Why recruits picked their schools

Jeff Greene: ‘If you make plays [Tech will] find ways to get you the ball’

Starr’s Mill receiver Jeff Greene said he heard it during almost every conversation with a recruiter not associated with Georgia Tech: “Tech never throws the ball ... Instead of catching 10 passes a game, you’ll be lucky to catch 10 balls a season there ...”

But the 6-foot-4, 195-pounder decided to believe Tech coach Paul Johnson instead. He committed to the Jackets last July.

“He told me that the offense is about getting the ball in the hands of playmakers,” said Greene, who will be joined on the Flats by his running back at Starr’s Mill, Zach Laskey. “‘If you make plays,’ he said, ‘we’ll find ways to make sure you get the ball.’”

That sold Greene on Tech, along with a few other factors.

“It’s close to home so my friends and family can see me play,” said Greene, who also considered South Florida, Mississippi State, Duke and Cincinnati. “I like that it’s in a big city and not a small town. I like the weather. I wouldn’t want to go somewhere where it’s cold. And Tech has such a great combination of academics and athletics. It’s everything that I could want.”

To him, recruiting a great overall experience.

“The whole process, talking to the coaches, meeting and hanging out with the players, all the way up until now, signing day,” Greene said, “it’s all been great. It’s been fun.”

S. Thomas Coleman

Zach Laskey: ‘I never considered going anywhere else’

For most recruits, the number of phone calls and text messages dies significantly after they announce a commitment to a school. But the opposite was true for Starr’s Mill running back Zach Laskey.

And most of those calls and texts were coming from Georgia Tech. Even though he had committed to the Yellow Jackets in December, Tech coaches were still calling him constantly even last week. After a number of players previously committed to the Yellow Jackets switched to other schools over the last few weeks, Tech wanted to make sure Laskey was remaining true.

“It was crazy,” said Laskey, a 6-foot-1, 185-pounder who will line up at the B-back position in coach Paul Johnson’s offense. “They were calling so much, just to make sure I was still coming.”

But Laskey said Tech had nothing to worry about. He had offers from Middle Tennessee State, all three service academies and several FCS (formerly Division I-AA) schools. But Tech was always his top choice.

“We moved here [from Pennsylvania] when I was 7 and I saw my first Tech-Georgia game,” Laskey said. “I liked how Tech played, how physical they were and I became a Tech fan from then on.

“Then when they starting recruiting me and I visited, it really felt like home,” said Laskey, who will be joined at Tech by his teammate at Starr’s Mill, receiver Jeff Greene. “And the fact that Jeff was committed to going there really sold me as well. Once they offered, that was it. I never considered going anywhere else.”

S. Thomas Coleman

Timmy Byerly: ‘It’s almost the exact same offense’

The idea of running the football now and then appeals to quarterback Timmy Byerly. When Middle Tennessee State recruited him, the coaches told him that will continue to be part of the plan.

But the quarterback will not necessarily be the focal point of the running attack as much as in the past couple of years, when former Charlton County star Dwight Dasher seemed to be MTSU’s leading rusher on a game-to-game basis.

Byerly is interested in a little more balance after the 6-foot-1, 202-pounder led Chattahoochee to the state Class AAAA title. “They’re going to stay away from running the quarterback 25 times, maybe 10 times [a game],” he said.

Byerly was attracted by more than that. “They have really, really good coaches, three who have played quarterback in the past,” he said. “And it’s almost the exact same offense that we ran [at Chattahoochee].”

Matt Winkeljohn

Andre Sims: ‘I have a chip on my shoulder’

Andre Sims spent part of his youth in Cleveland and he said spending winters in East Lansing, Mich., is “not going to be a big adjustment.”

But for as happy as he is about having chosen to play football at Michigan State, the Brookwood cornerback-wide receiver is motivated by the fact that some schools closer to his current home did not show him more interest even as he and the Brookwood Broncos drove to the state Class AAAAA title.

“I was getting a lot of letters from Georgia, Georgia Tech, but they never offered,” said the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Sims. “I don’t regret my decision, but I have a chip on my shoulder going to the Big Ten from the South.”

Sims was surprised when the Spartans offered him a scholarship.

“I had no idea that anybody in the North would come look at me so it was kind of a shock,” he said. “They offered me right after my junior year and I took the commitment a month later. I was waiting [for Southern schools to show more interest].”

