Archive for July, 2011

Buford DB CJ Moore is the nephew of three-time Olympic gold medalist Gail Devers

Speed is a family tradition with CJ Moore, who committed to play football at Virginia.

Moore, a lightning-fast cornerback from Buford High School, committed to Virginia over offers from Rice, Memphis, Air Force and Navy. Moore’s mother, Monica Phillips, ran track at UCLA, and his aunt, Gail Devers, won three Olympic gold medals in sprinting events.

“We’ve definitely got some speed in the family.” Moore told the AJC with a laugh. “We really don’t talk about it because it’s just natural. It just seems like everybody in my family either ran track, coached track or had something to do with track.”

The 5-foot-9, 155-pound Moore will be following the same sports path as his father, who did both football and track at Cal State Northridge.

The younger Moore has already established himself as one of Georgia’s fastest college prospects for 2012, winning the Class AA state championship in the 100 meters in …

Continue reading Nephew of Olympian Gail Devers commits to play football at Virginia »

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One of Georgia’s top offensive linemen will be making his college decision on Monday.

Will Adams, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound tackle from two-time defending state champion Sandy Creek High School, will be announcing shortly after 11 a.m. Monday. Adams was offered by Georgia Tech last Saturday, and the Yellow Jackets are one of his leaders, along with the Kentucky and Louisville.

“Will’s best days of football are ahead of him,” Sandy Creek coach Chip Walker told the AJC earlier this week. “He’s big, tall and very athletic. He’s really smart. I think he’s the total package. He would be a great pickup for any school. Not just Georgia Tech, but anybody. I think he can play for anybody in the country. He’s started for us for two years, and this season will be his third. He’s a winner. Wherever he goes, someone is going to get a good football …

Continue reading Sandy Creek OL Will Adams will pick between Georgia Tech, Kentucky and Louisville on Monday »

Mark Fox turned around his luck with recruiting at Milton High School by landing the state's No. 1 PG for 2012 (AJC photo)

Charles Mann, who is considered state’s No. 1 college basketball prospect at point guard, committed to UGA over Florida State on Friday.

“The most important thing about UGA is that it’s close to home, so my friends and family can watch me play,” Mann told the AJC. “It was down to Georgia and Florida State. Georgia has two point guards leaving after this season, giving me a great chance to come in and start. I’ve built a great relationship with the coaches, and I felt like Georgia was the best place for me.”

The 6-foot-5, 193-pound Mann picked UGA out of 24 offers, which also included reigning NCAA champion UConn. Mann averaged 22 points as a junior at Union Grove High School. This summer, he transferred to Milton High School for his senior year.

“I think there were a lot of factors, one of them being the great opportunity to step in there and have a …

Continue reading Charles Mann, Georgia’s No. 1 point guard, picks UGA over Florida State »

Plant HS DB Antonio Crawford committed to Georgia Tech shortly after being offered by the Yellow Jackets on Friday

Georgia Tech landed a speedy defensive back from the same Florida high school football powerhouse that produced UGA talents Aaron Murray and Orson Charles

Antonio Crawford of Tampa’s Plant High School committed to Georgia Tech within minutes after being offered by Yellow Jackets coach Paul Johnson on late Friday night. Crawford picked the ACC school over Iowa State and Florida International, among others. He is commitment No. 8 for Georgia Tech’s 2012 recruiting class.

“We don’t push our kids at Plant to commit early unless they know 100-percent that’s where they want to go,” Plant High School coach Robert Weiner told the AJC. “I asked Antonio if he was offered by another other college in the world, would he still want to Georgia Tech? Antonio then told me Georgia Tech was the No. 1 place he wanted to go, so he committed.

“He really loved being at Georgia Tech and …

Continue reading Antonio Crawford commits to Georgia Tech; DB from same Florida HS as UGA’s Aaron Murray and Orson Charles »

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Until somebody else commits (which could be any minute based on how this week is going), we’re going to play “Armchair Quarterback” with college football recruiting.

Here’s the question: Should UGA have recruited another RB to go along with Isaiah Crowell in this past year’s “Dream Team” recruiting class?

Of course, Georgia’s ever-thinning depth at RB is a big topic of conversation. In the span of a week, a linebacker was moved to tailback and then promoted to No. 1 on the depth chart heading into the preseason, according to the AJC’s Chip Towers. (Yes, we know the No. 1 is Richard Samuel, who has the most experience on the team at RB. But still …)

That all leads us back to Crowell, who was No. 1-rated RB in the nation and held up a puppy on National Signing Day after picking UGA over Alabama. …

Continue reading Armchair QB Recruiting: Should UGA have signed another RB to go with Isaiah Crowell? »

Keithon Redding (left) with Columbia HS coach Mario Allen (AJC)

Keithon Redding, a wide receiver from Columbia High School, said he committed to Tennessee on Friday afternoon.

