Archive for July, 2012

Both UGA and Georgia Tech are receptive to any Penn State football players interested in transferring to their respective programs.

UGA is taking a more aggressive approach, at this point. UGA coach Mark Richt admitted that he and his staff had already studied Penn State’s two-deep roster at Monday evening’s “UGA Day” in Atlanta. Here’s some of what Richt said to the AJC’s Jeff Schultz and others (click here to read Jeff’s column):

“We do have some space available and if somebody fits a need and they’re excited about coming we would look into that possibility. There may not be anybody. But we’re at least going to explore. … I don’t want people to think we’re trying to load up a bunch of them. It could be zero, it could be one or two.”

UGA has plenty of roster space after signing only 19 recruits last February – having three enroll early and two others fail to qualify.

Richt pointed out that his staff does not have that many previous relationships with many Penn State players. …

Continue reading Will UGA and Georgia Tech recruit Penn State transfers? »

Penn State’s top recruiting target in the state of Georgia has ruled out the Nittany Lions after Monday’s NCAA penalties.

Trey Johnson, a 4-star linebacker from Central Gwinnett High School, is no longer considering Penn State and will not take an official visit to the Big Ten school, according to his coach.

“After he got finished with our workouts this morning, he came in and saw what the NCAA announced … and he just shook his head,” Central Gwinnett coach Todd Wofford said. “That pretty much takes them out of it, because I don’t know how they’ll even have a team.

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“I feel sorry for the kids that are there, even the new coaching staff, to pay that price. It would be hard to get any kid to go there right now.”

Johnson has been committed to Auburn for around a year, but was heavily considering Penn State because of defensive coordinator Ted Roof. When Roof was an assistant …

Continue reading Penn State “not an option” for Georgia football star after NCAA penalties »

WR Tyree Harris

The Marietta High School QB-WR combination of Anthony Jennings and Tyree Harris talked about going to college together as a “package deal.”

And several schools — including Missouri, Boston College and Syracuse — offered football scholarship to both players.

However, in the end, they decided to go separate ways in college – with Jennings committing to LSU last month and Harris picking Wake Forest on Monday.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Harris committed to Wake Forest over Mississippi State, while also considering Clemson, Kentucky and Syracuse.

“At first, we talked about going to the same school,” Harris said. “But then he decided on LSU and I went with Wake Forest. So I guess rather than playing with each other, we could end up playing against each other in college.”

Why Wake Forest for Harris? “I just liked the atmosphere, the coaching staff, and everything about it.”

RECRUITING REWIND

• Should Clemson be worried that Robert Nkemdiche made a surprise visit with Ole …

Continue reading Marietta QB-WR combination splitting up for college »

After this picture tweeted out by Robert Nkemdiche's brother with both in Ole Miss football jerseys created excitement among Ole Miss fans, Robert addressed it on Twitter

Robert Nkemdiche, who is committed to Clemson, visited the Ole Miss campus with his parents on Sunday, according to multiple media reports.

What was the purpose of the trip? Nkemdiche declined interview requests to reporters at Ole Miss, but it was likely he was there to meet with his older brother, Denzel Nkemdiche, who plays in the defensive secondary at Ole Miss.

No big deal then, right? Just a family vacation to visit with family?

But then 247sports.com Keith Niebuhr tweeted something that caused a little panic among Clemson fans:

#Clemson 5-star commit Robert Nkemdiche has arrived at the #OleMiss football facility

Football facility?

Niebuhr also later tweeted that Nkemdiche met with the Ole Miss coaches.

Ole Miss coaches?

Ole Miss is considered to be the only serious threat in luring away Nkemdiche from …

Continue reading Robert Nkemdiche: Ole Miss gets visit from No. 1 prospect committed to Clemson (UPDATED) »

Ex-UGA commit (247sports)

Ex-UGA commit Zack Witchett committed to Ole Miss on Saturday.

The DB-WR, who just finished up his first year at Hinds junior college, picked Ole Miss over Mississippi State, Kansas and Oklahoma State.

“I heard he was going to do it a couple of days ago,” said Stanley Pritchett, who coached Witchett at Booker T. Washington High School.

“I think Ole Miss is good for him. He wanted to get into the SEC. He wanted to get into Georgia but they never came back after him. I think Ole Miss will be a good fit for him. I think he felt comfortable with Coach [Hugh Freeze].”

Last year, Witchett was a longtime UGA commit who had his scholarship offer revoked a month before signing day because of off-the-field issues. Witchett had serious interest from Memphis but they ran out of scholarships. He could’ve signed with South Carolina State on signing day but opted to go with a junior college so he could eventually play D1 football.

Witchett had a stellar freshman …

Continue reading Ex-UGA recruit to play football at SEC rival »

For the second time in a week, Alabama saw a longtime commit flip to an SEC rival (AP)

One of Georgia’s top college football prospects switched his commitment from Alabama to LSU on Friday.

