Georgia Tech QB target Juwaan Williams led Tucker to the 2011 Class AAAA state championship (AJC)

Quarterback Juwaan Williams, who led Tucker to the state championship this past season, was offered by Georgia Tech on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound junior has around 10 early offers, including South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Kentucky, East Carolina and Central Florida. Georgia Tech is the only school recruiting Williams at QB, which he really likes.

“It was a great offer,” Williams told the AJC. “The system they run at Georgia Tech fits me to a ‘T.’ It’s just a little more reading that I have to do at the line of scrimmage. If I went to Georgia Tech to play quarterback, I’d have a chance to be the king of Atlanta. Georgia Tech is in the heart of Atlanta, and they have great fans that support the team.”

The other schools are recruiting Williams to play wide receiver or defensive back. Williams never played QB until he was needed at the position by …

Two longtime Alabama commitments (both recovering from knee injuries) were told only weeks before signing day by Nick Saban that they couldn’t sign with the Crimson Tide this year. Both were given the option to “grayshirt” or delay enrolling at Alabama in 2013.

What we learned: If you commit to Nick Saban, it’s safe unless you get injured or Alabama has the opportunity to upgrade at your position before you officially sign the paperwork (AP)

Justin Taylor, a running back from North Atlanta High School, was apparently no longer needed after Alabama upgraded at the position when 5-star RB TJ Yeldon flipped from Auburn to the Crimson Tide. Taylor, who missed most of his senior season with a knee injury, ended up signing with Kentucky and had some strong comments for Saban: “[As] far as pulling the …

Georgia Tech finished with a No. 58 ranking by Scout.com, and at 58 by 247Sports. The Yellow Jackets didn’t crack the top 25 of ESPN or the top 50 of Rivals.

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson scored a top DE and QB for 2012 (AJC)

• Scout.com’s Chad Simmons: “I like their class. A lot of these kids are never as flashy as some others, specifically on the offensive side of the ball. It’s because of the system they run. They’re not always going to get the 6-foot-5. 300-pound offensive tackle and elite running backs in the option, or at quarterback, even though this year was an exception. Even though Francis Kallon gets a lot of the headlines and rightfully so, I’m very impressed with how they pulled …

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker from Birmingham, Ala., picked the Yellow Jackets over Arkansas, Wake Forest, and Central Florida among his 26 offers, which also included Stanford, Penn State and Iowa State.

“I think with his visit to Georgia Tech,  they kind of sold him and he felt like that was the place to be,” said his coach Terrence Amos.

Hankins is a 4.0 student who is ranked No. 1 academically in his class and a candidate to be school valedictorian. He will play ILB at Georgia Tech.

Micheal Summers, WR, 6-1, 190, Statesboro

Comment: Picked Tech over Florida and Vanderbilt, others. … Projected to play WR, but may also get a look at RB. … Tech coach Paul Johnson has known Summers since he was a toddler, having recruited his father to play for Georgia Southern (he played at South Carolina State). … Clocked at 4.39 seconds in the 40-yard dash and measured with 38-inch vertical jump at Florida camp last summer.

Quotable: “I’ve been around Coach Johnson forever. Being from Statesboro, I knew all about what he did at Georgia Southern and winning those national championships. We’ve always had a good relationship. I was extremely happy when he got the job at Georgia Tech. I went there for camp as a freshman and fell in love with the program, and college itself. From then on, I’ve always wanted to go there.” — Summers

Freddie Burden, OL, 6-3, 290, Statesboro

Comment: Has been on Tech’s radar since last summer’s camp. … Finally got an offer …

Happy Signing Day, Ya’ll.

This is the main hotspot to follow the AJC’s recruiting coverage on Wednesday.

Football stars from across the nation — and state of Georgia — began signing scholarship papers at 7 a.m.

This is where we’ll do most of our chatting throughout the morning, and we’ll also update this page with news as it happens.

Check back for updates.

TOM LEMMING SPEAKS ON RECRUITING

On the eve of signing day, the AJC’s Chip Towers talked with Tom Lemming – You know, the guy from the “The Blind Side” movie? He’s also CBS Sports Network recruiting coverage and will be on TV all day on Wednesday.

