Archive for the ‘Georgia Tech’ Category

We’re comparing everything else between Georgia and Georgia Tech this week so we might as well compare recruiting, as hard as that can be.

As everyone knows, these two schools — and especially their fans — are bitter rivals. But while they go head-to-head every year on the gridiron, they don’t go head-to-head on a ton of prospects.

Part of that has to do with the schools’ academic curricula and part of it has to do with Tech coach Paul Johnson’s spread option offense. The run-oriented Yellow Jackets’ scheme is just so different from Georgia’s pro-style setup that they don’t recruit a lot of the same players on that side of the ball. More and more, however, they appear to be going after the same defensive prospects.

Of the 12 recruits committed to Georgia Tech’s 2010 class — all of them from the state of Georgia, by the way — the Bulldogs offered five of them. Of those all but one is expected to play defense: DB Ryan Ayers, DB B.J. Bostic, DB Jake Skole, DB Isaiah Johnson and …

Continue reading Tech-Georgia outcome not pivotal to recruiting »

It’s going to be a busy, compressed week, what with the Thanksgiving holiday coming, Georgia Tech and Georgia getting ready to tee off and the quarterfinals of the state high school playoffs upon us.

To get us started for the week I’m just going to give you a quick rundown of what’s out there regarding Tech and Georgia recruiting:

• Believe it or not there were some positives to come out of the Georgia-Kentucky game for the Bulldogs. According to Scout.com’s Chad Simmons, Valdosta tight end Jay Rome came to the game and said “the visit helped Georgia a lot. A whole lot.” The 6-foot-6, 240-pound Rome may be the top tight end in the South next year. He also likes Clemson and Florida.
• Both Scout and Rivals.com wrote stories over the weekend about Georgia being back in it for Washington wide receiver Antonio Goodwin. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Goodwin, who was also in Athens for the Kentucky game, is a four-star receiver in the Class of 2010 and committed to Auburn this past summer. …

Continue reading Some positives for UGA from Kentucky game »

Ask Georgia Tech commitment Barry “B.J.” Bostic to describe the small town of Louisville (pronounced Lewis-vill) from which he hails and you can feel the smile come through the telephone.

“Not too many big places around here,” Bostic said of Jefferson County’s seat, population 2,700. “There aren’t many towns that don’t have a Wal-Mart. Well, we don’t. We have a couple of grocery stores, a couple of dollar stores, that’s it. Lots of trees and woods.”

They also have their football. Thanks in part to Bostic, an AJC Super 11 selection, Louisville has a powerhouse of a program in the Jefferson County Warriors. The four-time Region 3 champions are 11-0 and ranked No. 4 in Class AA this season.

Bostic has had more than a little to do with that. Playing primarily quarterback but also running back and wide receiver, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound athlete has amassed 2,544 total yards and 32 touchdowns, including 1,054 yards rushing and 983 passing. His scores have come on 12 runs, 15 passes, …

Continue reading B.J. Bostic making Tech fans out of mid-Georgians »

Tobias Harris, the highly-touted forward from New York who is considering Georgia Tech among his finalists, will announce his college decision on live television today at 6 p.m.

Harris, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound high school senior, signed a scholarship with either Tech, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Syracuse or West Virginia yesterday, the last day of the early signing period. But Harris will keep that a secret until this evening when he unveils it at the ESPN Zone in Manhattan’s Times Square.

Harris attends Half Hollow Hills West High in Glen Head, N.Y. Rivals.com rates him the No. 1 player at his position and the No. 5 prospect overall.

Continue reading Tech recruit Tobias Harris to reveal choice at 6 p.m. »

You’ve got to love basketball recruiting.

Tobias Harris, a 6-foot-8 power forward from New York and the No. 2-rated player at his position in America, signed a scholarship with somebody on Wednesday, the final day of the early signing period. And that somebody might have even been Georgia Tech, which welcomed him to Atlanta on his last official visit just Monday.

But we won’t know who Harris signed with until he makes his televised announcement on ESPNU Thursday at the ESPN Zone in New York City’s Times Square.

We know this: It will be either Tech, Tennessee, Maryland, Kentucky, Louisville, Syracuse or West Virginia. And don’t count out Bruce Pearl’s Vols.

In fact, in the latest version “As the Recruiting World Turns,” Harris was supposed to fly back to New York on Tuesday after his Tech visit. But instead he and his family reportedly drove home and stopped off in Knoxville for Tennessee’s game against UNC-Asheville.

Here’s where it gets real interesting. Speculation is that …

Continue reading Intrigue surrounds Tech hoops target Tobias Harris »

Baseball took center stage in the state on Tuesday as both Georgia and Georgia Tech received signed letters-of-intent from major prospects during the early signing period.