Andy Dodd, a 6-foot-4, 325-pounder from Pepperell High School, flipped to LSU one day after making a surprise official visit to LSU on Friday.

“I had just been praying about it,” Dodd told the AJC. “I just felt like it was the right thing to do. It [LSU] was the place that I fit in the most.”

Dodd, who is ranked as a 4-star and the nation’s No. 139 overall prospect by ESPN, said he knew a week or two after he committed to Alabama in March that he had made a mistake.

“I’ve been thinking about [flipping] ever since I committed,” Dodd said. “I knew I made the wrong decision. Here lately, I had been telling people about it. I came down on a visit, and they showed me lots of love at LSU. I knew that’s where I wanted to go.”

What happened with Alabama? “I just didn’t feel like I should be …

Continue reading Georgia 4-star OL flips from Alabama to LSU »

Both Georgia Tech and UGA extended scholarship offers on Thursday to Jalyn Patterson, one of the state’s top college basketball prospects for 2014.

The 6-foot, 165-pound point guard is a rising junior for Milton High School’s powerhouse program. He generated enormous interest from colleges after averaging 24 points in a summer tournament with the Atlanta Celtics in Indianapolis  last  weekend.

“Georgia Tech’s [Brian Gregory] just loved the way he played,” Milton coach David Boyd said. “He has gotten a little bigger, a little stronger, and now he’s able to dunk in a basketball game. He’s shooting the ball extremely well … Georgia Tech loves him.”

And UGA? “They saw him, too, and loved him,” Boyd said, “He recently made an unofficial visit to Georgia and worked out with a couple of the guys. Of course, the coaches are not able to be there but the Georgia players were raving about how well Jalyn played and how much they enjoyed playing with him. I talked with Coach [Mark Fox] …

Continue reading Georgia Tech and UGA offer 2014 star on same day »

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Shamire DeVne committed to Georgia Tech over FSU, among others. He is ranked as the nation's No. 11 OT by Scout (AJC)

Georgia Tech’s top football recruit for 2013 has won rave reviews after a sizzling summer.

Shamire DeVine, who committed to Georgia Tech over Florida State and others, is ranked as the state’s top prospect along the offensive line by Scout.com’s Chad Simmons — who also thought the 6-foot-7, 350-pounder from Tri-Cities High School was the best offensive tackle earlier this month at The Opening, which featured around 150 of the nation’s top players.

“He just keeps getting better and better; there’s no doubt he’s separated himself, in my opinion, as the top offensive lineman in Georgia,” Simmons said. “Georgia Tech is getting a heck of an offensive lineman with so much upside. He’s still underdeveloped physically, from a strength standpoint. He can get so much stronger in the upper and lower body. He may end up playing in college at 365 pounds.

“At The Opening, …

Continue reading Top recruit: “There’s nothing on God’s green earth that will change my mind about …” »

Georgia Tech and UGA made the cut for Jay Woods (AJC)

UGA and Georgia Tech have made the shortlist for one of the state’s top defensive linemen, Jay Woods.

The 6-foot-2, 278-pounder from Jackson High School cut down from 11 to 6 schools on Tuesday. Along with the in-state rivals, also advancing to the next round were Clemson, Vanderbilt, Missouri and Kentucky.

• Woods on UGA: “I love their defensive scheme, everything they run. Coach McClendon has been recruiting me hard. I just feel like I fit in their defensive scheme as a three-technique defensive end. That would be all right for me. Another thing they have is my major with the School of Pharmacy.”
• On Georgia Tech: “I’ve been to Georgia Tech around seven times. The visits … I love the atmosphere and the environment. When I talk to Coach McCollum, he would be a good guy to play for if I came there. He told me he sees me mostly as a noseguard if I came there.”
• On Vanderbilt: “I just love the university and the city of …

Continue reading UGA and Georgia Tech make the cut for 4-star defensive lineman »

UGA-bound LB Shaun McGee

After earning a football scholarship at this past weekend’s “Dawg Night” prospect camp, Shaun McGee decided to accept it on Monday.

The 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker from Brookwood High School committed to UGA over Alabama among his 32 offers. He’s ranked as a 3-star by Rivals, and pledged to UGA after visiting the campus again on Monday.

“I just feel like it’s close to home here, but not only that – I felt like they’re family at Georgia … I got the family vibe,” McGee told the AJC.

“I love what they’re trying to do at Georgia. I’m just ready to get started. Not only that, but I can also get a world-class education here as well. It’s just a win-win situation, playing for an elite team at an elite school with good academics. I just feel like I can’t go wrong with Georgia.”

What helped UGA vs. Alabama? “Well, it’s just how I felt around the people at Georgia. I have a good relationship with all of the coaches, and most of the players I’ve met. I just …

Continue reading Shaun McGee: LB commits to UGA over Alabama »