Archive for June, 2011

Jenkins County teammates James DeLoach (left) and Jonathan Taylor committed to UGA on Sunday (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

UGA secured the state’s No. 1 package deal on Sunday night.

Jenkins County High School teammates Jonathan Taylor and James DeLoach both committed to UGA.

Taylor is a 6-foot-4, 325-pound defensive tackle and a candidate to be ranked as the Georgia’s No. 1 overall college football prospect for 2012. He’s only 16 years old, with his next birthday five months away.

DeLoach is 6-3, 265 pounds and can play defensive end or linebacker. Both said all along that they were going to be a “package deal” and play on the same football team on college.

“Yes, it’s UGA,” Taylor told the AJC. “We picked Georgia because it’s a good place with good coaches that are good people. It’s not too far away from home. The place just stood out to us.”

Both players made unofficial visits to UGA over the weekend, meeting with coach Mark Richt. They picked UGA over runner-up Florida …

Continue reading Package deal! Teammates Jonathan Taylor and James DeLoach commit to UGA over FSU »

Auburn basketball recruit Jordan Price (Photo by Adidas)

Auburn has landed a commitment from one of Georgia’s hottest college basketball prospects.

Jordan Price, a combo guard from Southwest DeKalb High School, committed to Auburn over Georgia Tech, Memphis and Ole Miss, among others. After a torrid start to the summer, Price was being evaluated for scholarship consideration by numerous other schools, including UCLA, Georgetown, Marquette and Arkansas.

The 6-foot-5, 218-pound Price pledged to Auburn after making an unofficial visit to the SEC school on Saturday.

“The Auburn coaches were happy, they weren’t expecting it,” Price told the AJC. “I called 4-5 hours after I left and it caught them by surprise.”

Why Auburn? “I felt like it was the best for me and my family. We feel very comfortable in the decision. My family talked and prayed about it. Auburn was my top choice, and we didn’t want to lead any other schools on.”

Price is Auburn’s second 2012 basketball commitment from …

Continue reading Jordan Price commits to Auburn over Georgia Tech and Memphis »

Kenderius Whitehead has UGA and Georgia Tech offers

Most kids with 20 football scholarships don’t spend the summer auditioning for additional ones.

Kenderius Whitehead, the defensive end from Monroe Area High School, is not one of those kids.

Despite having to take the ACT test on Saturday morning, Whitehead still rushed over to Georgia to participate in the Mark Richt football camp.

It ended up being worth the effort, as Whitehead said he was offered after the camp by UGA defensive coordinator Todd Grantham.

“He [Grantham] told me, ‘You’re a very high-motor player. We see you on our team helping us win games. We want you to be a Dawg.’ He said I reminded him of [NFL Pro Bowl OLB] DeMarcus Ware when he coached for the Dallas Cowboys.”

UGA offered Whitehead at outside linebacker, while he is also being recruited by many schools at defensive end. Whitehead has 20 offers, including Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, South Carolina and Arkansas. He says Georgia Tech is one of his favorites …

Continue reading Kenderius Whitehead offered by UGA after reminding coach of DeMarcus Ware »

Cartersville HS punter Colin Barber

Georgia coach Mark Richt showed off his salesmanship skills on Saturday, both offering and landing a commitment from one of the state’s top punters within minutes.

Cartersville High School’s Colin Barber committed to the Bulldogs after working out in front of Richt and the rest of his staff at UGA camp. It was Barber’s first offer and he quickly accepted it. The day before, Pierce County fullback Quayvon Hicks pledged to Georgia (go here for story).

“Georgia was one of several one-day camps that Colin was going to attend this summer,” Cartersville coach Frank Barden told the AJC.

“He punted very well on Saturday. He had about 25 punts, including about 5-6 with a hang time of 5 seconds or more. He had a good workout. Coach Richt took Colin and his mother off the side afterwards and made the offer.”

The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder averaged around 43 yards per punt last season. He is also Cartersville’s kicker, and placed 80-percent of his kickoffs …

Continue reading Colin Barber commits quickly after UGA football offer from Mark Richt »

FB-DE Quayvon Hicks committed to UGA (Special)

UGA got a little help on offense on an unusually busy Friday for college football recruiting.

Quayvon Hicks committed to Georgia.

“Yes sir, I’m a Dawg,” Hicks told the AJC on Friday night.

The 6-foot-2, 245-pounder from Pierce County High School will play fullback for the Bulldogs.

Hicks was being recruited by other schools at defensive end. Hicks picked the Bulldogs out of around 10 offers, including Tennessee, Duke, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech and Miami. He also had serious interest from numerous other schools.

Hicks is commitment No. 7 for Georgia for its 2012 college football recruiting class.

Hicks informed Georgia coach Mark Richt when he was attending UGA’s football camp.

