Recruiting notes: Christian Green talks, Tech focuses on 2011
It’s the end of the week, which means it’s time to clean out the ol’ notebook. . . .
________________
First of all, I finally got to talk to Christian Green. He called me back last night. Nothing like talking to a guy on a Thursday night about a visit occurred the previous weekend. But honestly Green could not have been more gracious about the whole situation.
What did he say? Not much out of the ordinary really. The five-star wide receiver from Tampa said he “felt great” about the visit to Georgia. Said he especially enjoyed meeting and hanging out with the players. Said he spent a lot of time with head coach Mark Richt and wide receivers coach Tony Ball and they discussed the Bulldogs’ offense and how he’d fit in. His official host was Marlon Brown on Saturday night and fellow Tampa natives Orson Charles and Aaron Murray on Sunday. He said he also hung out a good bit with Branden Smith and Rantavious Wooten. He said the game-day atmosphere at Georgia was “unbelievable.” “You can tell they’re crazy about their football there,” he said.
The standard stuff. Going forward, he said he still plans to take visits to Florida and Florida State, though no trips are set up yet. He wants to continue to get to know players “to figure out how I might fit in,” he said. “I’ve talked to enough coaches.”
Oh, and the malfunctioning phone that prevented me from getting hold of him? “It’s fixed now,” he said. Wink, wink. . . .
________________
As reported here Thursday, Orlando-Dr. Phillips wide receiver Kenny Shaw rescheduled his visit to Georgia from this weekend to Nov. 14. He will now be taking his first official visit of the fall to Florida State on Oct. 10 for the Georgia Tech game, according to the Orlando Sentinel. He also hopes to make trips to Tennessee, Alabama and UCLA. . . .
_________________
Georgia Tech had an impressive array of recruits come through there last weekend while Kareem Martin was on his official visit. Among them were 2010 prospects RB Deion Hill of Phenix City, Ala., LB Justin Parker of Beaufort, S.C., and RB Jon Lee of Apalachee. But there were a bunch of 2011 prospects, including WR Hakeem Flowers of Greenville, S.C.; OL Watts Dantzler of Dalton; OL Matt Keifer of Alpharetta, LB Cameron Lynch of Snellville; DB Patrick Martin of Greenville, S.C.; DT Thomas Niles of Gainesville, OL Alan Posey of Athens, QB Martay Mattox of Athens, LB James Vaughters of Tucker, DB Avery Walls of McDonough, DB Kadetrix Marcus of Powder Springs and RB Jabari Hunt-Days of Powder Springs (younger brother 2010 commitment Synjyn Days). . . .
_________________
One of the dozens of unofficial visitors to Athens this weekend will be a little back from down in Albany, Tony Zenon of Deerfield-Windsor Academy. He’s only 5-7, 156 pounds and competes in GISA but he already has 956 yards on 124 carreis and 10 TDs this year after rushing for more than 2,000 last season. Zenon, who also visited Tech last weekend and holds offers from Air Force, Citadel, UAB, Wofford, Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan. He’s got some impressive video on YouTube if you care to check it out.
__________________
This is not exactly a recruiting story but I’ve been trying to keep with former Georgia DE Michael Lemon, who’s now at North Carolina State. Lemon was dismissed from UGA after injuring a student in a drunken brawl. But I always had a soft spot for the kid because he was a hard-luck guy who lost his mother in a tragic murder-arson act. After a stint in junior college, Lemon seems to have his act together these days and is playing well for Tom O’Brien in Raleigh.
Said O’Brien of Lemon: “Having played at the college level before being here the pace of practice wasn’t new to him, the physicality of playing at this level was something he was used to. I think the biggest thing he had to adjust to was the terminology from the way defenses were called at Georgia and the way we do here. But he changed apples to oranges pretty quickly. His maturity level, he’s had to grow up awful fast for a young man and he’s been a delight to be around. His teammates love him and he fits right into our family on the football team. He’s got better each week as he becomes more comfortable into the scheme of our defense.”
