Kyle Fleetwood commits to South Carolina; Stephenson HS has 9 recruits committed to SEC or ACC schools
Stephenson DB Kyle Fleetwood is mind-boggling No. 7 to an SEC school (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)
Another day, another football recruit from Stephenson High School committed to an SEC or ACC school.
Stephenson DB Kyle Fleetwood committed to South Carolina. The day earlier, Stephenson DE Jarontay Jones – the highest-ranked prospect left on the board at the Stone Mountain school, pledged to Virginia Tech.
Stephenson now has 9 players committed to SEC and ACC schools, including a surrealistic 7 to the SEC. The Georgia high school projects to have between 14-17 sign with FBS schools (formerly NCAA Div I-A) in February.
“It’s ridiculous,” said DB Shawn Blaylock, who was one of two Stephenson players to commit to Kentucky last week.
Fleetwood is 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds and selected South Carolina over LSU and Vanderbilt.
“I picked South Carolina because it’s an awesome place for me and the shoe fits right,” Fleetwood told the AJC.
Fleetwood said he gave the news to South Carolina assistant Lorenzo Ward on Sunday, and said that hasn’t yet talked to coach Steve Spurrier because he was out of town.
“Coach Ward was excited that he got one of the top DBs of his choice,” said Fleetwood, who added that he decided to commit on Sunday because he didn’t want to risk losing the scholarship to another South Carolina target.
The 6-3, 245-pound Jones committed to Virginia Tech out of nearly 40 offers, including every ACC school and every SEC school with the exception of UGA.
Who’s next for Stephenson?
TE Josh Parris, who de-committed from South Florida last week after being told he was recruited to play FB, is favoring Ole Miss over Vanderbilt, Louisville, Mississippi State and Cincinnati, among others.
RB T.J. Moon is considering Boston College, Memphis, Indiana, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, among others.
Here is Stephenson’s commitment list:
- RB Mike Davis (Florida)
- DT Jafar Mann (Florida)
- LB Darreon Herring (Vanderbilt)
- DL Carlos Hood (South Carolina)
- WR DeMarcus Sweat (Kentucky)
- DB Shawn Blaylock (Kentucky)
- DB Kyle Fleetwood (South Carolina)
- LB Raphael Kirby (Miami)
- DE Jarontay Jones (Virginia Tech)
RELATED
- It’s Crowell time! UGA 5-star recruit Isaiah Crowell reported to college (go here for full story)
- Georgia Tech is hot, hot, hot in June – THREE commits in 4 days (go here for full story)
- UCLA just gained a huge recruiting advantage with the hiring of Atlanta area AAU coach (go here for full story)
- Ridiculous! One Georgia high school has 9 football recruits committed to SEC or ACC schools (go here for full story)
- Dwight Smith Jr., son of the former Atlanta Braves OF, is a top candidate for Monday’s MLB Draft (go here for full story)
- Triplets to Kentucky? No, but close. Walton High School twins Daron and Zack Blaylock committed to Kentucky on Sunday night. “Feels good to be a Wildcat,” Daron wrote on Facebook. They are the sons of former Atlanta Hawks point guard Mookie Blaylock. LB Daron and DB Zack picked Kentucky over package offers from Duke and Ole Miss. Last week, Stephenson High School DB Shawn Blaylock (no relation) committed to Kentucky.
– By Michael Carvell, AJC Recruiting Blog Got a recruiting item? mcarvell@ajc.com
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113 comments Add your comment
stephenson supporter
June 5th, 2011
10:43 pm
great way to go jaguars
stephenson supporter
June 5th, 2011
10:44 pm
I was first
LUDATRIPP
June 5th, 2011
10:48 pm
yet you never hear of them winning any state titles…is Buck Godfrey their coach?
True Fan
June 5th, 2011
11:00 pm
That’s an awesome job. I’m a Camden fan and we have never come close to that and probably never will.
