Archive for the ‘Other ACC Schools’ Category

Tyler Cierski recalls being a skinny kid when he first went in weight room.

A lot of hard work has paid off for the 6-foot, 250-pound fullback who signed with Maryland.

He joined the varsity at Mill Creek in Hoschton as a freshman and hasn’t looked back.

“I use my strength a lot,” Cierski told the Baltimore Sun. He said he squats 575 pounds, power cleans 340 and benches 300.

Continue reading Mill Creek fullback Cierski joins Maryland »

Christian Reeves, of Eagles Landing Christian in McDonough, signed with Virginia Tech, the Hokies’ second tight end signing of the morning.

At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, he is the No. 29 tight end in the nation, according to Rivals, and listed as the fastest tight end in the country.

Continue reading ELCA tight end Reeves signs with Virginia Tech »

Starr’s Mill’s Alex Barr, a 6-foot-6, 290-pound offensive lineman, signed with N.C. State.

He helped paved the way for the Panthers’ offense as they reached the state championship game before falling.

Barr originally committed to Vanderbilt but the Commodores’ fluid coaching situation led to a switch to the Wolfpack in December.

Continue reading Starr’s Mill lineman Barr signs with Wolfpack »

Linebacker Michael Peek of Grayson High, in a late switch from Navy, signed with N.C. State as expected.

Last year, Grayson’s Joseph Champaign  switched from Navy to Air Force in the final days before signing day.

Peek, who led Grayson in tackles and interceptions, said he grew up rooting for ACC teams.

Continue reading Grayson linebacker Peek signs with N.C. State »

The Super Bowl may be in Dallas, but for millions of recruitniks out there and college football fanatics everywhere, the Super Bowl begins today.

Where's this man gonna play college ball? We'll find out today. (AJC photo by Jason Getz)

It’s National Signing day. Or at least it will be at 7 a.m. this morning. That’s when fax machines (yes, they still use them) will begin whirring in college athletic departments from coast to coast. It’s the NCAA-appointed time that schools can begin accepting signed letters-of-intent from “prospective student-athletes,” or as the rest of us call them, “recruits.”

Before today they were merely “commitments.” Or in some cases, “decommitments” and “recommitments.” More on that later.

We won’t have to wait long for news. Linebacker Anthony Harrell of Tampa, Georgia Tech’s newest commitment, is expected to sign his papers by 7:15 this morning. Longtime Georgia commitment Amarlo Herrera is slated to make it official at 7:30 a.m. down at North …

Continue reading What Super Bowl? It’s National Signing Day in college football »

Georgia Tech made a pass at Lithonia defensive end Dave Mann, a longtime commitment to N.C. State.

The Yellow Jackets allegedly extended a scholarship offer last weekend to Mann, according to Lithonia coach Marcus Jelks. But whether it was a hard offer from Tech or just an attempt to gauge interest remains unclear.

“Dave was kind of excited about the [Tech] offer, and said he was going to consider it,” Jelks said. “However, N.C. State came to the school [on Tuesday] and spent a lot of time with him. I’m pretty sure that Dave will stay with N.C. State.”

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Mann said he met with Georgia Tech assistant Joe Speed last Thursday — and he was informed that a scholarship had come open at his position.  Mays defensive end Darrius Caldwell, who was previously committed to Georgia Tech, switched to Illinois on Sunday after taking an official visit to the Big 10 school (academic issues reportedly played a factor in Caldwell’s decision to part with the …

Continue reading Georgia Tech flirts with N.C. State commitment Dave Mann of Lithonia High »

THE TEN AT 10:

1. Ray Drew may be a licensed minister, but he’s having a devil of a good time keeping people guessing about his impending college decision. The 5-star defensive end is going to unveil his choice on Friday morning in the gym at Thomas County Central High School. Which team he will choose, well, everybody thinks they know but nobody really does.

Publicly Drew likes to throw out hints that he’s headed to Auburn, such as the text he sent me Sunday night that read “WDE” (that’s “War Damn Eagle,” as in the Auburn battle cry, for the un-indoctrinated). But Georgia fans insist Drew is so overly outspoken about the Tigers that it has to mean it’s a smokescreen for his real intention, which is to become part of the Bulldogs’ Dream Team. But then Drew will throw up a Facebook status that confuses the issue even more, such as the one he posted late Monday evening.

“There will be a huge surprise on Friday . . . no Auburn, no Georgia, no LSU . . . time to shock the world …

Continue reading Ten@10: Ray Drew still being coy about Friday’s decision (updated) »

Linebacker Nick Menocal decommitted from Miami in order to commit to Georgia Tech over the weekend. (Photo by The Miami Herald.)

Georgia Tech’s latest commitment is a Miami guy. Nick Menocal grew up in the South Florida city, starred in football at nearby Belen Jesuit Prep and was a lifelong fan of  the Miami Hurricanes.  So, naturally, when he developed into a top-notch college football prospect and UM offered a scholarship, he accepted to great fanfare in his hometown.

That was way back in June. Since then, Miami had a dreadful season, head coach Randy Shannon got fired and new coach Al Golden got hired. And suddently Menocal wasn’t so sure about the Hurricanes anymore.

And neither were they about him, all the sudden.

“Two weeks ago I got a call from [a Miami coach] and he told me they had reviewed my film and they felt I wouldn’t be a good fit for them,” said Menocal, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound outside linebacker. “He said they would honor my commitment but I’d probably have …

Continue reading Miami OLB Nick Menocal felt wanted at Georgia Tech »

Dalton's Watts Dantzler said he expects all of Georgia's offensive line recruits to remain committed to the Bulldogs despite Stacy Searels departure to Texas. (AJC photo by Chip Towers)

THE TEN AT 10:

1. The departure of Georgia offensive line coach Stacy Searels for the same job at Texas is disappointing to players he has recruited to become Bulldogs. But apparently it is not a deal-breaker.

Dalton offensive lineman Watts Dantzler, one of the first recruits to give Searels the nod early last summer, said he remains “100 percent” committed to UGA, as are most of his fellow offensive line commitments, all with whom he has been in contact.

“You know, I think [Searels] had to make a decision that was best for him and I understand,” he said Wednesday night. “But I committed to the school, not to him, and I’m still committed. I’m looking forward to seeing who they’re going to hire.”

Dantzler is one of five O-line commitments the Bulldogs have for 2011. He said he has been in …

Continue reading Ten@10: Stacy Searels’ recruits say they’re going to stick with Georgia »

Steve Spurrier’s raid on Georgia’s college prospects continued with the commitments of McEachern High teammates Rory Anderson and Marcquis Roberts on Wednesday.

With the two new additions, South Carolina has now reached double digits in its Georgia recruiting efforts for the 2011 class — as 11 of 28 commitments are from the state. Last year, the Gamecocks landed six prospects from Georgia.

“South Carolina had a great season in the SEC, and I think a lot of people noticed,” McEachern coach Kyle Hockman said. “I know all of our kids want to play in the SEC, especially with their run of national championships. That was an important overall factor.

The timing of the McEachern duo’s announcement was interesting: Why on a Wednesday?

“They both finished a visit last weekend and kind of decided they had seen enough during the overall recruiting process to be able to make a comparison,” Hockman said. “They felt like it was that time.

“And you know how recruiting works? It can get …

Continue reading South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier raids Georgia for two more commitments »