Archive for November, 2011

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UGA will get its best shot at one of the state’s top uncommitted football prospects next week.

Chaz Elder, a defensive back from Banneker High School, will take his official visit to UGA on Dec. 9. It is the biggest recruiting weekend of the year for the Bulldogs, which have 15 commitments and are trying to land as many as 10 more.

What’s the deal with Elder? It appears to be a two-team race between a pair of SEC East schools, South Carolina and UGA. The Gamecocks have been the longtime frontrunners for the 6-foot-2, 180-pounder, who took an official visit to South Carolina last weekend.

“It’s still the same; it looks like he’s still South Carolina’s to lose,” Banneker assistant Ryan Andrews said. “He loved his visit to South Carolina, he loved being at the game when they played Clemson. He was impressed with atmosphere and had a blast. South Carolina is looking to start him …

Continue reading Chaz Elder: South Carolina leads UGA for DB »

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After the historic loss to Kentucky on Saturday, Tennessee coach Derek Dooley told reporters that the Volunteers had hit rock bottom but that “we’re going to begin our climb right now.”

Dooley now will be joined on that climb by Quenshaun Watson.

The Clarke Central High School running back privately committed to Tennessee last week and went public with it on Monday. The 5-foot-9, 181-pound Watson picked the Volunteers over Indiana, and also had serious interest from Arkansas.

Is this the beginning of a Clarke Central-to-Tennessee pipeline? Dooley grew up in Athens while his father Vince Dooley coached at UGA. The younger Dooley is a graduate of Clarke Central High School, which also sent a player last year to the Volunteers, offensive lineman Alan Posey.

Curiously, neither Watson nor Posey was recruited by UGA, which is located only a couple of miles from Clarke …

Continue reading Tennessee’s Derek Dooley ‘begins climb’ with commitment from Georgia RB »

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UGA rescued its football season after an 0-2 start with 10 straight wins.

Can the Bulldogs have the same type of dramatic turnaround in recruiting? We’ll have a good idea within the next few weeks.

One year after hauling in the “Dream Team” recruiting class which was stacked with star power and ranked as one of the top 5-6 in the country, UGA is off to a struggling start with this year’s crop of talent. The Bulldogs have 15 commitments, with really only one big name — 5-star OL commit John Theus of Jacksonville.

How is UGA doing in the team recruiting rankings so far for 2012? They are No. 32 by Scout.com, No. 22  by Rivals, No. 22 by 247Sports.com and No. 15 by ESPN.

“Georgia is a little behind schedule with its recruiting class, compared to the last 4-5 years at this point,” said Chad Simmons, National …

Continue reading Can UGA get on a ‘hot streak’ in recruiting, too? »

AJC Super 11 DE Dalvin Tomlinson of Henry County HS (AJC photo by Phil Skinner)

Some of the state’s top college football prospects are scheduled to visit Georgia Tech to watch the Yellow Jackets play archrival UGA on Saturday.

The biggest name will be AJC Super 11 defensive end Dalvin Tomlinson of Henry County High School. Alabama and Georgia Tech are rumored to be the frontunners for Tomlinson, who is also considering Clemson, Indiana and UGA.

Two other seniors who Georgia Tech is considering offering are scheduled to attend – Allatoona RB Miles Jones, who became more of a priority after another RB committed elsewhere, and North Oconee center Joseph Scelfo, the son of Atlanta Falcons assistant Chris Scelfo.

Also visiting will be at least seven Georgia Tech commitments – OL Chase Roberts of Greater Atlanta Christian, DT Pat Gamble of Central of Carrollton, OT Will Adams of Sandy Creek, DE Junior Gnonkonde of Lanier County, WR Micheal Summers of Statesboro, LB Tyler …

Continue reading Several of state’s top football prospects to attend Georgia Tech-UGA »

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How badly does UGA coach Mark Richt want to sign a top-rated tailback this year after all of the team’s problems and headaches at the position? So badly in Richt went public for the need when speaking to reporters.

