Ten at 10: DT Jeff Whitaker to announce choice at 2 p.m.
THE TEN AT 10:
1. Rumors swirled into the wee hours of Monday morning about where Warner Robins defensive tackle Jeff Whitaker is going end up. He’s making his announcement today at a 2 p.m. news conference in his school’s media center. Whitaker, No. 4 on the AJC Top 50 list, confirmed Sunday he’d choose between Auburn, Georgia and Miami but wouldn’t let on as to which one. “It’s just been hard,” he said of choosing one school. Whitaker took an official visit to Miami this past weekend but most people — including head coach Bryan Way — think it’s an Auburn-Georgia battle. “He pretty much had it narrowed down to Georgia and Auburn before he went down there,” Way said. “He says sometimes he thinks it’s Auburn and sometimes he thinks it’s Georgia.” Generally it has been long been assumed Whitaker is an Auburn lean. However, word is Miami made up some major ground over the weekend. Whatever the case, Coach Way is glad we’re all going to find out today. “He’s going to go ahead and announce so it’s not a circus on Wednesday at our school signing day ceremony,” Way said. “I thought that was pretty good of him.”
2. Georgia coaches once again have made missteps in their attempts to recruit some of the best players at Gainesville High School, according to a report at JacketsOnline.com. Linebacker A.J. Johnson, who attended Georgia Tech’s junior camp on Saturday, told the site the Bulldogs messed up by not inviting him to their junior day, which was held on the same day. “I had heard they were going to make a big push when the new [defensive coordinator] got hired,” Johnson, who decommitted from Tennessee when Lane Kiffin left, told the website. “Coach [Todd] Grantham came to one of my basketball games and everything and I was told they were coming real hard and then they don’t invite me to their Junior Day. I guess Georgia is not really interested since they forgot to ask me to come to their Elite Junior Day. I guess they don’t want me.” Speaking of which, Alabama offered Johnson over the weekend.
3. Stephenson linebacker Tyrone Cornileus went against family tradition by committing to Miami. Both his parents graduated from Florida, while his older sister graduated from there in December. What happened with Tyrone? “It’s a real tough decision when we’re all Gators and to go against your family’s alma mater,” his father, Tyrone Sr., told the AJC’s Michael Carvell. “We felt like the Gators could’ve offered earlier in the recruiting process. The way we understood it, [Florida's coaches] banked on Tyrone being there at the end of the day, that he was a Gator all along. It just didn’t work like that.” Last August, Cornelius committed to Miami over Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Tennessee, among others. The family favorite, Florida, didn’t get around to offering Cornelius until December. By then, Cornelius had well-established relationships with Miami coaches and players, and enrolled early in college last week.
4. Lowndes linebacker Telvin Smith is tentatively scheduled to make his announcement between Georgia and Florida State on Tuesday at his school. Smith has been an FSU commitment for a long while but the Bulldogs have come after him hard. He took an official visit to UGA on Jan. 22 and was back unofficially this past weekend.
5. McEachern running back Rajaan Bennett confirmed that he has indeed committed to Vanderbilt. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound Bennett, who had offers from Tennessee, Kentucky and Louisville, among others, gained 1,857 yards and scored 29 touchdowns as a senior at McEachern.
6. It’s looking increasingly like Nickell Robey is NOT going to sign with Georgia on Wednesday. The Frostproof, Fla., cornerback, who has been committed to the Bulldogs since last summer, spent the weekend in Los Angeles on an official visit to Southern Cal. Last week went like this: West Virginia in on Monday, South Florida in on Monday, USF official visit on Tuesday, Georgia coaches in on Wednesday, Lane and Monte Kiffin in on Thursday, official visit to USC over the weekend. Robey has scheduled a news conference for 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday
7. One-time Tennessee commitment Markeith Ambles finally made it back to Knoxville. The AJC Super 11 wide receiver from Henry County finally showed up for an official visit on Saturday after battling weather delays to get there. Ambles wavered significantly on his UT commitment after Lane Kiffin left and is thought to be leaning toward signing with USC, which he visited the previous weekend.
