AJC > Sports > Football Recruiting > Blog > Archives > 2008 > December > 19
Friday, December 19, 2008
Centennial DE Cummings cancels UGA trip, commits to Georgia Tech
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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On the day that Centennial defensive end Euclid Cummings was scheduled to be at Georgia, he ended up committing to Georgia Tech.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Cummings picked the Yellow Jackets over North Carolina. Both UGA and Florida had shown moderate interest in Cummings, but neither school has extended scholarship offers.
It was an easy decision for Cummings, who was still on an emotional high after making a recruiting trip to Tech last weekend.
On Thursday, he decided he couldn’t wait any longer to commit to Tech. He canceled his trip to Athens, and got Jackets coach Paul Johnson on the phone to break the news.
“When I went on my official visit last weekend, I just felt like Georgia Tech is where I belong,” he told the AJC. “I feel like I fit in with the team really well.”
It was quite a coup for the Yellow Jackets, who also hope to land Flowery Branch defensive end Izaan Cross when he takes his official visit to Tech this weekend.
Defensive lineman are in short supply this year. Florida and Georgia had traveled to Centennial to request film on Cummings, with the Bulldogs inviting him to attend Thursday’s football practice for the bowl game.
UGA is actively pursuing several other defensive ends, including Pernell McPhee of Itawamba Junior College
Got a recruiting item? Please send an email to jhood@ajc.com
Branden Smith, who UGA calls “the next Champ Bailey,” talks to the real Champ Bailey
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Branden Smith, the ‘next Champ Bailey,’ talks to the real Champ Bailey
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Georgia’s recruiting pitch to Branden Smith, the state’s No. 1 college prospect, is that he can be “the next Champ Bailey.”
Guess who Smith talked to this week? Yes, Champ Bailey, the former Georgia standout who plays for the NFL’s Denver Broncos. Ironically, Smith’s older brother, Darrell Hackney, is backup quarterback with the Broncos.
Hackney called his younger brother to see how it went with last weekend’s official visit to Georgia, and then handed the phone to Champ.
“I’ve talked with [Bailey] before. He just was saying that I needed to come out to Denver after they finish the season, to work out and train with them.”
Did Champ try to recruit Smith for UGA? “He just said he played at Georgia and had so many great memories of the place. He said it was a good place to be at, and if you get a degree from Georgia, you should be set for life.”
Smith, the defensive back from Booker T. Washington, has narrowed down to Alabama, Georgia, Florida and FSU. He claims to have no favorites and will announce on Feb. 4.
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
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Permalink | | Categories: Alabama, Auburn, FSU, Florida, UGA
Georgia Tech prepares for final recruiting weekend of 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Georgia Tech is hoping for some early Christmas presents this weekend. Around a dozen high school prospects will take official visits with the Yellow Jackets.
The marquee names are Flowery Branch defensive end Izaan Cross and M.L. King safety Joel Kight, two players who could commit to Tech by Sunday. This is the last weekend of official visits in 2008, as recruiting will resume on Jan. 10.
Prospects invited that have already committed to Georgia Tech: linebacker Julian Burnett of Westside-Macon, Flowery Branch running back Daniel Drummond, offensive lineman Will Jackson of Farragut High in Knoxville, Tenn., defensive end J.C. Lanier of Emanuel County Institute, quarterback David Sims of Calhoun (S.C.) High and running back Orwin Smith of Central High in Phenix City, Ala.
Prospects expected to arrive on Friday that are still deciding between colleges: Cross, Kight, offensive lineman Gus Handler of Barrington (Ill.) High, offensive lineman Nolan MacMillan of The Hun School in Princeton, N.J. and running back Luke Swift of Center Grove High in Greenwood, Ind.
The recruits will spend a portion of the weekend watching the Jackets practice as they continue preparing for their Dec. 31 Chick-Fil-A Bowl appearance against LSU.
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 (11) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, FSU, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Tech, Tennessee
Branden Smith’s recruiting diary from UGA visit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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He has been called the biggest fish in one of the nation’s biggest ponds. Branden Smith, a defensive back from Booker T. Washington, is ranked as the state’s No. 1 football recruiting prospect by the AJC and Rivals and has had, at one time or another, most major-college programs in the country wanting his time.
