Archive for November, 2011

 Loading …

Will it be Georgia Tech or UGA for Robert Carter?

He’s the 6-foot-9, 250-pound power forward from Shiloh High School who is ranked among the nation’s top 25 overall basketball prospects.

Carter is scheduled to announce his college decision at 5 p.m. Thursday at Stats Restaurant. Carter is reportedly torn between the two in-state schools, Georgia Tech and UGA. He took official visits within the last month to both schools, along with Florida. Don’t count out the Gators in the chase for Carter.

Georgia Tech has a few things in its favor. When Carter made his recruiting trip with the Yellow Jackets on Oct. 22, he arranged it where he would be visiting the campus at the same time as Georgia Tech’s two signees, North Gwinnett guard Chris Bolden and North Clayton swingman Marcus Hunt. They all got to be good friends while playing basketball on the AAU circuit.

Another …

Continue reading DECISION Day: Georgia Tech or UGA for Robert Carter? »

 Loading …

The state of Georgia has three of the top 25 overall college prospects in the nation with Miller Grove’s Tony Parker, Southwest DeKalb’s Shaq Goodwin and Shiloh’s Robert Carter.

Wednesday was the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period, and Carter is tentatively scheduled to announce between Georgia Tech and UGA, among others, at 5 p.m. Thursday.

What about Parker and Goodwin? They may wait until April’s late signing period.

Duke and Ohio State are considered the frontrunners for the 6-foot-9, 270-pound Tony Parker, who also took official visits to UCLA and Memphis.

“Tony is probably signing late,” Miller Grove High School coach Sharman White told the AJC on Wednesday.

After school on Wednesday, Parker texted “I’m not signing this week.” We …

Continue reading Recruiting drama!!! What will Tony Parker and Shaq Goodwin do? »

 Loading …

It was no surprise on Tuesday when one recruiting service came out with its rankings for the nation’s top high school juniors, and Robert Nkemdiche was at the very top of the list.

The 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive end from Grayson High School was rated No. 1 in the country for the class of 2013 by 247sports. Nkemdiche has denied longtime rumors that he is a “secret commitment” to Alabama. His only unofficial visit this season was to last week’s game at Alabama. He is officially considering Florida and LSU, along with Alabama.

The bigger surprise was that another junior from Georgia was ranked No. 2 overall in the country – Troup County linebacker Reuben Foster, who is officially committed to Alabama but also still talking with UGA, Auburn and Florida.

“It was really a tough decision among the people that decided between Robert and Reuben,” said Rusty Mansell of …

Continue reading Robert Nkemdiche officially ranked as nation’s No. 1 junior football prospect »

 Loading …

Georgia State first-year coach Ron Hunter signed four basketball recruits on Monday, including his son.

RJ Hunter of Indianapolis picked Georgia State over Wake Forest and Iowa, among other others. The 6-foot-6, 175-pound Hunter will be joined by Buford forward TJ Shipes, former Lovejoy shooting guard Cameron Solomon of Brevard Junior College, and point guard David Travers of Carlsbad, Calif.

“I am so pleased with our first class,” Hunter said. “Our coaching staff did a great job of finding some of the most talented players in the country who have bought in to our style of play and will be able to help make an immediate impact at Georgia State.

“It was important for us to make an impression on the city, the southeast and the country with this class,” continued Hunter. “The Colonial Athletic Association is one of the best basketball conferences in the country and we …

Continue reading Georgia State signs four basketball recruits, including coach’s son »

UPDATE: Many of the media reports stating that Shaq Goodwin committed to Memphis were based on his tweet early Tuesday that said “#MemphisBound.” I did confirm it directly with Goodwin via text message that he did indeed commit to Memphis. However, Goodwin did NOT yet confirm if he will be signing with Memphis this week. There is speculation this afternoon that now he may wait. Please check back for updates.

Memphis-bound Shaq Goodwin (AJC)

Shaq Goodwin, one of three Georgia basketball players ranked among the nation’s top 25 overall college prospects, is headed out of state for college.

The 6-foot-8, 240-pounder from Southwest DeKalb High School committed to Memphis over UCLA, UGA, Florida and Arizona on Tuesday. Goodwin, who confirmed his commitment via text message, plays power forward.

Goodwin had hinted at waiting until April’s late signing period before making his decision so he could visit all of his finalists. However, Goodwin went ahead and picked on Tuesday after …

Continue reading Shaq Goodwin headed out of state to play college basketball (UPDATED) »

Parkview LB Patrick Flowe (AJC)

Patrick Flowe, a linebacker from Parkview High School, has committed to Georgia Southern.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder picked Georgia Southern over a half-dozen offers, including Georgia State, Troy and Toledo. Flowe is the son of longtime Parkview football coach Cecil Flowe.