“I called the coaches and told them ‘I want to be a Vol,’” Redding told the AJC. “I like Tennessee because of the coaches and because it’s not too far away from home.”

The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder said he was also considering Central Florida and Alabama. He said he decided to commit to Tennessee after attending Florida State’s camp.

“I had been wanting to commit to Tennessee for a while,” Redding said. “I had been talking to Florida State, and they wanted me to come down to camp so they could see me in person. I talked to the wide receivers coach, and he sounded like he was really interested in me. But I wasn’t sure if they had offered. It was kind of confusing.”

Redding said he has been clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.5 seconds.

RELATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING STORIES

• Tennessee gets commitment No. 8 in …

Continue reading WR Keithon Redding commits to Tennessee Volunteers »

UGA OL Chester Brown (left) at Dawg Night (Photo courtesy of Radi Nabulsi of UGASports.com)

(Breaking: Speedy Georgia WR commits to ACC school click here)

Offensive line is UGA’s biggest priority for the remainder of its 2012 football recruiting class.

The Bulldogs picked up their second OL prospect in less than a week when Chester Brown committed on Wednesday. The 6-foot-5, 331-pounder from Bradwell Institute picked Georgia over Georgia State and South Alabama.

“I think Chester kind of wanted to stay close to home, when it all came down to it,” Bradwell coach Jim Walsh Jr. told the AJC. “For Chester, the opportunity for his parents to come and watch his games was very important. He has a great family nucleus.”

One of the nation’s top offensive linemen, 5-star recruit John Theus of Jacksonville, committed to Georgia at last weekend’s Dawg Night. Brown was also there in Athens that night attending his first college camp of the summer, and left with a scholarship offer from UGA …

Continue reading OL Chester Brown commits to Georgia Bulldogs (UPDATED) »

McEachern WR Amba Etta-Towa committed to Maryland over Virginia (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

One of Georgia’s fastest wide receivers committed to Maryland on Wednesday night.

Amba Etta-Tawo, a 6-foot-3, 178-pounder from McEachern High School, said he picked the Terrapins over Virginia out of around 10 football scholarship offers.

“Maryland’s offense is a great fit for me,” Etta-Towa told the AJC. “The type of scheme they run is perfect for the type of receiver that I am.”

What type of wide receiver is Etta-Towa? A fast one. He was a member of McEachern’s 400-meter relay team that finished runner-up for the Class AAAAA state championship and he has been clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.4 seconds.

“All the coaches were fired up about the commitment,” Etta-Tawo said.

Etta-Towa is the fourth Georgia player to commit to Maryland, following Marist OL Nick Brigham, Luella DB Alvin Hill and Chapel Hill WR AJ Liddell.

• Lithonia High School’s Joe Harris will announce his college …

Continue reading WR Amba Etta-Tawo commits to Maryland Terrapins over Virginia »

There will be at least one surprise visitor at Alabama’s football camp on Wednesday.

Central Gwinnett defensive end Francis Kallon, who committed to Georgia Tech last month, will be working out with other top prospects for Alabama coach Nick Saban and his staff. Kallon is a native of London, England, who has only played organized football for two weeks in his life — his high school’s spring practice in May.

Back to Alabama: It’s not what you think, explained Central Gwinett coach Todd Wofford.

Central Gwinnett DE Francis Kallon has everything you'd look for in a college prospect at defensive end except for football experience. It's coming soon (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

“All Francis has wanted to do all summer was to get better in football,” Wofford told the AJC. “You take a kid who has never played before, and he wants to take every opportunity to learn the game. With the stuff that happened at Georgia Tech last week (the NCAA penalties), it did make him think about …

Continue reading Francis Kallon, who committed to Georgia Tech, to attend Alabama football camp »

New UGA QB commit Brice Ramsey of Camden County has been attending UGA football camps since he was in middle school (Note: This photo with Mark Richt was taken at a 2010 camp by the Ramsey family. Brice has had a growth spurt since it was taken)

Strangely, Georgia’s quarterback of the future has yet to start a high school game.

Brice Ramsey is a rising junior who is still waiting to make a name for himself at Camden County High School. But the tall, lanky kid with the high-powered arm already has the stamp of approval from college scouts.

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Ramsey ended an intense recruiting battle when he committed to Georgia at “Dawg Night” camp last weekend. Ramsey, who had early scholarship offers from Florida, Florida State and Clemson, was expected to double or triple his stack of offers within the next few months if he hadn’t pledged.

Some are left to wonder how can a quarterback who has yet to start in high school be so highly regarded?

Even though Ramsey …

Continue reading UGA QB recruit Brice Ramsey: Yet to start in high school, ready to prove scouts are right »