‘Trust’ was key for SWD’s Malcome
By DARRYL MAXIE / dmaxie@ajc.com
Maybe other coaches should do a little more praying. That’s the way Georgia coach Mark Richt says he ultimately gets the right players to become Bulldogs, and judging from some of the commitments he and his staff have recently secured, it’s working.
Southwest DeKalb running back Kendrun Malcome is the latest to join the fold, telling the AJC today that the relationships he’s forged with Richt and assistant coaches Rodney Garner and Bryan McClendon ultimately bred the winning trust.
“My trust in the coaches and that I was comfortable with the atmosphere and comfortable with the other players [were the deciding factors],” Malcome told the AJC. “They run my type of offense, pro-style. The coaches told me what life would be like outside of football. They cared about how my family was doing, how my schoolwork was going.”
Malcolm, a 6-foot, 213-pound rising senior, is rated by scout.com as the nation’s 27th-best running back and the 31st-best by rivals. He joins recent coups Alec Ogletree of Newnan, Brent Benedict of the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla., Da’Rick Rogers of Calhoun — all players who chose the Bulldogs over Florida.
The Gators, who have put together a rock-solid class of their own, are still battling the Dogs for an even higher-profile running back in Georgia’s back yard. M.L. King’s Mack Brown, rated the sixth-best in the nation at his position by rivals and the seventh-best by scout, has narrowed his choices to those two schools.
Malcome said his high school coach, the highly esteemed Buck Godfrey, “felt good” about his commitment. Godfrey is known to discourage players from committing early, but Malcome said, “He just wants to make sure everyone is treated right.”
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68 comments Add your comment
Malcome commits to Georgia | AJC College Sports Recruiting
June 30th, 2009
2:59 pm
[...] attempts to contact Malcome were unsuccessful. (Update: A later attempt has succeeded.) You can read what he had to tell rivals and scout (both are pay sites; [...]
the real OLD GOLD
June 30th, 2009
3:06 pm
Good luck kid. Except come November of course…
Fast Eddie
June 30th, 2009
3:09 pm
Maxie, you are as obsessed as the rest of these Dawg fans about the Gators. I guess the Gators must be the standard by which Dawg fans measure their teams.
reebok
June 30th, 2009
3:10 pm
Tech fan here. Good luck, young man, and glad you stayed in-state. See you on the Flats one day soon!
Lil Yodi
June 30th, 2009
3:12 pm
SWD is right around the way from me. I grew up hearing about the legendary coach Godfrey, back during the Quincy Carter days and so on. I love when Dekalb Country kids join the Bulldogs. Welcome aboard. To the haters that are sure to come and post lame comments…. GET A LIFE!!!!
Maddog
June 30th, 2009
3:16 pm
Fast Eddie, how in the world does this article give you reason to accuse Maxie of being obsessed wiht the gators? I mean look at you, you’re the second poster on this blog about a UGA football commit. Now I ask you, who is obsessed with whom?
Diamond Dawg
June 30th, 2009
3:17 pm
Woof woof woof!!!!!!!!!
Portland Dawg
June 30th, 2009
3:19 pm
reebok and Old Gold….class posts. Hope that trend will stay.
reservoirDAWG
June 30th, 2009
3:24 pm
I doubt it.
spider
June 30th, 2009
3:27 pm
wow ,it looks like the dawgs are going to win another SUMMER national championship
UGA M.D.
June 30th, 2009
3:32 pm
thanks for bringing us back to reality spider, here we were thinking we might have a blog full of classy posts for once
yellow fuzz
June 30th, 2009
3:34 pm
“wow ,it looks like the dawgs are going to win another SUMMER national championship”
LOL.
B
June 30th, 2009
3:37 pm
GO DAWGS!!
stoopid
June 30th, 2009
3:40 pm
does anyone know about when Mack Brown is supposed to commit???
Bank Walker, Texas Ranger
June 30th, 2009
3:41 pm
Eddie I think the Gators are the standard that all teams are jundged by. And by the way, yellow fuzz has a girl friend. LOL
reservoirDAWG
June 30th, 2009
3:46 pm
Now I’ve read it all. Lane Kiffin has offerred Eric Berry’s 13 year old brother Evan. I’m sure LK will still be at UT.
BigTimeTECHFan
June 30th, 2009
3:53 pm
Wow, nother nice pick up for UGA, Tech doing good to. I hope both teams load up, so the GT vs UGA game will be national game of the year
My dream of Georgia Tech playing UGA as no 1 vs No 2 may happen someday.