Due to NCAA rules, coaches cannot comment specifically on prospective student-athletes until after they sign college scholarships. Richt didn’t name any names on Wednesday, but you can assume he was directing his message to Keith Marshall of Raleigh, N.C., the No. 1-rated RB in the nation. On the day before (Tuesday), Marshall announced that he will decide on Dec. 6 between UGA and Clemson, along with Notre Dame, South Carolina and Florida. UGA is rumored to be the longtime frontrunner.

Here’s what Richt told reporters, according to the AJC’s Chip Towers:

“There’s a tremendous opportunity at the …

Continue reading Mark Richt: Help wanted at RB position …are you listening, Keith Marshall? »

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Georgia and Georgia Tech will battle it out on the field on Saturday, but the two archrivals rarely go head-to-head in the recruiting world.

The state of Georgia is one of the top manufacturers of college talent in the nation, producing around 175-185 prospects that sign with FBS schools (formerly NCAA Div. I-A) on an annual basis.

Both Georgia and Georgia Tech tap into the local talent pool, focusing heavily on homegrown kids for their recruiting classes. However, it has been very rare for the archrivals go head-to-head on a Georgia kid in recent years. In fact, it’s unlikely that Georgia and Georgia Tech will be the two finalists on any prospect from the state’s 2012 crop — although that could always change before February’s signing day.

High-profile battles over homegrown recruits are an annual tradition in bordering states with Auburn-Alabama, South …

Continue reading Why do UGA and Georgia Tech rarely go head-to-head in football recruiting? »

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After all of UGA’s troubles at running back this season, it has become a top priority in recruiting.

There may be some good news on the way for the Bulldogs. Keith Marshall, who is ranked as the No. 1 RB in the country by Scout.com, announced via Twitter on Tuesday that he will be making his college decision on Dec. 6.

UGA is rumored to have a slight edge over Clemson for the 5-star running back from Raleigh, N.C. Marshall also has Notre Dame, Florida and South Carolina listed as his finalists, and will make his final official visit with the Gamecocks this weekend.

“Keith has handled his recruiting as well as any high-profile recruit I’ve ever covered; he’s played everything real quiet,” said Rusty Mansell, National Recruiting Analyst for 247sports.com.

“From everyone I’ve talked to around Keith’s situation, it sounds like Georgia is in pretty good shape. …

Continue reading Will nation’s top RB Keith Marshall commit to UGA on Dec. 6? »

What do you think about the No. 1 recruit of Georgia Tech’s 2012 class?

Now you can get a good look at English transplant who is causing such a stir in college football’s recruiting circles. We’re talking about Francis Kallon, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound defensive end from Central Gwinnett High School. He’s committed to Georgia Tech.

Kallon, who is ranked as a 4-star recruit by both Scout and ESPN, recently had a highlight video of his senior year – his only year of playing organized football – put on YouTube (see video at bottom).

Up until now, only college scouts and high school coaches had seen the video. What did they think? Central Gwinnett coach Todd Wofford paused before answering. “You wouldn’t believe it if I said it. I … don’t want to put that kind of pressure on him.”

Georgia Tech DE commit Francis Kallon of Central Gwinnett High School (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

You can take a look at the video yourself below. One important thing to keep in …

Continue reading Sneak a peek at Georgia Tech’s No. 1 football commit »

Will UGA have the “Dream Team II” recruiting class this February?

We asked Mark Richt, the Georgia coach who oversaw the original “Dream  Team” concept to recruit and sign some of the state’s top prospects from last year.

What about this year? Is it “Dream Team II”?

Richt paused for a couple of seconds and then said, “I think we’ll call this year’s group ‘the University of Georgia’s Dream Team.’ I thought we did well recruiting the state of Georgia last year. We want to do well with recruiting in our home state every year. We feel we’ll end up with another good group in February … they will be ‘they University of Georgia’s Dream Team.’”

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UGA’s recruiting class for this year has …

Continue reading Will it be ‘Dream Team II’ for UGA? We asked Mark Richt and … »