_________________
Paul Gattis of the Birmingham News writes about the “seismic shift” caused by Alabama-Ariton High DE Craig Sanders, who recently decided to back out of a commitment to Alabama in order to commit to Auburn.
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51 comments Add your comment
Chris Hays
October 2nd, 2009
8:42 am
you are a class act Chip. Stop being a smart-you know what about why teenage boys who have practice, home work, friends and family and countless other coaches and media calling won’t call you back. Why did he have to apologize to you? He does not owe you a phone call? Especially since you have not established a relationship with him like other writers have. Besides, for all your wait, all you got was the “standard” stuff….
And when you call him a 5-star, let us know where you are referencing, because some recruiting services carry more weight in the recruiting world than others,
I am sure Georgia Tech appreciates you publishing their list you worked so hard to get.
It is “journalism” like this that is why there will be a law soon that protects minor student-athletes from getting phone calls from the media. If you do not enjoy being a recruiting writer, get a new job. Stop making fun of it three or four times per blog entry.
GATOR CHOMP
October 2nd, 2009
8:45 am
GO GATORS
JoeFann
October 2nd, 2009
9:06 am
Hey, Chip!
Any buzz on Michael Lemon’s little brother Marquez? Stratford is having a tough year, but how’s he doing?
Go Dawgs!
Not Disappointed
October 2nd, 2009
9:09 am
Thanks for the update on Stars for Tomorrow.
Ramblin Wreck!
German Shepherd Dawg
October 2nd, 2009
9:12 am
Interesting comments this morning. Chris has a thought provoking but ultimately wrong perspective on Chip doing his job. It’s his job, Chris. And these recruits love their 15 minutes of fame, so don’t begrudge the kids either. I was just thinking we need a law about this crap…
On the other hand, if legislators worry about this stuff, they can’t screw up the economy further.
On the other hand, Gator Chomp had nothing relevant to say and apparently no where else to say it. GC, to quote Travis Tritt, here’s a quarter, call somebody who cares.
You guys are making me miss St. Simons, who never has anything relevant or useful to say. Maybe he had to ride the bus to school this morning.
Woof woof! Personally, I think the only interesting recruiting posts are the ones that mention commits, because I don’t like reading how great players who end up elsewhere are projected to be. I also find it interesting that some of the best players we’ve had were not top tier recruits. Terry Hoage was one of the best defensive players we’ve ever had, but not many other teams wanted him. Ben Jones, our starting center, had three “stars” from the recruiting services but started as a true freshman and I don’t think has ever missed starting since being in school. He’ll probably be a two time All American before he’s done.
Vick=Dog killing thug
October 2nd, 2009
9:23 am
Dawgs pee on trash cans and yellow jackets hang around trash cans.
Still laughing about that one…
Chris Hays
October 2nd, 2009
9:26 am
No Ben Jones will not be an All-American, and he is a center Dog. Big deal on him being a 3-star, centers usually are 3-stars. That he has started has more to do with the crappy talent UGA stockpiled at the position, with Ben Harden, Kevin Perez, Tanner Strickland and Jonathan Owens.
These kids love the fame when they are unsure of whether or not they are going to get the offers they want. Once they get them, they could care less if writers call them, and ultimately it is just another unwanted distraction just like everyone else trying to leech off of them.
And on Chip doing his job, he has been a sarcastic little snot about it in every article he has written. Ever since his 1st entry, he has poked fun and tried to belittle the very industry he is getting paid to cover. And now a couple months in, he is using the very recruiting service websites to get most of his info. Granted, it is a tough industry to work in, but show some class.
BigMike Said.....
October 2nd, 2009
9:45 am
Enter your comments here
Dan Marino
October 2nd, 2009
9:52 am
Chip, may want to do some fact checking on your Michael Lemon comments.
