Archive for October, 2011

So much, so fast. After moving from England, Francis Kallon has learned the sport of football at a rapid pace. The 6-foot-6 DE is committed to Georgia Tech (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

Auburn offered a football scholarship on Friday to Georgia Tech’s No. 1 recruit, who will visit the Tigers next week.

Francis Kallon is a 6-foot-6, 260-pound defensive end at Central Gwinnett High School who is playing football for the first time as a senior after moving from London, England. He committed to Georgia Tech last summer but other colleges haven’t given up on recruiting him.

Kallon was offered by Auburn on Friday, according to his coach, and will make an unofficial visit to Auburn next weekend. Kallon’s teammate at Central Gwinnett, junior linebacker Trey Johnson, has committed to Auburn

Kallon said earlier this week that he remains committed to Georgia Tech.

• Georgia Tech will entertain several of the state’s top college prospects for Saturday’s game against Maryland. Lassiter …

Continue reading Georgia Tech’s No. 1 recruit offered by Auburn and will visit next week »

Special teams star DeMarcus Sweat (AJC)

Remember the hype and hoopla surrounding Stephenson and its bid to lead the nation with the number of seniors to sign football scholarships this February with 11?

The best out of the talented bunch may be a speedy wide receiver who was ignored and overlooked by many college recruiters that stopped by at Stephenson. DeMarcus Sweat has returned a jaw-dropping 4 kickoffs or punts for touchdowns in five games in Class AAAAA, the state’s largest classification.

Sweat committed to Kentucky on the spot after auditioning for an offer an summer camp, picking the Wildcats over Florida International and Indiana.

“We’ve never had anybody like that on special teams at Stephenson, and we’ve had some pretty good returners,” Stephenson coach Ron Gartrell told the AJC. “He sees the hole and he is gone. There’s not any cutting, dancing around or trying to make people miss. He finds the seam and he’s gone. He is as fast and explosive and anybody we’ve ever …

Continue reading DeMarcus Sweat, Kentucky WR commit, may be best out of Stephenson’s heralded prospects »

Justin King will play linebacker at Tennessee and was supposed to play the position this year at Dunwoody High School.

However, the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder was shifted to quarterback after his team’s 0-2 start and King accepted the call, leading Dunwoody to three straight wins.

Dunwoody plays Southwest DeKalb at 7:30 p.m. Thursday (televised live on WSB-TV’s digital channel 2.2 and at wsbtv.com).

The future Tennessee defender is fine with playing quarterback because “the team is winning ballgames” and said his college coaches approve of it. “They like that I’m athletic enough to play different positions, especially QB. Tennessee’s coaches don’t have any problems with it. They want the best for my team, and right now that’s me playing quarterback.”

Tennessee LB commit Justin King of Dunwoody HS (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

The original plan was for King to play linebacker and running back. “Having Justin at quarterback gives us a big-time weapon at the position,” Dunwoody coach …

Continue reading Justin King, Tennessee LB recruit, switches to QB »

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Kurt Freitag, one of the state’s top college football prospects at tight end, may be close to making his college decision.

The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder from Buford High School has made official visits to two of his three finalists, Alabama and Florida. He will decide later this week about scheduling a recruiting trip to Florida State.

Freitag took his official visit to Alabama for the Arkansas game. Freitag’s teammate at Buford, linebacker Dillon Lee, is committed to Alabama, while another – offensive lineman Vadal Alexander – has the Crimson Tide as a finalist, along with LSU and Auburn.

“Alabama made it perfectly clear how much they want and need Kurt to be part of the team and school; he left with a very good impression of fitting in,” his mother said.

Freitag saw Alabama play again last weekend during his official visit to Florida, which he also enjoyed.

Buford TE Kurt Freitag will …

Continue reading TE Kurt Freitag returns from official visits to Florida and Alabama … FSU next? »

Ohio State has had a lot of success recruiting the Atlanta suburb of Suwanee.

Cameron Heyward, the first-round pick by the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, and defensive back Bradley Roby, who has started every game this year for Ohio State, were two Buckeye recruiting targets from Suwanee. They both played at Peachtree Ridge High School. (Roby had 4 tackles, 1 interception and 2 pass defended vs. Michigan State last week)

Ohio State is pursing another Georgia talent in Jordan Washington, a 6-foot-3 and 260-pound defensive end from nearby North Gwinnett High School.

North Gwinnett DE-DT Jordan Washington (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

Washington got a verbal  offer from Ohio State last week, and has the Buckeyes and Mississippi State as his two finalists out of 17 scholarship offers, which also included Kentucky, Ole Miss, South Florida and Maryland.

