Archive for the ‘Insider’ Category

The offensive lineman nicknamed “The Finisher” committed to UGA on Wednesday.

Brandon Kublanow, a 6-foot-3, 290-pounder from Walton High School, picked UGA over Vanderbilt, North Carolina and Clemson, among his 20 offers. Kublanow earned his nickname because of his punishing style of play.

"The Finisher" will sign with UGA (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

“Georgia is the best fit for me,” Kublanow told the AJC. “They have a great combination of academics and football. The program is headed in the right direction.

Why commit now? “I’ve just been thinking about it. I talked to my family about it. I was up there on Saturday. I took a little secret visit to Georgia, and it just felt right.”

Kublanow is commitment No. 17 for UGA’s 2013 recruiting class – and the third for the offensive line.  He will play offensive guard or center for the Bulldogs, which may sign around 30 recruits next February.

“Coach Richt was really fired up when I told him I was coming to …

Continue reading Brandon Kublanow: UGA lands OL for commitment No. 17 »

UGA’s Mark Richt and Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson have about the same viewpoint on Social Media: They’re not on it … but they realize that it has an ever-growing importance in recruiting.

“I’ve heard that there’s a few people impersonating me on Twitter but I’m not doing it,” joked Richt to the AJC.

“There’s a lot of other ways to communicate with guys. I would just as soon talk to the man, quite frankly. Our coaching staff does a great job of keeping up with them [on Facebook and Twitter].”

Johnson is also not on Twitter. “I just haven’t done it. You never say never about anything but I haven’t seen the need yet to do it for me … I don’t think Twitter matters that much.”

A strong presence on Social Media is a necessary for a colleges to stay on the cutting edge of New Age recruiting – simply because nearly every top football prospect is on Facebook, Twitter, or both.

“It plays a role in recruiting, because that’s what kids are on all the …

Continue reading UGA’s Mark Richt and Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson on Twitter and Facebook »

What are the recruiting duties in May for UGA’s Mark Richt and Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson?

May is the busiest month of the spring for recruiting, with college coaches hitting the road to visit the high schools of prospects across the country.

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However, the head coaches are prevented from joining the rest of their staff on the road this month, per NCAA rules. It’s the assistants who get to have all the fun and log the frequent-flyer miles.

So what do the head coaches do in May? A lot more than you think, and it’s mostly behind the scenes.

“You’ve got Skyping, you’ve got phone calls, you’re studying film, and you’re kind of tracking where everybody is – who has committed and who is thinking about committing soon,” Richt told the AJC.

“You’re constantly looking at the recruiting board to constantly see where we are at, and trying to …

Continue reading UGA’s Mark Richt and Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson: Recruiting duties for May? »

Nick Saban: "So when you start saying 'this league champion should be in it against this league champion,' we don’t have that kind of parity (in college football). This is not the NFL." (Photo courtesy of Chick-fil-A)

• RELATED: Nick Saban finally speaks on Justin Taylor grayshirt controversy

Some of college football’s biggest names endorsed the impending four-team playoff system to determine future national champions on Tuesday.

“My opinion is people want to see the best four teams play,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said after playing in the Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge celebrity golf tournament in Greensboro, Ga.

“I don’t think we need to be watering it down with ‘You need to win a [conference] championship’ … they want to see the best four teams play.”

Quick recap: Last week, conference commissioners huddled with Notre Dame’s athletic director and other college officials to make changes to the current BCS system. The group left the meeting with several …

Continue reading Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher, others, on college football’s impending playoffs »

Georgia Tech basketball coach Brian Gregory has a policy that restricts his players from transferring to another ACC school and one out-of-conference opponent … archrival UGA.

However, Gregory also told the AJC that if one of his players really wanted to transfer any school, including UGA, ultimately he “wouldn’t fight it.”

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Additionally, Gregory spoke out against fellow coaches putting severe restrictions on transfer players – which has quickly become a controversial and hotly-debated topic in college athletics. You can read more about it here.

Georgia Tech has two players transferring from the program, guard Glen Rice Jr. and center Nate …

Continue reading Georgia Tech coach has restriction against transfers to UGA but … »

Tony Parker's 57-minute commitment ceremony stirred up a lot of national buzz (AJC)

The kid who was UGA’s “Plan B” to Tony Parker kept checking on his cell phone for updates on Monday.

And checking.

And checking again.

And checking a few more times.

Finally at the conclusion of Parker’s infamous 57-minute commitment ceremony in which he ripped off his jacket to reveal a UCLA t-shirt, the “Plan B” could go into effect. Houston Kessler, whose father and late uncle played basketball for UGA, signed with Bulldogs on Tuesday night and faxed in the paperwork on Wednesday.

