Archive for January, 2012

UGA-turned-UCF commit Chester Brown of Hinesville, Ga. (247Sports.com)

• BREAKING NEWS: Chester Brown’s coach told the AJC’s Chip Towers on Monday morning that Chester Brown’s recruitment is “still kind on open.” Go here to read the full story.

Ex-UGA recruit Chester Brown, who was forced to withdraw his longtime commitment to the Bulldogs due to an immigration issue, pledged to Central Florida on Sunday, said a report.

The 6-foot-5, 340-pound offensive lineman from Bradwell Institute high school committed to Central Florida at the end of his official visit, according to UCFSports.com’s Brandon Helwig.

“I went back to the hotel Saturday night and had a meeting with my brothers,” Brown told the website. “I called my parents and they said, ‘If you feel this is the place for you and you feel peace in your heart then go ahead and tell them you’re going to sign.’ … This morning I went to Coach (George) O’Leary’s office. He was actually surprised when I told him I was going to …

Continue reading Chester Brown: Will ex-UGA recruit sign with Central Florida? (UPDATED) »

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Will Sandy Creek High School offensive lineman Will Adams flip his commitment from Georgia Tech to Auburn?

Information was limited coming out of Will’s camp on early Sunday evening. He was huddled with family members in deep discussion after returning from an official visit to Auburn.

Both Auburn and UGA made last-minute offers on Thursday to Adams, who opted to visit with the Tigers this weekend. The 6-foot-6, 280-pound offensive lineman has been committed to Georgia Tech since last summer.

“There’s nothing right now,” Adams told the AJC. “We’re still talking about it. I’m still committed to Georgia Tech, we’re back from Auburn and we’re talking things over.”

Adams had a surprise guest tagging along with him on the visit to Auburn. It was his high school teammate, WR JaQuay Williams, who is the state’s No. 1 prospect at WR and is torn between sticking with …

Continue reading Will OL Will Adams stick with Georgia Tech or switch to Auburn? (UPDATED) »

Ex-Georgia Tech DE Junior Gnonkonde will sign with ACC rival North Carolina (AJC)

Ex-Georgia Tech recruit Junior Gnonkonde committed to North Carolina on Sunday night.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound defensive end from Lanier County High School picked North Carolina over offers from South Carolina, Wake Forest, Central Florida, Syracuse and Louisiana Tech, among others.

“He met with the head coach before the basketball game and said ‘I’m comfortable; I don’t need to look anywhere else,’” said Lanier County athletics director John White, who is also Junior’s legal guardian.

“I tried to get him to wait and Junior said that he didn’t need to wait, so he went ahead and committed.”

Gnonkonde was Georgia Tech’s first commitment for 2012, pledging to the Yellow Jackets last February. However, 10 days ago, Gnonkonde said Paul Johnson informed him that his scholarship offer was being withdrawn because his test score “was too low.” White disputes the claim.

After …

Continue reading Junior Gnonkonde: Ex-Georgia Tech recruit picks UNC »

Georgia Tech lost one of its recruits on Sunday.

Antonio Crawford, a defensive back from Tampa, flipped from the Yellow Jackets to Miami. He had been committed to Georgia Tech since last summer, but changed his mind after getting a last-minute offer from Miami a few days ago and taking a recruiting trip with the Hurricanes over the weekend.

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson lost one and gained one recruit on Sunday (AJC photo)

“It was a pretty hard decision because I’ve been committed to Georgia Tech for a long time.” Crawford said. “I got to know the coaches and I got to know some of the other recruits. It was pretty tough to do it, but they respected my decision and I respected them for that.”

Crawford said he talked with Georgia Tech assistant Charles Kelly on Sunday and was assured that he still had a scholarship offer waiting for him after returning from Miami. Before the visit, Crawford told the AJC that it was his understanding that making the last-minute trip …

Continue reading DB Antonio Crawford flips from Georgia Tech to Miami »

UGA coach Mark Richt couldn’t make the in-home visit with one of his top remaining targets and sent two Bulldogs assistants in his place on Saturday night.

Josh Dawson, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound defensive end from Tucker High School, is committed to Vanderbilt but considering switching to UGA. He got a call from Richt on Saturday afternoon that he couldn’t make the 7 p.m. meeting with Dawson and his family.

Mark Richt sends a pair of UGA assisants to meet with recruit in his place (AP)

“Coach Richt said he couldn’t make it because he had a family emergency,” Dawson told the AJC. “I know family comes first, so I wasn’t disappointed about it. We understood. It was OK.”

Instead of Richt, Dawson sat down for nearly three hours with a pair of assistants, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner. Dawson said Grantham did most of the talking.

