From repeated visits, Georgia Tech A-backs coach Lamar Owens can get around Jacksonville, Fla., like a local. His landmarks may not be of great value to Yellow Jackets fans who will be in the area for the TaxSlayer Bowl, though.
Owens, who recruits Jacksonville for Tech, can get from Robert E. Lee High School to Atlantic Coast High School with facility. However, dinner recommendations aren’t in his wheelhouse.
“I normally hit Chick-fil-A, to be honest with you,” Owens said. “When I’m on the road, I have a rotation of Chick-fil-A, Starbucks and Chipotle or something like that.”
Time is better saved for scouring the 904 area code for its football talent, hours, days and weeks that have served Tech well. Thanks to Owens’ recruiting efforts, a disproportionate amount of the Tech roster will enjoy a homecoming when the Jackets arrive in Jacksonville Tuesday to play Kentucky Dec. 31.
Four Tech players – linebacker Victor Alexander, cornerbacks Step Durham and Lamont Simmons and defensive end Antonio Simmons – played their high school ball in Jacksonville, as did a fifth who left the team midseason, A-back Lynn Griffin. Among ACC schools, only Florida State has more Jacksonville players on its roster, with five.
“He’s done a really good job,” coach Paul Johnson said. “I think that it’s been good he’s been in that area for some time. He’s started to build some relationships, so he knows the younger guys, and he’s done a nice job recruiting there for us.”
Owens joined the coaching staff (replacing Jeff Monken) in 2010 and was assigned to Jacksonville a year or two later. Starting off with introductory phone calls and visits with coaches, Owens has developed a network of relationships in the area.
“With him being around, and being the same guy for the last five, six years – that’s been lost in the recruiting stuff,” said Kevin Sullivan, a longtime Jacksonville high-school coach now at Ed White High. “That’s probably helped build his relationships and everything.”
Owens recruits the roughly 230-mile stretch of Atlantic Coast along I-95 from Savannah (his hometown) to Daytona Beach, Fla. Other Jackets from that area that he has helped bring to Tech – B-back Marcus Allen, cornerback Meiko Dotson, A-back J.J. Green, linebacker Terrell Lewis, punter Ryan Rodwell, wide receiver Brad Stewart and defensive end Jordan Woods. Though not from that area, center Freddie Burden and kicker Harrison Butker were also recruited to Tech by Owens.
He is quick to deflect credit.
“For us here at Georgia Tech, I think we have a great story to sell, one,” he said. “And Jacksonville is close enough to where families can drive and get here to Atlanta.”
Its location offers another plus. Unlike Atlanta, in the heart of the SEC, Jacksonville prospects aren’t necessarily star struck by the ACC’s rival conference. There’s a decent chance that a child will grow up rooting for Florida State, and certainly be aware of Miami.
“The ACC is extremely relevant down in that area,” Owens said.
Those who have gotten to know Owens the recruiter, though, praise his work. Durham’s father, Step Durham III, saw a young man (Owens is 33) who could relate to his son, knew his craft and was not given to making promises he couldn’t keep. Other coaches who recruited his son, Durham said, promised spots in the starting lineup and an opportunity at the NFL, among other things.
“But one thing with Coach Lamar, all he did was just present the school,” Durham said.
To Antonio Simmons’ mother, Tonya Pennamon, Owens was someone who answered all her questions, made himself available and gave her comfort with the idea of sending her son five hours away. Which, for her, is saying something.
“I’ve never been the mom, all the way to Pop Warner, just to send him to practice,” she said. “He was always there with me and and his dad. I always just very safe, very secure (with Owens).”
Sullivan, who coached Step Durham IV in high school, has found that Owens has shot straight with him. Recruiters often tell Sullivan that his player is one of his top priorities, only to end recruitment once he gets another player at the same position.
“I’ve never had that with Coach Owens,” he said. “That’s all we ever ask, just to get some follow-up, follow through. You don’t get that a lot anymore.”
Tech players gave variations of the same answer. They connected with him.
“He was just a cool guy I could relate to, and I respect him a lot,” Lamont Simmons said.
“Coach ‘O’, he just came off as a more genuine guy than a lot of the coaches that I experienced coming from different schools,” Alexander said.
Owens’ goal is to land at least one player out of the area annually, he said, “so we’ll have a reason to go back and somebody else knows about us.” Tech had one player from Jacksonville committed, offensive lineman Demetris Harris, but he withdrew his commitment earlier in December.
The success has built on itself. With longevity in the area, Owens has been able to identify younger talent and begin to develop relationships. High-school coaches like Sullivan have developed enough trust and familiarity with him to notify him of potential matches. The elder Durham, who was a youth coach, has served as a resource for parents of prospects.
Owens gives credit to Griffin and Durham for helping Tech establish a foothold in the area.
“It’s always a selling point for us now that we talk about the number of players from the area that are very successful,” he said.
The potential benefit for Tech being in Jacksonville is difficult to gauge. Due to concerns about leaks, Tech’s practices on-site will not be open, thus limiting visitors. The team will also be staying well north of the city, in Amelia Island, Fla. However, there likely will be local media exposure, and the number of area players who will enjoy a homecoming at EverBank Field can’t hurt.
And if any Jackets feel the need to make a Chick-fil-A run, they know who to ask for directions.
