How good is high school football in the state of Georgia?
So good that the rosters of the two biggest national all-star games this weekend were overloaded with Georgia talent — a whopping 25 players.
Here’s the list of the 11 players who were selected for the Under Armour All-America game: Greater Atlanta Christian defensive back Micah Abernathy (committed to Tennessee), Alpharetta defensive end Andrew Butcher (Tennessee), Griffin safety Jordan Colbert (Auburn), Callaway receiver Terry Godwin (Georgia), Hapeville Charter defensive end Arden Key (South Carolina), Lakeside-Evans safety Rashad Roundtree (UGA), Sprayberry offensive lineman Bailey Sharp (Auburn), Macon County linebacker Roquan Smith (undecided), and Central Gwinnett linebacker Adonis Thomas (Alabama).
Lovejoy receiver Preston Williams (Tennessee) and Tucker defensive tackle Jonathan Ledbetter (UGA) were invited but did not participate.
Here are the 14 Georgians at the U.S. Army All-America Bowl:
Marietta kicker Rodrigo Blankenship (walk-on at UGA), Carver-Columbus defensive end Mehki Brown (Alabama), McEachern offensive lineman Chuma Edoga (USC), Buford long snapper Blake Ferguson (LSU), McEachern running back Taj Griffin (Oregon), North Gwinnett offensive lineman Mitch Hyatt (Clemson), Mill Creek offensive lineman Kaleb Kim (Auburn), Mays linebacker Natrez Patrick (UGA), McEachern receiver T.J. Rahming (Duke), Greater Atlanta Christian receiver Darius Slayton (UGA), Westover defensive tackle Trent Thompson (UGA), Faith Baptist Christian offensive lineman Chidi Okeke-Valentine (undecided), Langston Hughes defensive end D’Andre Walker (undecided), and Mays offensive lineman Dallas Warmack (Alabama)
UGA had nine recruits playing in both games, including two out-of-state commits (Van Jefferson, receiver, Brentwood, Tenn., and Deandre Baker, cornerback, Miami) in the U.S. Army All-America Bowl. Georgia Tech has none.
UGA recruit wavers: Baker, one of UGA's longtime recruits, said he is "98 percent committed" to the Bulldogs. He pledged to the Bulldogs last summer.
The 5-foot-10, 170-pounder said he’s still hearing from Texas, Clemson, Central Florida and Kentucky. He said he will take one other official visit, traveling to Texas on Jan. 23.
“I have interest in the Texas Longhorns; I’ve just got to weigh my options,” Baker said. “I’m going to go to Texas, look around the campus, and spend time with the coaches and players. Texas tells me that they are “DB U.”
What would Baker say to UGA fans worried that he may flip from the Bulldogs? “It’s going to be pretty hard to get me to flip. I’m still solid with Georgia.”
Baker paused for a moment when asked what it would take to get him away from UGA. “It would be pretty hard. But I’d have to talk to players, and learn about the academics … stuff like that.”
A positive for Bulldogs: Something good for UGA may have come out of the Tech weekend after all. Juwuan Briscoe, a three-star cornerback who committed to the Bulldogs this week, seemed to be a heavy lean to Ohio State until taking an official visit for the Tech game.
“The official visit seemed to turn it for Georgia,” said Rusty Mansell of 247Sports.com. “From everything I’m gathering, things started turning in Georgia’s favor during that official visit.
“Of course, Georgia lost that weekend, and people think that you don’t get kids when that happens. But who knows? Maybe he saw an opportunity. Maybe he thought ‘those guys are telling me the truth. I can play here quickly.’”
UGA has 26 commitments, including seven who could play cornerback or safety. “The first thing that stands out about Briscoe is his length,” Mansell said.
“He is a legit 6-foot kid. There is a pattern you can see with the way that (UGA defensive coordinator) Jeremy Pruitt is recruiting – and that’s to go after guys who can play both ways. Briscoe plays running back and cornerback. So you’ve got to like his ball skills.”
Junior makes statement: If you watch a lot of high school all-star games, you know that the biggest-name prospects rarely live up to the hype.
There are many reasons for that: Maybe the five-star player was so good that the other team focused on “neutralizing” him in order to make other players beat them? Or maybe, just maybe, he was vastly overrated?
Derrick Brown, a four-star defensive tackle from Lanier High, certainly lived up to the hype at the RisingSeniors.com game, which featured many of the state’s top juniors.
Brown, rated as the state’s No. 4 overall prospect for 2016, was one of the top performers for the week. He terrorized his team’s offensive linemen during practice reps, and he finished Tuesday’s game with a team-high nine tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and a forced fumble. Brown has early scholarship offers from UGA, Alabama and Auburn, among others.
One of the week’s biggest surprises was Stockbridge defensive end Charles Wiley, who is a little bit undersized (6-2 1/2, 235 pounds) but makes up for it with a high-motor and energized play. Wiley finished the game second on his team in tackles with seven, including 3.5 tackles for losses.
A couple of football legacies starred at defensive back. Westlake’s Nigel Warrior, the son of former NFL Pro Bowler Dale Carter, had two interceptions, and returned one 64 yards nearly for a touchdown. Peachtree Ridge’s Chad Clay, the son of former Tech safety Willie Clay, also had two picks.
Smothers comes up big: Big things come in little packages with Lorenzo Smothers. The 5-foot-6, 162-pounder from Marion County had an electrifying one-handed touchdown catch in the Elite Junior Classic, the state's other junior all-star game.
Smith finished with five catches for 113 yards. The game’s offensive MVP was North Gwinnett receiver K.J. Hancock, who exploded for nine catches for 150 yards and three touchdowns in a breakout performance. He only caught 11 passes this past season at North Gwinnett.
One of the biggest surprises was Allen Cater, a defensive end from Mount Paran Christian. One scout said the 6-4, 227-pounder had “the most potential out of anybody in the all-star game.” Another junior turning heads was Blessed Trinity quarterback Conor Davis, who was a late invitee to the game. Davis completed 20 of 26 passes for 357 yards and four touchdowns.
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