Archive for the ‘SEC’ Category

UGA's loss could be Tennessee's gain … if the Volunteers offer, and Moody accepts it (Tennessee athletics)

Georgia coach Mark Richt granted ex-UGA LB recruit Dexter Moody an “unconditional” release, meaning he could play for any school. Moody told the AJC he could end up playing for Lane Kiffin at Tennessee.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Moody said he was invited to Tennessee’s Orange and White game on Saturday by the Volunteers. ”Me and my dad are planning on going up there,” Moody said. “They talked liked they were going to offer me a scholarship. I don’t know. I guess we’ll see. They just want to meet me in person and everything.”

Moody, who earned All-America honors last year at Emanuel County Institute, said he has had contact with several schools, including Florida, Memphis, Central Michigan and Troy, since breaking ties with Georgia last month. Moody said he has been offered by Marshall, and that he is very encouraged by Tennessee’s Lance Thompson, who coaches linebackers …

Continue reading Ex-UGA LB recruit planning to attend Tennessee’s spring game »

North Gwinnett’s Jawuan James, one of the nation’s top offensive lineman, is finished with his world tour. Well, almost. James, who has nearly 30 scholarship offers, plans to attend Alabama’s spring game on Saturday.

Over the few weeks, James has traveled from coast to coast. On the west side, he went as far as Nike Country, i.e. the University of Oregon. Somewhere along the way, James also stopped by UGA, Tennessee and Florida.

The 6-foot-7, 305-pound James has a stack of scholarship letters and says his top five are Alabama, UGA, Florida, Tennessee and Oklahoma. And he’s really liking the Gators after spending five days in Florida last week over spring break.

“I got to see [Urban Meyer] every day,” James said. “He said they really like me, and need athletic offensive tackles. He said that don’t have a true tackle-sized person … they didn’t have another lineman on their team that was both as big as me and as athletic as me. They said I was on the top on Florida’s list for …

Continue reading Georgia OL prospect winding up world tour at Alabama’s spring game »

Gainesville WR Tai-ler Jones has Notre Dame and UGA among his seven finalists, and 32 offers (AJC)

 Gainesville wide receiver Tai-ler Jones, who will announce his college decision on Thursday, has Notre Dame among his finalists.

PHOTOS: Meet WR Tai-Ler Jones and the rest of Gainesville’s ‘Big Four’ prospects

There’s a good reason. His father, Andre Jones, played linebacker and defensive end for Notre Dame. The younger Jones has narrowed down to UGA, North Carolina, Stanford, California, UCLA, Ohio State and the Fighting Irish. He is one of the nation’s leaders in early scholarships offers with 32.

“Notre Dame is a great school … and I know that because my dad says that about every day,” Jones said with a laugh.

“He tells me all the time about his experiences, and how the college life and connections you make at Notre Dame are different than any other school in the country,” Jones said. “It’s like one big brotherhood, and they all help each other out.”

Jones said he feels like …

Continue reading Notre Dame among the finalists for Georgia WR Tai-ler Jones »

QB Connor Shaw plays QB for his father, Flowery Branch coach Lee Shaw (right). Connor, one of the nation's top high school quarterbacks, is the younger brother of Georgia Tech's Jaybo Shaw. (AJC)

Big brother played a big factor in one of the nation’s top high school quarterbacks committing to Steve Spurrier and South Carolina over Georgia Tech.

Flowery Branch’s Connor Shaw is the younger brother of Georgia Tech quarterback Jaybo Shaw. Big brother’s presence had its advantages and disadvantages for the Jackets in recruiting.

“Jaybo and I are real close,” Connor told the AJC. “We always talked about how cool it would be to play with each other again after high school. He’s the main reason I wanted to go to Georgia Tech. However, ultimately it came down to us competing for the same job … My parents are excited for me. They are just trying to figure out which games to go to in a couple of years, the games at South Carolina or Georgia Tech.”

Connor picked South Carolina over offers …

Continue reading Georgia Tech QB’s brother commits to Steve Spurrier over Jackets »

Like father, like son.

Buford offensive lineman Kolton Houston committed to Georgia before Saturday’s G-Day, following in the footsteps of his father, former UGA football player Shane Houston. “Yes, I did,” Houston told the AJC. “Georgia is the right fit for me and I can’t wait to get here.”

“It’s a great honor to be a Bulldog and I can’t wait to play in front of 92,000 people ‘Between the Hedges.’”

The 6-foot-5, 270-pound Houston selected Georgia over around 15 offers, including Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Auburn, Florida State, and Michigan State. 

