Archive for September, 2011

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Georgia Tech still has a chance for one of the state’s top running backs who committed to Kentucky on Sunday.

Shadrach Thornton of Liberty High School said he will go ahead and take his official visit to Georgia Tech next month despite his pledge to Kentucky. He will also visit N.C. State.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder said he talked with Georgia Tech assistant Lamar Owens.

“I called to let him know that I did commit but that I still wanted to take my official visit there to make sure Kentucky is where I want to go,” Thornton told the AJC. “Coach Owens totally understood. Kentucky was my first official visit, and I’ve got to factor in the distance from home, and what are the pros and cons of each school.

“I’m going to take my official visits to Georgia Tech and N.C. State. If I feel the same way about Kentucky after all of that, then I will pick those …

Continue reading RB Shadrach Thornton commits to Kentucky but will still visit Georgia Tech »

M.L. King WR Blake Tibbs (left) committed to UGA and hopes his high school teammate, DE Kenderius Whitehead, will follow him to the Bulldogs (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

Saturday was a good day at the office for UGA.

The Bulldogs beat Ole Miss on the road in the afternoon, and picked up a commitment from one of the state’s top wide receivers later that night:

Blake Tibbs of M.L. King High School picked UGA over North Carolina, Southern Miss and Kentucky.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Tibbs is commit No. 15 for UGA’s 2012 college football recruiting class.

“I watched college football all day on Saturday, started thinking about recruiting, and UGA kept popping up in my head,” Tibbs told the AJC. “I was thinking about all the boys in my area [Atlanta area] that Georgia is recruiting … and that if we all go down to Georgia together, we can make an impact there.”

Tibbs called UGA’s Mark Richt to inform him of his decision on Saturday evening and got his voicemail. Then Tibbs …

Continue reading WR Blake Tibbs is commitment No. 15 for UGA »

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Brice Ramsey, UGA’s quarterback of the future, can play a little kicker, too.

The junior quarterback from Camden County had one of the top 10 longest field goals in the history of Georgia high school football on Friday. Ramsey, who committed early to UGA, booted a 57-yarder in the 58-0 win over Bradwell Institute.

“He actually kicked one earlier that was 57 yards but was wide right,” Camden County coach Jeff Herron told the AJC. “He had plenty of distance on that one and he told me when he came off the field ‘You give me another chance, Coach, and I will make it.’

“Lo and behold, with two minutes at the end of the half, we got to the same location. It was fourth down and a mile. Brice got up there and drilled it. It hit the fence behind the goalpost. It had another 7-8 yards for sure.”

What about Brice at …

Continue reading UGA QB recruit Brice Ramsey kicks 57-yard field goal (UPDATED) »

AJC Super 11 member Josh Harvey-Clemons will visit UGA (AJC)

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One of the top uncommitted seniors in the state is AJC Super 11 member Josh Harvey-Clemons of Lowndes High School.

The 6-foot-5, 200-pounder will take official visits to UGA, Florida, LSU and Louisville. JHC is projected to play safety in college, but is also getting looks at outside linebacker.

“The dude is a freak … he’s the best I’ve played against in the last three years,” said Trent Thompson, quarterback of No. 1-ranked McEachern High School.

“I think he will play safety in college, if they don’t put him somewhere on offense. I don’t think he’s thick enough to play linebacker. Wherever he goes, he’s going to be outstanding.

“I still can’t believe the interception he had against me. He jumped so high, and kept getting higher and higher, and came down with it. The dude is a freak.”

Here’s …

Continue reading Josh Harvey-Clemons, AJC Super 11 selection, will visit UGA, Florida, LSU and Louisville »

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Georgia Tech coach Brian Gregory never gave up on recruiting Tony Parker and it has paid off.

Parker, who is ranked among the nation’s top 25 college basketball prospects, will take an unofficial visit to Georgia Tech on Saturday. The 6-foot-9, 270-pound Parker is a senior power forward from Miller Grove High School.

“Tony has never discounted the local schools,” Miller Grove coach Sharman White told the AJC. “You have to give a lot of credit to Coach Gregory and his staff with sticking with him. Tony will be going over there on Saturday, looking around campus, and listening to what they have to say.”

Parker is also in the process of setting up a visit to UGA. His Miller Grove teammate, small forward Brandon Morris, committed to UGA a couple of weeks ago.

Miller Grove PF Tony Parker is ranked among the nation's top 25 college basketball prospects (AJC …

Continue reading Surprise! Tony Parker will visit Georgia Tech on Saturday, and UGA may be next »

East Paulding High School tailback Kamani Thomas is compared to Alabama star Trent Richardson by his coach, and that’s not a stretch.

