AJC > Sports > Football Recruiting > Blog > Archives > 2008 > December > 16
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Stephenson LB Mitchell-Thornton will head to Tennessee in the spring
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Stephenson linebacker Nigel Mitchell-Thornton liked everything about Tennessee football. He just needed to see it to make sure he was going to end up playing there.
The Jaguars senior will join the Vols in the spring. Mitchell-Thornton took his official visit to Knoxville this weekend, and after some uncertainties before meeting new UT coach Lane Kiffin, he has decided to follow through on his commitment to Tennessee.
“It’s a great place to play football,” Mitchell-Thornton said. “I had all my questions answered and saw everything I needed to see.”
Part of that was helped by Vols All-American and former Creekside star Eric Berry, Mitchell-Thornton’s host on the weekend. Berry showed the future Vols linebacker the freshman dorm, where he’ll room with Milton tailback Toney Williams, and various places to live and eat off campus.
“I really liked that part of it, just getting to see the town and the places I’ll be going to as a student,” Mitchell-Thornton said. “It was cool. It’s got everything I could ask for.”
The scenery was nice, but Mitchell-Thornton needed to talk to Kiffin about the arrival of his father, Monte, and his role on defense.
“He told me he’s still putting a staff together, but he sees me playing around the middle linebacker spot,” Mitchell-Thornton said. “It’s going to be great learning a pro-level kind of defense. You get someone in there like him [Monte Kiffin], and you just know it will be a different kind of defense.”
Most popular recruiting stories
Parkview RB Brandon Jacobs was “surprised” that Auburn picked Chizik over Turner Gill.
Alabama coach Nick Saban is coming to town to meet with the state’s No. 1 prospect
Shocker: Demond Dennis switches from Georgia Tech to … Troy.
Who will Georgia Tech target after losing Demond Dennis to Troy?
Did UGA gain favor with Jarvis Jones after his official visit?
Auburn may be on verge of losing top commitment if the new coach doesn’t call soon
UGA says Branden Smith can be “another Champ Bailey”
Milton RB Toney Williams visits Tennessee and says his recruiting is over
Got an opinion? Then join the many others in these recruiting stories
Perry OL says “thanks, but no thanks” to Steve Spurrier
Caught on Tape: Ending of Lowndes-Grayson game continues to stir emotion
One of Georgia State’s top commitments was involved in the Lowndes-Grayson controversy
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Tech, Tennessee
Milton’s Williams now ‘100 percent’ Tennessee
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
There’s no more flirting for Milton tailback Toney Williams. The Eagles senior will be a Tennessee player next spring.
Williams indicated via text message Monday that his official visit with the Vols went so well there will be no other need for others to offer the 6-foot-1, 227 pounder. He previously had taken an official visit to Kentucky to explore his options.
He’ll join Stephenson’s Nigel Mitchell-Thornton as roommates in Knoxville next semester when he enrolls early.
Got a recruiting item? Please send an email to mcarvell@ajc.com
What are the day’s biggest recruiting stories? Do you wish to join the recruiting debate about any prospect or college? Click here to go to the AJC’s Recruiting Central
Take me directly to all the UGA recruiting stories
Take me directly to all the Georgia Tech recruiting stories
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 (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Tennessee
Dutchtown’s Stewart gets scholarship offer … with a strange twist
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Mississippi State has offered Dutchtown’s Joe Stewart a scholarship, but it comes with a catch.
Stewart, a 6-foot, 165-pound receiver/kick returner with 4.4 speed in the 40, said in an e-mail that Mississippi State offered a track scholarship, “because they are out of football scholarships and they are going to redshirt me and then give me a football scholarship the following year.”
Stewart runs the 200 and 400 meters in track and hopes to win state titles in both events.
He said he’s not sure he’s interested in the offer, especially with the resignation of Mississippi State head coach Sylvester Croom.
Stewart has been offered by Missouri, where his father, Joe Sr., was a record-setting receiver, and from Texas Tech, Stanford, Ole Miss, North Carolina State, Central Florida and Hawaii.
Stewart said he is putting his recruiting on hold to concentrate on academics. He took the SAT and ACT tests in the past week.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment | Categories: Other schools
Heritage’s Jones looking beyond playing days
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Heritage’s Melvin Jones loves football, but he knows it’s means to an end. Some Division 1 programs (Auburn, Louisville, Central Florida) expressed interest in the 6-0, 315-pound nose tackle, but he never was hung up on playing at a major university.
Jones has visited Presbyterian four times and he’ll make his official visit on Jan. 10. He committed to the school last month.
“They have the one of the highest graduation rates of football players in all of the South region,” Jones said. “And they have a 95 percent job placement rate after six months of graduation.”
Jones will major in business administration or psychology.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Other schools
Perry OL says “thanks, but no thanks” to Steve Spurrier
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Steve Spurrier gave it his best shot with Perry offensive lineman Johnnie Farms, but apparently it did not work. Farms is not going to make an official visit to South Carolina.
If you remember, Farms committed to South Carolina, and then switched to North Carolina after saying the education “was a little better [at UNC] than South Carolina.”
Then Spurrier traveled to Perry to tell Farms about the advantages of playing in the SEC over the ACC, along with his own academic research. He heavily encouraged Farms to visit South Carolina to learn more.