Halberstram
October 2nd, 2009
9:55 am
Michael Lemon’s mother was murdered by her boyfriend not her father.
http://www.macon.com/149/story/407480.html
BigMike Said.....
October 2nd, 2009
9:56 am
Chris Hays, How many years did you play college ball ?Do you have a degree in journalism ? If not stop breaking everybody’s ball’s for thing you can’t do!…Gator Chump, after Tebow got laid out change your name to gator thumped… what a Rush!!!!…..One final note, James Brown was the greatest entertainer, followed by Michael Jackson (MJ said it himself) and Elvis is Dead…Dead,Dead, And Dead!!!! Like Georgia Tech and this Dream world they’ve lived in for almost a year now.
Trip
October 2nd, 2009
10:08 am
Zenon competes in GISA AAA
Chad
October 2nd, 2009
10:41 am
I would look for Green to end up at Florida with there wide open attack being as he is from Tampa, it would be hard for a top notch WR to pass up that chance.
Videos of the nations top Recruits: http://www.squidoo.com/FootballRecruiting2010
mike
October 2nd, 2009
10:41 am
10-2-2009
Tech students robbed at gunpoint
By Mike Morris
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Three Georgia Tech students were robbed at gunpoint early Friday on a street just off campus, police said.
Pago Flyer
October 2nd, 2009
10:45 am
The DAWGS always have a Top Ten recruiting class, so what?
ed
October 2nd, 2009
11:01 am
Techs latest spin on the Miami debacle, “3 games in 13 days”. WOW, to they know every team plays 3 games in 15 days anyway?
Try flying to Arizona for a night game in 95 degree heat and then play a rested, hungry ALA team the next week.
paul's johnson
October 2nd, 2009
11:10 am
Zenon is Unreal! He needs to be a jacket. In that system he would really fly.
EB
October 2nd, 2009
11:34 am
you’ve got to be kidding about a kid from Deerfield Windsor or any of Georgia’s GISA schools. They might — MIGHT — be good enough to play at Valdosta State, and that’s not giving VSU enough credit.
Chip Towers
October 2nd, 2009
11:36 am
Thanks, Trip. I’ve fixed that! . . .
Thank you, too, Halberstram.
Chip Towers
October 2nd, 2009
11:40 am
As for “Chris Hays,” folks here should know that is NOT the reporter by the same name who covers recruiting for the Orlando Sentinel. It’s an individual who posts here under a number of different names.
Dan Severn
October 2nd, 2009
12:03 pm
Lol busted by Chip
78 DAWG
October 2nd, 2009
12:12 pm
Chip why do you write about Tech’s 2 star recruits nobody cares, Synjyn Days likes math whopped te do. Write about the big leagues (SEC) or don’t waster your time.
Brent Cunningham
October 2nd, 2009
12:15 pm
Ed, still making excuses for last year, thank you for keeping the dog tradition alive. They were hungry, what a laugh, you should get some hungry players yourself. That 3 hour plane ride is a killer a week later lol for 19 year olds lol. I would have thought the “BLACKOUT” would have overcome everything.
Oh Ed don’t forget the wind was blowing and………….
YellowandBlackAttack
October 2nd, 2009
12:38 pm
I hope we can land Deon Hill. The one I was really hoping PJ would go after hard was Ken Malcome, the RB that committed to UGA. This kid is big, strong and fast. Reminds me of Dwyer his senior season. Mack Brown has gotten all the hype, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Malcome has the better college career…very underrated.
ReptilesRule
October 2nd, 2009
1:09 pm
All I can say is…”Don the colors tried and true, Wear the colors Orange and Blue!” GO GATORS!
HBTD
October 2nd, 2009
1:15 pm
Chip – Great stuff!!
Sounds like Christian hung out with the kids at UGA who could definately generate some interest for him (B. Smith, Rantavious, OC, Marlon and perhaps the QB of the future, Aaron Murray. Did you get any sense from him as to when he might make a commitment, i.e. this fall or next spring??