Go Jackets, but good job for MR, I think two class coaches in Georgia
Saint Simons
June 30th, 2009
3:57 pm
Here, let me get on here too, with yellow fuzz – I am gay!!!!! hahahahahaha
FL DAWG
June 30th, 2009
4:15 pm
Good pick up dawgs now go get some DE and DT. We lose a ton of talent after this year at DT and to date we don’t have anyone that has stepped up at DE. This has the making of another very good class. Let us hope that CMR, CWM and CMB coach up the talent already in house and have a great year.
stoopid
June 30th, 2009
4:16 pm
does anyone know when Mack Brown is supposed to commit???
Bulldog Fan
June 30th, 2009
4:20 pm
Seriously, why are GT fans always on our blogs? Can someone explain it?
UGA
June 30th, 2009
4:22 pm
Anyword if this decision will alter Brown’s decision? I heard he was on the verge of making a commitment.
Larry
June 30th, 2009
4:26 pm
I wonder how many national championships Florida would have the past three seasons if the NCAA conducted illegal drug tests and criminal background checks right before the title game?
Smart choice kid! You’ll arrive as a teenager, leave as a real man under Richt, and your parents will sleep well at night!
Urban Cryer
June 30th, 2009
4:32 pm
I don’t know why he turned me down after I promised to make him a starter in the first game of his 1st year. After all, I am the worlds best coach including basketball.
Jones
June 30th, 2009
4:37 pm
Mack Brown is supposedly making his decision in July. Go Dawgs!!!
DAWG13'
June 30th, 2009
4:39 pm
response to Diamond Dawg..
woof woof!!!!!lol
TechDan
June 30th, 2009
4:40 pm
Uhh, Bulldog Fan: This is not a UGA blog. This is a recruiting blog. Wrong place to complain.
Good luck, kid. I’d much rather see you play at Georgia than see you on the sidelines at Florida. Hopefully, Clean Old-Fashioned Hate will have NC implications in the next few years, now that Tech is finally back on track.
txdawg
June 30th, 2009
4:45 pm
REEBOK – class act, now thats how UGA and GT Tech fans should relate to each other’s recruits, with respect and not throwing barbs at each other…. can’t we all just get along???
stoopid
June 30th, 2009
4:47 pm
thanks jones
AJ
June 30th, 2009
4:48 pm
From what i read on rival and scout the Dawgs want to try and get two Backs in this class. My Guess is that Mack brown heads down to Fla, but i believe that UGA still has a shot at E. Clements down in Miami. We are in his top two or three. but who knows, I wait till they sign on the dotted line before i get too excited about them.
The Red and Black
June 30th, 2009
4:50 pm
[...] more: Pretty good recruiting story/column from the AJC’s Darryl Maxie on Georgia’s newest addition to the class of 2010, Southwest Dekalb tailback Kendrun [...]
Chapel Bell
June 30th, 2009
4:56 pm
Uhh, TechDan and GTInsider just don’t get it. When the recruiting topic is about UGA their famous retort is “this is a recruiting blog”. We are allowed to play in the sandbox (now that we have won 1 out of the last 8). “Tech is back on track”-bet you were saying that after your bowl game with the cajuns. Yeah, it’s not a UGA blog; it’s a recruiting blog, BUT the entire blog is about UGA. Go ahead…respond with some type of high horse comment and socialistic sense of belonging. Dipsh*ts.
2010 Recruiting - Page 5 - SECTalk Forums
June 30th, 2009
5:10 pm
[...] ‘Trust’ was key for SWD’s Malcome | AJC College Sports Recruiting ‘Trust’ was key for SWD’s Malcome 2:56 pm June 30, 2009, by Darryl Maxie By DARRYL MAXIE / dmaxie@ajc.com Maybe other coaches should do a little more praying. That’s the way Georgia coach Mark Richt says he ultimately gets the right players to become Bulldogs, and judging from some of the commitments he and his staff have recently secured, it’s working. Southwest DeKalb running back Kendrun Malcome is the latest to join the fold, telling the AJC today that the relationships he’s forged with Richt and assistant coaches Rodney Garner and Bryan McClendon ultimately bred the winning trust. “My trust in coaches and that I was comfortable with the atmosphere and comfortable with the other players [was the deciding factor],” Malcome told the AJC. “They run my type of offense, pro-style. The coaches told me what life would be like outside of football. They cared about how my family was doing, how my schoolwork was going.” Malcolm, a 6-foot, 213-pound rising senior, is rated by scout.com as the nation’s 27th-best running back and the 31st-best by rivals. He joins recent coups Alec Ogletree of Newnan, Brent Benedict of the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla., Da’Rick Rogers of Calhoun — all players who chose the Bulldogs over Florida. The Gators, who have put together a rock-solid class of their own, are still battling the Dogs for an even higher-profile running back in Georgia’s back yard. M.L. King’s Mack Brown, rated the sixth-best in the nation at his position by rivals and the seventh-best by scout, has narrowed his choices to those two schools. Malcome said his high school coach, the highly esteemed Buck Godfrey, “felt good” about his commitment. Godfrey is known to discourage players from committing early, but Malcome said, “He just wants to make sure everyone is treated right.” [...]