Smith has taken official visits to Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Florida State and says he will announce his college decision on Jan. 4. This past weekend, Smith made a recruiting trip to Georgia. He shared the details of his Athens trip with staff writer Michael Carvell:
Friday
5 p.m. Branden and his mother, Teresa Wynn, arrive at the Hilton in Athens and are greeted in the lobby by Georgia recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner.
Georgia is Smith’s fourth and final official visit and the first trip that his mother has made. Wynn has endorsed Georgia as her favorite but also said she will support her son with whichever school he selects.
6:30 p.m. The lights of Sanford Stadium illuminate the campus skyline as Smith drives up to the facility. Around a dozen other high school prospects are making official visits to Georgia, and they are standing in the middle of the field watching the final minutes of a highlight video from Georgia’s regular season on the gigantic scoreboard.
At dinner, Smith sits down next to Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez and his wife.
8 p.m. Everyone piles into a bus headed for coach Mark Richt’s house in the Athens suburbs. While Richt stays on the main floor to talk with parents and family members, the prospects and Georgia players file into the basement to play video games and watch the state high school championship game between Marist and Tucker on the big-screen TV.
Smith is introduced to his recruiting host for the weekend, Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green, who recently was selected SEC freshman of the year. Said Smith: “A.J. is laid-back and kind of quiet. He’s a real cool guy.”
10 p.m. The players and prospects leave to check out the college social scene.
Saturday
9 a.m. —- After having breakfast with the Georgia coaches at the hotel, Smith meets with the school’s academic staff and tours the campus for a couple of hours.
Noon. At the Butts-Mehre athletic building, Georgia has practice for its bowl game. Smith and his mother go to the meeting room for defensive backs, where they listen to instruction from Martinez. After the Georgia players exit to change into practice gear, Martinez stays to chat with Smith and the other two prospects at defensive back, Early County’s Shawn Williams and Jordan Love of Glen Allen, Va. Both Williams and Love were early commitments to Georgia.
1:30 p.m. Smith walks around the practice field and waves at Georgia safety Reshad Jones. They played together at Washington in 2005. For months, Smith has spared no praise when talking about playing with Jones: “It was one of the best experiences of my life. [Jones] shut down one side of the field, and I’d shut down the other. That’s what everybody loves to see, when Georgia boys stick together. … There’s a lot of people that would love to see Reshad and me playing together again in college.”
4 p.m. There’s some downtime before the evening events, and many prospects return to the hotel for a short rest.
5 p.m. The annual Georgia football banquet is the highlight of the recruiting weekend. The team’s players are wearing tuxedos, and the prospects are permitted to wear any attire. Smith is prepared for the special occasion, changing into a black suit with a red tie.
“I knew the [banquet] was going to be a big thing, so I dressed for it,” Smith said. “I had to be presentable.”
6:30 p.m. All the recruits sit at the same table, and Smith is next to Carver-Columbus linebacker Jarvis Jones. Both prospects are Georgia’s top remaining in-state targets. Smith is approached by Georgia supporters who want photos taken with him.
“That was kind of surprising,” he said, laughing. “I didn’t think anyone would know who any of the recruits were with All-America players like Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford in the same room.”
8 p.m. Every time that Stafford and Moreno go to the podium for an award, the crowd chants, “One more year, one more year.” Throughout the evening, the Georgia players stop by Smith’s table to say hello to the prospects and to plan post-banquet activities.
Sunday
9 a.m. It’s breakfast again with Georgia’s coaches, then over to Butts-Mehre for a brief tour of the program’s football history. Smith gets to see Georgia’s national championship award from 1980 and Herschel Walker’s Heisman Trophy.
10 a.m. In the Georgia locker room, there’s a No. 1 jersey that Smith gets to put on. Richt told Smith months ago that the number was reserved for Smith if he picked the Bulldogs.
“That meant a lot to me. I mean, it’s not going to be a deal-breaker, the reason why I would pick or not pick a college,” Smith said. “But it would be cool to have my high school No. 1 in college if it worked out that way.”
11 a.m. Smith sits with Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, who shows film clips of Champ Bailey playing offense and defense for the Bulldogs.
“Coach Bobo said he would love to have some specially designed offensive plays for me —- you know quick screens, hitches —- to get me in open space on the field,” 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.”
12:30 p.m. —- Smith and his mother talk with Martinez, then Richt. This is the biggest moment of every prospect’s official visit, meeting with the head coach before departure. This is when the coach tries his best to get the prospect to commit.