8. Calhoun wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers, a supposed Georgia commitment, was back up in Knoxville this weekend with teammate Nash Nance and his father Mike Nance, several Tennessee media outlets are reporting. Nance, Rogers’ best friend, committed to UT last week. There were several claims of pictures being posted showing Rogers holding up a sign that said “Go Vols” at the Tennessee-Florida basketball game on Saturday but links to said pictures were dead.
9. Valdosta safety Dontavius Sapp committed to Tennessee over the weekend. He is a two-star rated recruit. Other commitments: Gainesville LB Thomas Sprague to Youngstown State; North Gwinnett WR Justin Dickens to Mercyhurst (Penn.); North Gwinnett WR Cordero Dixon to Buffalo; North Gwinnett DB Trey Sims to South Alabama; Collins Hill DL Jimmy Bayer to Lenoir-Rhyne; Twiggs County WR Darqueze Dennard to Michigan State; Wesleyan OL Ian Banard to Appalachian State; Avondale DL Tyreek Phillips to Furman; Banneker WR Tres Houston to Tulsa; Woodward Academy DT Will Bryant to Duke; Thomasville S Reshard Cliett to USF; LaGrange QB Jay Gunsby to LaGrange.
10. In case you missed it, Georgia got its first and second commitments for the 2011 class over the weekend. Athlete Chris Sanders of Tucker was No. 1 followed later Saturday by Griffin safety Corey Moore. Both players were attending the Bulldogs junior day in Athens.
AJC Top 50 | Georgia commitments | Tech commitments
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179 comments Add your comment
ATL Fan
February 1st, 2010
9:57 am
Looking for a good recruiting year for UGA.
ATL Fan
February 1st, 2010
10:06 am
Seems like Whitaker would want to play for Coach Grantham. Lots of NFL experience.
Vandy Fan
February 1st, 2010
10:09 am
Boo-Yah! Bennett is a Commodore! Congratulations Rajaan! Can’t wait to see you in the fall! Go Dores!
ATL Fan
February 1st, 2010
10:09 am
Chip,
What’s your take on Mike Thornton?
GHS
February 1st, 2010
10:13 am
I need UGA to look more at AJ Johnson because this kid is a beast
dawg26
February 1st, 2010
10:13 am
Look to lose Roeby and Rogers.
Also, good chance at landing Boone, Green, Whit, and Thornton. A strong push for Telvin could have us see him come to UGA as well.
THWGT!
North Dawg
February 1st, 2010
10:15 am
I’ll be glad when Wed gets here! I’m tired of all the rumors, at least then we’ll know the truth for most. If they all want to be a Dawg, we are glad to have you, if not good luck wherever you go!!
Go Dawgs
J Gil Higgins
February 1st, 2010
10:15 am
Go ahead and commit to the Tide AJ Johnson. There is no stopping Alabama and the Statue of Saban.
ROLL TIDE!
The Grinch
February 1st, 2010
10:16 am
I don’t think Robey flopping is a big surprise.
memphisdawg
February 1st, 2010
10:17 am
Really hope we hold on to Da’Rick. He is a real talent and will be a playmaker at Georgia; assuming he signs with us.
Georgia is a perfect fit for Whitaker. Seems like a no brainer to me.
Also, thanks AJC for the spell check addition to these blogs. I for one, will find it very useful.
Marty Funkhauser
February 1st, 2010
10:17 am
Chip — With respect to the kid out of Gainesville, why do you assume they “once again have made missteps”? Has it occurred to you or this kid that perhaps they know exactly what they are doing and they are not all that interested in offering or heavily recruiting this kid? I mean come, you are doing a ready, fire, aim on this one. Why don’t we get the facts about UGA’s real interest before we claim they have botched yet another recruitment?
getthepicturenow
February 1st, 2010
10:19 am
Is a poster by the name of: “can i get a amen” out there? guy had some good stuff on saturday, & i’m just wondering what if anything has changed over this last weekend. Thanks.