Houston has a lot of red and black in his blood. His father was a backup linebacker at Georgia in the late 1980s. Both of Kolton’s parents attended UGA.

Despite the family connections, Houston was a good catch for the Bulldogs. Kolton had started looking seriously at other schools because Georgia was taking longer than competing colleges with his evaluation. However, everything changed when Georgia’s Mark Richt finally …

Continue reading Buford offensive lineman Kolton Houston commits to UGA »

The reigning BCS champions want James Vaughters (Tucker Tigers Football)

Florida coach Urban Meyer jumped into the sweepstakes for Georgia’s No. 1 sophomore.

Tucker LB James Vaughters made an unofficial visit to Florida, and sat down with Meyer for about 45 minutes. Florida is offer No. 8 for Vaughters, who also has scholarships promised from UGA, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Clemson, Stanford, N.C. State and Central Florida.

“It was great to meet Coach Meyer,” Vaughters told the AJC on Friday. “Florida has won two national championships in the last three years. He let me see the rings and everything.”

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Vaughters claims no early favorites. His eyes got big when he was shown around the campus of the reigning BCS champions. “They definitely put a lot into weightlifting. Florida’s weight room is bigger than gyms I’ve seen. [Meyer] seems very interested in character, which is something else that is very good.”

“[Meyer] was also talking about how the team goes …

Continue reading Florida’s Urban Meyer offers Georgia’s No. 1 sophomore prospect »

Nick and Blake shake on it (Photo submitted by Sims family)

Alabama’s Nick Saban dampened UGA’s national championship hopes last year. Now Saban is returning to the state to inflict more damage.

Gainesville QB Blake Sims is the latest 2010 prospect to pledge to Alabama. Sims picked the Crimson Tide over UGA, Michigan, Tennessee and West Virginia, among others.

Alabama has as many commitments from the state as Georgia Tech (3), and more than UGA (1). The other Tuscaloosa-bound prospects are North Gwinnett OL Austin Shephard and Westside-Macon WR Ronald Carswell.

The big questions are these: Now that Saban is scoring big early in Georgia, will he be able to finish as strong as he started with recruiting? And will he be able to hold on to the commitments he has? So far, so good. 

UGA touched base with Sims this week, asking if he wanted to take another look at the Bulldogs. “[Assistant John Jancek] wanted me to come down there, so they could roll out the red carpet like …

Continue reading Alabama’s Nick Saban rolls into Georgia for 2010 prospects »

Orson Charles, Mark Richt, Marlon Brown, Georgia football, UGA recruiting, Georgia recruiting

Continue reading Orson Charles and other Georgia recruits to crash G-Day »

Derrick Favors will make it official with Georgia Tech on April 15. Favors committed to Tech over UGA, Memphis, and N.C. State. (AJC)

Derrick Favors, who is ranked as the nation’s No. 1 basketball prospect by several recruiting services, said there’s no reason for Georgia Tech fans to worry over the next 10 days. Favors has been committed to the Yellow Jackets since January, and will officially sign the scholarship papers on April 15.

“There’s always rumors going around, but I’m 100-percent committed to Georgia Tech,” Favors told the AJC on Sunday night. “When I made my commitment, that was it. There haven’t been any reasons to change things. Georgia Tech hasn’t had a coaching change, and I’m real cool with the team, so I’m staying with them.”

The rumor mill for college basketball recruiting is at its peak. John Calipari was named Kentucky’s coach, and high-profile prospects committed or signed elswhere may follow him. If you recall, Calipari’s former school, Memphis, was a …

Continue reading Nation’s No. 1 basketball recruit, Derrick Favors, counting down days to sign with Georgia Tech »

DT Denzel McCoy committed to Georgia Tech (AJC)

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said he felt like he could recruit against any school in the nation for the state’s top prospects.

Northview defensive tackle Denzel McCoy committed to Georgia Tech over 34 offers on Saturday. McCoy picked the Yellow Jackets because “they felt like home and they were close to home, along with great academics.”

The 6-foot-4, 270-pound McCoy said his second choice was Florida State, while he was also heavily considering Auburn, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Tennessee.

“Georgia Tech really cares about you as a football player and a person, they want to get you suited up for life,” McCoy said. “A lot of colleges talk about only ‘football, football and football.’ Georgia Tech talks about academics first, and then football.”

McCoy attended Georgia Tech’s spring practice on Saturday. He had been thinking about holding off with his college decision, but changed his mind after meeting with school officials …

Continue reading Denzel McCoy picks Georgia Tech over FSU, Auburn, UNC, Notre Dame and Tennessee »