TampaGator
June 30th, 2009
5:14 pm
Maxie…go to Rivals or Scouts.com…and you will see that almost every player in the country is being considered by Florida or every player has Florida on his top 5 list of schools. That does not mean that Florida wants every player in the country, especially the 27th rated RB in the country, or lost out to Georgia to that player. Believe me, I follow Gator recruiting very closely and I have never heard this kid’s name mentioned as a top target, ever! Florida has higher goals than than this kid. Brown being one of them. This kid might best fit Georgia’s offense, but Brown fits perfectly into Florida’s offense and he knows it, He also loves it in Gainesville, he loves the Florida coaches and Gator family, and he wants to win championships, not just talk about them. Florida will get 2 or 3 RBs this year and they will be some of the best out there. I find it funny the you somehow used the “trust” word as to indicate that he does not “trust” the Florida coaches. Nowhere does the kid even indicate that. Trust is a big thing with every recruit, but it does not mean that the recruit does not trust the others that recruited him. You really have a Florida phobia and a Meyer phobia…but I can’t really blame you since losing so often to Florida the last 20 years can cause such phobias.
UGAsNewOwnerIs.....GT
June 30th, 2009
5:15 pm
If Tech was whupped by the cajuns and Tech beat the Dawgies then how bad must the Dawgies
have been? Makes a mind think don’t it. Rollover and play dead little Dawgy…you learned
that trick well from your “new owner” in the second half of the GT/UGA game. No Dawgie
has ever rolled over and played dead better. Really good trick. Good Dawgie
deserves a Dawgie treat from GT. When you do that trick again in 2009 you get another
Dawgie treat. Good…Good…Good Dawgie.
bulldog
June 30th, 2009
5:16 pm
Bell shut up…..
gatorman770
June 30th, 2009
5:16 pm
Good luck Kendrun. If I was number nine on the Gators RB wishlist, according to Scout, I’d go ahead and commit where you “Trust” you’ll get to start like Whinin’Richt promised.
BurningRedBleedingBlack
June 30th, 2009
5:29 pm
Who cares were this kid rates right now. Good coaching equals solid running backs. Knowshon wasn’t a top 5 back out of high school.
Golden White
June 30th, 2009
5:31 pm
Congratulations UGA and CMR. Good pick up with this young man.
Way to go Kendrun Malcome. I think your decision to play for the Bulldogs is outstanding. Hit the books and get a good education and
play hard. I look forward to a lot of entertaining Saturday’s, especially on the Flats and between The Hedges.
Bulldog Fan
June 30th, 2009
5:33 pm
TechDan, it’s a recruiting blog about a UGA recruit? What part of the blog is about Georgia Tech?
MiltonDawg
June 30th, 2009
5:33 pm
uga’s new owner: why don’t you ask LSU since we beat them last year. listen, myself and everyone else with common sense knows your offense is nothing special nor is GT. best of luck though.
Chapel Bell
June 30th, 2009
5:34 pm
Um, the Dawgies beat the cajuns. Please see gatorman770; you nerds could learn some posting skills from one of our SEC rivals. Your one win out of eight does not qualify you to talk smack. You can only do that when you win seven of the last eight. Once again, see gatorman770 you silly little nerd bitches.
MiltonDawg
June 30th, 2009
5:38 pm
gatorman: we all know rankings don’t mean anything. #9, #1, #27, it all adds up and nothing is ever guaranteed. we’re stacked in RB spot, it’s just adding more fuel to the fire.
law dawg
June 30th, 2009
5:39 pm
To the gator fans downplaying this pick up, Kendrun may or may not have been near the top of your wishlist – but he was good enough in the eyes of the UF coaches to offer him a scholarship, and he turned it down to head to UGA. There are certainly other big fish out there, but this was still a good pick up for the dawgs.
