlooked for a football scholarship?
With national signing day just more than two months away, there is plenty of time to do something about it. And you can do it on your own, without paying thousands of dollars to recruiting services.
All it takes is a little bit of hard work, a lot of determination and about $50. There are numerous stories of seniors who landed last-minute scholarship offers after taking some initiative. Consider:
St. Louis Rams safety Corey Chavous had only one offer (Wofford) two months before signing day during his senior year at Silver Bluff (S.C.) High. Chavous mailed out 10 highlight tapes and got 10 offers. He signed with Vanderbilt and is finishing his 10th year in the NFL.
Auburn wide receiver Robert Dunn didn’t mail out highlight tapes until late December of his senior year at Laney High of Augusta. He held off signing with South Carolina State on signing day and ended up with offers from Auburn and Nebraska a week later.
North Gwinnett quarterback Mike Tamburo committed to Boise State after Tamburo’s coach mailed out highlight tapes of the team’s seniors to 450 colleges on Sept. 1.
With that in mind, here are four easy steps to put yourself in the best position to be considered for an athletic scholarship:
1. Produce a highlight film
It always has been about —- and always will be about —- the film. Nothing, including glorified letters, personalized Web sites or phone calls from family friends or boosters, means as much as film.
Film gives scouts the best opportunity to evaluate.
The best type of film is a highlight tape, which will consist of the top 25-35 plays combined from junior and senior years. Why not more? Most scouts will decide whether you’re good enough for their program after watching only a few minutes, and if so, then they likely will request an entire game film [but not always].
Computer programs with basic editing software cost less than $25, and a lot of people are skilled at editing.
Quick tip: Make sure to put the best plays at the front of the tape. Scouts go through hundreds of tapes a day, and time is short.
2. Preparing the package
After preparing the tape, the next step is completing the rest of the package, which should include unofficial copies of high school transcripts and SAT/ACT scores, which are available from the school’s guidance counselor.
Also include a simple page of “quick facts, ” which shows contact information, such as your mailing address, cellphone, and e-mail address. It also can highlight football-related items, including height and weight, 40-yard dash times, positions played, individual statistics, and athletic and academic honors. Jersey number and position should be taped to the DVD in large block letters.
Quick tip: When mailing packages to colleges, save 50 percent in postage costs by requesting the “book rate.”
3. Picking the colleges
This is the part of the marketing process where most mistakes are made. Unknown prospects sometimes mail tapes directly to schools like USC, Georgia or Notre Dame. You should at least have a few offer from smaller colleges (Div. II, I-AA) before targeting the “big boys.”
While there is nothing wrong with big dreams, there is a method to the recruiting madness: Start off with the smaller schools and build leverage from there.
For each 10 tapes you send out, five should go to schools you think you are too good to play for; three should go to schools you think you could play for, and two should go to schools you dream of playing for.
If you get an offer from Shorter College, then West Georgia or Morehouse may be willing to look at your film, and then Georgia Southern and Georgia State, and so forth.
Quick tip: Target colleges from surrounding states (North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina and Kentucky) that traditionally recruit the state very hard. Florida colleges may be a waste of time because they tend to stay in-state with recruiting due to the tremendous amount of local prospects
4. Closing the deal
While the most important thing is the highlight tape, No. 2 is following up with colleges about 10-14 days after mailing the packages.
College coaches have hundreds of DVDs on their desks, with many more waiting to be opened.
So think of it like applying for a job: To get noticed, you need to be persistent but polite with phone calls or e-mails.
Quick tip: E-mail addresses and work phones for specific college coaches and football offices can be looked up by clicking here.
Note: When you get to particular school’s Web Site, search under “Athletics” and not “Football”, looking for a “Staff Directory” or “Administration.” Here is an example with the University of South Carolina
FIVE QUESTIONS
1. To which person on the football staff do I send my tape? Either the recruiting coordinator or the position coach of the position you feel you have the best chance of playing in college.
2. What if the college coach never answers when I call? Most don’t, therefore leave a voice mail. If they are interested in you, they will return your call or e-mail you, providing you sent your contact information with the package.
3. Which is the better way of contacting coaches, e-mails or phone calls? Depends on the coach, therefore try both until you figure it out.
4. What if there is no way I can make a highlight tape? Then send out a copy of your best game.
5. What if I’m a junior or sophomore? What should I be doing? If you’re a junior, sign up to take the ACT/SAT as many times as possible for the remainder of this school year. If you qualify early, you will dramatically increase your chances for a scholarship offer. You should also schedule an appointment with your school guidance counselor to make sure you’re taking the proper classes to met NCAA college entrance requirements. If you’re a junior or sophomore, focus on academics before a highlight tape. And if you do decide to mail out a tape, have it ready to ship around Feb. 1, when colleges can concentrate 100-percent on next year’s recruiting class.