Matt Winkeljohn

Ammon Lakip: ‘It was like a second chance ...’

As a key part of Chattahoochee High’s drive to the State AAAA title, kicker- punter Ammon Lakip experienced plenty of pressure. Maybe none of it matched the decision he faced when it came time to choose a college.

Lakip signed with Clemson on Wednesday after previously being courted by a couple of ACC rivals — Georgia Tech and Maryland.

“I did [previously] have a lot of grayshirt and preferred walk-on offers,” said Lakip, who is also a sterling soccer player. “Only Georgia Tech and Maryland offered me. I didn’t get to see them until January and I was looking at soccer. When Clemson called, it was like a second chance I couldn’t pass up.”

Maryland has a soccer program and Georgia Tech does not. It is not clear whether Lakip will play soccer at Clemson, but he said he’s open to the idea of trying both sports with football as his priority. He visited all three schools within a week’s time.

Matt Winkeljohn

Chandler Worthy: ‘You’ve got to get back up and work harder’

Chandler Worthy, a slot receiver from Griffin High School, said he signed with Troy State because the program is all about speed and that’s what he’s all about. He also plans to run track for the Trojans in the 100-meter and 200 events.

Enjoying the signing-day festivities with many of his teammates at Fox Sports Grill in Atlantic Station, he said he likely would have signed with Marshall or Appalachian State had he not committed his future to Troy.

He said he learned a lot during the recruiting process. He strained his hamstring in February last year and the calls from some of the coaches at the major colleges, including Mississippi and Oklahoma State, dried up.

“When you get knocked down you’ve got to get back up and work harder,” he said.

Doug Roberson

Quentin Boswell: ‘The coaches treated me like family’

Quentin Boswell, a wide receiver from Martin Luther King High School, said he signed with Alabama State because it was a good fit.

“The coaches treated me like family,” he said while enjoying the signing-day festivities with many of his teammates at Fox Sports Grill in Midtown’s Atlantic Station.

Had he not signed with the Hornets, he said he would have likely ended up at South Carolina State.

Doug Roberson

Ben McLane: ‘I want to be part of something new’

After helping lead Brookwood to the state Class AAAAA title, Ben McLane had to decide whether he wanted to be part of a rebuilding effort or a building effort. He chose to stay a little closer to home, as the quarterback opted for Georgia State over West Georgia.

“I looked at the two programs and they’re kind of similar,” McLane said. “West Georgia’s had a couple down years so they’re coming back up and Georgia State has a new program.”

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound McLane generated some interest from Georgia Tech, Georgia and Mississippi State, but reportedly did not receive offers from those schools. In the end, he chose to join coach Bill Curry’s new program in downtown Atlanta.

“I think that’s what convinced me,” McLane said. “I want to be part of something new, and help build something up.”

Matt Winkeljohn

Christian Reeves: ‘Coach Beamer has been there forever’

In high school, Christian Reeves was a tight end while playing for Eagles Landing Christian Academy in McDonough. He’s not sure what he’ll play at Virginia Tech, but suggested he’ll be a wide receiver or a hybrid tight end/H-back. He’ll be happy either way.

At 6-foot-4 and 194 pounds, he’s got the right build to be called a “tweener.” He was sold on the Hokies by more than the prospect of being some sort of receiver. Reeves pledged to Virginia Tech in June, at about the time his teammate Matt Rochell made his commitment to Air Force.

“I went to camp there last summer,” Reeves said. “The biggest thing for me was the coaching staff. Coach [Frank] Beamer has been there forever. On top of that, there’s the history and tradition. And I loved the campus, just being there.”

Matt Winkeljohn

Cameron Faulkner: ‘The coaches have a family-oriented program’

As Cameron Faulkner enjoyed the drive all the way to the state Class AAAAA title, the Brookwood fullback knew he wanted to keep playing college football even though he is slightly undersized. He had a chance to stay relatively close to home, too, as Valdosta State was interested.

But he will journey to the land of 10,000 lakes to continue his career after opting to sign a letter of intent Wednesday with Bethel, a Christian liberal arts university in St. Paul, Minn., where he found the vibe for which he was looking.

“I made my choice between Bethel and Valdosta State because of early playing time and the coaches have a family-oriented program up there,” Faulkner said. “It’s sort of a newer school and I think they have turned things around. They have a couple guys who are good friends with members of our coaching staff.”