TampaGator
June 30th, 2009
5:47 pm
Law dawg. No doubt, Florida would have taken the kid as a big back that really does not fit the system at Florida. But he certainly was not actively recruited by the Gator coaches like many other RBs are around the nation, including Brown. If Georiga gets Brown, then the Georgia coaches really have done well against the Gators because they want Brown very badly. Like the TE from Tampa last year. That was a great get from the Gators.
Chapel Bell
June 30th, 2009
5:48 pm
OK nerds. Time to move to another blog. One has just been posted….Darryl Maxie has “breaking news” on Lame Kitten and his middle school recruit. I’m sure you guys can weave in a UGA dig since the blog will be all about UT. Move on to the next sand box; Dipsh*ts.
dawes
June 30th, 2009
6:05 pm
the dogs are getting cloeser to national title
Georgia receives yet another commitment « Football on the Brain
June 30th, 2009
6:38 pm
[...] 30, 2009 · Leave a Comment Southwest Dekalb running back Ken Malcome has committed to the Dawgs. Malcome who stands in at 6 foot 215 pounds can really move for a man [...]
K-Town Dawg
June 30th, 2009
6:41 pm
TampaGator,
Not actively recruited by the Gator coaches???
Receiving an offer for a full ride says otherwise.
Portland Dawg
June 30th, 2009
7:00 pm
“But he certainly was not actively recruited by the Gator coaches like many other RBs are around the nation, including Brown. If Georiga gets Brown, then the Georgia coaches really have done well against the Gators because they want Brown very badly. Like the TE from Tampa last year. That was a great get from the Gators.”
weird I thought when a school offers a scholly that means they are actively recruiting that player.
Gator Growl
June 30th, 2009
7:10 pm
Malcome is a good back and no doubt fits the UGA system much better than UFs. Mack Brown has been a priority from jump street and has been at the top of the board from day one. The fact that Urban himself is recruiting him tells you all you need to know. Brown has the talent to really flourish in the Florida offense, would love to see him in the Orange and Blue.
dawgster
June 30th, 2009
7:28 pm
It still amazes how everybody seems to have inside info regarding these kids, especially some of the gator fans and also the dawg fans, there are alot of reasons that kids make committments and also break them also, I don’t think the gators, dawgs or tech would make offers to kids if they didn’t want them, what would happen if they offered and the kid accepted and then the coaches say “dang it”, didn’t see that coming, so come on TampaGator, be honest with yourself and others and accept the fact that there are alot of players that all these teams would like, you will win some and you will lose some, but don’t spout nieve stuff that you know is not true
Robert
June 30th, 2009
7:33 pm
Good to see a top RB prospect heading to Athens. Now he needs to work on his buddy Mack Brown. That would be a nice tandem for the 2010 class.
TampaGator
June 30th, 2009
7:36 pm
K-town…actively recruiting means: coaches visiting and calling regularly, recruit is at or near the top of the recruiting list, he attends camps, visits the campus (official and unofficial), etc. Not the case with this kid. The kid is still a good player and a good get for the Dawgs…just not a great fit for the Gators.
TampaGator
June 30th, 2009
7:41 pm
dawgster…nothing I wrote is nieve. Fact: the Gators offered him because he is a good back and he would have been a good, short-yardage back. Fact: he was not at the top of the wish list for Gator coaches, or a big need fill at RB. I can give you a list of 5 other backs that are at the top of the wish and need list (including Brown). But, if this kid had wanted to be a Gator, he would have been welcomed in Gainesville. He knows he was not a good fit for the Gators. You do, too.
Kendrun Malcome Gonna Play For Georgia Between the Hedges « Georgia Booster Clubs
June 30th, 2009
8:50 pm
[...] with Richt, and assistants, Rodney Garner and Bryan McClendon, that won him over to Athens. Darryl Maxie reports for the AJC here. « Intern, Are You Ready for Some Friday Night Football? Do You Want to Produce, Direct, [...]
dandydawg
June 30th, 2009
9:38 pm
Way to go Dawgs! Man, I really do hope that Georgia and Georgia Tech can have some classic battles in the years to come. For years I have imagined a Georgia/Georgia Tech matchup where both teams are either undefeated or with one loss and playing for the # 1 ranking in the nation. If both schools keep up this type of recruiting and can produce on the field… this will speak well for the Great State of Georgia!
Go Dawgs!