Here are some comments from Lemming on UGA and Georgia Tech – again, on the eve of signing day:

Lemming on UGA

“I have them 19th nationally but they only have 17 players so they have one of the smallest classes so far. They were of the teams I’ve written …

Dalvin Tomlinson has the paperwork from Georgia Tech, Alabama and UGA, says his coach. Where will he sign? (AJC)

Georgia Tech, Alabama, and UGA must all feel like they have a shot on Dalvin Tomlinson, the AJC Super 11 defensive end from Henry County High School.

The 6-foot-3, 270-pounder has gotten a letter-of-intent in the mail from each of his three finalists, his coach told the AJC.  On Wednesday morning, Tomlinson will sign a football scholarship with Georgia Tech, Alabama or UGA.

“There’s nothing new … well, I mean, Dalvin hasn’t told anybody anything,” Henry County coach Mike Rozier told the AJC. “He knows where he’s going but he’s not telling anybody. That guy is tight-lipped and poker-faced. His own family members, his aunt and uncle, they don’t know.”

Georgia Tech and Alabama have been rumored to Tomlinson’s frontrunners since last summer. The Yellow Jackets dispatched coaches to see Tomlinson the past two weeks, according to Rozier. Georgia …

OL-TE Grant Radakovich (Photo from RaidersFB.org)

Grant Radakovich, the son of Georgia Tech’s athletics director Dan Radakovich, will be playing football  at Mars Hill.

The 6-foot-1, 240-pound center from Walton High School said he committed to Mars Hill over Mercer and UNC Charlotte. He is projected to play tight end at the North Carolina Div. II school.

“I liked Mars Hill because I wanted to get a small-town feel; I really liked the campus and it will be something different that metro Atlanta,” Radakovich told the AJC.

Radakovich said his father approved of the decision. “He just supported me with any way I wanted to go. I had the opportunity to walk-on at Georgia Tech but I wanted to go ‘blaze my own trail’ if you will. I’m excited about Mars Hill. It’s good fit for me.”

Radakovich has a 3.61 GPA and plans to study Business. He started on Walton’s team that finished as runner-up for the Class AAAAA state championship.

SINCE YOU LAST REFRESHED THIS …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

After wrestling with the decision all day, Georgia Tech OL commit Will Adams decided to take a last-minute visit to Auburn this weekend.

“I’m about to leave for Auburn in about an hour or so,” Adams told the AJC on Friday evening. “I’m still committed to Georgia Tech but I’m taking a visit to Auburn.”

The 6-foot-6, 280-pound offensive lineman from Sandy Creek High School has been committed to Georgia Tech since last summer. Adams said he got last-minute offers from Auburn and UGA on Thursday, and has decided to visit with the Tigers on the final recruiting weekend before signing day.

Adams said he talked multiple times on Friday with Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson. “There were a lot of things we talked about, and there are a lot of things that went into my decision to visit Auburn. I’ll talk more about it later.”

Did Johnson tell Adams that he risked losing his …

The 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive lineman from Henry County High School has Georgia Tech, UGA and Alabama at his finalists.

So which school is it?

“Dalvin has picked a school but it’s a secret,” Henry County coach Mike Rozier told the AJC. “His [family] doesn’t even know where he’s going to go, and that’s a fact. I was over at his house this morning with a [TV crew].”

“But Dalvin has his school. You can tell by looking at him. He has got a big smile back on his face. And he hasn’t been smiling a lot lately. He seems a lot more relaxed and happy.”

When will Dalvin reveal his secret? At 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

Georgia Tech appears to be the school to beat in the final days. On Thursday, Yellow Jackets assistant Joe Speed stopped by Henry County to check on Tomlinson. …

Will Adams is committed to Georgia Tech but will reportedly visit Auburn this weekend (Photo courtesy of Allyson Merrill)

OL Will Adams, who admitted that he was a lifelong UGA fan before committing to Georgia Tech last summer, said that he was offered a last-minute scholarship by the Bulldogs on Thursday.

The 6-foot-6, 280-pound offensive lineman plays at Sandy Creek, the same high school as WR JaQuay Williams – who is a longtime Auburn commitment that UGA is trying to flip before next week’s signing day.

An entourage of UGA coaches, led by Mark Richt, showed up at Sandy Creek on Wednesday to visit with JaQuay. They also reportedly made a last-second offer to Adams.

“It’s true,” Adams said in the text message about the UGA offer.

