Archive for the ‘Big 12’ Category

Update: Nick Montana talks about Georgia, Alabama, Southern Cal and Tennessee [Click here]

Joe Montana with his two boys at the 1995 ceremony to retire his San Francisco 49ers jersey. Where's future QB prospect Nick Montana? Showing his calm and cool demeanor, even as an infant. Young Nick is sleeping soundly in his mother's arms to the left (San Jose Mercury News)

Nick Montana, son of NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana, will visit Alabama and Georgia this weekend. The 6-foot-2, 177-pound quarterback is scheduled to be at Alabama on Friday, and then tour Georgia on Saturday.

Montana claims no favorites and says his famous father’s ties to Notre Dame will not impact his college decision, according to TotalUGA.com. Montana also says distance won’t affect his recruiting process.

Montana is one of six QBs offered by Georgia, including Blake Bell of Wichita, Kan., and Gainesville High’s Blake Sims. Montana sports offers from South Carolina, Stanford, LSU, Ohio State, Florida State, …

Continue reading NFL legend Joe Montana’s son will visit with Georgia coach Mark Richt »

Alec Ogletree is ranked as the nation's No. 1 safety by Rivals with 35 scholarship offers, but he says his twin brother may be more talented than him (AJC)

Newnan High’s Alec Ogletree is considered the state’s No. 1 college prospect and holds 35 early scholarship offers. He says his twin brother, Zander Ogletree, may be better than he is, and Zander has been mostly ignored by college scouts.

“The only reason I can think that I have all these offers and [my twin brother] doesn’t is because of height … because he can play, I mean, he’s really, really good ,” said Alec, who was heavily courted by Georgia coach Mark Richt during UGA’s Junior Day. His five early favorites are Miami, FSU, Alabama, UGA and Florida.

The football stars were born two minutes apart on Sept. 25, 1991. Alec has grown to 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, plays safety in high school, and has college coaches drooling with his presence. Zander (the older twin) stands 5-11 and 205 pounds, plays some mean linebacker, and …

Continue reading Mother of Georgia’s No. 1 prospect would love to see twins stay together in college »

Mike Gundy boosted his Q rating among recruits with his rant. Georgia plays at Oklahoma State to open the 2009 football season (OSU athletics)

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, who became an instant celebrity with his “I’m a Man, I’m 40″ rant on YouTube, said his famous tirade to defend one of his former players is helping the Cowboys with recruiting future players. Even Gundy admits he never anticipated the recruiting benefits from the emotional outburst which got so popular it was the punchline for jokes.

“No, I didn’t expect it, in any way, shape, form or fashion,” Gundy told the AJC. “It’s interesting since that day, which happened on impulse in my opinion, to protect and take care of one of our players, I didn’t have any idea that it would take off like this. From that point on, for good or bad, I’ve become very recognizable across the country.”

“In turn, what has has happened in the last couple of years in recruiting, it has helped us tremendously. I think the parents …

Continue reading Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy’s famous rant reaps recruiting rewards »

Do you think you know your recruiting? Do you have some inside information that no one else knows? Then let’s have some fun. 

Take your best guess on where five high-profile recruits will sign on Wednesday …

Greg Reid, DB, Lowndes. It’s Florida State, UGA, and Alabama. His Lowndes teammate and cousin, Gerald Demps, is headed to Florida State, and some family members would like him to play a little closer to home (Tallahassee is 85 miles away, while Athens is 240). Reid admits with Georgia being his final official visit, they are in great position to make the biggest influence before signing day. Will it be enough?

Carver-Columbus LB Jarvis Jones

Jarvis Jones, LB, Carver-Columbus. The poker-faced Jones lists Florida, Southern Cal, UGA, LSU and Texas. There’s an “80-percent chance” he’ll go out of state. Mark Richt spent six hours with Jones on Wednesday. Was that enough to make Jones think about staying around home to play?

Darren Myles, DB, Carver-Atlanta. He is taking an …

Continue reading Step right up and make your National Signing Day predictions »

Walton’s David Paulsen, who was offered a scholarship by Georgia this week, had to learn about the “grayshirt” recruiting term.

It’s when a senior signs with a college in February but does not enroll during the summer with the rest of his recruiting classmates because of a scholarship overload. Instead, the player delays his start in college until January, allowing the school to count him toward the following year’s scholarship total.

Georgia coach Mark Richt brought up the “grayshirt” issue with Paulsen when making an in-home visit on Monday. It is a creative way to try to get Paulsen to play in Athens.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Paulsen is a lifelong Georgia fan. But when he didn’t have an offer last month, he committed to Oklahoma State. But Richt concluded recently that he wanted to sign a fullback, and Paulsen was the No. 1 target.

Georgia has less than the normal 25 scholarships this year because of a large senior class. The Bulldogs are expected to sign no …

Continue reading Recruiting 101: Learning the T-shirt terminology »

Why does college football recruiting have such a fanatical following? Some have suggested because it is a “male soap opera.” Whatever the case, if you like drama, especially among the state’s top college prospects, there is plenty of it to unravel between now and national signing day on Feb. 4. Here are six recruiting soap operas to watch:

Greg Reid is considering the Gators, UGA, Florida State, Mississippi State, and Texas and probably six more colleges that called by the time you read this caption.

Greg Reid, Lowndes: He may be the nation’s hottest prospect after his MVP performance in the Under Armour All-America game, intercepting two passes and nearly picking off another. Only a few days earlier, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound Reid made the surprising move to back off his longtime commitment to Florida, saying he rushed his initial decision. UGA has reminded Reid it still has a scholarship available for him. He will make recruiting trips to Florida on Jan. 16, Mississippi State …

Continue reading Six Soap Operas to Watch in the State »