“Georgia Southern has really been after him for a long time,” the elder Flowe said. “We went down, visited and saw a game. The coaches have really been recruiting him hard. Patrick wanted to be fairly close to home. I think it’s a good fit for him. They want him as a true linebacker. I think that was a big key for him. He made his decision, and he’s excited about it.”

Flowe is the emotional leader for Parkview’s defense, runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds and has a 3.96 GPA. “He will be an outside linebacker at Georgia Southern,” the elder Flowe said. “He will be a guy that plays on the edge like he does for us now. He’ll drop in coverage and also be …

Continue reading Patrick Flowe, son of Parkview coach, commits to Georgia Southern »

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson (AJC)

How do you know which prospects are a top recruiting priority? By where a college head coach appears during his team’s off week.

Georgia Tech was off last weekend, and Paul Johnson spent a day at Central Gwinnett High School. He was there to see the No. 1 commitment of Georgia Tech’s 2012 recruiting class, defensive end Francis Kallon.

Johnson and recruiting coordinator Andy McCollum stopped by the high school early in the day to talk with Kallon’s coaches, then returned later in the evening to closely observe Kallon in Central Gwinnett’s loss to Grayson.

“Coach Johnson was really impressed with Francis, with how hard he has worked to learn football and get better,” Central Gwinnett coach Todd Wofford told the AJC. “He wanted to let Francis know that he was really proud of his season.”

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Kallon played only his senior season of high school football after moving to the Atlanta area from England. Last …

Continue reading Paul Johnson spends a full day observing Georgia Tech’s No. 1 recruit »

UGA-bound Blake Tibbs of M.L. King High School has made a strong case for being the state’s top prospect at wide receiver.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound caught four touchdown passes and returned a kickoff 82 yards for touchdown No. 5 with 16 seconds left in a dramatic 50-49 win over Stephenson last Friday. Both teams were undefeated and ranked among the top five in the state’s largest classification.

Tibbs’ offensive fireworks, especially the clutch kickoff return, is the stuff that legends are made of – regardless of what he does after high school.

UGA WR commit Blake Tibbs (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

“I’ve had a lot of people tell me that was the best high school game they’ve ever seen,” M.L. King coach Mike Carson said. “In my 17 years, that was – by far – the best game I’ve ever seen. For us to be behind 26 points at one point in the game, and down 17 in the second half and win it … wow, man that was amazing.”

Leading the charge was Tibbs, who …

Continue reading UGA-bound Blake Tibbs makes strong case for state’s No. 1 WR »

What is going on with the school that some still call “Tailback U”?

UGA will play on Saturday without its top three running backs – all suspended.

In the small scheme of things, particularly the impact vs. New Mexico State, it is unlikely to have any effect. However, in the bigger picture, especially when it comes to recruiting, it is part of an alarming trend for UGA and its tailbacks.

The AJC’s Chip Towers addressed what many were saying or thinking when he wrote this:

Sooner or later, you have to question Georgia’s recruitment and coaching of the tailback position. Going back to Dontavius Jackson and continuing through Washaun Ealey and Caleb King, this makes six tailbacks in the last 15 months that have been subjected to some sort of suspension, dismissal or general disciplinary action. Bryan McClendon gets paid $200,000 a year to be the Bulldogs’ running backs coach. Ultimately, it is his responsibility to see that his charges are doing things “the Georgia …

Continue reading What’s going on with UGA’s recruiting of running backs? (UPDATED) »

 Loading …

To play QB, or not to play QB?

That’s the question that Henry County High School’s Chris Moody, one of the state’s top uncommitted football prospects, is debating.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder has South Carolina, Mississippi State, NC State and Memphis as his leaders among nearly 20 early offers. Some schools want Moody at quarterback, while others are recruiting him to play elsewhere.

“Well, you know, he has got to do what he wants to do,” Henry County coach Mike Rozier said. “First of all, if he wants to play quarterback, then he needs to pick a school that will allow him to play quarterback. Then if it doesn’t work out at quarterback, he can always switch positions.

“If he wants to go as an athlete, some colleges have told me if he wants a chance to play in the NFL, then his best shot is doing that. Chris is a big, strong and fast kid. Big corners are in demand these …

Continue reading Will top football recruit play QB, DB or WR in college? »