Alabama may be thinking the same, as Crimson Tide running backs coach Burton Burns showed up at East Paulding last week to scout Thomas, who is considered by some to be Georgia’s No. 1 prospect at running back for 2013 (he’s a junior).

“He reminds me of the Richardson kid at Alabama,” East Paulding coach John Reid told the AJC. “He’s got big legs, all the muscles, and the quickness, the power and speed. He’s really quick once he gets his shoulders squared up.”

2013 RB Kamani Thomas of East Paulding HS

The 5-foot-9, 190-pound Thomas will be the featured player when East Paulding plays North Paulding at 7:30 tonight in Thursday Night Football. The game can be seen live on WSB-TV digital channel 2.2 or at wsbtv.com.

Thomas, who rushed for nearly 2,000 yards last year as a sophomore, has early scholarship offers from Vanderbilt, …

Continue reading RB Kamani Thomas gets comparisons to Alabama’s Trent Richardson »

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There’s a new school that has emerged with Shaq Goodwin, who is considered the state’s No. 1 basketball prospect and wants to play football in college, too.

Arizona has replaced Alabama in Goodwin’s top five, which consists of UGA, UCLA, Florida and Memphis. Goodwin is a 6-foot-8, 240-pound power forward from Southwest DeKalb High School who is ranked among the nation’s top 15 basketball prospects. He plays wide receiver in football.

“He still wants to play both sports in college, and Arizona is good in both football and basketball,” Goodwin’s mother told the AJC. “Personally, I liked Alabama, but this is his decision.”

With Shaq consumed with football right now, it has been challenging for him to find enough time to meet with all the college basketball coaches lined up at his door in the current NCAA …

Continue reading 2-sport star Shaq Goodwin visits with UGA, UCLA, others »

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What do Georgia Tech’s basketball recruits think about Syracuse and Pitt joining the ACC? We asked them.

Georgia Tech has two commitments for its 2012 basketball recruiting class – North Gwinnett High School combo guard Chris Bolden and North Clayton High School swingman Marcus Hunt.

“I think it’s pretty big for the conference,” Bolden told the AJC. “Being able to play some the top Big East schools coming over to the ACC, it makes our conference a lot stronger. With those two, when you get to the conference tournament, it’s not going to matter who is playing who because everybody will be equally tough.”

Bolden also envisions a more powerful ACC helping Georgia Tech accelerate the turnaround of the program’s fortunes. “It puts us in a position to show that we are a basketball school,” he said. “And when we start beating up on the upper-tier ACC …

Continue reading What do Georgia Tech recruits think about ACC expansion? »

Mt. Pisgah senior QB Kyle Sloter stands 6-5 and 200 pounds

Quarterback Kyle Sloter, one of Georgia’s most overlooked senior football prospects, got his first D1 offer on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-5, 200-pound senior from Mt. Pisgah Christian was offered by Tulane after being scouted on last Friday. Sloter won over Tulane’s coaches after completing 17 of 23 passes for 245 yards and one touchdown in a win over Pinecrest Academy last Friday.

“After watching that game, Tulane had seen enough; they told Kyle ‘You’re the one that we want,’” said his father, Daryl Sloter. “Kyle was overwhelmed with excitement. He has worked so hard for this. As his father, I’m so proud of him.”

Sloter has attracted a lot of attention and curiosity with his performances at the tiny Class A school in Alpharetta, including interest from Arkansas, Iowa, UGA and North Carolina.

In four games, Sloter has completed 52 of 80 passes for 1,070 yards and 9 touchdowns. Sloter has a 3.7 GPA and …

Continue reading Georgia QB Kyle Sloter gets first D1 offer »

Georgia State’s quarterback of the future is playing so well that some are wondering if the Panthers can hold onto him until February’s signing day.

Life is good for Trent Thompson, quarterback for McEachern High School, the No. 1-ranked team in Georgia’s largest classification. Thompson has completed 62 of 110 passes for 850 and 5 touchdowns with 2 interceptions while leading McEachern to a 4-0 start.

“The thing about Trent is that he manages the game so well,” McEachern coach Kyle Hockman told the AJC. “He really, really understands what is going on out there on the field.”

McEachern often runs a hurry-up, no-huddle offense, with Thompson making play calls at the line of scrimmage – based on the defensive formation. Probably the best stat on Thompson is that he has led McEachern to two come-from-behind wins in the game’s final minutes this year, including an upset over Lowndes on the road.

“He has a lot of poise under pressure,” Hockman said.

The …

Continue reading Trent Thompson, Georgia State’s QB of future »