AJC > Sports > Football Recruiting > Blog > Archives > 2008 > December > 03 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USCartersville’s Donovan Tate commits to North Carolina
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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North Carolina coach Butch Davis saw his cell phone ringing only minutes after making an in-home visit with Cartersville’s Donavan Tate on Tuesday night.
It was Tate on the other end of the phone: “So sorry, but my mom forgot to show you something really important,” Tate said. “Can you come back for a second?”
Davis turned his car around. When he knocked on Tate’s door this time, he was greeted with a big hug. Tate had decided to end the recruiting process and commit to North Carolina.
What had happened? After meeting with Davis for nearly three hours, Tate’s strong feelings about the Tar Heels were confirmed. As soon the coach left, Tate told his mom, “UNC is where I feel like I belong. It is a feeling that I really cannot explain, but I know [Davis and baseball coach Mike Fox] are the coaches I want to play for.”
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Tate picked North Carolina over Southern Cal, Michigan, Georgia and Alabama. Tate is the son of former UGA standout Lars Tate and will play football and baseball if he ever shows up at college. He is ranked as one of the nation’s top prospects for the June baseball draft, possibly a No. 1 pick.
North Carolina was a surprising choice, considering that Tate was injured in a playoff game on Nov. 21, forcing him to cancel an official visit the next day with the Tar Heels.
Tate, who suffered a rib injury and is expected to make a full recovery within five weeks, decided not to make up the recruiting trip to North Carolina. He announced that he was no longer going to take official visits. Tate said he had acquired enough information from long conversations with coaches and taking unofficial visits with his finalists.
After committing to North Carolina, Tate said he felt a “sense of excitement, relief and peace” after Davis left for the second time on Tuesday night.
Tate said on Wednesday that he has scheduled an official visit to North Carolina on Dec. 12.
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Auburn-related recruiting stories
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Other top recruiting stories
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Son of former UGA standout Lars Tate commits to North Carolina over Bulldogs
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Note: If any of the links do not work, the recruiting story can also be found in the left column under “Recent Entries”
Permalink | Comments (28) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, Other schools, UGA
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By tbf1473
December 3, 2008 2:48 PM | Link to this
and the Tar Heel recruiting bandwagon keeps on going and now its going through Georgia. Great pickup for the Heels. GO HEELS!
By chris
December 3, 2008 3:13 PM | Link to this
until he gets drafted and plays minor league baseball.
By uncle_drew
December 3, 2008 3:22 PM | Link to this
good thing he did not waste a spot a UGA - this kid will never see a college field…
By tbf1473
December 3, 2008 3:51 PM | Link to this
Don’t be so sure. Have heard he is now more into football than baseball. He will be on the Carolina football team next fall then in UNC baseball uni next spring.
By Doug
December 3, 2008 4:25 PM | Link to this
No. He saw how UGA plays defense and said, “No way.”
By Vince
December 3, 2008 5:06 PM | Link to this
Hey, at least UGA won’t have to play against him.
By Dawgonit
December 3, 2008 6:02 PM | Link to this
Yeah, he’s going to pass up a seven figure signing bonus because he’s more into football! What planet are you on?
By Recruitnik
December 3, 2008 7:40 PM | Link to this
tbf1473, You are wrong man.. he is more into baseball and he will not be playing any ball for unc.
By AFnPC
December 3, 2008 8:54 PM | Link to this
Don’t commit to UNC so soon Tate, you might want to follow Davis to Auburn…
By atlnik
December 3, 2008 11:17 PM | Link to this
LOL….Davis to Auburn….let’s see, turn down your alma mater last year despite a huge offer and then tenn this year to go to auburn. Pass up your top 10 recruiting class this year. yeah, right….
By atlnik
December 3, 2008 11:21 PM | Link to this
LOL….Davis to Auburn….let’s see, first you turn down a huge offer from your alma mater last year, then turn down tenn, then you pass up your top 10 recruiting class this year solely to go to Auburn…where you have to try to recruit against Bama, Georgia, LSU, etc etc. yeah, that’s exactly what Davis is thinking…
By CJDawg
December 4, 2008 12:58 AM | Link to this
What a loss…no wait. This kid is not a football player. A good babseball player no doubt. Good luck Donovan in whatever you do. Your father was a great player at UGA and we remember him.