Thanks for the you tube link to the Zenon kid. He’s got incredible vision, set’s up his blocks as well as anyone I’ve ever seen, turns on a dime with acceleration and hits the hole with Rodney Hampton type quickness. Looks taller than 5-7 when comparing him to the other kids on the field Are you sure about that height. I can see this guy being unstoppable on punt returns. Do you think UGA might look at him as an “Athlete” or a DB? Seems a little small to endure the hits as a RB.
Thanks for calling out “Chris Hays.” The guys sounds a little “off”.
Thanks again for the insight you always seem to bring be it in the AJC or the local call in shows.
Chip Towers
October 2nd, 2009
1:21 pm
HBTD: Christian and his father are really up in teh air about when he might make a decision. Dad says he wouldn’t be surprised if his son just walked up to him one day and said ‘I’ve made a decision.’ Christian says he wants to do an OV at UF and FSU but hasn’t even scheduled them yet. So he might wait until after the season. . . .
As for the size of the guys Zenon, that’s the problem evaluating these Class A and GISA players. He plays against smaller, lighter competition. You can’t be sure how they’d do against bigger, badder players. But he’s certainly intriguing and I suspect a BCS school will take a chance on him.
HBTD
October 2nd, 2009
1:26 pm
Thanks Chip. You really are one of the most insightful local guys we have. I appreciate what you bring to the table with your reports. Do you have any regular times that you report on the two local sports radio stations? What’s your sense this weekend over in Athens? Dawgs going to pull it all together?
m
October 2nd, 2009
1:44 pm
Has GT beaten LSU yet? Oh wait, no, they got their a$$s kicked in their bowl game.
Ed McMahon
October 2nd, 2009
2:01 pm
He writes about Tech’s 2 stars because they beat UGA’s 5 stars. I give your post 1 and half stars. All this recruiting talk has me seeing stars.
BIG BEE
October 2nd, 2009
2:29 pm
I really don’t have any comments except m is just plain STUPID, and should UGA lose Saturday, my point will be made.
TechGrad08
October 2nd, 2009
2:30 pm
That’s real classy, 78 DAWG. Reminds me a lot of the upstanding and humble UGA running back who said ‘Who’s Jonathan Dwyer? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of him’ before the UGA game last year. You think Knowshon knew who Dwyer was after they blew that game?
doodie
October 2nd, 2009
3:00 pm
TechGrad08 – you can’t argue with these people. These are the same bunch that STILL talk about Herchel Walker.
PS- most dawg fans have never stepped foot on the campus – it’s their upbringing to love them. He can’t help it, the RC Colas and moonpies have him all aflutter.
SEC1
October 2nd, 2009
3:08 pm
we need to focus on the trenches. The skill players get all the press, but the linemen ultimately determine the outcome.
(reference Arkansas and the 7 points they put up against Bama)
Here’s to Atkins and Owens having a big game against LSU!
Alabamadawg
October 2nd, 2009
3:31 pm
Are there any linemen still seriously thinking dawgs…we can use all we can get…
Burdell
October 2nd, 2009
4:04 pm
doodie…
The RC/Moonpie is a classic!! Thanks!
GO JACKETS!!
DiamondJim
October 2nd, 2009
4:25 pm
I love RC and Moonpies. Thanks
Get it right
October 2nd, 2009
4:50 pm
That’s right doodie, we talk about Hershel Walker, just like you talk about…ummm…uhhh…oh yeah, Calvin Johnson. He beat Georgia…ummm…uhhh…oh yeah, never mind. One win in eight meetings is surly something to talk smack about. I’m sure it will help you around Thanksgiving. And by the way, jacket fan envy is pretty sad. “Their fans have never been on campus” is a crock and you know it. Most fans that come to the games are in fact grads of UGA. We can’t help it if everyone else in the state wants to be a part of a winning program. You yellow folks should be more worried about filling your stadium with your own fans. And don’t give me the blah blah blah about the size of your school or how your grads move away. It’s sixty thousand seats for god’s sake! How big is the city of Atlanta? That’s sad!!