The 6-foot-3, 306-pound Farms appreciated the conversation with Spurrier, but told the AJC he will not take an official visit to South Carolina. Farms said he called The Old Ball Coach to let him know the news.
“I’m committed to North Carolina,” said Farms, who is ranked as the nation’s No. 8 offensive guard by Rivals.
Most popular recruiting stories
Parkview RB Brandon Jacobs was “surprised” that Auburn picked Chizik over Turner Gill.
Alabama coach Nick Saban is coming to town to meet with the state’s No. 1 prospect
Shocker: Demond Dennis switches from Georgia Tech to … Troy.
Who will Georgia Tech target after losing Demond Dennis to Troy?
Did UGA gain favor with Jarvis Jones after his official visit?
Auburn may be on verge of losing top commitment if the new coach doesn’t call soon
UGA says Branden Smith can be “another Champ Bailey”
Milton RB Toney Williams visits Tennessee and says his recruiting is over
Got an opinion? Then join the many others in these recruiting stories
Perry OL says “thanks, but no thanks” to Steve Spurrier
Caught on Tape: Ending of Lowndes-Grayson game continues to stir emotion
One of Georgia State’s top commitments was involved in the Lowndes-Grayson controversy
Permalink | Comments (65) | Post your comment | Categories: South Carolina, UGA
Chestatee LB Chase Vasser plans to make it official: UGA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
After making an official visit to Georgia this past weekend, Chestatee linebacker Chase Vasser said that there will be “no surprises” at Tuesday’s college ceremony at his high school.
For Vasser, the recruiting trip just confirmed that he made the right decision.
He also holds scholarship offers from Florida, Clemson, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Kentucky and Wake Forest. Over the past few weeks, Vasser said he remained committed to UGA, but was “hearing out” what other schools had to say.
In the end, Vasser decided to stick with his original choice of Georgia. His family members, friends, and Chestatee teammates will gather for Vasser’s ceremony on Tuesday afternoon.
Why Tuesday? It will be the last full day of school for Vasser, who is graduating from Chestatee this month.
In other news, Vasser said he has decided against enrolling at Georgia in January. He plans to train with Oconee County quarterback Zach Mettenberger, another commitment to the Bulldogs, and observe UGA’s bowl and spring practices.
Most popular recruiting stories
Parkview RB Brandon Jacobs was “surprised” that Auburn picked Chizik over Turner Gill.
Alabama coach Nick Saban is coming to town to meet with the state’s No. 1 prospect
Shocker: Demond Dennis switches from Georgia Tech to … Troy.
Who will Georgia Tech target after losing Demond Dennis to Troy?
Did UGA gain favor with Jarvis Jones after his official visit?
Auburn may be on verge of losing top commitment if the new coach doesn’t call soon
UGA says Branden Smith can be “another Champ Bailey”
Milton RB Toney Williams visits Tennessee and says his recruiting is over
Got an opinion? Then join the many others in these recruiting stories
Perry OL says “thanks, but no thanks” to Steve Spurrier
Caught on Tape: Ending of Lowndes-Grayson game continues to stir emotion
One of Georgia State’s top commitments was involved in the Lowndes-Grayson controversy
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment | Categories: Clemson, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, UGA
ACC school makes early offer to Heritage’s Garry Peters
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Junior cornerback Garry Peters of Heritage High in Conyers got an offer this morning by phone from Maryland, according to Heritage defensive coordinator Andy Szatkowski.
It’s Peters’ second offer. He got one from South Carolina during the season. And while Szatkowski says Peters doesn’t hasn’t named a list of favorites, he does like Florida.
“He visited Florida this year for the Miami game, and he was blown away and has never stopped talking about how he wants to go there,” Szatkowski said.
Peters attended games at UGA, Florida, South Carolina and Alabama this past season.
Szatkowski said he expects several more offers after sending tapes. Peters is 6-foot-1, 185 pounds.
”When people look at him as a corner they are impressed because you don’t find corners that are as big as him very often,” Szatkowski said.
“He is also extremely strong. He squats around 365 and power cleans 265, and for a cornerback those are good numbers. He also has an uncanny ability to diagnose plays very quickly. When you have that kind of size and speed (4.4 40) you are going to get noticed.”
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Florida, Other schools, South Carolina, UGA
Centennial DE Cummings to attend UGA practice
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Fresh off an official visit to Georgia Tech, Centennial defensive end Euclid Cummings plans to take a trip to Athens later this week.
“He’s going to go to bowl practice at Georgia on Thursday,” Centennial coach Jeff Measor said. “I think Georgia has mild interest in Euclid.”
But unless the Dogs come up with a last-minute scholarship offer, Cummings has apparently narrowed the list of schools he is considering to a pair of ACC programs.
“Euclid said it will be between Tech and North Carolina,” Measor said. “He’ll take an official visit to North Carolina on Jan. 9. I know Georgia Tech and North Carolina both really want him to commit.”
Got some recruiting news? jhood@ajc.com
Click below to see the following:
Are you a senior prospect “overlooked” by colleges? Here’s what to do about it
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 (26) | Post your comment | Categories: Tech, UGA