By Kennesaw Dawg
December 4, 2008 7:23 AM | Link to this
I hope the Dawgs season results, the penalities, talk of being undisciplined, the arrests, talk of no on-field leadership, talk of Stafford and Moreno possibly leaving early, lack of defense, etc. doesn’t hurt our recruiting efforts any more than it already has!
By Kennesaw Dawg
December 4, 2008 7:26 AM | Link to this
I hope the Dawgs season results, the penalities, talk of being undisciplined, the arrests, talk of no on-field leadership, talk of Stafford and Moreno possibly leaving early, lack of defense, etc. doesn’t hurt our recruiting efforts any more than it already has!
By TC
December 4, 2008 9:27 AM | Link to this
Butch Davis is staying at North Carolina. He continues to recruit well and has that program on an upswing. The haters need to go somewhere else, maybe back to the Bulldog blog or one of the other schools crying about their program.
By Bill Dooley
December 4, 2008 10:49 AM | Link to this
signing tate wouldn’t have been a wasted spot. Georgia always sign more players than they have scholarships, because they know several won’t qualify. Funny how he’s not worth it when he doesn’t go to georgia. He doesn’t want to be standing on the field during a timeout, or is that blackout, when FL or Tech or scoring 40 or 50 points.
By DawgByte
December 4, 2008 12:53 PM | Link to this
North Carolina would love to be 9-3 and going to a New Years Day bowl game. When 9-3 is a down year for UGA, 99% of the rest of the NCAA Div. 1 would take that record in a heart beat.
By jon
December 4, 2008 1:21 PM | Link to this
Tate will not play college ball. He will be one of the first 10 pick in the 2009 MLB draft and will be playing professional baseball this summer.
I live in Cartersville and the MLB scouts have been all over this kid since he was a Soph.
I am 100% sure he will not play college football. He is a few months away from being a multi-millionaire.
By jon
December 4, 2008 1:26 PM | Link to this
Tate will not play college ball. He will be one of the first 10 pick in the 2009 MLB draft and will be playing professional baseball this summer.
I live in Cartersville and the MLB scouts have been all over this kid since he was a Soph.
I am 100% sure he will not play college football. He is a few months away from being a multi-millionaire.
By jon
December 4, 2008 1:31 PM | Link to this
Tate will not play college ball. He will be one of the first 10 pick in the 2009 MLB draft and will be playing professional baseball this summer.
I live in Cartersville and the MLB scouts have been all over this kid since he was a Soph.
I am 100% sure he will not play college football. He is a few months away from being a multi-millionaire.
By jon
December 4, 2008 1:36 PM | Link to this
Tate will not play college ball. He will be one of the first 10 pick in the 2009 MLB draft and will be playing professional baseball this summer.
I live in Cartersville and the MLB scouts have been all over this kid since he was a Soph.
I am 100% sure he will not play college football. He is a few months away from being a multi-millionaire.
By jon
December 4, 2008 1:41 PM | Link to this
Tate will not play college ball. He will be one of the first 10 pick in the 2009 MLB draft and will be playing professional baseball this summer.
I live in Cartersville and the MLB scouts have been all over this kid since he was a Soph.
I am 100% sure he will not play college football. He is a few months away from being a multi-millionaire.
By jon
December 4, 2008 1:46 PM | Link to this
Tate will not play college ball. He will be one of the first 10 pick in the 2009 MLB draft and will be playing professional baseball this summer.
I live in Cartersville and the MLB scouts have been all over this kid since he was a Soph.
I am 100% sure he will not play college football. He is a few months away from being a multi-millionaire.
By n,y dawg
December 4, 2008 6:58 PM | Link to this
Hey Jon, think Donovan tate will ever play for the tar heels? Let us know maybe 85 times!
By jodawg
December 5, 2008 11:12 PM | Link to this
Tate supposedly is big on the Braves’ radar. Look for a Lombard like package that locks him out of football for the next few years at the very least. Would love to see him play football, but unless something drastically changes, it’s not going to happen.
By bank walker
December 6, 2008 10:52 AM | Link to this
Don’t get your hopes up unc fans, he will be playing farm league for a MLB team next year. Nice try though! Go Dawgs!!
By T-Time
March 20, 2009 11:13 AM | Link to this
I go to school with Tate and I know for sure he wont be going to college!
By T-Time
March 20, 2009 11:13 AM | Link to this
I go to school with Tate and I know for sure he wont be going to college!