Archive for August, 2011

 Loading …

Chaz Elder, who is considered by many to be Georgia’s No. 1 college football prospect at safety, will make his college decision after 6 p.m. Friday.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder from Banneker High School will choose between his three finalists — UGA, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.

Elder has won rave reviews as a safety prospect, but decided a few months ago that he would prefer to play cornerback in college because it would give him a “better chance” of reaching his NFL dreams. UGA, South Carolina and Vanderbilt have all agreed to let him play cornerback. Here’s more on the three finalists:

• Vanderbilt: “Chaz has the opportunity to be the first guy to do a lot of things at that school that hasn’t been done before,” Banneker assistant Ryan Andrews. “Vanderbilt doesn’t have the football history as the other schools, so he has the opportunity to come in, start something there and be the first to …

Continue reading Decision Day! DB Chaz Elder to pick UGA, South Carolina or Vandy »

 Loading …

Have you ever seen a wide receiver who was 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, catches the ball like he has glue on his hands, and runs the 40-yard dash in less than 4.6 seconds?

No, we haven’t either. Ever.

We present William “Shaq” Goodwin, the towering wide receiver at Southwest DeKalb High School, which will play Tucker at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on WSB-TV’s digital channel 2.2 and on www.wsbtv.com

Buck Godfrey, the legendary coach who has sent a pipeline of players to the college and NFL ranks over the last 29 years at Southwest DeKalb, hasn’t seen anything like it either.

The old ball coach thinks Goodwin “could revolutionize the wide receiver position” as we know it.

“In football, he could be legendary at wide receiver,” Godfrey told the AJC. “They may try to put him at tight end in college but he has got the speed and …

Continue reading Shaq Goodwin could ‘revolutionize the WR position’ as we know it — UGA, Alabama and Florida among finalists »

 Loading …

UGA hasn’t given up with its recruiting of Josh Dawson, one of Georgia’s top college football prospects.

The 6-foot-4, 227-pound defensive end from Tucker High School made the surprising decision to commit early to Vanderbilt. In June, Dawson picked Vanderbilt over Georgia, Notre Dame and South Carolina, among his 23 early scholarship offers.

It hasn’t discouraged Georgia. Dawson said UGA mailed him a written scholarship offer earlier this month, and that he stays in touch with Bulldogs recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner on a regular basis.

“Right now, I’m committed to Vanderbilt, but I’m still taking offers and listening to what people have to say,” Dawson told the AJC. “I just know my final decision will be in February. That’s when everything matters.”

Dawson said he will likely take only two official visits – to Vanderbilt and UGA. “I might go to …

Continue reading Josh Dawson: Committed to Vanderbilt but will visit UGA »

 Loading …

Jordan Watkins, one of Georgia’s top college football prospects at defensive tackle, got a surprise when he talked to Florida’s coaches on Tuesday night.

The 6-foot-5, 268-pound from Woodward Academy had listed the Gators as one of his finalists, along with UGA and Stanford. Now he is down to two.

“I talked with one of the Florida coaches, and he basically said they had filled up the spots on the defensive line,” Watkins told the AJC. “He said he would talk to [Florida head coach Will Muschamp] and see if he could do anything about it.

“I was a little shocked to hear that but at the same time it will make my decision a little easier. Like I’ve said before, all three of my final schools are great schools, so this will help me out.”

UPDATE: By late Tuesday night, Watkins decided to move forward without hearing back from Florida. He said it’s now UGA vs. Stanford for his services.

Jordan Watkins (Photo by …

Continue reading Jordan Watkins: UGA vs. Stanford … Florida is out (UPDATED) »

 Loading …

Alabama and Georgia Tech are the frontrunners for Henry County defensive end Dalvin Tomlinson, who is a candidate to be Georgia’s No. 1 overall college football prospect for 2012.

The 6-foot-3, 255-pounder is an AJC Super 11 selection and has around 20+ early scholarship offers, with Florida, Clemson and Indiana filling out the rest of his top five. Tomlinson, who is a two-time state champion in wrestling, has a 3.8 GPA.

“Dalvin is relentless,” Henry County coach Mike Rozier said. “He is at full tilt every play, and looks like he never takes a play off. He goes both ways for us and his motor is always running. The college scouts always talk about that when they watch his film. You just don’t see many high school kids that are relentless and have a motor like him.”

Tomlinson made a recruiting trip to Alabama on Saturday and nearly committed.

“I was …

Continue reading Dalvin Tomlinson, AJC Super 11 DE, has Alabama and Georgia Tech as frontrunners »

QB Will Gardner

One of Georgia’s top quarterbacks will miss the rest of his senior year after suffering a knee injury in the season-opener.

Will Gardner, who has committed to Louisville, torn the ACL in his right knee in Coffee High School’s win over Brunswick last Friday. An MRI confirmed the injury on Monday.

