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Monday, December 15, 2008
UGA says Branden Smith can be “another Champ Bailey”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Branden Smith, who is ranked as the state’s No. 1 prospect by the AJC and was named Georgia’s Gatorade Player of the Year, made his final recruiting trip this past weekend.
Smith took an official visit to UGA, where the coaches said he could be “another Champ Bailey.” The Bulldogs told Smith they wanted him to start at cornerback, return kickoffs and punts, and make spot appearances on offense at wide receiver.
Did Smith like what he heard? “Oh yes, it was a great visit. I thought it would be a great visit, and it met all my expectations. I really like those guys, always have.”
Did Smith consider committing to UGA? Or any school after he returned home on Sunday night? “No, I’m not going to do that until Jan. 4.” Smith reiterated on Sunday night that he does not have any favorites among his four finalists of UGA, Florida, Alabama and FSU.
It was UGA’s biggest recruiting weekend of the year. The Bulldogs entertained some of the Southeast’s top uncommitted prospects, including Smith, Carver-Columbus linebacker Jarvis Jones and safety Ray Ray Armstrong of Sanford, Fla.
UGA also welcomed around a half-dozen prospects who have already committed to the Bulldogs, including offensive lineman Austin Long of Memphis, defensive back Jordan Love of Glen Allen, Va., Chestatee linebacker Chase Vasser, Early County safety Shawn Williams, Valdosta linebacker Mike Gilliard, Buford offensive lineman Dallas Lee, and Northside defensive tackle Abry Jones.
“I got to know all those players, they were all really cool,” Smith said.
Smith, who is a senior at Atlanta’s Booker T. Washington High, said his recruiting host was UGA freshman sensation A.J. Green.
Sunday was a whirlwind day for Smith. He first toured the UGA lockerroom, where the Bulldogs had a No. 1 jersey hanging. Georgia coach Mark Richt promised Smith months ago that he could wear his high school number at UGA.
“That meant a lot to me. I mean, it’s not going to be a ‘dealbreaker,’ the reason why I would pick or not pick a college. But it would be cool to have ‘No. 1’ in college, if it worked out that way.”
The next big event was meeting with UGA offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, who showed film clips of Champ Bailey playing both ways for the Bulldogs. “Coach Bobo said he would love to have some specially-designed plays for me, you know ‘quick screens’ and stuff like that,” Smith said. “Yeah, I’d love to play some both ways in college. That sounds good to me. If there’s any way I can help my team win, I want to do it.”
Smith concluded his visit by meeting one-on-one with Richt. Usually the final meeting is when the college coaches press for a commitment from any visiting prospects who have been offered scholarships.
“Coach Richt didn’t put a lot of pressure on me,” Smith said. “He just told me ‘to make the right decision’ and ‘to go with my heart.’
“I wasn’t surprised that [Richt] didn’t pressure me. Through the recruiting process, I’ve gotten to know Coach Richt and find out what type of person he is. He really seems laid back and is a great Christian man. He didn’t seem to be ‘pressing’ any of the players there.”
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Westside LB Julian Burnett said his “dreams” led to Georgia Tech commitment.
One of Georgia State’s top commitments was involved in the Lowndes-Grayson controversy
Caught on Tape: Ending of Lowndes-Grayson game continues to stir emotion
Permalink | Comments (23) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, FSU, Florida, UGA
How It Went: Georgia Tech’s Josh Nesbitt entertains QB prospect
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt played the role of recruiting host to Courtney Dalcourt, quarterback from Kentucky’s Simpson High who was in Atlanta on an official visit this weekend.
“Josh was a real cool dude,” Dalcourt said. “He gave me a bunch of advice.”
The 6-foot, 195-pound Dalcourt and Centennial defensive end Euclid Cummings joined nearly a dozen high school seniors on Tech’s campus during a big recruiting weekend for the Jackets. Dalcourt and Cummings were the only two players among the group who haven’t committed to Tech.
“I enjoyed myself and being around the guys,” said Dalcourt, who threw for nearly 1,900 yards and 24 touchdowns this season. He also rushed for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns. They made me feel at home.”
Dalcourt is also considering Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Louisville and Western Kentucky. He decided to hold off on a commitment to the Jackets during his visit
“I just want to check out the other schools real quick,” he said.
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Westside LB Julian Burnett said his “dreams” led to Georgia Tech commitment.
One of Georgia State’s top commitments was involved in the Lowndes-Grayson controversy
Caught on Tape: Ending of Lowndes-Grayson game continues to stir emotion
Permalink | Comments (16) | Post your comment | Categories: Tech
How It Went: McEachern TE visits Kentucky while awaiting word from UGA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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McEachern tight end Terrell Mitchell returned from an official visit to Kentucky this weekend but did not commit.
“I want to look at other schools,” the 6-foot-6, 220-pound tight end said. “I really enjoyed meeting the coaching staff at Kentucky.”
Mitchell’s next official visit is scheduled for Clemson on Jan. 9.
He is also planning an official visit to UGA, but has not scheduled a date. With the Bulldogs, he is a target if UGA does not land tight end Orson Charles of Tampa, Fla.
Mitchell currently has offers from Clemson, Kentucky, South Carolina, Louisville, West Virginia and Michigan. Rivals.com ranks him as the 35th best tight end on the country.
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Westside LB Julian Burnett said his “dreams” led to Georgia Tech commitment.
