Archive for August, 2010

Linebacker Tremayne McNair (6-2, 225) possesses tremendous quickness and is known for his bone-jarring tackles. (Special photo)

(UPDATED THROUGHOUT. VIDEO BELOW)

For Tremayne McNair, strong academics and playing time were factors in his decision to commit to Georgia Tech on Sunday. But neither was the main reason he chose the Yellow Jackets.

“I just love the city of Atlanta,” said the 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker from Jacksonville, N.C., said Monday. “I just like the way it’s located right in the middle of a big city. I didn’t think I’d like that at first but, after going down there and seeing it in person, that’s one of the things I like most about it.”

There’s not many places like Atlanta where McNair comes from. The closest major city to Jacksonville, where McNair stars for White Oak High School, is Wilmington, N.C.

Those factors — and others — contributed to McNair’s decision to choose the Jackets over Clemson and North Carolina. He committed to Tech Sunday night after a …

Continue reading Georgia Tech lands No. 12 from LB Tremayne McNair (UPDATED) »

OK, that’s the last time I ever solicit submissions for The Mailbag.

I’d been a little disappointed in the quantity and quality of Mailbag questions I’d been getting lately. So I wrote up a quick shout-out earlier this week and — WHAM! – I was buried under your queries.

So, first of all, thanks for your responsiveness. And thanks also for all the remarks and well wishes as me and my family as we inch our way back into a routine.

I got so many responses that I broke them down into categories since many of the questions were essentially the same. But I tried to select one questioner who boiled down the subject matter best. So let’s get to it.

WILDER

James Wilder, aka 'The Source.'

RxDawg asks: So I have a question, has it yet been discovered just who was the “source” that prompted the “news” spreading that James Wilder Jr. would commit to UGA?  Or in other words, has it been explained how this false story got out in the first place?

Chip: Virtually all of us in this business …

Continue reading Mailbag: Wilder conspiracies, LeMay plots and nerds »

Darius Caldwell said locking down a college scholarship to Georgia Tech this week was “half of a dream come true.”

“I’ve always wanted to play big-time football,” said the the 6-foot-5, 210-pound athlete said.

The other half?

“Well, I want to play pro ball one day,” he said. “But it all starts here.”

Caldwell, who plays defensive end and outside linebacker at Atlanta’s Mays High School, became the 11th verbal commitment of Georgia Tech’s 2011 class and the second in as many days. He joins quarterback Vad Lee of Durham, N.C., who committed to the Yellow Jackets during a news conference at Hillside High Thursday afternoon.

Caldwell’s pledge came with considerably less pomp and circumstance. He actually committed to Tech with a quiet phone call assistant coach Buzz Preston Wednesday night. He didn’t actually receive an official offer from the Yellow Jackets until this past Saturday when he attended the Jackets’ scrimmage at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

“It wasn’t that I always wanted to …

Continue reading Georgia Tech lands No. 11 with commitment of Mays OLB Darius Caldwell »

Georgia Tech came on late and strong for Vad Lee. The three-star prospect committed to Georgia Tech over N.C. State and Wake Forest on Wednesday. (Don Callahan/InsideCarolina.com)

Talk about good timing!

On the same day that redshirt freshman quarterback Jordan Luallen left Georgia Tech, one of the best signalcallers in North Carolina committed to the Yellow Jackets.

Vad Lee, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound quarterback at Hillside High School in Durham, N.C., revealed Thursday afternoon that he had chosen Tech over N.C. State and Wake Forest.

“I’m just really happy to get the process over with and I’m really happy about my decision to go to Georgia Tech,” speaking by phone just moments after revealing his decision in the Hillside High gym before about 100 people, including teammates, coaches, parents and friends. “What they do really fits me well and I feel like I can go down there and compete for the job.”

Lee’s commitment was followed a few hours later by a pledge from Mays DE/OLB …

Continue reading QB Vad Lee picks Georgia Tech over N.C. State, Wake Forest »

Note: Greetings and good afternoon. Sorry no Ten@10 this morning. I was attending to personal business. The Ten@10 will resume next week as usual on Tuesdays and Thursday. Thanks for your patience.

Health issues forced Avery Walls and his mother to move out of the Union Grove High School district and, ultimately, to transfer to Eagles Landing Christian Academy. But it’s evident after a few weeks in the Cougars’ preseason camp that the move may be beneficial to Walls on the football field as well.

On the surface, a college prospect moving down to Class A from Class AAAAA isn’t a good way to enhance his recruitment. Not that Walls’ recruiting needs enhancement. A consensus four-star prospect, he has at least two dozen offers and is ranked by Rivals.com ninth in the nation at his position.

But based on early returns, the move may highlight Walls’ versatility as a football player.