“It was heartbreaking because Will really worked his tail off; he was phenomenal,” Coffee coach Ken Eldridge said. “He’s such a great kid, like a son to me. He was devastated by the news, as was our team. We’re really hurting for him.”

The 6-foot-5, 214-pound Gardner committed to Louisville over Alabama and Mississippi State last month. Eldridge talked to Louisville’s coaches on Monday and was told that they are sticking by the college scholarship offer. “He’s still their guy,” Eldridge said.

WE’VE MOVED!!! Visit the AJC’s NEW Recruiting page by clicking here or going to ajc.com/sports/recruiting

*

TOP 10 FOOTBALL RECRUITING STORIES

• “Georgia’s fastest football …

Continue reading Will Gardner, Georgia QB committed to Louisville, suffers season-ending injury »

Carrollton DB Jonathan Jones is a nationally-ranked hurdler and considered "Georgia's fastest football recruit." He was picked for the AJC's Super 11 (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

Jonathan Jones, who is considered Georgia’s “fastest football recruit”, committed to Auburn on Saturday after visiting the SEC school.

The 5-foot-10, 172-pound defensive back from Carrollton High School picked Auburn over his other two finalists of Mississippi State and Georgia Tech, among a dozen scholarship offers. Jones is an AJC Super 11 selection. He has a 3.7 GPA and also a candidate for the Junior Olympics in the hurdles.

“I liked everything about Auburn, from the winning tradition to the coaching staff, along with the proximity from home,” Jones told the AJC. “Coach [Gene Chizik] made it feel like one big family at Auburn, and that’s one thing I really liked.”

Jones is a three-year starter at Carrollton, which played for the state championship last season. He is also a superstar in track. …

Continue reading Jonathan Jones, AJC Super 11 DB, picks Auburn over Miss. State and Georgia Tech (UPDATED) »

Peachtree Ridge DB Ray Buchanan Jr. (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

Ray Buchanan Jr., son of the former NFL Pro Bowler, committed to Arkansas on Saturday.

The 5-foot-11, 176-pound defensive back from Peachtree Ridge High School picked Arkansas over Ole Miss. Arkansas was the first school to offer Buchanan, and that made a huge impression.

“I talked to a lot of former and current players, and they all said they really loved it at Arkansas,” Buchanan told the AJC. “It’s an exciting atmosphere for college football, and a great place to get a degree.”

Buchanan said he has a 3.3 GPA and will major in Criminal Justice or Engineering.

Like his famous father, Buchanan plays defensive back. The elder Buchanan played college football at Louisville and then in the NFL for 12 seasons, including from 1997-2003 for the Atlanta Falcons. Buchanan famously exchanged trash talk with Shannon Sharpe before Super Bowl XXXIII against the Denver Broncos.

WE’VE MOVED!!! Visit the AJC’s NEW Recruiting …

Continue reading Ray Buchanan Jr., son of ex-NFL Pro Bowler, picks Arkansas over Ole Miss »

 Loading …

Ray Buchanan Jr., son of the former NFL Pro Bowler, will decide between Arkansas and Ole Miss on Saturday.

The 5-foot-11, 176-pounder from Peachtree Ridge High School is scheduled to announce his college decision live on GPB during the telecast of the Corky Kell Classic at the Georgia Dome. It will be televised live around 6:30-7 p.m. and you can click on this link to watch it live.

Like his famous father, Buchanan plays defensive back. The elder Buchanan played college football at Louisville and then in the NFL for 12 seasons, including from 1997-2003 for the Atlanta Falcons. Buchanan famously exchanged trash talk with Shannon Sharpe before Super Bowl XXXIII against the Denver Broncos.

Peachtree Ridge DB Ray Buchanan Jr. will pick between Arkansas and Ole Miss (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

Back to Junior. Here’s what he likes about finalist No. 1, Arkansas: “I have a good relationship …

Continue reading ‘Big Play Ray’s’ son to decide between SEC schools »

 Loading …

Georgia’s top available college basketball prospect on the perimeter, Marcus Hunt, committed to Georgia Tech on Friday.

The 6-foot-5, 210-pounder from North Clayton High School picked Georgia Tech among his eight finalists of UGA, Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Louisville, West Virginia, and Virginia Tech. Hunt will play both shooting guard and small forward in college.

“Georgia Tech, they got one of the top recruits in the state, as well as the country,” North Clayton basketball coach Martisse Troup told the AJC. “I feel like Marcus will do well at Georgia Tech. We have had a couple of football players from North Clayton go on to Georgia Tech. I think Marcus is going to do well at Georgia Tech.”

“Anything Georgia Tech asks Marcus to do, he will take care it. Any challenge you give him, he will do it. It’s unbelievable how …

Continue reading Basketball: Marcus Hunt picks Georgia Tech over UGA, Alabama, Florida, FSU, Louisville, others »