One of Georgia State’s top commitments was involved in the Lowndes-Grayson controversy
Caught on Tape: Ending of Lowndes-Grayson game continues to stir emotion
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Clemson, Kentucky, Other schools, South Carolina, UGA
Zach Mettenberger recruits for UGA in Hawaii
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Oconee County quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who has committed to UGA, recruited for the Bulldogs in Hawaii over the past week.
Mettenberger played with several of the nation’s top prospects in the Hawaii All-Star Classic. Two of his teammates on the Mainland team were defensive end Montez Robinson of Avon, Ind., and wide receiver Randall Carroll of Los Angeles.
“That was the best thing about the all-star game, I got to make friends with other guys from all over the country,” Mettenberger said over the phone from Honolulu.
“I got to talk a lot with Randall and Montez. I know they both are taking a look at Georgia, so I told them about all the positives about going to Georgia.”
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Robinson took a recruiting trip to UGA last month, but was committed to Auburn at the time. However, Robinson later backed away from Auburn after coach Tommy Tuberville resigned. Alabama and UGA are considered to be the frontrunners for Robinson, who also said he may consider Auburn again.
Why is an Indiana player so interested in the Alabama colleges? Robinson is an Alabama native.
The 5-11, 170-pound Carroll is committed to Southern Cal, but looking around at other schools. He talked about making an official visit to UGA last month, but never made it. Carroll is again considering a recruiting trip to Athens, this time in January.
Wide receiver is one of UGA’s top priorities for the remainder of its 2009 recruiting class, with coach Mark Richt publicly announcing that he would prefer to sign “at least two.”
The Bulldogs have one commitment at the position with Rantavious Wooten of Belle Glade, Fla., but Florida and LSU are trying hard as possible to change Wooten’s mind. It will go likely go down to National Signing Day for UGA to know for sure it has landed the speedy Wooten.
Georgia’s No. 1 target at wide receiver is Marlon Brown of Memphis. UGA had gained a lot of momentum with Brown after his official visit for the Alabama game, but now there is a lot of pressure on Brown to remain in Tennessee after the Volunteers hired Lane Kiffin. On the same day Kiffin was introduced as coach, he flew to Memphis for an in-home visit with Brown, according to the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Back to the all-star game: Mettenberger completed 7 of 11 passes for 67 yards to lead Mainland to a 22-8 win over Hawaii/Polynesia at Aloha Stadium, site of the NFL’s Pro Bowl.
The 6-5, 225-pound Mettenberger said the game and intense practice sessions were a positive experience. “It gave me an idea on what college ball would be like.”
“The speed of the game was much faster. There were like 15 guys that ran 4.4s [in the 40-yard dash]. In high school, you maybe had two of three that were that fast.”
“So I had to make much quicker reads on passing plays. And I had to get used to throwing over much taller offensive linemen. We had guys on our O-line that were 6-8 and 6-7. In high school, my tallest lineman was around 6 feet.”
“So I had to go through some adjustments, along with picking up a new offense in three days. But I felt pretty good about it all by the end.”
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Westside LB Julian Burnett said his “dreams” led to Georgia Tech commitment.
One of Georgia State’s top commitments was involved in the Lowndes-Grayson controversy
Caught on Tape: Ending of Lowndes-Grayson game continues to stir emotion
Permalink | Comments (20) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, FSU, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Other schools, South Carolina, Tennessee, UGA
How It Went: Woodstock OL Duran Christophe loves Louisville
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Woodstock offensive lineman Duran Christophe made his first official visit to Louisville this weekend.
“I didn’t commit, but I came close,” Christophe said in a text message Sunday.
The 6-foot-6, 270-pound Christophe currently has offers from Louisville, N.C. State, Tulane, Alabama-Birmingham, ECU, Indiana and Middle Tennessee State. There are rumors that UGA or Georgia Tech may consider offering Christophe if other players each school has targeted sign with other teams.
Christophe’s next official visit is scheduled for N.C. State next week.
Rivals.com ranks Christophe as the 79th best offensive tackle in the nation.
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Westside LB Julian Burnett said his “dreams” led to Georgia Tech commitment.
One of Georgia State’s top commitments was involved in the Lowndes-Grayson controversy
Caught on Tape: Ending of Lowndes-Grayson game continues to stir emotion
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Other schools, Tech, UGA
How It Went: Georgia Tech recruit gets peek at LSU game plan
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Kennesaw Mountain defensive tackle Jay Finch and nearly a dozen other recruits spent the weekend at Georgia Tech on an official visit.
The festivities kicked off Friday evening when the recruits and Tech’s coaching staff dined at the Capital Grille.
“Oh, and our hosts went along too,” said Finch, whose host was freshman tackle Phil Smith. “They weren’t going to pass up a free meal either.”
On Saturday, the recruits watched as the Jackets began preparations for their New Year’s Eve Chick-Fil-A Bowl appearance.
“They were doing basic drill work,” Finch said. “They had been off for a couple of weeks. They did some running and went over plays.
“They showed a lot of what LSU is going to do. And they did a lot of special team tweaking so they’ll be ready for LSU.”
Finch and his parents met with Tech coach Paul Johnson on Sunday.
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Westside LB Julian Burnett said his “dreams” led to Georgia Tech commitment.
One of Georgia State’s top commitments was involved in the Lowndes-Grayson controversy
Caught on Tape: Ending of Lowndes-Grayson game continues to stir emotion
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Tech
The AJC’s Recruiting Central
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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