There were rumors that Adams may talk to Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson about making a visit to another school this weekend — not UGA but Auburn.  Adams declined an interview request. “Not today. There’s a lot going with me as far as …

Paul Johnson to recruit: ‘If you’re looking around, then we’re looking around" (AJC)

One of Georgia Tech’s top football commitments risks losing his scholarship offer if he takes a recruiting trip to Miami this weekend.

Antonio Crawford, a defensive back from Tampa’s Plant High School, has been committed to Georgia Tech since last summer. However, things became complicated for Crawford when Miami coach Al Golden showed up at his school on Wednesday to both extend a scholarship offer and invitation to visit Miami this weekend.

The 5-foot-11, 184-pound Crawford has some tough decisions to make less than a week away from Wednesday’s signing day.

“Everything has happened so quickly, and I haven’t really had a chance to think about it a lot yet,” Crawford said on Thursday night. “I know I’m definitely considering the University of Miami. But, as of right now, I’m still committed to Georgia Tech.”

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson heard about Miami’s …

DB Antonio Crawford (Photo by PlantFootball.org)

Is Georgia Tech in danger of losing one of its top recruits less than a week away from signing day?

DB Antonio Crawford, who has been committed to Georgia Tech since last summer, will take an official visit to Miami this weekend, according to his Facebook page. Crawford wrote that he had been offered a football scholarship by Miami and he “was going to be in MIAMI this weekend to visit The U.”

The 5-foot-11, 184-pounder is from Tampa football powerhouse of Plant High School, which produced UGA talents Aaron Murray and Orson Charles.

Georgia Tech did an intensive evaluation of Crawford at camp last summer, deciding to offer a few days later – with Crawford committing on the spot. At the time, Crawford picked the Yellow Jackets over Iowa State and Florida International.

It was good scouting by Georgia Tech because it took other schools until Crawford’s senior season to notice him,  eventually leading to the reported recruiting …

DE Junior Gnonkonde has rebounded after having his scholarship offer withdrawn from Georgia Tech (AJC)

The Florida Gators may be on the brink of offering a football scholarship to ex-Georgia Tech commit Junior Gnonkonde.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound defensive end from Lanier County High School was the first commitment of Georgia Tech’s recruiting class last February. However, Gnonkonde had his scholarship offer from the Yellow Jackets withdrawn last week after being told that his test scores were too low.

Gnonkonde has been a hot commodity ever since. Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson personally called Central Florida coach George O’Leary to get Gnonkonde a football offer without UCF ever seeing him. Since then, Gnonkonde has added offers from North Carolina, Wake Forest, Syracuse, South Carolina, Marshall, and Louisiana Tech, according to Lanier County athletics director John White, who is also Gnonkonde’s legal guardian.

And then there’s Florida.

“Will Muschamp called me …

The 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive tackle from Henry County  High School has Georgia Tech, UGA and Alabama as his finalists.

Georgia Tech is rumored to be the school to beat, and the Yellow Jackets made a recruiting contact with Tomlinson on Saturday. Georgia Tech recruiting coordinator Andy McCollum and assistant Joe Speed attended Tomlinson’s wrestling matches at a nearby high school.

AJC Super 11 DE Dalvin Tomlinson (AJC)

“They were there,” Henry County coach Mike Rozier told the AJC. “They were there all day. They just sat upstairs and watched. I guess it was let Dalvin know that they still want him very badly.”

Tomlinson has kept an extremely low profile in the final days of recruiting. He cancelled an official visit to UGA because of “family reasons” and has revealed little about which way he is leaning, although most consider Georgia Tech as …

DE Junior Gnonkonde is looking for a new school after being committed to Georgia Tech for 11 months (AJC)

Here’s the lastest information on Junior Gnonkonde, Georgia Tech’s first commitment for 2012 who was informed last Friday that his scholarship offer was being withdrawn because his test score was too low. (Click here to read both a recap and a heated debate on the message boards).

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound defensive end from Lanier County High School had committed to Georgia Tech last February. Here’s the latest from Sunday night from John White, who is Lanier County’s athletics director and Gnonkonde’s legal guardian.

• New schools? “Central Florida has offered. The University of Florida will be here on  Monday. With Louisana Tech, we’re thinking about flying out on Wednesday for an official visit. North Carolina has called and I think they may make an offer. And I just got off the phone with Air Force Academy.”
• You said you reached out to UGA assistant Mike …

It’s decision day for Alex McCalister, maybe the biggest “mystery recruit” in the Southeast.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound defensive end from Clemmons, N.C., is announce his college decision at 1 p.m. Monday between Georgia Tech, Florida and North Carolina, according to Rivals.