JI
June 30th, 2009
11:47 pm
Tampa Gator – Judging by your post you are clueless as to how much the gators were recruiting Ken. you say visits mean “actively recruiting? Ken was in Gainsville on June 13th for a visit. Coaches keeping in touch means “actively recruiting” Kenny Carter (UF RB coach) was assigned to recruit Ken personally. And lastly Ken was invited to the 7 on 7 sessions in gainesville in march…so what exactly constitutes “actively recruiting” again??
thought so…you lost a recruit, big deal?
Dum Name
July 1st, 2009
9:07 am
Where on Gods earth do these dumb parents find these dumb names???
Dawgtime
July 1st, 2009
12:22 pm
Dum Name, that is extremely inappropriate. You have no right to criticize his parents when you don’t know them. I suspect that your post has a racially motivated undertone. As a UGA fan, I am excited about this young man. I remind you all that this is a young kid that is making a very difficult decision. Some of the comments are extremely classless and inappropriate. We are talking about teenagers. In terms of Mark Richt leaving the decisions in the hands of the higher power, I respect that. He guides my life and I have no problem admitting that. I feel sorry for the people that gain gratification from making stupid comments. I would encourage all the kids to notice how kids are treated by the schools and fans. Mack, notice how the Gators react when people say no to them. They suddenly start belittling these kids and denouncing their interest in them. That would be a serious concern for me. Go DAWGS.
Dawgtime
July 1st, 2009
12:58 pm
Tampa Gator, do you actually expect anyone to believe that you have a direct line to Urban concerning recruiting. What a crock? You don’t have enough class to congratulate the young man on his decision like I did when Ayers and Bostic committed to GT. I just read an article in which pointed out which Gator coach was recruiting him and how they wanted him badly, hence you have no idea what you are talking about. Yes, T.J. and Mack are strongly considering the Gators. It must be a very difficult decision to decide between two elite schools. I wouldn’t be surprised which school they select. If they select the Gators, I will congratulate them and move on. Both are great kids with exceptional talents. That is called class. I would encourage some of these kids to send out a false commitments to see what the fans say about them. It would probably open their eyes to the schools that support the kids and the ones that sell their souls for wins. Tampa Gator, you act like Urban calls you with updates. You have no idea who is on their wish list. That is just recruiting propaganda. If he is revealing that type of information, he is violating several NCAA rules. It’s not happening. It is just a recruiting junkie talking garbage. By the way, this young man is not a short yardage back. Why don’t you actually do some basic research before you make ignorant comments? He is an explosive big back with excellent vision and feet. He is also a good friend of Mack’s and T.J.’s cousin, hence your sarcastic comments could backfire against you. Go DAWGS.
Dawgtime
July 1st, 2009
1:01 pm
To T.J. and Mack,
What do you think the Gators fans will say about you if you say no to the Gators? You will see the true Gators at that point. You will be belittled and denounced as average. The DAWG family will welcome you with open arms. Go DAWGS….
Jonathan
July 1st, 2009
1:03 pm
I’m with you dawgtime
GTfan
July 1st, 2009
1:06 pm
Best post I’ve read to shut up a loser gator fan:
Tampa Gator – Judging by your post you are clueless as to how much the gators were recruiting Ken. you say visits mean “actively recruiting? Ken was in Gainsville on June 13th for a visit. Coaches keeping in touch means “actively recruiting” Kenny Carter (UF RB coach) was assigned to recruit Ken personally. And lastly Ken was invited to the 7 on 7 sessions in gainesville in march…so what exactly constitutes “actively recruiting” again??
thought so…you lost a recruit, big deal?
Denver Dog
July 2nd, 2009
1:07 am
We are all glad we got the young man. There will be some that we do not get. I will wish them well too! Tampa Gator, everytime someone goes somewhere else you try to say the Gators were not recruiting him. They were in touch, he visited, there are limits on those things, and the schools are very careful about who they let come in and visit.
If every time we lost a player we said we weren’t recruiting him, that would be outrageous. Give the player his due, wish him well and just figure there will be another one come along inhis place. Quit being so defensive, your team one two of the last three MNC. Give it a break.
Again, I wish all these young men the best and hope they do well, no matter where they go. We need young people to succeed.
dawes
July 2nd, 2009
6:14 am
any in the right mind would not play for the gators the florida gators sink
dawglicious
July 2nd, 2009
7:52 pm
WAY TO GO KEN, DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE HATERS KEEP YA HEAD UP
dawglicious
July 2nd, 2009
7:54 pm
BAD DECISION TO GO TO GEORGIA BECAUSE YU R FROM DOWN DERE & YU SHOULD GO TO DIFFERENT STATES TO GET AWAY FRUM HEA.