Archive for December, 2011

UGA offers ex-Florida RB commit Mike Davis (Photo by US Army All-America Bowl)

UGA landed the No. 1 running back in the nation with Keith Marshall on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs have also entered the sweepstakes for the player who many consider the No. 1 running back in Georgia.

Stephenson High School’s Mike Davis, who de-committed from Florida on Sunday after being pledged to the Gators for nearly a year, was offered by UGA on Tuesday.

UGA recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner called Stephenson’s coaches on Monday night to confirm that Davis de-committed from Florida. Garner showed up the next day at the Stone Mountain school to offer Davis in person.

“Georgia saw Mike as a junior and they were slow to react,” Stephenson assistant Corey Johnson said. “They said now that they had a second chance, they were going to move very fast with a scholarship offer and they did. Mike was excited and thankful for the offer.”

Around 30 colleges have inquired about Davis since he …

Continue reading With Keith Marshall committed, UGA quickly offers RB Mike Davis »

Tony Parker (No. 32) and Brandon Morris visited UGA on Wednesday (AJC photo)

Some good news for UGA basketball recruiting? Maybe so, maybe not.

Miller Grove High School swingman Brandon Morris, who signed a basketball scholarship with UGA last month, drove to Athens for the Georgia Tech game and brought a special guest along – his teammate.

His teammate is Tony Parker, the 6-foot-9. 270-pound power forward who is one of the top uncommitted seniors in the country. Parker, who has kept a low profile during the recruiting process, is rumored to have Duke and Ohio State as his frontrunners, while also considering UCLA and Memphis.

Parker is so important to Duke that coach Mike Krzyzewski made a special recruiting trip to Atlanta last week for the day just to see him play.

What about UGA? It would be a longshot but you never know in recruiting. UGA has one more scholarship available for this  year. One of Parker’s former Miller Grove teammates, forward Deonte’ Williams, is a …

Continue reading Basketball star Tony Parker visits UGA with teammate »

East Carolina-bound QB Kanler Coker (AJC)

Flowery Branch QB Kanler Coker committed to East Carolina.

The 6-foot-4, 217-pounder transferred from North Hall to Flowery Branch before his senior season and flourished in the spread offense, throwing for 2,809 yards and 31 touchdowns, including a 36-yard Hail Mary TD pass on the final play of regulation to beat Johns Creek in the first round of the state playoffs. Coker also ran for 833 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Coker is also the fourth D1 QB in a row out of Flowery Branch to sign a D1 scholarship, led by current South Carolina QB Connor Shaw. Coker also had serious interest from Ole Miss, UCLA, Wake Forest and Vanderbilt.

Coker on picking East Carolina: “I chose ECU because I really love what they do on offense and they have a great coaching staff.”

How many Georgia high school senior QBs are committed to D1 schools? It’s a short list that includes Wayne County’s Greyson Lambert (Virginia), Mt. Pisgah Christian’s Kyle Sloter …

Continue reading QB Kanler Coker commits to East Carolina »

Two juniors from Eagle’s Landing High School, including 7-foot center John Egbunu, committed to South Florida on Wednesday.

The other is point guard Drew Davis, the son of longtime AAU coach Linzy Davis who once hit 13 3-pointers in a game.

Both Eagle’s Landing players are among the state’s top high school juniors.

“[Egbunu] is the most dominant player in Georgia since Dwight Howard Jr.,” the elder Davis said. “He changes the game on both ends of the floor. He rebounds and blocks shots with ‘pro’ precision, and he is unstoppable at the rim on offense with a 38-inch vertical.”

The 6-foot Davis averaged 24 points per game on his AAU team, Team Georgia Elite, and has a 3.0 GPA.

– By Michael Carvell, AJC Recruiting Blog

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Continue reading John Egbunu, 7-footer, and ELHS teammate Drew Davis, commit to South Florida »

Kicker Ryan Frain, who is committed to Illinois, was recently offered a scholarship by Georgia Tech and will make an official visit to Yellow Jackets this weekend, according to JacketsOnline.

Last week, Illinois fired coach Ron Zook, which has caused the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Frain to consider options.

“[I am] going to take an official visit to Tech this weekend and I don’t feel like I am disrespecting my commitment because I need to make sure I am not stiffed whenever Illinois hires their next coach,” Frain told the website.

Here’s some video of the Indianapolis kicker … as it says on the video “Come on board, and get on the Frain Train.”

Continue reading Illinois football recruit will make official visit to Georgia Tech »

For the second year in a row, the No. 1-rated running back in the nation is headed to UGA.