Georgia Tech was rumored to be the early frontunner for McCalister, but now there is talk that McCalister’s official visit to Florida this past weekend went really well. However, no one knows for sure because McCalister hasn’t done any media interviews. Even the college coaches recruiting him are sort of in the dark on what Alex will do.

Which college will Alex pick? Check back shortly after 1 p.m.

Georgia Tech will find out Jan. 23 about DE Alex McCalister (247Sports.com)

What kind of prospect is Alex? We asked Rusty Mansell, National Recruiting for 247sports.com:

“I …

Quick courtship: Georgia Tech zeroed in on Florida punter Ryan Rodwell around two weeks ago and landed his commitment on Sunday

Georgia Tech addressed its problems on special teams on Sunday by landing the commitment of Ryan Rodwell, a punter from DeLand, Fla.

Rodwell was commitment No. 17 for Georgia Tech, and the third within the last four days – following Australia DT Adam Gotsis and Florida DB Lynn Griffin. On Friday, the Yellow Jackets withdrew the scholarship offer to a longtime commitment, Lanier County DE-LB Junior Gnonkonde, because his coach was told his test scores were too low.

Back to Rodwell: He took an official visit to Georgia Tech this weekend without knowing if the Yellow Jackets would offer. He said he met with coach Paul Johnson on Sunday before leaving campus.

“He sat down with me and my parents, and asked how we liked the campus and visit,” Rodwell told the AJC. “He just came out and said ‘We’re going to do it a little backwards here. …

DT Adam Gotsis from Australia (Photo courtesy of Paul Manera)

Georgia Tech’s 2012 recruiting class has an international flavor.

Adam Gotsis, a 6-foot-5, 295-pound defensive tackle from Australia, committed to Georgia Tech on Saturday night, one of his coaches wrote in an email to the AJC.

He is Georgia Tech’s second commitment within the last three days, joining DB Lynn Griffin of Jacksonville. On Friday, Georgia Tech also withdrew the scholarship offer to the first commitment of this year’s class, DE-LB Junior Gnondonke, because his coach was told his test score was not high enough.

Georgia Tech now has 16 commitments, and may sign as many as 19-20 on National Signing Day (Feb. 1). The top prospect in Georgia Tech’s class may be Central Gwinnett DE Francis Kallon, who moved from England last year.

Here’s more info on Gotsis: He was recommended to Georgia Tech by Paul Manera, who played for Paul Johnson and Yellow Jackets assistant Mike Sewak when they were both assistants at …

Georgia Tech’s first commitment for its 2012 recruiting class won’t be signing the Yellow Jackets next week, according to his coach.

Junior Gnonkonde, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound defensive end from Lanier County High School, had his scholarship offer withdrawn by Georgia Tech on Friday. He had been committed to the Yellow Jackets since last February.

“We got a call from Paul Johnson saying they were withdrawing the scholarship offer because his test scores were too low,” said Lanier County athletics director John White, who is also Gnonkonde’s legal guardian.

“Coach Johnson was very nice about it. He said he didn’t want to leave Junior hanging in any way. He said he would call Central Florida on Junior’s behalf, which he did and we appreciated … but this whole thing doesn’t make any sense.

DE Junior Gnonkonde is looking for a new school after being committed to Georgia Tech for 11 months (AJC)

“Georgia …

DT Adam Gotsis from Australia

Here’s some more information on Georgia Tech’s “top secret” recruit from Australia, Adam Gotsis.

He’s the 6-foot-5, 295-pounder from Melbourne, Australia, who is taking an official visit to Georgia Tech this weekend, has been offered a football scholarship, and may commit to the Yellow Jackets the end of the weekend.

Gotsis was recommended to Georgia Tech by Paul Manera, who represents Australia on the Technical Committee for the International Federation of American Football.

“My connection to Georgia Tech is with coaches Paul Johnson and Mike Sewak,” Manera said in an email. “Coach Johnson recruited me from a [Mississippi junior college] to play offensive tackle for him at Hawaii, where I lettered from 1989-91. During this time, Coach Sewak was my offensive line coach and we have stayed in touch with each other over the years. I recommended Adam to Coach Sewak as a person that I believe can play Div. I football.”