The Yellow Jackets won out in a battle over Tatnall Square Academy baseball and football star DeAndre Smelter. Smelter is a 6-2, 205-pound right-handed pitcher with a 90-plus-mile-and-hour fastball. Obviously he is expected to be high draft pick in next June’s Amateur Baseball Draft.

“No matter what happens (with the draft), I know I have a home at Georgia Tech,” Smelter told the Macon Telegraph. “You can do anything in life with a degree from Georgia Tech.”

Smelter, the Telegraph’s 2008 Male Athlete of the Year, gave up football this season to concentrate on baseball.

Georgia also got a football star to play baseball. Conor Welton has quarterbacked undefeated Wesleyan into second round of the GHSA Class A state football playoffs and a state championship last year. But he signed a baseball …

Continue reading Major baseball prospects sign on at Tech, Georgia »

Auburn and Georgia are in a tug-of-war over Warner Robins defensive tackle Jeffrey Whitaker (55). (AJC photo by Jason Getz)

His senior high school football season is over. But Warner Robins’ Jeff Whitaker is not hanging his head.

“I’m good. I’m fine,” the Demons’ 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive tackle said. “I have no regrets. I played as hard as I could.”

The Demons finished 6-4, which meant a rare playoff miss for the four-time state champions. But Whitaker had a fantastic individual season.

“He’s a great player,” coach Bryan Way said. “And a good kid, too.”

Apparently college recruiters think so, too. Whitaker, a four-star prospect who shot up as high as 11th in the nation at his position in recruiting rankings, landed more than a dozen major college scholarship offers.

His season now officially over, this U.S. Army High School All-American has trimmed down his list to five schools:  Georgia, Auburn, California, North Carolina and South Carolina. Most recently Whitaker went …

Continue reading Whitaker talks Georgia-Auburn and recruitment timeline »

Hutson Mason is a star.

Forget that football stuff. The dude’s on television.

Mason, the Lassiter High quarterback who made headlines this past weekend for breaking the all-time Georgia record for passing yards in a single season (3,714), also plays a quarterback on TV. But he’s not acting.

These are the eight high school quarterbacks competing on the recruiting reality show 'The Ride.' That's Hutson Mason on the far left (I think).

Mason is one of eight high school quarterbacks from across the country that were selected to compete on “The Ride,” a sports reality show that is currently airing on Comcast Sports  and Fox Sports Net affiliates across the U.S. Episode Three of 10 aired last night on CSS. You’ll have to call your local cable provider or satellite company for the exact channel.

Loosely patterned after the CBS hit show “Survivor” and other reality shows of that ilk, the eight quarterbacks were selected by recruiting experts based on their distinction as …

Continue reading Lassiter’s Hutson Mason stars in reality TV show »

UPDATED WITH GEORGIA TECH INFO AT 1:45 P.M. . . .

Jelan Kendrick, the top basketball player in Georgia and one of the 10 best college prospects in America, shocked the recruiting world this past weekend when he called a press conference at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis on Saturday to announce that he had signed a letter-of-intent with the University of Memphis.

Once again, one of Georgia's top basketball prospects is heading out of state. This time it's Atlanta's Jelan Kendrick. (AJC photo)

Previously, the small forward from Wheeler had said chances that he’d sign during the early period were “slim to none.” He chose the Tigers over Georgia Tech, Georgia, Indiana and West Virginia among many others.

“Yes he did,” Wheeler coach Doug Lipscomb said, confirming Kendrick’s decision. “I don’t know why everybody’s saying this was sporadically done. I’d think if you’re going to go on a [official] visit you have an idea you might end up playing there.”

It is unusual, however, to hold a …

Continue reading Georgia’s top basketball player signs with Memphis »

The early signing period for college athletics — all sports other than football — continues through Wednesday but let’s take a moment to get everybody up to date.

There have been several other players sign since my initial report on Wednesday, the first day of the weeklong early period. Here’s a quick rundown:

• Harold Doby, a 6-foot-6 swingman, became the third member of Georgia State’s 2010 class when he signed with the Panthers on Thursday. Doby averaged 21.1 points and 12.5 rebounds for Laney High as a junior last season. He joins DeVonta White (Roswell/Centennial HS) and Javonte Maynor (Snellville/South Gwinnett), who signed Wednesday.
• Jordan McRae, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Liberty County High down in Hinesville, signed with the Tennessee Volunteers on Friday. McRae averaged 22.3 points per game as a junior. McEachern’s Trae Golden has committed to the Vols, too, but won’t sign until Tuesday.
• Rion Brown, McRae’s Liberty County teammate and also a 6-5 shooting guard, …

Continue reading Signings and more signings as early period continues »