Jordan Colbert, who ranks as one of the state’s top prospects at safety, came up with a creative way to announce his college decision.
The Griffin High standout told reporters that after last Saturday’s track meet, he would get in the family car and drive to the winning school.
Which direction did the car go? Colbert parked on Auburn’s campus, picking the Tigers over his other finalists of Georgia, Clemson and Florida State.
“Auburn was my choice just because of the family atmosphere and how comfortable my family is there,” Colbert said.
Colbert’s out-of-state plans ended a tough stretch for UGA’s recruiting efforts. Last week, the Bulldogs lost two other top targets from metro Atlanta to Auburn — Mill Creek offensive lineman Kaleb Kim and Sprayberry offensive lineman Bailey Sharp.
Colbert’s decision probably stung the most because he said he was a lifelong UGA fan. However, the Bulldogs lost momentum when they held off on offering a scholarship until only a couple of weeks ago.
“I can understand why UGA waited longer than other schools to offer me because of my (previous comments) in articles,” Colbert said. “I had said that ‘Nine times out of 10, I was going to commit to Georgia if I got an offer.’
“Yes sir, if Georgia had offered earlier, I would’ve gone about the whole situation differently with them. A lot differently.”
Colbert’s commitment to Auburn might have an impact on one of his Griffin teammates, wide receiver Christian Owens, who is pledged to UGA.
“He’s my cousin,” Colbert said. “We always talk about playing together in college. He’s committed to Georgia, but he could go somewhere else than Georgia. He said he’s still open.”
However, UGA may still have a chance to sign Colbert. Despite Saturday’s announcement, he still plans to visit other colleges.
“I’m still going to be open to seeing other schools,” he said. “I’m still going to take visits. As of right now, my mind is made up for Auburn. It could always change, but it would take a lot because Auburn makes me feel like family.”
One more for Tech? Georgia Tech basketball coach Brian Gregory has at least one available scholarship, but hasn't decided whether to use it.
“It depends on how everything unfolds,” Gregory said. “We’re obviously active in recruiting. As I always say, there’s a whole other season of recruiting now with transfers and things like that. Recruiting never stops. We have available scholarships, so we’re always looking.”
Tech has signed three recruits for its 2014 class, along with getting a commitment from South Florida transfer Josh Heath.
What type of recruit is Tech seeking? “We’re looking for the best available player,” Gregory said. “We continue to need to bring in quality players and players who will play.
“If that means we need to play (with a small lineup) at times, then we’ve got to play small. If we play everyone who is (6-foot-7) or 6-8 out there, we will do that.
“Right now, when you’re down to having one or two scholarships left, you’re looking for your best available player.”
Georgia also has one spot available.
Arkansas coach speaks out: Unlike Auburn last season, Arkansas was not an overnight success with its first-year football coach. Under Bret Bielema, the Razorbacks opened with three consecutive wins before losing off nine consecutive games. Some of the struggles had to do with the Bielema ripping apart the Arkansas playbook and installing a new offense and defense.
“Obviously, this is my first transition as a head coach,” Bielema said. “It’s something I wanted to do. … I wanted to experience it. But I knew coming in, what I was going to ask our players was dramatically different from what they were used to. If you get a team with a new coach coming in that was very similar to what they’ve done in the past, you could have an Auburn situation.
“You know, Gus (Malzahn) was part of three out of those five recruiting classes (at Auburn as an assistant and head coach). Know what I mean? There were huge transitional benefits there. But if I had transferred into a Stanford or a program that had a pro-type offense background and the type of defense we like to run, the transition probably would’ve been a little bit smoother — not just from a record standpoint, but from a personnel standpoint. I think that’s the part, you as coaches, have to be aware of.”
Arkansas will make Georgia more of a priority in recruiting, increasing from one to three the number of assistants scouring the state for talent.
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