RELATED

• Ricky Parks picks Auburn over UGA and Alabama (go here for article)

• Friday’s biggest shocker was DB Travis Blanks of Tallahassee, Fla., committing to Clemson — not necessarily that he picked the Tigers but that he committed sooner than expected. …

Continue reading Quayvon Hicks commits to UGA to play fullback (UPDATED) »

Auburn's "Wildcat" QB? Parks will play TE or H-Back at Auburn, and may get a little time behind center (Photo by UGASports.com's Radi Nabulsi)

BREAKING NEWS: UGA picks up commitment No. 7 with Quayvon Hicks on Friday night (go here for story)

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Ricky Parks, who is ranked among the nation’s top college football prospects at tight end, committed to Auburn over UGA and Alabama.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder will be the second player from Georgia’s Callaway High School in two years headed to Auburn, following teammate and RB Quan Bray, who signed with the SEC school last February. Parks is also the second Georgia recruit to join Auburn’s 2012 recruiting class, along with Creekside defensive back Josh Holsey. (go here for Holsey)

Parks picked Auburn because of his close friendship with the coach Gene Chizik and the rest of the staff, the program’s success as the 2010 BCS champions, and Auburn’s football plans for him. Parks is expected to compete for immediate …

Continue reading Ricky Parks commits to Auburn over UGA and Alabama (UPDATED) »

Georgia State coach  Bill Curry and his staff are aggressively recruiting the state of Georgia. Here’s an updated list of high school football prospects that have been offered by Georgia State for 2012:

*NOTE: Players in bold are Georgia HS players offered by Georgia State

Grayson OL Fred Zerblis (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

DiAndre Atwater RB Peachtree Ridge

Samuel Batiste DE Collins Hill

Steven Bench QB Cairo

Jatavis Brown LD Glades Central (Fla.)

Josh Brown OL-DL South Aiken (S.C.)

Jagger Buggs LB Harris County

Jackson Buonamia OL Brookwood

Roshard Burney RB Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.)

Destin Challenger S Spain Park (Ala.)

Tavares Copeland WR Ft. Lee Westwood (Fla.)

Davison Colimon S  Seacoast (Fla.)

Jason Croom WR Norcross

Bernard Davis WR Lake Worth (Fla.)

Trey Dorsey QB Richmond Hill

Trent Dunne DT Hoover (Ala.)

Raynard Felton DE Ribault (Fla.)

Jake Ganus ATH Chelsea (Ala.)

Jamal Gay OG Florida State University HS (Fla.)

Rashad Grant WR Clinch …

Continue reading Georgia State’s Bill Curry aggressively recruiting Georgia’s 2012 football prospects »

Will it be Auburn, UGA or Bama for Ricky P? (Photo courtesy of Radi Nabulsi of UGASports.com)

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One of Georgia’s top college football prospects at tight end will make his college decision on Friday afternoon.

Ricky Parks from Callaway High School will announce between Auburn, UGA and Alabama.

Auburn is considered the school to beat but Parks once upon a time listed Alabama as his frontrunner. Parks performed  in front of UGA coach Mark Richt at Georgia’s 7 on 7 camp last week in Athens.

Here’s a breakdown of Parks from Kipp Adams of UGASports/Rivals.com:

“Ricky Parks, at 6-foot-4, 240-pounds, is an incredible specimen that brings a lot to the table at multiple positions. In a run/spread offense, he possesses the arm strength and mobility to play quarterback at a high level, and has good field vision. As a tight end, he has prototypical size, speed and strength …

Continue reading Decision Day! Ricky Parks to pick between Auburn, UGA and Alabama »

Georgia's No 1 prospect: William "Shaq" Goowin (AJC photo)

Now that the basketball coach of one of Atlanta’s top AAU or summer travel teams has been hired by UCLA, will his top players follow him to California?

Korey McCray, the CEO of the Atlanta Celtics AAU team, was announced as an assistant coach at UCLA on Tuesday. (Go here for the full story)

Two of the Atlanta Celtics top players, power forward Shaq Goodwin of Southwest DeKalb High School and shooting guard Jordan Adams of Oak Hill (Va.) prep school, both hold early basketball scholarships offers from UCLA.

The 6-foot-8, 235-pound Goodwin is considered the state’s No. 1 college basketball prospect for 2012. Goodwin said his leaders are “Georgia, Memphis, UCLA, Florida and Alabama.”

Goodwin claims no favorite, but acknowledges that UCLA has a better chance after hiring the man who coached him in AAU for the past three years.

“It will help a little bit because I will know somebody when I go out there sometime this …

Continue reading Now that UCLA has hired Atlanta AAU coach, will Georgia’s top recruits follow? »

Isaiah Crowell, UGA’s new big man on campus, arrived on campus on Tuesday, according to his high school coach.

The 5-star tailback from Carver-Columbus High School was the crown jewel of UGA’s heralded “Dream Team” recruiting class. He is projected to compete immediately for the starting position in Georgia’s offensive backfield.

Few Georgia recruits have arrived with greater fanfare or expectations. Crowell was hounded by autograph seekers, including fellow recruits, at Georgia’s spring game last April.

What advice did Carver coach Dell McGee give the star-studded prospect before he departed Columbus? The coach said he kept it simple: “I told Isaiah to just enjoy college. It’s a great experience.”

Crowell reported to college with his high school teammate who will also play football for Georgia, defensive back Quintavious “Cootie” Harrow. Crowell and Harrow have both met NCAA college entrance requirements and are …

Continue reading It’s Crowell time! UGA 5-star recruit Isaiah Crowell reports to college »