JB
February 1st, 2010
10:19 am
Why do we only hear about ” Georgia really messed up or I guess Georgia Doesn’t want me stories. Why not talk some about Who Tech hasn’t offered or who alabama didn’t invite to camp. I’m proud in a way that it appears that if Georgia doesn’t go hard after you, They have a problem over there. There are so many things behind the scenes that NOBODY knows but coach’s, such as grades, Character or a kid telling Georgia coach’s, hey, don’t waste your time on me, I ‘m not interested. We will win some and lose some. Do a story on the all mighty Tide of who turned them down and what’s going on there for heavens sakes. Reading this Blog is like Georgia is Toxic or has problems if we’re not pursuing them or we lose them to another program. We are fine and loaded.
Northeast Wanna Be A Dawg
February 1st, 2010
10:21 am
Not first,but top 10!! Do I get to keep my job on these blogs?
jimmy
February 1st, 2010
10:22 am
i hope we finish strong,we could end up out of the top ten
JB
February 1st, 2010
10:23 am
Defensive recruiting will not pay dividends until next year. Grantham will have a chance to work on players all year and sell himself, his scheme and the University. Talking to some of these guys a couple of weeks before signing day really puts him behind the 8 ball.
helen
February 1st, 2010
10:23 am
da’rick kissed TN’s 1998 BCS champ. trophy while in Knox.
Whats up with that?
KeithB
February 1st, 2010
10:24 am
“LaGrange QB Jay Gunsby to LaGrange”, should say USF
http://blogs.tampabay.com/usf/2010/01/recruiting-qb-gunsby-officially-commits-to-usf.html
the real Old Gold
February 1st, 2010
10:25 am
Saw the Rogers photos on his facebook page.. His profile picture as of yesterday was him kissing the “egg” from the 1998 UT Coaches trophy… Not looking good for the mutts.
ed
February 1st, 2010
10:25 am
Do a story on all the guys saint saban has run off the team and their feelings are hurt etc?
BurningRedBleedingBlack
February 1st, 2010
10:25 am
I also am ready for wed. All these rumors are getting old fast, we need to push and push hard for these kids the next few days. GO DAWGS!!!!
Tim
February 1st, 2010
10:25 am
Helen- Because there isn’t one in Athens.
tom
February 1st, 2010
10:26 am
but rogers had on red abd black when kissing the egg. looking better for the dawgs now.
GT Fan...
February 1st, 2010
10:27 am
JB …. uga IS toxic, everybody knows that.
It’s the media … anything that’s okay to print and can stir the masses will be reported.
JB
February 1st, 2010
10:28 am
I know Dooley will do better next year, because I think he can Recruit, but a lot of the late players the Vols are getting are guys who are turning down lower pegged programs to come to Tennessee. Some may be fine, but I still think Tennessee has their work cut out for them.
Hopefully, with Willie gone, they don’t hang 45 on us this year.
Chip Towers
February 1st, 2010
10:29 am
JB: That’s merely a misperception on your part that you hear only bad things about Georgia’s recruiting. Apparently you read right past the good news for Georgia that Telvin Smith may sign with them instead of FSU. Did you not see yesterday’s piece on Hutson Mason? Comprehensive and objective coverage means there’s always going to be some good and bad news. . . .
Marty Funkhauser: The kid is saying they messed up. . . .
ATL FAN: No strong feeling on Mike Thornton but if I had to bet I’d put my money on the Dawgs.
North Dawg: You and me both, my friend, you and me both. . . .
r2d2
February 1st, 2010
10:29 am
If Whitaker picks Georgia, Thornton’s headed somewhere else, if Whitaker does NOT pick georgia, Thornton will.
I expect Thornton to announce his decision right after Whitaker’s.