By the way, did you see the column by ESPN’s Grantland.com which had a humorous reflection and recap of Parker’s ceremony? Click here to read.

Back to Kessler: After losing some sleep over the last week while pondering his future, he could finally celebrate when Parker picked up the UGA baseball cap and quickly put it back down during Monday’s “The Decision II.”

“I was anxious, and probably …

Continue reading More Tony Parker fallout … and UGA’s “Plan B” recruit »

If you've seen this movie, then you know about Ole Miss's new football coach

“Have you ever seen ‘The Blind Side’ movie?”

That’s certainly one of college football’s most unique recruiting pitches.

And it’s used with effectiveness by Hugh Freeze, the first-year coach at Ole Miss. Freeze has a special connection to the 2009 movie: He was the real-life high school football coach of Michael Oher, the movie’s central character who was a “homeless and traumatized boy who became an All-American football player and first-round NFL draft pick with the help of caring woman and her family.”

Just about every sports fan — including many football prospects — has seen the inspirational Hollywood flick. The film’s popularity helps recruits remember Freeze when they are bombarded with attention from dozens of college coaches.

“No doubt, it helps … it’s an instant icebreaker for our assistant coaches or me, particularly for kids who have not heard of Hugh Freeze …

Continue reading Have you ever seen “The Blind Side” movie? »

DE Naim Mustafaa is a Georgia Tech legacy but says his father is not forcing the Yellow Jackets on him (247sports.com)

Naim Mustafaa, a Georgia Tech legacy, says his father is not pushing him to follow in his footsteps to play for the Yellow Jackets.

And he said he’s not being pressured either way about archrival UGA by his pops either.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound linebacker has early football scholarship offers from around 25 colleges, including both UGA and Georgia Tech.

Mustafaa has a top three of Georgia Tech, Auburn and Tennessee. His father, Najee Mustafaa (changed his name from Reggie Rutland), played safety at Georgia Tech in the mid-1980s and for seven seasons in the NFL.

“My dad is not really pushing Georgia Tech on me; he’s not the type to do that,” Mustafaa told the AJC. “He has told me to take my time with my decision, weigh out my options and take my visits. He said it’s my decision to make.”

UGA was one of Mustafaa’s first offers but the Bulldogs are …

Continue reading Naim Mustafaa: Georgia Tech rises, UGA falls … with 4-star DE »

Auburn-bound LB Jarrad Davis has a 3.86 core GPA (AJC)

While at least two of his high school teammates will sign with UGA, Jarrad Davis will play college football at SEC rival Auburn.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker from Camden County High School committed to Auburn over a football scholarship offers from Tennessee and Duke on Saturday. He also had interest from Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State.

“Today just felt like the right time to do it,” Davis told the AJC. “Last time I visited Auburn was a couple of week ago, and I almost committed then. Today, I felt like I needed to do it. It just felt right. I didn’t want to push the limit, so I decided to go ahead and do it.”

Two other rising seniors at Camden County, QB Brice Ramsey and WR-DB-RB JJ Green, have committed to UGA, while other one (OL JP Vonashek) may pledge to the Bulldogs any day. Davis had limited contact with UGA.

“The Georgia thing, it is what it is,” Davis said. “We’ll always …

Continue reading Jarrad Davis: LB will play against UGA-bound teammates at Auburn »

UGA is off to a torrid start with its 2013 football recruiting class.

The Bulldogs already have 14 commits for next year, and could add another one soon with this guy.

How fast is UGA’s pace? To put it into context, with this year’s class (2012), the Bulldogs didn’t get No. 14 until QB Faton Bauta pledged last November, around 2.5 months before signing day.

With next year’s class, UGA already has 14 and signing day is around nine months away.

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UGA commits for 2013

1. RB Derrick Henry, 6-3, 241, Yulee, Fla.
2. QB Brice Ramsey, 6-3, 190, Camden County HS
3. S Tray Matthews, 6-2, 205, Newnan HS
4. DB Shaq Wiggins, 5-10, 160, Sandy Creek HS
5. DB Steven Nelson, 6-0, 185, College of Sequoias JC (Northside-WR HS)
6. DT Chris Mayes, 6-4, 295, Mississippi Gulf Coast JC (Spalding HS)
7. DT DeAndre “Moose” Johnson, 6-3, 311, Northgate HS
8. WR Tramel Terry, 6-0, 185, Goose Creek (S.C.)
9. LB Johnny O’Neal, 6-1, 230, West Laurens HS
10. WR Kyrin Priester, 6-2, 185, …

Continue reading VIDEO: What about UGA’s blistering start in football recruiting? »