GATOR CHOMP
October 2nd, 2009
5:12 pm
GATOR 4 LIFE
Paddy
October 2nd, 2009
5:26 pm
dawg78…until we actually beat CPJ your comments are way to premature and condesending. It never looks good to look foolish in public!
Go Dawgs
HBTD
October 2nd, 2009
5:29 pm
Get it right. Forget trying to make valid points with these nuts. It hopeless. For crying out loud, the school went out and bought a ring for all their players and coaches after last years “once in a blue moon win”.
UGA playing Tech is just like UGA playing Idaho State………….it’s a no win situation, i.e. if UGA wins (which they have 7 out of the last 8 years and 30 + over the last 45)it’s expected and if they lose, you’d think Tech just won the NC as exhibited by their fan base this past year. Like I said, it’s a very hard game for the UGA players to get up for compared to the SEC teams because it just doesn’t mean anything; and it’s a pain for the UGA fan base every other year having to pack into that “cracker box” they call a stadium. I’d much rather play every SEC team and drop ALL the cupcakes including Idaho State and the Trade school down on the flats. Techs got a nice little D1 program, but they really have no business playing against any of the big boys.
1990CHAMPS
October 2nd, 2009
6:18 pm
AND YELLOW JACKETS WHIP DAWGS ASSES….LMAO AT THAT ONE
1990CHAMPS
October 2nd, 2009
6:19 pm
HEY GET IT RIGHT….IF YOUR GONNA TALK SMACK THEN LETS COMPARE ALL UGA SPORTS VS GT SPORTS….YOU LOSE THAT BATTLE YOU GOON.
1990CHAMPS
October 2nd, 2009
6:20 pm
OHHH YEAH!!! IF UGA IS SO MUCH BETTER IN FOOTBALL THEN GT, THEN TELL ME WHY GT HOLDS THE NATIONAL TITLES. OH LET ME GUESS, YOUR GONNA SAY THEY WERE A LONG TIME AGO HUH? WELL LOOKS LIKE 1990 IS MORE RECENT THEN 1980
LSU is next(for Florida)
October 2nd, 2009
6:24 pm
Don’t get your hopes up Dawg fans, Green is coming to play for the Gators. So is Mack Brown from Martin Luther King High School in Atlanta.
AUGUSTAJACKET
October 2nd, 2009
8:24 pm
Johnson 1 Richt 0
Rogeriter
October 3rd, 2009
12:07 am
Whats this about you have to have been a student at UGA to be a fan? I am a Braves fan, but Ive never been a brave. I love Reese Cups but Ive never worked for Reese Candy. I am a Falcons fan but I’ve never lived within the Atlanta City limits. To imply one can’t be a true Georgia fan without having attended the University is stupid. I am a fan of Meg Ryan but unfortunately, I’ve never slept with her. Sigh! That is truly unfortunate. Still I remain a fan of both Meg and the Dawgs. Although I’ve never been in either.
Johnny DangerDawg
October 3rd, 2009
2:12 am
Tony Zenon is an intriguing player. It’s hard to say what he could do against elite competition. Maybe he’d just get stomped into the turf, or maybe he could be the next Darren Sproles. (Sproles stands 5-6!) Zenon’s going to have to put on a few pounds. Anybody know his 40 time? Fast enough to return kicks?
Kenan, your small school observer.
October 3rd, 2009
2:26 am
Some D1 school will sign Tony Zenon and get an athlete. You cannot judge an athlete because of where he lives or where his parents decide to send him to school. There is indeed a prejudice against players from small high schools, despite the fact that Walker, Hearst, and Champ and Boss Bailey all attended small schools before enrolling at UGA.