Knowing that Smith is determined to wait until January to announce his decision, Richt goes with the soft sell.
“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.”
2 p.m. Richt walks Smith and his mother out the door and thanks them for the visit. “My mom had a real good time, and so did I,” Smith said. “I like Georgia a lot. That’s not really a secret. We’ll just see what happens.”
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, FSU, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, UGA
Georgia Tech an early leader for M.L. King junior RB Brown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Mack Brown admits to being caught off guard last week when Georgia Tech linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary informed the 5-foot-11.5, 190-pound junior running back from M.L. King that the Jackets were offering him a scholarship.
“I didn’t expect it,” said Brown, who received official notification of the offer just over a week ago. “We were in a meeting two weeks ago with [M.L. King teammate Joel [Kight] and they were talking about it.
“I didn’t know they would offer me that early.”
Brown, who also has offers from Arkansas, Duke, Louisville and Oregon, is projected to be one of the state’s top running backs in the class of 2010. He rushed for nearly 1,700 yards and 21 touchdowns during his junior season.
“I like Georgia Tech,” he said. “It’s a good program. They brought some really good coaches in there this year.”
Brown, who plans to attend junior day at Florida on Jan. 23 and Tech on Jan. 31, is receiving interest from Oklahoma.
“I’ve been talking to Oklahoma the past couple of weeks,” he said. “They said they’re really interested in me. They’ve been talking to my head coach **[Corey Jarvis].”
Got a recruiting item? Please send an email to jhood@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 (11) | Post your comment | Categories: Tech
Lithia Springs QB no longer has concerns over Georgia State’s offense
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Lithia Springs quarterback Kelton Hill had a change of heart, and decided he was just fine with the direction of Georgia State’s offense.
Hill has committed to the Panthers, something he almost did a few weeks ago but held off after Henry County quarterback Drew Little picked Georgia State. Little is a classic drop-back passer, while Hill is more of a dual-threat.
“I really wasn’t worried about [Little’s commitment],” he said. “You’re going to face competition wherever you go.”
Hill made a recruiting trip to the Atlanta college last weekend, with coach Bill Curry explaining he needed both quarterbacks.
“The official visit went really good,” said Hill, who accounted for 30 total touchdowns for Lithia Springs this fall. “I met some of the linemen and that was good. Coach Curry sat by me the whole time at the Georgia State-Florida State basketball game and he talked about what kind of offense we’re going to run, and he said I remind him of a special player that has a bright future.”
Hill had offers from Army, Navy, Air Force and Jacksonville (Ala.) State and Appalachian State.
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 (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Other schools
New Jersey OL heads south for Georgia Tech
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Nolan MacMillan, a 6-foot-6, 285-pound offensive lineman for The Hun in Princeton, N.J., is among 11 players taking an official visit to Georgia Tech during the upcoming weekend.
MacMillan visited Iowa a week ago. He is also scheduled to visit Virginia in January.
“They had a really good season this year and I’ve got good relationships with the coaches from Georgia Tech that I’ve met,” MacMillan said. “[Tech assistant] coach [Jeff] Monken came out and visited me about a week and a half ago.”
MacMillan, who plans to study mathematics in college, will arrive in Atlanta on Friday with an agenda in mind.
“I’m just coming in to get a good feel for the campus, a feel for the school and to sit down with the coaches and meet the players and other recruits,” he said.
MacMillan indicated that he’ll likely visit Virginia next month before choosing a school.
“I think so,” he said, when asked if he’ll delay a commitment until January.
Got a recruiting item? Please send an email to jhood@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 (4) | Post your comment | Categories: Tech
Teague chooses Florida over Alabama, Georgia Tech and Tennessee
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Cornerback Marsalis Teague of Henry County High in Paris, Tenn. committed to Florida Thursday evening.
He had been considering scholarship offers from programs such as Alabama, Georgia Tech and Tennessee.
“I actually made the decision a few days ago, but I committed [Thursday night],” the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Teague told Rivals. “I talked to my parents about it and told them that’s what I wanted to do.
“I called coach Urban Meyer [Thursday night] and told them I was coming. He asked me to repeat that and put me on speaker phone.
“I said ‘I have some news for you. I am coming to Florida.’ I heard all this yelling in the background.”
Got a recruiting item? Please send an email to jhood@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: Florida, Tech, Tennessee