Walls, a 5-11, 183-pound defensive back, will be playing both sides of the ball and special teams at …

Continue reading Move to Eagles Landing Christian highlights Avery Walls’ versatility »

Normally the less mail I get the better I feel. But earlier this summer I started the AJC Recruiting Mailbag as a regular feature. My intention was to answer your submitted questions every Friday morning.

But lately there just simply hasn’t been enough submissions to put a mailbag blog together. So, going forward, it may have to be a whenever-there-is-enough-good-questions feature rather than a regular feature. We’ll see.

In the meantime, I need your help. take a minute to fire off some questions for me now. I have set up an email account just for this purpose. And have fun with it! I plan to.

I think I may have enough for a mailbag for tomorrow but not sure. So let’s hear from you to be sure.

Remember, the address is AJCrecruiting@yahoo.com. Save it in your address books.

C-ya on the flipside.

P.S. Sorry no Ten@10 this morning. Handling personal business. That definitely will resume next week and for the foreseeable future on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Continue reading Mail call: Send in your AJC Recruiting Mailbag questions »

James Wilder smiles and does the tomahawk chop after unveiling his selection of Florida State over Georgia and Florida on Wednesday. (Photo by Corey Dowlar/NoleSports.com)

James Wilder Jr., a five-star recruit and consensus Top 5 national prospect, picked Florida State over Georgia and Florida during a heavily-attended, regionally-televised news conference Wednesday afternoon at Plant High School in Tampa.

“The FSU coaches were the big difference for me as far as my decision,” Wilder told reporters at the news conference. “Assistant coach Eddie Gran has helped put a lot of top running backs in the [National Football] League and that was very attractive to me.”

There had been reports as late as Wednesday morning that the 6-foot-2, 220-pound athlete, who intends to play running back in college, was going to select Georgia. And, dressed in black shirt with a red vest, it looked like that might be the case.

But as it turns out Wilder had been favoring coach Jimbo Fisher’s …

Continue reading 5-star recruit James Wilder Jr. picks FSU over Georgia, Florida »

THE TEN AT 10:

1. Sources at University of Georgia tell me that Christian LeMay’s academic and disciplinary situations have been thoroughly reviewed and he will be admitted to the school in January. Some details on the incident that resulted LeMay incurring a 40-day suspension from Butler High and some of the political fallout that resulted are revealed in this report in the Charlotte Observer. LeMay, a Georgia commitment since April, has decided instead not to return to Butler or play football his senior season. Instead he will complete his high school education in a “private setting” and enroll at UGA in January as planned, according to his father.

2. At least one columnist believes LeMay skipping his senior season was the right decision. Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer writes that transferring to another program to avoid the suspension and compete for another team would have made LeMay an “athletic mercenary.” And returning to Butler was not a reasonable option since …

Continue reading Ten@10: Christian LeMay expected to be admitted to UGA »

James Wilder Jr. could become the third blue-chip prospect from Tampa's Plant High to pick Georgia. (Photo by Bill Ward/Tampa Tribune).

The general consensus has been that mega-prospect James Wilder Jr. of Tampa will commit to Florida or Florida State with Georgia coming in a distant third when he finally makes his choice public at a news conference Wednesday evening.

But all that began change late in the day Tuesday after an Internet report surfaced that the 6-foot-2, 220-pound athlete was actually favoring the Bulldogs. Citing sources, Brett McMurphy, a veteran reporter who writes for FanHouse.com, reports that Wilder has already made up his mind to commit to Georgia. Wilder makes his announcement at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the Plant High School Auditorium.

Wrote McMurphy: “Barring a last-minute change of heart, Tampa Plant High School running back James Wilder Jr., considered among the nation’s top high school football recruits, will attend Georgia next season, sources told …

Continue reading Report: James Wilder Jr. to choose Georgia over Florida, FSU »

Quarterback Vad Lee of Durham, N.C., fits Georgia Tech's offense to a T. (Photo by Ray Black III/newsobserver.com)

Georgia Tech had to feel a little stung when running back Romar Morris chose North Carolina over the Yellow Jackets on Monday. But they’ll feel a whole lot better if they land another Tobacco Road athlete later this week.

Vad Lee, an all-star quarterback from Hillside High in Durham, N.C., will announce his decision between Tech, N.C. State and Wake Forest on Thursday at 4 p.m.

“I’m still evaluating them all now,” Lee said as he made his way from school to practice Tuesday afternoon. “I pretty much know what I want to do but it’s hard because all of them are good situations. That’s why I backed off making an announcement on Aug. 7. It’s a hard decision.”

But it’s one Lee has been methodical in making. The 6-foot-2, 193-pound athlete has made trips to the campuses of each of his three finalists the last two weekends. Tech was his final stop when he attended its …

Continue reading QB Vad Lee to decide between Georgia Tech, N.C. State, Wake Forest on Thursday »