Archive for March, 2009

Jon Richt is transferring from Clemson (Clemson athletics)

Georgia State, which will field its first football team in 2010, is in the sweepstakes to land former Clemson quarterback Jon Richt. He is the son of UGA coach Mark Richt.

The elder Richt went on a recruiting trip over the weekend, accompanying his son to Valdosta State, where the quarterback is considering transferring after leaving Clemson this spring.

Richt said his son earlier visited Georgia State, and is also considering UT-Chattanooga and Mars Hill. “He’d like to have it decided in the next two, three weeks,” Richt told the AJC’s Tim Tucker.

Jon was redshirted last year and wasn’t listed among the leaders on Clemson’s depth charts this spring. Should he transfer from a I-A school to a Div. II school, Jon would not have to sit out a year. The UGA coach said Valdosta State made quite the impression. 

“I’d never been to Valdosta State before, and it’s a beautiful campus,” Richt said. “It’s about the right size, …

Continue reading UGA coach Mark Richt, son Jon eyeing Georgia State and others after Clemson exit »

Georgia coach Mark Richt signed two of Tennessee's top high school players, OL Austin Long and WR Marlon Brown (AJC)

Athens – Offensive lineman Austin Long, one of the biggest names in Georgia’s 2009 recruiting class, underwent back surgery in Memphis on Monday.

Georgia coach Mark Richt said he expects Long to enroll as scheduled in the fall and to red-shirt for the ’09 season.

“By the end of the season, maybe by bowl practice, he might could get some work and be ready for spring [2010],” Richt said. “We’ll just get him through this, get him healthy and get him competing as soon as we can.”

Long, a 6-5, 268-pounder, attends Briarcrest Christian in Memphis. Scout.com ranked him the No. 6 offensive tackle in the nation.

Continue reading One of UGA’s top recruits likely to miss season after back surgery »

Georgia Tech is offer No. 1 for Morgan Bailey

Georgia Tech is the first school to offer Loganville offensive lineman Morgan Bailey. He got to sit down and talk with Jackets coach Paul Johnson.

“[Johnson] said they were ready for me to have the scholarship offer, and that they think I can play there,” Bailey said. “He told me to take my time to think about it. He didn’t pressure me into anything. He told me how the scholarship works. I’m excited.”

The 6-foot-5, 283-pound Bailey wants to see a few more places before making his college decision. He attended UGA’s Junior Day, and has also attracted attention from Auburn, Vanderbilt, Duke, and Georgia Southern. Bailey visited Georgia Tech on Friday for practice, but it got rained out and he ended up talking with Johnson for around an hour.

Bailey will be a key blocker for Loganville teammate Storm Johnson, one of the state’s top tailbacks.

Continue reading Georgia Tech is first offer for Loganville OL Morgan Bailey »

M.L. King’s Mack Brown (Scout.com)

Mack Brown, of M.L. King High (Ga.), plays running back and is among Georgia’s most sought-after rising seniors. Here’s a little bit more about this hot prospect in the recruiting Class of 2010.

YOU be the recruiter: Share your observations about him — and your thoughts on which school he should seriously consider and why — below in our “Comments” area. Keep comments clean and respectful.

Mack Brown Football Factsheet: Brown is listed at 5-11, 190 pounds and runs a 4.38 in the 40. He currently has offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Oklahoma, Maryland, Rutgers, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, West Virginia and South Carolina.

VIDEO: See ESPN’s Mack Brown interview HERE.

Continue reading Meet the Signing Day Class of 2010: Mack Brown, M.L. King running back prospect »

Thomasville DB Fred Holton

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson has hinted that next year’s recruiting class may be entirely comprised of prospects from the state of Georgia. Thomasville safety Fred Holton is Georgia Tech’s second commitment, following in the footsteps of Collins Hill tailback Charles Perkins.

“Georgia Tech is my dream school, I just wanted to go ahead and get it out of the way,” said Holton, who picked the Jackets over offers from Central Florida, Kansas State and Ole Miss. He also had emerging interest from Georgia and Clemson.

VIDEO: Click here to see Holton (#15) in action on the field (Note: This is a .wav file)

“Coach Johnson was telling me I had a scholarship offer, and another safety had an offer. He has a minimum amount of scholarship offers, and he would rather me commit now than later. He said it wouldn’t be good for me to wait too long. Say I get injured at spring practice? That could be a reason for some colleges to drop me. If I went ahead and …

Continue reading Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson lands second recruit from Georgia, DB Fred Holton »

[Also: Click here as Joe Montana's son talks about Alabama, Southern Cal, Tennessee]

There was NFL royalty at Georgia on Saturday.