Matthews Dawg
February 1st, 2010
10:29 am
Chip, I agree with JB and Marty Funkhauser….. it does appear you are only being one who reports the bad and not a lot of good. Yes, you do report good, but you jump right on something when it seems that UGA screwed something up. Report the other schools too. I’m sure they do the same thing and they miss out on some kids.Your reports would work for the Enquirer, Sun, etc…. it is sooooooo early in the recruiting process for this kid. It actually sounds like he got his feeling hurt. We as Dawg Nation trust CMR and the other coaches. If we didn’t, then we would not want them as coaches. Quit stirring the pot! We don’t recruit them all and we don’t get them all out of the state “WE RUN”!! That is ok too! Go Dawgs
1eyedJack
February 1st, 2010
10:30 am
It must be depressing to be a Tech fan right now…to look at that list of recruits and know that you are done.
GT Fan...
February 1st, 2010
10:31 am
I love “experts” like Memphisdawg …. “Georgia is the perfect fit for Whitaker”
the real Old Gold
February 1st, 2010
10:31 am
His facebook page is public… just search “Da’rick Rogers” and it’ll be the one that’s not a fan page.. his profile picture doesn’t look good for Athens Football.
Tim
February 1st, 2010
10:32 am
Tom- That’s an Orange and Gray plaid shirt he’s wearing. I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on his shirt though. This is all just drama leading up until Wednesday. These kids can change their mind 3 or 4 times by Wednesday.
Two star recruits and NO STAR recruits@G T.
February 1st, 2010
10:37 am
Even a casual observer of southern recruiting wars can discern that a KY of the SEC, recruits FAR MORE BIG TIME kids than Gun Toter U. See? This mediocre SEC football school is always “building for the future” and with Joker Phillips, they are doing some very nice recruiting and it is far, far, far SUPERIOR to an ACC CHAMP??? that went to the Orange Bowl??? WHY???
In other words the midget running back and the two star kids for Tech are not really quality players. The ones that bailed on tech for the NFL were recruited by Chan Gailey and now, with CPJ and a so called ACC title, he still CANNOT RECRUIT kids that will take Tech to nirvana land. Their triple option is now known as a gimmick offense and schools with superior athletes will always handle them. To recruit two star and no star kids is to ensure that this scenario pplays out, because superior athlets will always handle inferior athletes with an INFERIOR OFFENSE. See UGA vs Tech in 2009 or Iowa in The Urange and how BOTH simply handled the triple Bone and Tech was never in either game. Difference? The athletes of UGA and Iowa.
Tech is in trouble. It is just a matter of time for them and CPJ, and we all know that tech’s coaches going back to Bobby Dodd, stay about 4.5 years on average and CPJ is in his 3rd. The clock for Tech is ticking and two star and NO STAR kids will not get it done there.
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA
FBR
February 1st, 2010
10:38 am
Why is it that when signing day gets near, UGA always has multitudes of wavering recruits, and nobody else seems to have any? What’s up with that?
JB
February 1st, 2010
10:39 am
# 2 ( and I quote) ” Georgia again has made missteps”…………………….I don’t think I’ve read much about Tech, Auburn, Bama or Tennessee with a opening sentence like that.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
February 1st, 2010
10:40 am
Kid is good enough to be offered by Alabama, but not good enough to be invited to UGA’s Junior day? Wow! Thats says alot about the state of UGA athletes we are recruiting. To much finesse football going on in Athens.
Whatever
February 1st, 2010
10:40 am
AJ Tech is where you need to be for sure. Great education and building a great defense . Not to mention Tech is paying attention!
Go Jackets!
Joe Fan
February 1st, 2010
10:40 am
Must be terrible at UGA to supposedly get top 10 recruiting classes and never even sniff a national championship. I forgot, you corrected all that with your 5th or 6th choice as DC, right?
CDAWG
February 1st, 2010
10:41 am
As I said the other day, it is what it is? Nothing we can do but wait. If CTG lives up to his billing, then UGA’s D will be vastly improved and we will have a STRONG recruiting year next year.
r2d2, why would Thornton not want to come if Whitaker comes? CTG said he was going to be moving guys around. Furthermore, that statement sounds as though Thornton is conceding Whitaker is better.
rob
February 1st, 2010
10:42 am
Tyrone Cornelius never had an offer from Florida.
