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Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Washington’s Smith plans to announce college decision Sunday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The state’s No. 1 prospect, Branden Smith, will announce his college decision on Sunday.
The defensive back from Booker T. Washington will choose between Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Florida State during the Under Armour All-America game, which kicks off at 8 p.m.
Georgia appears to be the school to beat for Smith, and his mother endorses the Bulldogs. However, Smith claims he switches between favorite schools every day and won’t know for sure until the game.
“Everybody has been giving me advice on why each school is the best for me, and I’ve been listening,” Smith said.
“Everything is still going through my mind. Whatever my heart tells me on Sunday, that’s the school I’m going to pick. The good thing is that I know I can’t go wrong with any of the four schools. They are all great schools.”
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Permalink | Comments (56) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, FSU, Florida, UGA
No backing down for Alabama recruit Kellen Williams
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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It’s no secret that Alabama is led by its physical, smashmouth running game. Kellen Williams should fit right in.
Playing in Monday’s GACA North-South All-Star game, the Brookwood tackle got animated after what he deemed a “cheap shot” from a South defensive lineman. The Alabama commitment retaliated with a shove and drew a penalty flag. With a slight cut on his lip, he was sent to the sidelines for three plays.
“I had a blast,” Williams said. “It was a very physical game. It gave me a taste of what the college level is going to be like. I’m pretty beat up, pretty sore and stuff. It was pretty intense on the interior. There were some big defensive tackles in there.”
The 6-4, 300-pound Williams was flagged after a South lineman (who he politely declines to name) tried to use a rip move on him, but Williams stopped him in his tracks. “I had been working him all day,” Williams said. “He didn’t get by me the whole game.”
The lineman got frustrated, Williams said, and threw his helmet to the ground. Williams jumped up and shoved the defensive tackle, drawing the flag.
“My parents always told me if someone is going to take a cheap shot, never let that happen,” Williams said. “I have the right to defend myself, so I guess I exercised that right. I just shoved him to let him know that I wasn’t going to back down.”
Williams, who attended a few Alabama games this season, will see one more. On Christmas Day, Williams received a nice stocking stuffer from his mother - tickets for Friday’s Sugar Bowl in New Orleans where Alabama will play Utah. “I was surprised. I wasn’t expecting that,” he said. “My girlfriend is coming so I should be fun. We’re going to enjoy it and have a good New Year’s.
Williams will take his official visit to Tuscaloosa on January 16.
Permalink | Comments (17) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, UGA
State’s No. 1 prospect gets advice from Champ Bailey
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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What do people tell Branden Smith, who is ranked as the state’s No. 1 prospect by the AJC, to dissuade him from considering UGA?
The Booker T. Washington standout says people tell him that his three other finalists - Alabama, Florida, and Florida State - do a better job of placing defensive backs in the NFL.
Smith said he has heard so many things that he is not quite sure what to believe. Therefore, when he had the chance recently to speak with Denver Broncos All-Pro defensive back Champ Bailey, they talked about the subject.
“Champ said ‘Don’t worry about that stuff. It doesn’t matter which college you play for … if you’re good enough, the NFL will find you,’” Smith said.
UGA told Smith he can be “another Champ Bailey” and play both ways for the Bulldogs. Bailey starred at UGA and is a member of the Broncos with Smith’s older brother, backup quarterback Darrell Hackney.
Smith claims to have no favorites and will announce his college decision on Sunday night.
Permalink | Comments (40) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, FSU, Florida, UGA
Georgia Tech’s Paul Hewitt discusses graduation rates of black athletes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Who gets hurt [when admission standards are different for athletes]? Former Princeton University President William Bowen points to the students the colleges would have admitted if they hadn’t enrolled less qualified athletes.
“There are grounds for concern,” Bowen said. “Places at a lot of these schools are precious things. To have them allocated this way raises troubling questions about fairness, about taking advantage of educational opportunity.”
But Georgia Tech men’s basketball coach Paul Hewitt says he and other coaches are able to go beyond test scores to find recruits who can succeed in school while also having the talent to play at a high level.
Hewitt says the only fair comparison is between athletes and other students with similar socioeconomic backgrounds. Seen that way, he argues, athletics programs perform very well. Black athletes, for example, graduate at higher rates than black students as a whole.
“To insinuate that athletics has caused this problem of poor graduation rates [among black students] is wrong,” Hewitt said.
Note: These are excerpts taken from a series of AJC investigative articles written by Mike Knobler. “While it’s commonly known that admission standards are different for athletes, the AJC study quantifies how wide the gap is between athletes and the general student body at major universities.” To read all the articles in full length, please click here. Look in the left column for links to the rest of the series.
Please consider reading the entire articles before commenting below. We welcome your thoughts and opinions.
Permalink | Comments (34) | Post your comment | Categories: Tech
Union Grove DE Anthony Williams awaits first early offer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Following recent in-school visits from Georgia Tech assistant coaches Brian Jean-Mary and Giff Smith, it’s apparent that Union Grove junior defensive end Anthony Williams is high on the Jackets 2010 recruiting class wish list.
“I would say I’m getting high contact from Georgia Tech,” said the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Williams, who is also being recruited by Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Stanford and West Virginia.
“I’ll be attending junior day [at Tech] on the 31st of January. I hope I’ll get an offer then.”
Williams hinted that he’d waste little time accepting a scholarship offer from the Jackets. But he added that it will likely wait until his senior season before he makes a commitment.
“Right now, Georgia Tech is my No. 1,” he said. “But my parents want me to wait and see what all develops.”
Williams might attend junior days at Central Florida in January and Stanford in February.
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 (12) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Tech