Washington plans to make unofficial visits to Ohio State and Mississippi State this month, and will announce his college decision …

Continue reading DE Jordan Washington talks about Ohio State football offer »

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Guess what kept Georgia Tech’s No. 1 football recruit from making an unofficial visit to archrival UGA last week?

This is a good story. Refreshing.

Francis Kallon, the star defensive end from England who is playing his first year of high school football, didn’t go to UGA last Saturday because he had to take the SAT.

What’s really interesting about that is that the 6-foot-6, 260-pounder has already has an outstanding SAT score of 1,530. But his parents, who wouldn’t allow Francis to play football unless he made straight A’s, want a better score.

“I think his parents think the higher he scores on the SAT, the more money he will get for his football scholarship — but he’s already getting a full scholarship,” Central Gwinnett High School coach Todd Wofford said with a laugh. “But hey, you have to admire how his parents stress academics.”

UGA is the latest …

Continue reading Guess why Georgia Tech’s No. 1 recruit didn’t visit UGA? True story »

Cedar Grove OT Brandon Greene (left) with junior QB Johnathan McCrary (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

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UGA hasn’t given up on recruiting Brandon Greene, who has blossomed into the state’s No. 1 college football prospect on the offensive line.

The 6-foot-6, 295-pounder from Cedar Grove High School committed to Alabama last March.

Mark Richt and UGA recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner both recently talked over the phone with Greene.

“Georgia has been coming on real strong,” Greene told the AJC. “Coach Richt and Coach G say about the same thing – that I’m a Georgia boy and that they want me to stay around home to play football.

“They know I’m a big family man, so they keep throwing that at me … being close to my mom, and being able to come home and eat dinner with her sometimes. It’s all good. But you know when you commit to a school, you have a bond with that school. It’s like …

Continue reading Brandon Greene committed to Alabama but still courted by UGA »

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Tony Parker had a special visitor waiting for him when he returned from his official visit to UCLA.

It was Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Coach K made a personal appearance at Miller Grove High School on Monday for the second time in two weeks to visit with Parker, the 6-foot-9, 270-pound power forward who is ranked among the nation’s top 25 overall college prospects.

“Coach Krzyzewski just reaffirmed that he’d like have Tony in a Duke uniform,” Miller Grove coach Sharman White told the AJC. “Colleges are allowed to see a player three times in the NCAA contact period. [Krzyzewski] said he rarely uses all three of them but he did with Tony because he’s a top priority.”

It was just another day in recruiting for Parker, who has taken recruiting trips to Ohio State and UCLA within the last month, and will travel to Duke on Oct. 28. Parker has …

Continue reading Duke’s Coach K shows up in Atlanta to welcome back Tony Parker from UCLA visit (UPDATED) »

Charles Purnell, a running back from Westlake High School, explained why he committed to Georgia State over several DI schools.

“When you go to an SEC school, the chances of playing your freshman year are slim unless you’re ranked one of the top prospects in the nation,” Purnell told the AJC. “Then at Georgia State, they made it clear that I could receive some playing time my freshman year if I come in and put in the hard work. That was a big plus because I’m trying to play my first year.”

The 5-foot-8, 175-pound Purnell is being recruited by Georgia State at tailback, slot receiver and cornerback. He claims he also had offers from Arkansas State, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Western Kentucky before deciding on Georgia State.

“When I went to visit the campus, they made me feel like they really wanted me to come play with their team and wanted me to help out with their program,” Purnell said. “I felt like that was a good place for me to go since I’m already at home. I can stay at …

Continue reading Westlake RB Charles Purnell talks about commitment to Georgia State »

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BREAKING NEWS: Lane Kiffin flashbacks? Vanderbilt coach recruits Atlanta in a helicopter! click here to read

The mean and nasty offensive lineman nicknamed “The Finisher” got his “dream offer” on Saturday.

UGA coach Mark Richt offered an early football scholarship to Walton High School’s Brandon Kublanow, who is likely the state’s No. 1 junior prospect on the offensive line. UGA offered the 6-foot-3, 280-pound Kublanow at the center and offensive guard position.

“As soon as we got to Georgia on Saturday, they said Coach Richt wants to see you,” Kublanow told the AJC. “My mom and I talked to Coach Richt for about 45 minutes. At the end of the conversation, [Richt] said ‘you have an offer from us and we really want you to come here.’

“I was a little surprised. Some people had told me that I might be getting an offer, but I was still surprised. And I’m really excited …

Continue reading UGA offers football scholarship to ‘The Finisher’ … Alabama, Florida and SC may be next »