Tucker #44
June 5th, 2011
11:01 pm
this is the best team in georgia history …… that can’t make it past the first round of the playoffs
True Fan
June 5th, 2011
11:03 pm
Is not about a state title? Look how many Camden have and look how many guys they have in D1 schools ranked in the top 50 since 2003, I can only count 3 and at the most it would be 5, LOL. Once again GREAT JOB!!
GT Hulk
June 5th, 2011
11:40 pm
It would be so nice to see Tech just get one quality player from one of these schools instead of the ones that Arkansas State or Wofford are after!!!!!
Tim Dawg
June 6th, 2011
12:51 am
Where are the Bulldogs with signing these in state players ?
7576DAWG
June 6th, 2011
2:02 am
Tim Dawg
One of the reasons certain schools over sign is: every player they sign , that’s one more that doesn’t sign with or play for someone else. Georgia only will sign 18 players this year and they already have 6 commitments. That leaves 10 and they probably have offers out standing of 30 or 40 players. I’m sure someone knows the correct number. It simply means that the coach at Stephenson is probably not pro Georgia and the players there are not the top targets for CMR.
Schools that don’t over sign are a lot more selective as to which recruit they want to pursue the hardest.
Top Dawg
June 6th, 2011
2:04 am
@7576DAWG, the Stephenson coach is “pro Georgia” his son TJ Gartrell played flanker for Georgia back in the day. Fact is Georgia never recruited any of the Stephenson kids. Good luck to all 17 of them at other schools. Coach Richt will be in touch if he changes his mind.
Rhall55
June 6th, 2011
2:29 am
What a weekend for the Dawgs!!! No commits after a big “7 on 7″ camp; UGA needs to close the deal w/ the kids in camp!! I guess all the Coaches were watching Hines Ward on “Dancing with the Stars”!!!; trying to get pointers on footwork for the Team!!! Get someone to commit in the next couple weeks; it helps momentum!!!
Law Dawg
June 6th, 2011
2:32 am
Top Dawg you are incorrect. UGA offered Kirby, Mann, and pursued Davis for a package deal with Mann like UF did. Bottom-line, there aren’t enough coaches around the state that really know what the heck they are doing when counseling these kids on college choices. It’s awesome to see these kids get an opportunity to play at the next level and even more importantly get a good eductation, but seeing this many kids go out of state typically does not bode well for the State or these kids.
Dekalb Fan
June 6th, 2011
2:54 am
That’s great for the kids. Seems like Stephenson has the mojo on the college coaches. Kirby and Fleetwood weren’t getting recruited while at Parkview.
Michael Carvell
June 6th, 2011
4:03 am
@Top Dawg, thanks for your comment but that’s not true. UGA recruited and offered several members of Stephenson’s 2012 class.
wdog
June 6th, 2011
6:31 am
The last players that UGA got from Stephenson as I recall didnt make it..They havent had one since its been a few yrs back.
I think the last player ....
June 6th, 2011
7:10 am
UGA got out of stephenson is Mike Thorton if i’m not mistaken…i could be wrong. Anyway we can’t get all of them. If they wanna be Dawgs..they’ll come.
Football_365
June 6th, 2011
7:20 am
Thats it I have seen enough! me and my wife are looking to buy a house and the stephenson area is my main target! I have two boys can anybody on here give me a little info about the elem and middle schools out there.
Johnny Too Good
June 6th, 2011
7:33 am
So… every SEC school offered Jarontay Jones except UGA???? Whats up with that?
http://www.youtube.com/thatsjohnanderson
Davey Boy Smith
June 6th, 2011
8:23 am
I guess some coaches spend most of their time marketing their players, while others study film, create gameplans and win titles?
Either a lot of these kids were recruited by Stephenson from other area high schools, or they woefully underperformed last year. By the sound of things, they should go undefeated and untested throughout the season.
South GA Dawg
June 6th, 2011
8:24 am
UGA will be fine. We are not looking for 5-10 DBs we got three last year.We need size for the line and back field. We would be screwed if we offered and they all accepted wouldnt we?
