Archive for June, 2009

By DARRYL MAXIE / dmaxie@ajc.com

Georgia Tech landed a commitment today from Jefferson County quarterback Barry Bostic.

“I made up my mind about two weeks ago,” Bostic told rivals.com. “I sat down with my family and my coach and we had an elimination process. We eliminated all the other schools and I knew Georgia Tech was the place for me.”

The 5-foot-10, 156-pounder is Tech’s fourth commitment from the Class of 2010 and is rated the 14th-best quarterback in the nation according to Rivals. He rushed for 1,372 yards and 13 touchdowns while passing for 1,333 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Continue reading Tech gets Jefferson County QB Bostic »

By DARRYL MAXIE / dmaxie@ajc.com

While Temple and Boston College have made offers to linebacker Tyler Harris, the 6-foot-3, 208-pound linebacker from Kent, Conn., has Georgia Tech on his mind.

“I was thinking about them. Penn State and a couple of others,” Harris told rivals.com. “I’ll say Georgia Tech is my favorite. I watch them on TV all the time, so I like how their program is. I’m trying to get down there this summer. My cousin lives in Georgia so I want to go check out the campus.”

ESPN reports that Harris is also considering UConn (of course) and Syracuse. Scout.com adds Maryland, where he plans to attend a camp in a couple of weeks.

“I’m just trying to stay focused,” he said.

Continue reading Tech interests Connecticut linebacker »

By DARRYL MAXIE / dmaxie@ajc.com

The NCAA will not force Alabama to surrender any future football scholarships today, when it is expected that the Crimson Tide will be forced to vacate at least 10 wins from 2005-2007, according to a Birmingham News report.

The NCAA action is to punish the school for players who improperly got free textbooks for other students. Additionally, Alabama is expected to be placed under three years’ probation and will be ordered to pay an undisclosed fine.

The wins to be surrendered came while former coach Mike Shula and current coach Nick Saban were in charge.

The violations, which Alabama self-reported, occurred from the 2005-06 school year through the fall of 2007. Five players were suspended when the school uncovered the misdeeds.

The university appeared before the Committee on Infractions in February, admitting that infractions occurred in several sports. Some will suffer stiffer penalties than the vacating wins, the newspaper reported.

Continue reading Tide won’t lose scholarships as part of sanctions »

By DARRYL MAXIE / dmaxie@ajc.com

High school record-setting running back Washaun Ealey of Emanuel County Institute isn’t on campus at the University of Georgia — not yet, anyway — but Bulldogs coach Mark Richt isn’t worried.

“Washaun, I think it’s just a matter of time,” Richt told the Athens Banner-Herald.

Sixteen of the 20 in Georgia’s Class of 2009 recruiting haul are already on campus. Ealey, defensive tackle Kwame Geathers, kicker Brandon Bogotay and linebacker Nick Williams still haven’t reported. Only as far as Geathers’ qualifying academically, Richt said, “There’s still some information coming in that will give us a better picture.” The rest are expected as well.

Ealey set a state record for touchdowns scored with 133 during his ECI career, including a single-season record 58 in 2007.

Continue reading Ealey’s arrival ‘just a matter of time,’ Richt says »

By DARRYL MAXIE / dmaxie@ajc.com

When Tommy Tuberville announced his resignation at Auburn a few months ago, there was a question as to how Parkview running back Brandon Jacobs would react. Would he abandon his commitment to the Tigers and choose Florida instead?

On Wednesday, the answer became clear: Neither Auburn nor Florida will see him on the football field. A third party — baseball fans know them as the Boston Red Sox — will get Jacobs after his selection in the 10th round of the Major League draft on Wednesday. He expects to sign a contract worth at least $500,000 — and perhaps as high as $800,000.

“I’m pretty excited about it,” Jacobs told AuburnSports.com. “I based the decision on the money. Being offered that much is hard to turn down, especially from a great team like the Red Sox. It just seemed like the perfect opportunity to me to go ahead and start a career.”

Jacobs likely would not have played this season at Auburn anyway. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound outfielder was …

Continue reading Parkview’s Jacobs opts for BoSox over Auburn »

By DARRYL MAXIE / dmaxie@ajc.com

Alpharetta receiver Michael Bennett, perhaps one of the more underrated prospects in the nation according to some recruiting experts, will participate in a camp Saturday at Georgia. The Bulldogs would be a “dream offer” for the 6-foot-3, 186-pound rising senior, but given the way interest in him has soared in the last month, wouldn’t be a surprise.