I have observed a player from a small school, Landmark Christian in Fairburn, who has speed, moves, and the soft hands that coaches talk about. But, he plays in the Class A division of GHSA. He only gets two or three touches per game, but makes something big happen at least once per game. Touchdown catches of 73, 63, and 55 yards, among other great receptions. Against Whitefield Academy on Friday night, Robert Trotter of Landmark Christian, only had two passes thrown to him all game, both of which he caught. He returned a kick-off to the ten yard line. He has speed to burn, great juking moves, and soft hands, but he plays for a small school — private at that! This is one of my pet peeves…great athletes overlooked because they play in small schools.
I remain your keen small school observer, Kenan.
R. C.
October 3rd, 2009
12:57 pm
I agree on Robert Trotter of Landmark Christian. I have been watching him play at Landmark since he was a freshman. He scored touchdowns (passes, runs, kick-off returns, etc.) right and left as a ninth grader on the JV team and scored as a freshman (still 14 at the time) on the varsity. He started as a sophomore, and when he had passes thrown to him, he made things happen. He’s a playmaker with lots of speed and great hands. His problem is that he plays for a Single A team in GHSA (same classification as Bremen, Lincoln County, Johnson County) and, for some reason, he only gets a very few looks (two or three) per game. But, when the ball is thrown to him, excitement takes place! I don’t know why Landmark did not have him on the kick-off return, but when he was put back there on the opening kick-off of the second half (with Landmark only winning by one touchdown), Trotter returned the kick-off about 80 to 85 yards to the ten yard line. The kid also has a great attitude and is a total team player.
I cannot figure out high school coaches. On this same Landmark Christian team last year, the obvious best player on the team was Andrew Glaize. He signed with the Naval Academy. He was scoring about three touchdowns each game (big write-up about him in The Fayette Citizen) and was terrorizing offenses while playing linebacker (a position for which he was recruited at Navy). All of a sudden, for no apparent reason, he is put at tight end. (I am thinking that it was because there was a big spread on him in The Fayette Citizen newspaper.) After scoring three touchdowns against Fellowship Christian of Roswell, he plays tight end against Eagles Landing Christian the very next game and doesn’t touch the ball the entire game. He was kept at tight end the rest of the season, after having scored three touch downs running the ball in nearly every game of the first half of the season. Can someone explain this kind of thinking? Landmark Christian did not win the Region 5-A last year, after having won it for six straight years.
I can’t figure out coaches. Maybe former coaches will always second-guess the current coaches, but I learned many years ago that you put the football or basketball into the hands of your playmakers. I remember when Terrell Davis hardly got any touches of the football at UGA (and I do remember that for a while, he struggled with a hamstring injury). He went on to earn an MVP in the Super Bowl. He, along with Hines Ward and Jake Scott, form the UGA Triumvirate who earned MVPs in the different Super Bowls. UGA is the only collegiate team in the country which has had three MVPs in the Super Bowl. Terrell Davis had some “choice words” to say about Ray Goff who kept him on the bench at UGA. Sometimes coaches are egotistical and stubborn — and often at the expense of the student-athletes who are in their trusts. I remember seeing Andrew Glaize walking off the field at Eagles Landing with what appeared to me to be a stunned look on his face. He had just scored another three touchdowns the previous week, but did not even touch the football at Eagles Landing. Landmark Christian should have easily won that game, but lost. Coaches need to set aside their false pride and egos and do what is best for the student-athletes. Fortunately for Glaize, the Naval Academy had seen enough.
clickdawg
October 4th, 2009
10:07 pm
if tech has so many fans, where are they and what state are they in, and as for moreno he’s making millions in denver and also scored his 3rd td of the season, if there is anything i proclaim to hate it’s a so called tech fan, major difference in tech and uga is, with the uga fan base which blankets this entire state of georgia is when our team loses and at times they will, we still love them, we don’t jumo off the ban wagon, tech= sorry colors, ugly women, terrorist, no fan base, no ticket sales high school stadium half empty, no interest,