Recruits are clever anymore, by throwing things out there like ‘USC offered’ or ‘Florida offered’ it makes, at least in their heads, their value go up to other schools.
Cornelius never had a shot at playing for Florida.
Denver Dog
February 1st, 2010
10:42 am
How many trips can these Nance people make to UT? This AJ kid sounds like he has a real ego issue. He went to one camp, but was mad becuase he didn’t get invited to another one at the same time. The more I read these stories, the easier it is for me to understand the PacMan, Ray Lewis, Odell Thurman,Tank Johnson, Nukeese Richardson, etc, etc, etc stories.
The bottom line is this, we get who we get, and if we can’t offer the perks of having your own convience store to rob, and are limited to riding illegal on scooters, or throwing trash can down a hall, then we just can’t compete. Heck guys, lets head over to the 7-11 and rob someone outside of the store, it is the UT way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1eyedJack
February 1st, 2010
10:42 am
FBR..UGA recruits a lot of high-profile athletes who have choices.
JB
February 1st, 2010
10:44 am
FBR…….it’s all about hits…….This is 90% UGA fans……..Not much interest in reading about their mishaps as you can see…..I did read SOMEWHERE else that Auburn is kicking butt this year, even in alabama. Would love to see Chip do a Bama/AU pissing contest report.
Tim
February 1st, 2010
10:45 am
Denver- The Nance/Rogers trip to Knoxville this weekend was an unofficial visit. This was all on Mr. Nanace’s dime.
ATL Fan
February 1st, 2010
10:47 am
Chip, is there a vacation in the works for after signing day?
CDAWG
February 1st, 2010
10:48 am
Chip, I have to agree with JB, Matthew Dawg and Marty, you do sound biased.
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
February 1st, 2010
10:49 am
we’ll just have to wait and see on all these “undecided” kids. lets the cards fall where they may. i do think kidding saying no to UGA out of spite is a bit childish. they are hundreds of great athletes in this state…UGA is not going to see or offer all of them.
JB
February 1st, 2010
10:49 am
Come on ” JOE FAN”…….What power house do you support?……If I had to guess, It’s Tech…..You will not say because your best team in 20 years lost to one of our worst in 20 years, AT Grant field no less, and should we even mention the Bowl game. 39 yards offense at the half. Really. The Best and most unstoppable offense in the world. 39 yards. Really.
UT and um, ah missteps
February 1st, 2010
10:51 am
UGA “mis stepped”. For sure, when you are humping and bumping to get quality kids, sometimes it happens. Take UT, they um took a huge misstep. Really?? How? THEY HIRED BLAME KIFFEN.Now, USC has taken the same misstep.
Look at Bama about 8 or 9 years agao, when they hired and fired MIke Price, Shula, Francione and about 2 or 3 other football coaches. See? Stuff happens. Missteps for sure. Did not affect them, did it??? CPJ is for sure a major disaster waiting to happen at tech with his “missteps” in HS recruits. He has signed NO BLUE CHIPS even with a goofy ACC title. Missteps for sure!!!
Urban Meyer took a misstep too. He will be in rehab the day after signing day, as a result of that.
Bottom line is that UGA has the D coach now in place, albeit late, and he may have looked at the two kids that bailed and said” let em go.” One of them Rogers from Port St. Lucie actually was quoted as saying ” I am too small to play LB in TG’s scheme.” That is not a misstep. Also, for some kid or coach to call “misstep” does not make it so, because the coach or his HS player are trying to bag a scholarship. Common sense explains their charge.
Go Dogs.
Besides ………….has anyone wondered why Mark Bradley has kept the banner that Tubeville is looking to go to UGA, when he already has a great job now at Tx Teck?? Stuff like this one example can raise more than a few eyebroows, especially at recruiting time.
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
February 1st, 2010
10:53 am
sorry, the kid AJ–get over it, you’re a junior and will probably change your mind 50 times between now and signing day next year