Recruiting | MrSEC.com
June 6th, 2011
8:51 am
[...] Syracuse and Stanford. Those were several of the BCS conference schools to offer him a scholarship.Nine players from Stephenson have committed to BCS schools. “It’s ridiculous,” said defensive back Shawn Blaylock, who’s committed to [...]
DawginLex
June 6th, 2011
8:52 am
Bama lost another offensive lineman to Texas.
Is this a disturbing trend for Saban?
Now that the 25 rule is in place and he disagrees with it, will he leave like he has done at every other place he has ever coached?
tide roll, Why can’t Saban close the deal on these offensive linemen?
MeAgain
June 6th, 2011
9:00 am
Where was this team in last years playoffs? ROTFLMAO. They field a FBS team in high school and were not a factor. Players overrated? Yep.
Football_365
June 6th, 2011
9:49 am
@meAgain how can a school like buford win like 4 titles in a row and only send 2 or 3 kids to major d1 schools in any given year? If my kid gives that kind of commitment to help strengthen a coaches resume he had better bust his tail to get my kid into school!
TTiger
June 6th, 2011
9:59 am
I’ve heard the waterboy has gotten a free ride to Florida also. Congrats to Stephenson, the paper giant that always fails in the playoffs.
AltamahaDawg
June 6th, 2011
10:29 am
Johnny, Georgia has signed something like 8 DB’s in the past 2 years, including 3 of the top players in the State of Georgia last year at any position. No place to put him.
RRTDawgs
June 6th, 2011
11:02 am
I admit now i am real impressed with Stephenson HS its a shame that Richt has not recruited any of these kids hard but it seem like Richt its out in front with several 2013 recruits already .
RRTDawgs
June 6th, 2011
11:16 am
UGA has been going after NJ corner Yuri Wright #1 CB and Florida Travis Blanks we are in good shape with both recruits .
Bob Loblaw
June 6th, 2011
11:29 am
Please don’t lump the ACC with the SEC. Also, these are overrated kids going to mainly 3rd tier colleges. UGA isn’t missing out on them! Good luck to them. Hard work usually beats out talent!
DawginLex
June 6th, 2011
11:38 am
Anybody know the news out of Athens regarding Malcolm Mitchell and Crowell?
Someone told me they saw it on rivals but I don’t have a subscription.
Good or bad?
Tide Roll
June 6th, 2011
12:01 pm
I can’t believe that Phil Steele named Westlake’s Chance Warmack 2nd team All- SEC !!. The guy has started for us since his Freshman year !!( he and Hepzibah’s James Carpenter ( an NFL 1st rounder) made up the left side of our offensive line for our National Championship team. Thanks Uga! Nice evaluation. By the way, Cam Newton’s mentor since grade school is RESTY BEADLES, who started at OG for Georgia !! No matter, per Coach Richt, you didn’t want him as a QB, he was projected as a tight end in Uga’s system. Ya’ll didn’t want him as a QB!!. Bobo heads west to land Logan Gray instead. Is it any wonder ya’ll are the laughingstock of the SEC!!
RRTDawgs
June 6th, 2011
12:09 pm
DawginLex from what i have heard everyone from the dream team is good to go Mitchell and Crowell the only one that may have some issues is Devin Bowman .
Athens Tider
June 6th, 2011
12:14 pm
This brings up an interesting question. Would you rather have a state title or a free ride to college? The obvious answer might be a state title, but I’m not so sure. State titles are for talking about at reunions; college scholarships can set you up for life.
Michael Carvell
June 6th, 2011
12:15 pm
@Athens Tider, thats a good point. And I bet if you asked 100 parents that question — state championship or free college scholarship? — every one of them would give you the same exact answer … all 100 of them.
Tide Roll
June 6th, 2011
12:16 pm
I just don’t get it. Atlanta Creekside’s Rokevious Watkins (6′4″ 340lb) offensive guard for South Carolina, pushed ya’ll all over Williams Brice last year, and he’s only 3rd team ALL-SEC per Phil Steele. Watkins, like Warmack, will be a Ist round pick..