“He talked about how he could use me, putting me in different areas and positions on …

Continue reading Mark Richt can’t visit with top recruit, sends UGA assistants »

WR Travin Henry (Photo courtesy of 247Sports.com)

Travin Henry had a fast and furious courtship with Georgia Tech that ended with his commitment to the Yellow Jackets on Sunday.

Henry is a 6-foot-3 wide receiver from Cook High School who weighed in at 227 pounds during this weekend’s official visit to Georgia Tech. He picked the Yellow Jackets over offers from Middle Tennessee State and Memphis, and also had interest from Vanderbilt and Kentucky.

“I’d been hearing from Georgia Tech since my sophomore year but really not a lot recently,” Henry told the AJC. “Two weeks ago, they called my coach out of nowhere and it just went from there.”

Henry was originally scheduled to go on a recruiting trip to Memphis this weekend, but switched to Georgia Tech after he was told he had a scholarship offer. He toured the campus, and gave the news to Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson on Sunday. “Coach Johnson got up and shook my hand when I told him,” Henry said. “I’m …

Continue reading Travin Henry: WR commits to Georgia Tech »

Auburn or UGA for JaQuay? (Photo by Allyson Merrill)

The intense recruiting battle between UGA and Auburn for the state’s No. 1 prospect at WR may have swung back in favor of the Tigers this weekend.

Sandy Creek High School’s JaQuay Williams is torn between sticking with his commitment to Auburn or switching to UGA.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder made a surprise appearance at Auburn this weekend, according to his coach, teammates and other recruits. Williams accompanied his Sandy Creek teammate, OL Will Adams, on an official visit to Auburn. Adams is committed to Georgia Tech but got a last-minute offer from Auburn on Thursday and decided to accept the invitation to look around campus.

It was an unofficial visit for Williams, who made his regular recruiting trip to Auburn a couple of weeks ago.

“JaQuay did ride with Will to Auburn,” Sandy Creek coach Chip Walker confirmed to the AJC in a text message.

It threw a curveball for UGA fans, which were feeling confident about …

Continue reading JaQuay Williams: Guess which school got a surprise visit? Good news for UGA or Auburn? »

Nick Saban (AP photo)

The Atlanta running back who was told by Nick Saban a couple of weeks ago that he couldn’t sign with Alabama after being committed to the Crimson Tide for nearly a year may be signing with another SEC school on Wednesday.

North Atlanta High School’s Justin Taylor, who officially remains committed to Alabama for next year’s recruiting class, is an official visit to Ole Miss this weekend.

“Ole Miss coach [Hugh Freeze] called me and came to the school; they wanted him to come down, so he’s on his visit now,” said North Atlanta coach Stanley Pritchett, who is also Taylor’s legal guardian.

“They’ve already offered a scholarship. They’re showing him a good time. He’s really enjoying the visit.”

Will Taylor de-commit from Alabama and sign with Ole Miss? “We’re going to sit down at the end of the visit and make a decision,” Pritchett said. “I just know he’s having a good time.”

Things finally picked with Taylor’s recruiting …

Continue reading Justin Taylor may sign with SEC rival rather than wait to play for Nick Saban in 2013 »

Wonder Twins: Most people expect Elliott Berry (left) and Evan Berry to "automatically" follow in the football footsteps of older brother Eric Berry and their father and play for Tennessee but … (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

Derek Dooley stopped in Atlanta to check on the twin brothers of perhaps the most famous ex-Tennessee football player not named Peyton Manning or Reggie White this week.

Evan and Elliott Berry are twin mega-prospects at Creekside High School, and the younger brothers of Eric Berry. Evan is a quarterback and safety, while Elliott plays linebacker and tailback.

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Eric, who plays with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, wasn’t too happy with Dooley and Tennessee last spring and expressed it on Twitter. He thought the Vols waited too long to get serious with Creekside DB Josh Holsey, who eventually committed to …

Continue reading Derek Dooley finally meets Berry twins for the first time »

Buford DB Ryan Dillard

Ryan Dillard, one of the state’s top defensive backs, has changed his mind and will play college football at Yale over Air Force. He’s a 5-10, ,185-pounder from Buford High School.

“Ryan made his decision after meeting [with the Yale coaches] on his official visit last weekend,” his father, Oscar Dillard said. “Ryan really enjoyed seeing the facilities, meeting some of the players on the team and meeting some of the recruits that were considering Yale. Lastly, getting a world class education and degree from one of the top five universities in  the country was a great incentive to attend Yale University.”

Dillard, who has a 3.9 GPA, played on three state championship teams at Buford.

SINCE YOU LAST LEFT YOUR COMPUTER …

• State’s No. 1 WR makes “surprise” visit; Good news for UGA or Auburn?
• RB Justin Taylor may sign with Ole Miss rather than wait on 2013 with Nick Saban
• Vol fans can relax because Derek Dooley has finally met Eric Berry’s twin …

Continue reading Buford DB Ryan Dillard switches from Air Force to Yale »