Joe Montana, the three-time Super Bowl MVP, accompanied his son, Nick Montana, on a recruiting trip to UGA. Nick is one of the nation’s top quarterback prospects and has a dozen offers, including Georgia.

Everywhere the Montanas went in Athens, Ga., the NFL Hall of Famer was recognized. “That’s the way it always is. People notice my dad. That was nice. I love my dad. He’s my role model and inspiration.”

Nick and his parents were given the royal treatment at Georgia. Said Nick, “My interest is growing with each trip I take to college campuses. Every time I visit a school, I get to compare it with other schools I’ve visited. I’m not ready to talk about early favorites and anything like that, but Georgia will be up there.”

Montana said he and his legendary father met with Georgia coach Mark Richt for around 30 minutes. “We learned a lot about [Richt] …

Continue reading QB Nick Montana says that UGA is “up there” among college choices »

Mark Richt: No recruiting trips to Poland (AJC).

Georgia coach Mark Richt, who famously said late last season that he might have to look as far as Poland for a kickoff specialist, found one in southern California.

The Bulldogs on Thursday signed junior college kicker Brandon Bogotay — a San Diego native who played last season at Grossmont College in El Cajon, Calif. — to a letter of intent.

[Click here to read the rest of the story by the AJC's Tim Tucker]

FIRST of two videos of Bogotay kicking it. He’s No. 49 in green uniforms.

VIDEO NO. 2 of Bogotay, CLICK HERE

Continue reading Watch video of UGA’s newest recruit, kicker Brandon Bogotay »

Mark Richt can be all thumbs on his new Twitter account. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)

Add Georgia Bulldogs coach Mark Richt to the growing number of popular sports figures who’ve joined Twitter Nation.

If you’re hip to Twitter, maybe you’re already following Coach Richt, who goes by the screen name MarkRicht and boasts a healthy 612 followers at present — a number certain to rise as more UGA fans log on to the popular social network, which offers mini updates from its vast array of users anytime, anywhere. In essence, fans can tag along with the coach through his days, getting real-time insights — and some laughs — from, well, the source’s mouth.

A sampling of Coach Richt’s most recent Tweets:

— Practice #6 is in the books. The 2009 Spring Coaches Clinic is underway.
— We had a great practice yesterday the team’s attitude was great and the intensity level was off the charts!!! 167 days…
— Practice #3 in the books, tomorrow is the first scrimmage of spring and the team is working …

Continue reading Tweet like a man: UGA coach Mark Richt boasts popular Twitter account (and you can follow him) »

Newnan safety Alec Ogletree, who is considered the state’s No. 1 prospect, says that Miami is his favorite school out of 35 scholarship offers.

He will visit the school this weekend. On Friday morning Ogletree, his uncle and a family friend will travel to Miami to watch the Hurricanes in Saturday’s Spring Game.

It will be a 22-hour trip for Ogletree, who lists Miami, Georgia, Florida State, Florida and Alabama as his top choices.

“I’ve never been to Miami,” Ogletree told the AJC on Thursday night. “I haven’t been down there yet to see what they are all about. That’s why I’m going to Miami this weekend. I can’t drop them because I haven’t sat down and talked to them like I have with Georgia.”

Ogletree said he became attracted to the program at an early age. “They were on TV one day when I was little,” he said. “I started watching them on TV and have been ever since.”

Ogletree said he does not intend to make his college decision this weekend. “I’m probably going to wait until …

Continue reading Newnan DB Alec Ogletree to see Miami for the first time »

Athens — Georgia coach Mark Richt, who famously said late last season that he might have to look as far as Poland for a kickoff specialist, found one in southern California.

The Bulldogs on Thursday signed junior college kicker Brandon Bogotay — a San Diego native who played last season at Grossmont College in El Cajon, Calif. — to a letter of intent.

Richt said Bogotay will battle incumbent Blair Walsh for all kicking duties — field goals, extra points and kickoffs. But it was Bogotay’s strong kickoffs — and Walsh’s deficiency in that area last season — that persuaded Georgia to spend another scholarship on a kicker.

“My goal as head coach is to make sure we’re better than we were a year ago, and we feel like [Bogotay] gives us a chance to do that,” Richt said. “If nothing else, [the competition] will sharpen the skills of Blair.”
Walsh said he welcomes the challenge and intends to hold on to his jobs.

“It’s an opportunity to compete and get better; that’s how I view it right …

Continue reading Kicker Bogotay signs with UGA; Richt ‘excited’ about player’s versatility »