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DEL.ICIO.USRecruiting coordinator Giff Smith on Georgia Tech’s signees
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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A look at Georgia Tech’s signees, with a comment from recruiting coordinator Giff Smith:
RAYMOND BENO OT/6-1/280/Newman Smith on Beno: “He’s a kid that we knew about, weren’t sure about offering him until he came to camp. He had a great camp, competed well. He’s a kid that really grew on us. He’s very physical, he’s nasty. That’s one of the things that we look for in these linemen, to be really aggressive, to get after it. He brings that to the table.”
JULIAN BURNETT LB/5-10/210/Westside-Macon Smith on Burnett: “We’ve been tracking him for a long time at Westside. Coach (Robert) Davis has always raved about him down there. We truly respect his opinion. He’s a productive kid.”
CHRIS CRENSHAW DE/6-2/240/Jefferson County Smith on Crenshaw: “Chris Crenshaw is a kid that we liked as a junior and wondered if he was going to get big enough. He came into camp, weighed 240 pounds, had a big frame to get bigger. He’s extremely quick off the ball, long-armed, able to get off blocks and we think he can rush the passer pretty well.”
IZAAN CROSS SE/6-3/250/Flowery Branch Smith on Cross: “We felt like his body’s pretty mature. He was a kid that we definitely liked that we thought maturity-wise might have a chance to play early with the graduations we had on the defensive line.”
EUCLID CUMMINGS DE/6-3/230/Centennial Smith on Cummings: “He’s got a tremendous burst off the ball. We had him and Izaan in camp and were able to work with him personally. We feel like he’s got a chance to be a tremendous player.”
EMMANUEL DIEKE DE/6-7/230/North Clayton Smith on Dieke: “He’s a kid that we feel like could develop into a heck of a player. He really came on as a senior. He’s actually in school right now and we’re excited to see what he can do for us in the spring.”
DANIEL DRUMMOND RB/6-3/230/Flowery Branch Smith on Drummond: “We thought he was a heck of an athlete that could do a lot of things. We think he can be an excellent B-back. Fast, big, strong athlete that we’re really excited to have here.”
JAY FINCH OT/6-4/265/Kennesaw Mountain Smith on Finch: “He’s nasty, aggressive. He’s probably athletic enough to play on the defensive side of the ball, but we think he can fit in with the rest of the offensive line. He’s a kid that we were on early and that made a decision early.”
ANTONIO FOSTER G/6-4/290/Valdosta Smith on Foster: “Antonio Foster is a kid that we really liked off his junior tape, an offensive linemen that we recruited hard. He had committed to another school and coach (Todd) Spencer had stayed in good contact with him. We were fortunate that when he came up on his official visit, it reaffirmed that this was the place that he wants to be. “He’s very athletic, very physical at the point of attack, brings a little nastiness to the position.”
STEPHEN HILL WR/6-4/190/Miller Grove Smith on Hill: “He’s got a chance to get a lot of catches and make a lot of big plays. He’s a kid we’re extremely excited about. He’s got excellent speed and he’s got a great frame. He’s willing to block; he’s a great team player.”
WILL JACKSON G/6-4/280/Farragut (Tenn.) Smith on Jackson: “He’s a tough, physical kid that fits the same mold that we were looking to get.”
J.C. LANIER DT/6-3/335/ECI Smith on Lanier: “He brings a great presence inside at 326 pounds. He’s a kid that we thought, in losing the three d-tackles that we had, that we had that might have an opportunity to come in and compete for some playing time.”
JORDAN LUALLEN QB/6-3/190/Center Grove (Ind.) Smith on Luallen: “Jordan’s a very good athlete we really liked off of tape, and after meeting him and his family, it was a no-brainer on both ends. He’s just a tremendous kid that we think is going to be a heck of a football player for us.”
CARL MILES DB/5-10/175/Cypress Bay (Fla.) Smith on Miles: “Good ball skills, able to play the ball in the air, aggressive kid as a corner and has the ability to match up one on one.”
JEREMY MOORE WR/6-3/175/Johnson (Texas) Smith on Moore: “He’s very productive. He’s got big-play capability. He’s got good size to him and he’s willing to block.”
LANCE RICHARDSON S/6-2/190/Ware Shoals (S.C.) Smith on Richardson: “We had gotten some calls on him playing in an all-star game. Some coaches we really respect out there called and thought he was a prospect. Coach (Brian Jean-Mary) and Coach (Dave) Wommack went to see him. We felt like he was a safety that had good size that could be a physical player for us.”
DAVID SIMS ATH/5-11/205/Calhoun County (S.C.) Smith on Sims: “David is a very athletic quarterback out of South Carolina that we had liked for a long time that we thought fit the bill for us. He’s the type of kid that when you go after at the quarterback position, you want to come home with.”
ORWIN SMITH RB/6-0/190/Central (Ala.) Smith on Smith: “We really liked what he can do with the ball in his hands and also like the size that he’s got, and being able to block on the perimeter, too. Ideally, you’d like a kid that can play either (A-back or B-back), which he can. B-backs are a little bit bigger, but he can play either one.”
RODERICK SWEETING DB/6-0/175/Luella Smith on Sweeting: “A really tall kid, long-armed kid that can lock up man to man and cover. We’ve been wanting some kids at corner that had some length to them that are used to locking up man to man.” JEMEA THOMAS S/5-10/185/Fitzgerald Smith on Thomas: “He’s just been a tremendous player down there. He’s a kid that can play either side of the ball. He can play a number of positions. We’re just glad to have him as a Yellow Jacket.”
BRANDON WATTS LB/6-2/220/Washington County Smith on Watts: “Brandon Watts is a kid that’s been on our radar for a long time. We actually offered him when he was a sophomore. He’s a kid that’s been true to Georgia Tech the whole time. He’s a big athlete that can play outside linebacker or hybrid strong safety.”
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By Glenn
February 4, 2009 6:27 PM | Link to this
Julian Burnett and Jemea Thomas will be the sleepers from this class, much like Vance Walker.
These two kids can flat out play ball. They didn’t get much press up in Atlanta, because they played in Middle and South Georgia, but Julian Burnett is a Maxprep 1st Team Medium School All American as a Linebacker, and Jemea Thomas is a Maxprep 2nd Team Small School All American as a Defensive Back.
By Tokyo jacket
February 4, 2009 8:57 PM | Link to this
Great class…remember, 15 or more of these kids will redshirt. That’s how WF has turned their program around. Redshirts are huge!
By All Tech athletes are brainy Engineering majors
February 5, 2009 1:16 AM | Link to this
This article omitted a few important facts. You forgot to mention they are ALL straight A students, were All the Valedictorians of their High School Class, are ALL very smart at the super tough Tech “calculus”, are ALL majoring in Engineering, are ALL fluent in 5 languages, they ALL turned down scholarship offers from EVERY top 25 team from the past 7 years, will ALL be drafted in the NFL in the first round, will ALL be voted into the NFL Hall of Fame, and will out earn EVERY UGA athlete, and all other college athletes, for the remainder of history.
They will also marry those beautiful GT coeds.
By NVJacket
February 5, 2009 7:15 AM | Link to this
No, but they are ALL academically qualified and ALL will be on campus this year unlike certain schools’ recruiting class.