Bennett has received 11 offers in the last month, the most recent coming from Syracuse. Wisconsin is one of the major programs to offer him as well.

“I was just looking for my first offer,” he told rivals.com. “I saw all of these other guys getting them and I thought, I’m just as good as those guys.”

Two other schools that he would consider dream offers are Michigan State, where his dad went to school, and Florida. He has visited Florida already, plans to visit Michigan State next month and may try to squeeze a visit to Vanderbilt in between on June 20.

Continue reading Bennett hopes for ‘dream offer’ from Dogs »

By DARRYL MAXIE / dmaxie@ajc.com

Iowa is leading in the recruiting hunt for Lassiter quarterback Hutson Mason because the 6-foot-2, 190-pound rising senior is impressed by the way the coaches there get the most out of their players.

“Out of all the coaching staffs, the thing I like about Coach [Kirk] Ferentz is the way he develops the 2-star and 3-star recruits,” Mason told the AJC while attending the Football University camp last weekend in Stockbridge. “They don’t get a lot of fours and fives [stars], but you always hear about their draft picks going in the first or second round [of the NFL draft]. That’s the biggest thing. That tells you about their coaches.”

The fans in Iowa City also have Mason’s attention, even from a distance.

“I haven’t been up there yet, but I hear Iowa football fans are insane,” he said.

While Iowa is No. 1 for Mason, he said interest has “picked up” from Georgia, Alabama, Indiana, Purdue, North Carolina, N.C. State and …

Continue reading Hawkeyes impress Lassiter QB »

By DARRYL MAXIE / dmaxie@ajc.com

Once LSU made the offer, it didn’t take long for Northview tight end Cameron Fordham to accept. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound rising senior committed to the Tigers at lunch today, according to his father.

The tight end was being looked at for weeks by other SEC schools — South Carolina, Auburn and Tennessee — but schools like Syracuse, East Carolina, UAB and RIchmond had actually stepped up and made offers. Fordham’s dance with LSU was a little more complicated.

“There’s a little story there,” said Jeff Fordham, Cameron’s father told the AJC. “He was recruited by [Dale] Peveto and [Josh] Henson, but Henson took a job with Missouri and Peveto left to coach somewhere in Louisiana [actually, Northwestern State]. They were high on Cameron, but it got quiet there for a while. Then the new staff picked up the ball and watched him in spring practice. They encouraged him to come down to camp and get familiar with the coaches and the program.”

Fordham did …

Continue reading Northview’s Fordham chooses LSU »

By DARRYL MAXIE / dmaxie@ajc.com

Calhoun — There are two things Da’Rick Rogers wants to work on before he makes the transition from Yellow Jacket (Calhoun High variety) to Bulldog (University of Georgia variety).

The first is winning a Class AA championship, which the Yellow Jackets came close to doing last year, despite being blown out 45-21 in the final by the machine that is Buford. The second is for the 6-foot-3, 206-pound rising senior receiver to refine his techniques.

“Mainly my route running,” Rogers said Tuesday, moments after announcing that he’d committed to Georgia over Florida and Mississippi State. “I went to a Georgia practice and watched A.J. Green run routes and he’s smooth. My strength and speed are all right, but I’ve got to work on my route running.”

According to his mother, Rogers came by his unique first name the honest way. His sister, Deebra, nine years his senior, chose the name, apostrophe and all. That’s the name that Rogers hopes to make famous …

Continue reading Calhoun’s Rogers: Working on title, routes »

By DARRYL MAXIE / dmaxie@ajc.com

Calhoun — Calhoun quarterback Nash Nance said the hardest thing about his commitment to Vanderbilt, which he announced Tuesday afternoon, was the call he had to make to Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen. That was a big contrast to the call he made to Vandy coach Bobby Johnson.

“Calling him was pretty easy,” said Nance, wearing the black Vanderbilt hat with the V superimposed over a star. “It’s a huge weight off my shoulders. Coach Mullen is a great quarterbacks coach, but I’m very happy with the decision I made. The [Vanderbilt] program has been building up for a while now. When I get there, I’m looking to do some great things there.”

Nance, who transferred from Darlington to Calhoun, made his announcement in tandem with Calhoun receiver Da’Rick Rogers, who slipped on a red Georgia cap. The two are best friends and Rogers referred to the football field as being “my second home, next to the Nances.”

“I’ll be pulling for him — until he plays …

Continue reading Academics, SEC sway Nance to Vandy »