Bottom line: What if I don’t get any offers after doing all of this? Then you are out only about $50 and can move forward to the next stage of your life without regrets that you didn’t give it your best try.
Note: If you have any questions about any aspects of the Do-It-Yourself recruiting process, then please post your questions below and I will do my best to respond. Good luck, and hold onto those dreams!
Permalink | Comments (35) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, FSU, Florida, Other schools, South Carolina, Tech, Tennessee, UGA
UGA-bound QB Aaron Murray healing rapidly from broken leg
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and tight ends coach John Lilly spent last Friday at Plant High in Tampa, checking on Aaron Murray, the Georgia-bound quarterback who is still on crutches after breaking his left leg on Oct. 16.
“Aaron has tremendous recovery powers; he’s actually way ahead of schedule in terms of the healing process, ” Plant coach Robert Weiner said. “He wasn’t supposed to be able to put any pressure on his ankle until three or four more weeks.”
Murray is still holding out hopes of returning to action this season, if Plant advances far enough in the playoffs.
“You can never count out Aaron for anything, that’s for sure, ” Weiner said. “While we’d love to have him back out there, we’re not going to do anything to endanger his college career.”
Georgia’s coaches also witnessed arguably the best game of the season by 6-3, 227-pound tight end Orson Charles, who is highly coveted by the Bulldogs.
“Orson really put on a show for Georgia, as he pretty much does every game, ” Weiner said.
Charles is also flourishing at defensive end, but the Bulldogs want him on offense. He favors Miami over Florida, Georgia and Florida State.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: FSU, Florida, UGA
Georgia Tech seeking a third quarterback commit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
After obtaining commitments from Jordan Luallen of Center Grove High in Greenwood, Ind. and David Sims of Calhoun County (S.C.), Georgia Tech has set its sights on a third quarterback in the class of 2009.
The frontrunners to fill the remaining opening at quarterback are Dontae Aycock of Chamberlain Senior High in Tampa, Fla. and Courtney Dalcourt of Franklin-Simpson (Kent.) High.
The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Aycock, who is also considering Louisville, South Carolina and West Virginia, is tentatively scheduled to take an official visit to Tech in January.
He’s intentionally delayed his trips until the conclusion of the NFL season.
“The holdup is my brother, Dwight Smith, who is a safety for the Detroit Lions,” Aycock said. “I would like him to go on some of these visits with me.”
Aycock, who has been on the Tech campus twice but never attended a game at Bobby Dodd Stadium, has thrown for nearly 1,400 and rushed for 1,300 yards this season.
Dalcourt also says he’s in no rush to commit.
“[Tech coaches] know my timetable. They aren’t putting too much pressure on me,” said Dalcourt, who is also considering Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky and Western Kentucky.
The 6-foot, 195-pound Dalcourt, who is scheduled to visit Tech on Dec. 12, threw for nearly 1,900 yards and 24 touchdowns this season. He rushed for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Got some recruiting news? jhood@ajc.com
Click below to see the following:
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: Tech
Boston College, Oregon check on North Atlanta QB
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
North Atlanta quarterback Jamal Londry-Jackson has generated a lot of interest among colleges after his stellar senior season.
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound Londry-Jackson transferred from Grady last summer and made an immediate impact at North Atlanta, passing for 1,652 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Oregon, Boston College, Central Florida, Kansas State, Mississippi State, Wofford, Tennessee State, Eastern Kentucky, Grambling are among the schools that have requested film of Londry-Jackson, who is waiting for his first scholarship offer.
Got some recruiting news? mcarvell@ajc.com
Click below to see the following:
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment | Categories: Other schools
UGA-bound Toby Jackson may have to stay longer at prep school
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
All former Griffin defensive end Toby Jackson wants for Christmas is a few extra points on his college entrance exam.
The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Jackson signed with Georgia last year but missed qualifying. He decided to attend Hargrave Military, with the idea of enrolling at Georgia in January.
But Jackson may have to stay at the Virginia prep school for another semester to improve his test scores, according to his coach.
“He’s giving it his best, [and] he has one more chance with the ACT [on Dec. 13], ” Hargrave coach Robert Prunty said.
Jackson, who was one of the team leaders in sacks with 10, has drawn comparisons to former Georgia standout Charles Grant, who also played at Hargrave.
“Toby has that same type of explosive burst off the corner, ” Prunty said. “He’s very, very athletic for his size.”
