Georgia State has picked up its first three football commitments for 2012.
A pair from Alabama's Dothan High School, linebacker Joseph Peterson and offensive lineman Aaron Thomas, will be following an assistant to Georgia State. Eldrick Hill, who was Dothan's defensive coordinator the past three years, will be joining Georgia State as a graduate assistant or intern, according to Dothan head coach Kelvis White.
"They had a lot to do with it; [Hill] has a great relationship with both players and their families," White said.
The 6-foot, 210-pound Peterson picked Georgia State over Western Kentucky. He also had an early offer from Southern Miss, called to commit, and was told that the school had already filled up at the linebacker position with three commitments. Peterson, who has a 3.0 GPA and plans study to be a physical therapist, said his coach's presence at Georgia State made it an easy choice.
"It had a lot of impact on my decision," Peterson said. "I loved playing under him in high school with the way he coaches. I wanted to play a few more years with Coach Hill in college. I talked with my family and prayed about everything; Georgia State was the right place for me."
Thomas, a 6-3, 300-pounder who projects to play offensive guard, decided to join his coach and teammate at Georgia State. Thomas, who has a 2.8 GPA and wants to study to be a surgeon or something related in the medical field, picked Georgia State over South Alabama.
"Georgia State is not too close to home, but it's also not too far away," Thomas said. "I like the football team, the coaches and city of Atlanta. Joseph and I have been talking for a while about playing together at Georgia State, so we went ahead and made it happen. Coach Hill will be there, too, which is good because I'll know some people when I get there."
Also, Miramar (Fla.) linebacker Bryan Williams committed to Georgia State, which was his only offer. The 6-3, 200-pounder said he had interest from numerous other schools, including South Florida, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Middle Tennessee State, Florida Atlantic, and Central Florida.
QB on the mend
Georgia's top prospect at quarterback, Wayne County's Greyson Lambert, is nearly fully recovered from a leg injury that sidelined him for three months and is sprinting through schools on the recruiting trail.
Lambert made unofficial visits to South Carolina and N.C. State last weekend. He plans to make recruiting trips to Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, FSU, and maybe a few other schools in July.
The 6-foot-6, 195-pounder has nine early offers: Alabama, South Carolina, Miami, N.C. State, Virginia, Louisville, Purdue, Boston College and Mississippi State.
Lambert suffered a leg injury from training too hard. He went to the doctor with what he thought was shin splints in both legs in late March, and was surprised to hear the diagnosis of a stress fracture in his left leg (affecting his ability to pivot and throw). He was on crutches for nearly 10 weeks, missing all of Wayne County’s spring football practice. Lambert still wears a walking boot.
Georgia had an excellent chance at Lambert after being one of the first schools to offer. However, Lambert said he was later informed that the Bulldogs didn’t intend on signing a quarterback in 2012.
“Georgia said they aren’t going to take a QB in my class unless one of their QBs transfers,” Lambert said. “I had a good relationship with them and I understood where they where coming from. I just took it for what it was worth, got over it, and moved forward. I still talk to their assistant coaches every once in a while and get mail from Georgia.”
Lambert claims no favorites yet. “I’m going to try to take as many visits as I can in July before I name any leaders. This whole leg issue has pushed back some stuff.”
About the Author