Tide Roll
June 6th, 2011
12:19 pm
And where the heck is N. Gwinnett’s JuJuan James, a 6′7″ 320 lb.OT at Tennessee. He was named Freshman All-American last year!! Steele doesn’t include him?!
Tide Roll
June 6th, 2011
12:25 pm
And for that matter, What about Atlanta MLK’s A. J. Hawkins ? Starting center for Ole Miss since a freshman, and named to the Rimington watch list as the top offfensive center in the country as a JUNIOR. He’s clearly better than Ben Jones, Much more mobile. More athletic and tougher too! Who in the heck is Phil Steele relying on to make his offensive line selections? Mike Bobo? Geez.
Football_365
June 6th, 2011
12:43 pm
rhall55 you are starting to sound like tide roll, you have been making the same comments all wkend relax when these guys are ready to commit they will cmr cant put a gun to their heads. Also we havent had dawg night yet who knows who will commit then! Relax man its going to be ok!
Frank Lane
June 6th, 2011
12:53 pm
Some of these recruits would not get into UGA. None of others could enough to make UGA list of 10 additional signees.
RRTDawgs
June 6th, 2011
12:55 pm
I hear dawgs looking at WR Blake Tibbs he was at 7 on 7 camp and will back for DawgNight i have heard this kid is a stud WR .
DawginLex
June 6th, 2011
12:55 pm
tide roll,
how did y’all lose that lineman to Texas?
How is Bama sinking so low to be recruiting Theus who is also a UGA target?
Has the Bama program slipped that low?
DawginLex
June 6th, 2011
1:01 pm
Cordy Glenn-1st Team All SEC
Chance Warmack-2nd Team
I guess Mr Steele doesn’t share your high opinion of Bama’s offensive line??
Georgia’s 1st team line is as good as any in the league. Depth is the only issue. Florida may have a better line than Bama too.
RRTDawgs
June 6th, 2011
1:03 pm
i agree DawginLax UGA crushed Voles JaJuan James last year sacked there QB several time several times of the dream team were at Under Armor and US Army games tide roll seems to think none our players played in those games .
Johnny Too Good
June 6th, 2011
1:09 pm
@RRTDawgs, u know anything about the mini camp they’re supposed to be having this weekend?
http://www.youtube.com/thatsjohnanderson
Tide Roll
June 6th, 2011
1:09 pm
What lineman? The guy probably saw our commitment from Under Armour All-American and Atlanta Creekside’s Brandon Greene, a 6′6″ 300 lb. man-child and decided to move on. We think Greene is another James Carpenter!! Thanks Coach Richt, thanks Coach Booboo, and most of all thanks UGA!! ROOOLLL TIDE !
Bob the Builder
June 6th, 2011
1:14 pm
Mark Richt saw Reggie Ball
DawginLex
June 6th, 2011
1:15 pm
Lineman signed with Texas over alabama. another crushing blow for Saban
Your line ain’t all that and Arkansas and others are going to expose it.
Another 3 loss season along with the 25 limit rule change and it’s bye bye Saban.
At least it will save him the humiliation of losing to Richt in Tuscaloosa in 2012
chillywilly
June 6th, 2011
1:20 pm
Stephenson’s players are obviously being mislead by ignorant adults. If these players and their football parents are serious about a college education, then they would look at schools like Morehouse, Howard University, FAMU, and Hampton first. On second thought, these athletes probably do not qualify to get in such fine institutions.
Athletes…………. PLEASE STOP letting these schools exploit you for your athletic ability.
DawginLex
June 6th, 2011
1:20 pm
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/longhorns/entries/2011/06/05/reports_highly.html
****************************************************************
Article also mentions Theus who Bama is recruiting but will sign with Georgia eventually. You make fun of Theus as a prospect yet the bama coaches are all over him.
RRTDawgs
June 6th, 2011
1:22 pm
I have not heard about it Johny Too Good but you did ask when DawgNight is its in July some great news past along big John Jenkins is coming can’t wait .