Archive for May, 2010

THE TEN AT 10:

NOTE TO READERS: Following is what is known as an “aggregation blog.” It’s a roundup of news and information from a variety of sources that is believed to be of interest to AJC readers. Material from sources other than the AJC is attributed.

1. Christian LeMay’s father, The Rev. Stacy LeMay, says his son’s pledge to Georgia last week has pretty much quelled the recruiting onslaught that had gotten so overwhelming the last month or so. For teams that refuse to give up, Mr. LeMay said they have a stock reply: “We thank them all for honoring Christian with a scholarship offer to their school and tell them, ‘as you may have heard, Christian plans to attend UGA.’ We have wished them well in finding the best quarterback that fits their program.” To be clear, Mr. LeMay added: “Christian has all intentions and plans of signing a letter-of-intent with Georgia and being a Bulldog. We love the situation at Georgia.” As for Christian’s comment that he might have second …

Continue reading Ten at 10: QB Christian LeMay rebuffing continued overtures »

Whitefield Academy's Kennard Backman is interviewed by Ken Rodriguez during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl luncheon Monday at Fox Sports Grill. (Photo by Chip Towers)

Like I mentioned in yesterday’s Ten at 10, I attended the U.S. Army All-America luncheon at the Fox Sports Grill at Atlantic Station Monday as the 2011 nominees from Georgia were introduced.

I’d like to thank Dennis Caniglia, president of the Atlanta Touchdown Club and the Greater Atlanta Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, and Erik Richards of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and Football University, for the invitation and for the tremendous hospitality.

I interviewed a few of the guys afterward and you’ll see updates on them in the coming days and weeks. In case you missed it, I already posted a story on North Gwinnett quarterback C.J. Uzomah.

Meanwhile, Fox 5’s Ken Rodriguez served as Master of Ceremonies for the event and he actually interviewed all 20 nominees in attendance …

Continue reading A closer look at Georgia’s U.S. Army All-America nominees »

THE TEN AT 10:

NOTE TO READERS: Following is what is known as an “aggregation blog.” It’s a roundup of news and information from a variety of sources that is believed to be of interest to AJC readers. Material from sources other than the AJC is attributed.

Clarke Central offensive tackle Alan Posey calls Tennessee coach Derek Dooley on his cell phone to tell him he has committed to the Vols as his father Michael Posey looks on Tuesday morning. (Photo by Chip Towers)

1. Big Alan Posey, a 6-foot-6, 310-pound tackle from Athens’ Clarke Central High School, chose Tennessee over Clemson, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Cincinnati early this morning. Posey is not the first Clarke Central star to bypass (or get bypassed by) neighboring UGA for out-of-state schools. There was Chuck Smith (the Tennessee assistant who recruited Posey for the Vols), Dunta Robinson (who flourished at South Carolina and now plays cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons), Willie Green (who starred for Ole Miss and …

Continue reading Ten at 10: Posey is just latest Athens star to go out of state »

Athens — The University of Tennessee has snagged another big offensive lineman out of Georgia.

Alan Posey, a 6-foot-6, 310-pound tackle out of Clarke Central High picked the Vols from an offer list that included 15 schools. Posey chose a black UT cap with an orange T from a row of five hats representing his finalists — Clemson, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Cincinnati.

“It wasn’t an easy decision,” said Posey, who ended up with 15 offers. “I liked all the schools. They all had their pros and cons. But every time I went to [Tennessee], I kept getting this gut feeling from everybody in the program, the coaches and the players, that it was where I wanted to be.”

The University of Georgia, which is located less than a mile from where Posey was making his announcement, was not among the teams to offer him.

Immediately after making his decision public before friends, family and media in the Gallery Room of the Clarke Central gymnasium overlooking Billy Henderson Field, Posey actually …

Continue reading Athens OT Alan Posey commits to Tennessee (updated) »

A dapper-looking C.J. Uzomah smiles at the U.S. Army All-America luncheon Monday at Fox Sports Grill. (Photo by Chip Towers)

North Gwinnett quarterback C.J. Uzomah said Monday that Georgia remains a serious contender for his services despite last Friday’s news that bluechip prospect Christian LeMay has already accepted a scholarship offer from the Bulldogs.

Uzomah, arguably the top quarterback in Georgia this year, has long held a scholarship offer from the Bulldogs. So has Wilcox County’s Nick Marshall, Uzomah’s chief competition as the state’s best of the best. LeMay, of Matthews, N.C., is the No. 2-ranked quarterback in America per Scout.com.

Georgia coach Mark Richt has been quoted as saying the Bulldogs do not plan to sign more than one quarterback in the Class of 2011. But it’s Uzomah’s understanding they might sign two quarterbacks now that the status of backup Logan Gray has become murky.

“As far as LeMay committing, he is a great quarterback and everything. As far as …

Continue reading C.J. Uzomah: LeMay decision does not rule out Georgia »

Say this for Sterling Bailey: The young man can keep a secret.

The East Hall football star already knows to which school he plans to commit — has known for a while actually — but he still does not intend to make it public until May 14. That’s the day he has selected to reveal the lucky winner from among the 23 teams that have offered him a scholarship.

You can try, but you’re not going to get anything out of him until then.

“It’s not that hard to keep it [a secret] since I’ve been keeping it this long,” said Bailey, declining to say exactly how long he has had his mind made up. “I’m starting to hear from a lot of people. Everybody wants to know. But I just tell them to ‘tune in May 14th and you’ll find out.’”

Bailey’s announcement is tentatively planned for 6:30 p.m. at the high school.

Bailey, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive end, has fielded offers from pretty much every major program in the South and some as far away as California and Notre Dame. But in recent weeks he has …

Continue reading East Hall’s Sterling Bailey sets date to reveal choice »

A Q&A WITH CHRISTIAN LEMAY . . .

Georgia nabbed one of the best quarterback prospects in the country this past Friday when Christian LeMay of Matthews, N.C., chose the Bulldogs from a top five that included Clemson, Texas A&M, Auburn and Notre Dame. I attended LeMay’s well-orchestrated and carefully-scripted announcement at his father’s church, Champion Christian Center, in Pineville, N.C. Hopefully you got a chance to read my initial news reports on that. But most of what you have already read in those accounts came from LeMay’s time on the podium in front of dozens of cameras and hundreds of people. I got the opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with LeMay after the ceremony was over to get a little more detail on his decision, his thoughts about UGA and the recruiting process. Following is a Q&A from that brief but insightful session:

Q: Congratulations on reaching a decision, Christian. I thought it was an impressive ceremony. It looked like you fooled a lot of folks …

Continue reading Q&A: Christian LeMay doesn’t want to sit for 3 years at UGA »