McAdory (Ala.) athlete Malcolm Askew said he almost committed to UGA last week. He is a part of the Class of 2017. (Jeff Sentell/ AJC)
Malcolm Askew will be one of the elite prospects in Alabama for the Class of 2017. He plays for a McAdory program that's maybe 30 minutes away from Tuscaloosa. The top-tier athlete projects to be a cornerback at least early on in the SEC. He told the AJC he's taken maybe "20 to 25" visits to Alabama since he emerged as a prospect. He said the Crimson Tide started taking notice of him at when he was in the sixth grade.
And the four-star recruit almost committed to UGA last week.
“I had a great camp last week at Georgia,” Askew said. “Both sessions. Felt like I did really good. I didn’t have any catches on me. The coaches at Georgia were pushing me to commit really hard. They said I had done enough and didn’t need to see anymore. They said I could be done. Coach Richt and Coach Pruitt were saying they really wanted me. I told them I really love it at Georgia, but I wanted to hold off on committing to the G.”
McAdory (Ala.) athlete Malcom Askew is one of the top-ranked players in his state for the Class of 2017. He almost committed to UGA this summer. (Jeff Sentell/AJC)
The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder said he was “about 75 to 80 percent of the way to committing to Georgia” after he camped in Athens. Georgia was his first offer. The first big-time college football game he attended was the Clemson game last year in Athens. He returned to Athens last Saturday for the Mark Richt Football Camp, but did not work out.
Askew said that UGA defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt loves him on defense and wants him at corner. He said Pruitt likes his versatility in how he can play safety and then come down and play in the slot and also line up on an outside receiver.
He was offered by Georgia around this time last summer. He said head coach Mark Richt noticed him then.
“I really feel wanted by Georgia,” said Askew, who plans to enroll early. “I felt the love. Coach Richt told me at that camp I was making it look too easy and they had no competition for me. I felt good hearing that from the head coach because doing that well was not easy. He said that I almost look like one of their DBs right now because I had bulked up since he last saw me. He said ‘Remember the G’ and ‘We want you here’ and ‘We need you here’ and those were the last few things he said to me.”
Askew didn’t rank any of his leaders. He just rated the schools that were recruiting him the hardest. He said those were Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Ole Miss, Southern California and Miami (Fla.) at this time. He said Alabama was still recruiting him as hard as anyone, but that UGA was gaining on them.
“A lot of people feel like I am a lock to Alabama,” Askew said. “I don’t feel like I am a lock to Alabama. I feel like I am looking at everybody.”
He said he loved everything about Athens. The vibe. The assistants coaches. The graduate assistants. The trainers. Everything about the program. That’s why he almost committed last week. He also made it evident that Pruitt has already built a strong relationship with him.
“He’s not one of those guys who will come at you saying he’s better than a coach at another school,” Askew said. “He doesn’t tell you to be a part of this great recruiting class or how highly-ranked it is. He said we will let you come in and teach you to be a great man first of all. Be a great guy on and off the field with your character. He cares about you outside of football and your family. He’s going to be almost like another Dad to you. He will mentor you and lead you in the right way and that’s what I love about him.”
Jeff Sentell covers UGA recruiting for AJC.com and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on who’s on their way to play Between the Hedges.
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