Note: Johnson …

Florida safety Lynn Griffin

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson made a big impression on a Florida safety.

Lynn Griffin of Jacksonville committed to the Yellow Jackets on Thurday, one day after Johnson offered a scholarship.

“It’s a good combination of academics and athletics,” Griffin said. “I think a degree from Georgia Tech will carry a lot of weight. And the networking will be outstanding, as far as having connections after college, in case football at the next level does not work out.”

The 6-foot, 206-pounder was committed to Southern Miss until the coaching change.Griffin picked Georgia Tech over offers from Wake Forest, Southern Miss and Troy.

Griffin felt confident about a scholarship offer since his performance at Georgia Tech’s camp last summer.

“It was the other I was waiting on,” Griffin said. “I pretty knew they were going to offer. When I left camp last summer, they told me an offer would be coming once they looked at my transcript after first …

Dalvin Tomlinson, the AJC Super 11 defensive end from Henry County High School, didn’t visit UGA on Monday or Tuesday as previously scheduled. The Bulldogs are being considered by Tomlinson, along with rumored frontrunners Georgia Tech and Alabama.

“I talked with Dalvin and he had something that came up with his family,” Henry County coach Mike Rozier told the AJC. “He said he talked with [UGA assistant Bryan McClendon] on Saturday morning and let him know. It was a personal issue having to deal with his family.”

Now onto the rest of the mystery:

• Will Dalvin reschedule his official visit to UGA? “I talked with both Dalvin and Coach McClendon, and they didn’t know yet.”
• Does UGA still want Tomlinson? “I’m sure …

Georgia Tech's next commit? (AJC)

One of the state’s top two uncommitted college football prospects did not make his official visit to UGA on Monday.

Dalvin Tomlinson, a AJC Super 11 defensive lineman from Henry County High School, was scheduled to make a recruiting trip to UGA on Monday.

“Dalvin just texted me, he didn’t go to Georgia today,” Henry County coach Mike Rozier said. “He didn’t say why. I’m trying to call Dalvin and [UGA assistant Bryan McClendon] right now to see what’s going on. I will let you know as soon as I find out.”

We didn’t hear back from Rozier or Tolimlinson by late Monday night. We don’t know if Tomlinson will reschedule the UGA visit or cancel it altogether.

We do know Tomlinson is focused heavily on trying to win his third straight wrestling championship, and that may play a factor in this, too.

For such a high-profile prospect, Tomlinson has kept an extremely low profile. That’s not just in recent weeks, but through the entire …

Georgia Tech's newest commit, OL Freddie Burden (Photo submitted by Burden family)

OL Freddie Burden committed to Georgia Tech on Sunday as the Yellow Jackets finished their biggest recruiting weekend of the year.

The 6-foot-3, 290-pounder from Statesboro High School picked Georgia Tech over Middle Tennessee State. Burden also had serious interest from Florida and was invited to make an official visit with the Gators next weekend with the hint of an impending offer. However, Burden has decided to cancel it after committing to Georgia Tech.

Georgia Tech now has 15 commitments and is expected to sign 18-19 on Feb. 1. Paul Johnson gave Burden a little advance notice about the offer.

“Coach Johnson actually told me on Saturday that he was going  to offer,” Burden told the AJC. “He told me to think about it, and to make sure how I felt about when we talked on Sunday. I was 100-percent sure about it, so I went ahead and committed.”

Why Georgia Tech? “It’s one of the …

Georgia Tech has 14 commitments, and is projected to sign around 18 on Feb. 1.

By securing the majority of its targets early, Georgia Tech will likely avoid the same type of recruiting drama facing other schools scrambling to round up talent at the last minute.

“Paul Johnson likes to get most of his class complete fairly early and then keep a few spots open at the end to go after certain needs,” said Kelly Quinlan, publisher of Georgia Tech’s Rivals website, JacketsOnline.com. “They’ve gotten so much done early, that a lot of the Georgia Tech assistants were on the road this week to visit players already committed, to make sure everything was cool.”

QB Justin Thomas (247Sports.com)

Georgia Tech is having its biggest recruiting weekend of the year, as 10 prospects are scheduled to make official visits. Eight of the visitors are high school …

QB Tim Byerly (Special)

Tim Byerly, who led Chattahoochee High School to a state championship in 2010, said he is transferring from Middle Tennessee State to Georgia Tech.