Keith Marshall of Raleigh committed to UGA on Tuesday, picking the Bulldogs over Clemson, Florida and South Carolina.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder will enroll early at UGA, starting classes in January. He is expected to contribute immediately to the Bulldogs, which have been plagued with major problems and issues with their running backs.

“The first thing Keith Marshall does is give Georgia immediate depth at tailback,” said Rusty Mansell, National Recruiting Analyst for 247sports.com. “He also gives Georgia a game-changing running back, but depth is the biggest thing right now. Whether Isaiah Crowell is healthy or not, they had to add depth to the backfield.”

What can you expect from Marshall at UGA next season? He doesn’t have the same bulk or power as Crowell, but is a track guy who can score from anywhere on the field if he gets into open space.

“He’s probably one of the …

Continue reading No. 1 RB Keith Marshall commits to UGA »

What will Keith Marshall do?

We’ll find out sometime after 2:45 p.m. today when Marshall – who is ranked as the No. 1 RB in the nation by Scout.com – will pick between UGA, Clemson, Florida and South Carolina (You can also see if Marshall will drop any hints on Twitter by going here)

What will Keith Marshall do?

UGA has been considered the longtime frontrunner for Marshall, and Mark Richt left the SEC championship game with his RB coach for an in-home visit on Sunday night.

Then there’s those Clemson rumors that won’t go away. Actually, they are getting louder after Clemson got the last face-to-face meeting with Marshall on Monday, according to a report by 247Sports.com.

And if you haven’t eaten all of your Tums yet, one Scout.com reporter has predicted that Marshall will pick … Florida.

Why all of this drama now when February’s national signing day is so far away? Marshall is committing on Tuesday because he is enrolling early in college. He will start classes …

Continue reading Tick, tock … What will Keith Marshall do? »

• (Lots of breaking news of Marshall: Please check at the bottom for the most current updates)

What if Keith Marshall does not pick UGA on Tuesday?

It would be a recruiting nightmare for the Bulldogs. Even the idea that the nation’s No. 1 RB is seriously considering alternatives ignites panic attacks among masses of UGA supporters.

Marshall is the “make-it-or-break” recruit for UGA’s 2012 class. The speedster from Raleigh, N.C., is the guy that the Bulldogs have to get. Why is that? Because of ongoing RB problems and an emergency-level lack of depth (we’re talking fire alarms, folks) at the place once proudly known as “Tailback U.”

For many, the success of UGA's entire recruiting efforts for 2012 will be judged by Keith Marshall's decision on Tuesday (Photo provided by 247Sports.com)

From listening to some UGA fans, if Marshall doesn’t make the “expected” decision on Tuesday afternoon, the Bulldogs might as well forget about next season. It would be like …

Continue reading Recruiting nightmare: What if Keith Marshall does NOT pick UGA? »

Florida or Bama? Buford TE Kurt Freitag picks Monday

Buford High School tight end Kurt Freitag, who committed to Alabama over Florida on Monday, believes the Crimson Tide deserved a spot in the BCS championship against LSU.

“I was at the first LSU-Alabama game, and it was the most unreal atmosphere I’ve ever seen,” Freitag said. “I think there should be a rematch because they’re the two best teams in college football. I think Alabama should be given another chance. It should be a really good game. It’s always hard to beat a team twice in one season, but LSU is really good.”

Alabama beat out Florida for the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Freitag. “I liked the coaches and the football program. The facilities are top of the line, and they have a great football tradition like Buford does. It’s not too far from home, and every time I’ve visited there it was a positive atmosphere. They’ve got some of the greatest fans in the country. I think by choosing Alabama, it will …

Continue reading TE Kurt Freitag commits to Alabama over Florida »

AJC Super 11 defensive end Dalvin Tomlinson of Henry County High School gave high marks to his recruiting trip to Georgia Tech this weekend.

When asked to rate the visit on a scale of 1-10, Tomlinson said, “I’d say an 8 or 9. It probably would’ve been a 10 if I had gotten up there on Friday. But the Saturday experience was a great experience.”

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The 6-foot-3, 270-pounder, who is one of the state’s Top 5 uncommitted prospects, said he was unable to make it on Friday because of wrestling practice at school (he’s a two-time state champion in the heavyweight division) and he was going to watch Eagles Landing Christian Academy in football’s playoff semifinals (wasn’t able to go after all).

Tomlinson was the big man on campus this weekend at Georgia Tech, which also welcomed QB Dennis Andrews of Tallahassee, Fla., and Allatoona High School RB …

Continue reading Dalvin Tomlinson, AJC Super 11 DE, rates his visit to Georgia Tech as ‘8 or 9′ »