Football and basketball recruiting notebook

By Michael Carvell

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Shaq Goodwin, who is ranked among the top 15 college basketball prospects in the nation, says he will continue to play football as a senior at Southwest DeKalb High School.

"I'm definitely playing football," Goodwin said. "I like playing football. I think it gives me the upper hand in basketball. It makes me stronger and more physical."

What about college football? Goodwin is not so sure about that any more.

He hasn't made any final decisions about playing two sports, saying, "I know I am going to play basketball in college. I don't know about football."

On the basketball court, Goodwin's stock has risen so rapidly within the last three or four months that there was speculation that he may give up football for his senior year.

The 6-foot-8, 235-pounder averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds last season. ESPNU ranks Goodwin as the No. 13 basketball prospect in the country, one spot ahead of Miller Grove High School forward Tony Parker, whose 40 scholarship offers include Duke and North Carolina. Parker, it should be noted, is rated ahead of Goodwin in other rankings.

Goodwin thus far has received scholarship offers from Georgia, Georgia Tech, Memphis, Alabama, UCLA, Auburn, Florida, Marquette, Tennessee, Washington and Texas, among others. Goodwin said he doesn't have a frontrunner.

The super-sized tight end said Georgia and Tennessee have let it be known he could play both football and basketball. More offers would likely be forthcoming if Goodwin made a strong declaration to play football after next season.

Southwest DeKalb football coach Buck Godfrey thinks Shaq's ticket to top is in football.

"I think if he wants to go all the way up to the highest level in a sport, football is the way," Godfrey said. "Now he's a great, great basketball player. In my opinion, he's a better football player. But he's got to put the time into football to get there."

Goodwin said that he plans on attending Southwest DeKalb's spring football practices, which began on Monday.

"I'm going to go but I don't know if I will be fully dressed in pads and all because I have some basketball tournaments left [with my club team]," Goodwin said.

Ware backs off UCF

Rockdale County High School's Kevin Ware abruptly de-committed from Central Florida last Thursday, with the 6-4 guard saying it was due to "personal stuff." The decision was related to a report by The New York Times that alleges Central Florida used a convicted felon with agent ties to recruit Ware.

Committed but still looking

Stone Mountain High School's Markuss Eligwe, who is considered one of the state's top linebackers, recently committed to Florida State over Georgia and Florida. However, don't count the other schools out. The 6-3, 220-pounder said he's "100-percent committed to Florida State" but plans to take official visits to other schools in the fall. "I'll have other schools to compare to Florida State to know even more I made the right choice," Eligwe said.