“I’ve decided to play for coach Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech,” Byerly told the AJC. “I’m always been a big fan of his. He’s an old-fashioned kind of guy with the way he coaches football. I like his style.”

The 6-foot, 215-pounder signed a scholarship out of high school with MTSU and left after one semester because “it wasn’t for me and the education wasn’t what I had hoped for.” Byerly was granted his release and said he talked recently to Georgia Tech assistant Brian Bohannon. He will join Georgia Tech as a preferred walk-on. He begins classes on Monday.

“Coach Bohannon said they were pretty slim at QB with depth and that they would love to have me,” Byerly said. “I got accepted at Georgetown, and that was pretty high on my list. I felt Georgia Tech was pretty much the same …

Neither school has offered a football scholarship to the 6-foot-3, 290-pounder from Statesboro High School.

But both might within the next few days.

Burden said he talked with Florida coach Will Muschamp on Monday night, and set up an official visit with the Gators for Jan. 20. He has a recruiting trip to Georgia Tech this weekend.

What will Freddie Burden do if both Florida and Georgia Tech offer?

“It really depends on Georgia Tech,” Burden told the AJC. “I’m planning on going to Florida next weekend, but if Georgia Tech offers me this weekend, then I’m not going to take that visit. I’m going to commit to Georgia Tech on the spot.”

OL Freddie Burden (Special)

Why does Burden have such strong feelings about Georgia Tech? His best friend since he was four years old, Statesboro WR Micheal Summers, committed to the Yellow Jackets last summer. Burden attended Georgia Tech’s camp last summer and has …

Georgia’s Top 125 high school recruits

Player, Pos., Ht., Wt., High school, College

Will Adams, OL, 6-5, 280, Sandy Creek (Signed: Auburn)

Vadal Alexander, OL, 6-5, 300, Buford (Signed: LSU)

Kofi Amichia, OT, 6-4, 275, McEachern (Signed: South Florida)

John Atkins, NG, 6-4, 300, Thomson (Signed: Georgia)

Anthony Autry, ATH, 6-2, 180, Norcross (Signed: Georgia Tech)

Dakota Ball, DE, 6-2, 280, Pepperell (Signed: Alabama)

LaDarius Banks, DE, 6-2, 250, East Paulding (Signed: Vanderbilt)

Collin Barber, P, 6-2, 190, Cartersville (Signed: Georgia)

Steven Bench, QB, 6-2, 200, Cairo (Signed: Penn State)

Derious Bennett, DT, 6-1, 270, Carver-Columbus (Signed: Middle Tennesse State)

Dante Blackmon, DB, 5-11, 180, Eastside (Signed: Appalachian State)

J.T. Blasingame, DB, 5-9, 165, Mays (Signed: Rice)

Daron Blaylock, LB, 6-1, 220, Walton (Signed: Kentucky)

Shawn Blaylock, WR, 6-0, …

On Friday night, former Kentucky basketball player Stacy Poole decided to transfer to Georgia Tech, according to multiple media outlets.

His younger brother is one of the top high school juniors in the country, 5-star point guard Solomon Poole of Jacksonville, Fla.

5-star Solomon Poole is one of the nation's top high school juniors (Photo courtesy of adidas)

The younger Poole, who plays for the Atlanta Celtics AAU team, recently told Rivals his top five schools were UGA, Memphis, Louisville, UCLA and Oklahoma State.

You might as well add Georgia Tech to that list.

“Solomon mentioned to me a while back that he wants to go somewhere and build his own legacy, which is why he wasn’t interested in Florida, where his dad played, and Kentucky, where his brother was playing when he made that comment,” said Dan McDonald, basketball recruiting analyst for UGASports.com. …

The 6-foot-9, 270-pound power forward from Miller Grove High School has Duke and Ohio State as his rumored frontrunners, with UCLA, Memphis and Georgetown in his top five. Georgia Tech, UGA and Kansas are also still heavily recruiting Parker.

Miller Grove (6-4), the three-time defending Class AAAA state champion, plays against the country’s No. 1-ranked team, Simeon of Chicago, at 8 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2.

“More than likely, Tony will wait until after the season to decide,” Miller Grove coach Sharman White told the AJC. “He wants to make sure his focus is where it needs to be, and that’s on his senior season. He doesn’t want recruiting to be a distraction for the team and his teammates.”

Tony Parker (No. 32) …