Alabama's Nick Saban met with now-2013 commit Justin Taylor on Tuesday (AP)

Nick Saban and Justin Taylor sat across from each other for about an hour at North Atlanta High School on Tuesday. It was the first face-to-face meeting between the two since it was reported that Taylor can’t sign with Alabama this year. It was surprising news for Taylor, who has been committed to Alabama since last February (he was the 7th of Alabama’s 27 commitments). The Crimson Tide wants Taylor to “grayshirt” because of a knee injury and wait to enroll in 2013, while others speculate that it was creative “roster management” by Saban. You can catch up by reading HERE and HERE and HERE. What’s the latest with Justin Taylor? He remains committed to Alabama. That’s never changed since last February. Purdue is interested but hasn’t offered a football scholarship. At this point, Taylor’s top options appear to be attending a prep school next fall or simply sitting out of school …

UGA recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner made a personal appearance to offer 2013 Dooly County DT Montravius Adams on Thursday (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

Fair or unfairly, UGA caught some criticism for being “too late” to offer some of the state’s top football prospects this year.

The Bulldogs may be trying to counter that perception for next year’s class.

On Thursday, UGA recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner made a personal appearance at Dooly County High School, which is located 60 miles south of Macon. That’s a big deal when the Bulldogs still have to fill 10 or so scholarships for this year’s class.

Garner was there to make a verbal scholarship offer to Dooly County High School defensive tackle Montravius Adams, the 6-foot-4, 280-pounder who is rapidly emerging as one of the state’s top 10 prospects for 2013 after his dominating performances at last …

Reuben Foster (No. 2 jersey), who is ranked as the No. 2 college football prospect in the USA for 2013 and committed to Alabama, shares a laugh with his buddy Tray Matthews (No. 26), who is committed to UGA (AJC)

It’s the NCAA “dead period” until Monday but UGA has had one of its best recruiters working this week on Reuben Foster, the linebacker from Troup High School who is ranked as the No. 2 overall college football in the nation for 2013.

Foster, who is committed to Alabama but still flirting with UGA, is the star attraction for the 2011 AT&T Junior Bowl that will be played at 7 p.m. Friday at Grady High School. Nearly half of the 90 juniors in the all-star football game have early scholarship offers.

But none are like the 6-foot-2, 235-pound Foster, who has been so dominant in practices in front of his wide-eyed teammates this week that some players have dubbed his team, the West squad, as “Team Rueben.”

“Everything you’ve heard about Reuben Foster, it’s …

QB Justin Thomas (Photo courtesy of 247Sports)

Georgia Tech made big news in the recruiting world this week when quarterback Justin Thomas, who had been committed to Alabama for a year, switched to the Yellow Jackets.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder is from Alabama’s Prattville High School, and is ranked as a 4-star prospect and the No. 19 all-purpose athlete in the country by Rivals.com. Thomas and Central Gwinnett defensive end Francis Kallon are the highest-ranked members of Georgia Tech’s 14-member recruiting class, which will expand to 17-20 players by February’s national signing day.

Thomas is one of the Southeast’s fastest athletes, and has been consistently clocked in the 40-yard dash at around 4.3 seconds. He guided his high school team to Alabama’s Class AAAAAA state championship, winning MVP honors after registering more than 300 all-purpose yards in the game. For the season, Thomas finished with 1,652 passing yards, 896 rushing yards and 20 total …

AJC Super 11 LB Dillon Lee is also a candidate to be Georgia's No. 1 overall college prospect (AJC photo)

• RELATED: Junior college OL commits to UGA

UGA’s courtship with AJC Super 11 LB Dillon Lee is apparently over.

Lee, who is a candidate to be the state’s No. 1 overall prospect, committed to Alabama over UGA and Florida State last spring.

There was rampant speculation that Lee would consider flipping from Alabama to UGA due to famiy connections — his older brother plays offensive line for the Bulldogs. The younger Lee attended most UGA games this season, and developed a friendship with the Bulldogs staff, particularly LB coach Kirk Olivadotti.

Also working in UGA’s favor were rumors that Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart may be hired away by another school. Those rumors have quieted.

Lee reportedly considered making a visit to UGA last weekend to join his buddy, Stone Mountain High School linebacker Markuss Eligwe (he’s another AJC Super 11 selection, and …

QB Justin Thomas switched to Georgia Tech after being committed to Alabama for a year (Photo by 247sports)

Quarterback Justin Thomas, who had been committed to Alabama for around a year, switched from the Crimson Tide to Georgia Tech on Tuesday night.

It was a stunning turn of events – and good news – for Georgia Tech, which both lured away one of Alabama’s top recruits and added much-needed depth at the QB position.

Thomas is ranked as a 4-star prospect and the No. 19 all-purpose athlete in the country by Rivals.com. He could play multiple positions in college, including QB, WR or DB. Thomas recently led Alabama’s Prattville High School to the Class AAAAAA state championship.

“Alabama promised Justin on several different occasions that he would get the chance to play quarterback there,” the player’s father, Milton Thomas, told the AJC. “We did a lot of research. We know how Alabama uses their quarterbacks, and we know how Georgia Tech uses theirs. We just felt like …

Walton RB Tyren Jones led the state's largest classification in rushing yardage (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

The leading rusher in Georgia’s largest classification said he was offered a football scholarship by UGA on Tuesday.

Tyren Jones, a junior tailback at Walton High School, said he got the news when UGA running backs coach Bryan McClendon was at the school on Tuesday. Jones led Walton to an appearance in the Class AAAAA state championship, rushing for 2,375 yards and 38 touchdowns

“It feels good; it’s exciting,” Jones told the AJC. “I like the Bulldogs. They are close to home. I like Mark Richt. I’ve been to Georgia a couple of times. I’ve got some teams on my list, and Georgia is definitely on there.”

UGA has also offered another junior at Walton, offensive lineman Brandon Kublanow – who is leaning toward to the Bulldogs. Jones said he also has “verbal offers” from Vanderbilt and Duke, while adding Oklahoma State last week.

“Oklahoma State’s coach …

Alabama-bound K Adam Griffith (Photo courtesy of 247sports.com)

Adam Griffith, the Calhoun High School kicker who is committed to Alabama, could probably help out the Crimson Tide this year.

Alabama suffered a 9-6 loss to LSU in the regular season after Cade Foster and Jeremy Shelley failed to score on four of six field-goal attempts.

Griffith, who kicked a field goal to win the Saturday’s Class AA state championship for Calhoun High School, admitted it was tough watching Alabama’s loss to LSU. He will sign with Alabama in February and be eligible to play next season.

“Of course, I wish I could’ve helped the team in that game,” Griffith said. “The kicker, Cade Foster, he had a bad night. But those are hard kicks to make, especially when it’s cold outside and they are long field goals. I was nervous watching him. I don’t know.”

Griffith has been a kicking machine at Calhoun. He booted around 65 of 80 kickoffs into the end zone this season. He has a …

AJC Super 11 LB Dillon Lee (AJC photo)

Will Alabama LB commit Dillon Lee make a surprise official visit to UGA this weekend?

It’s one of the hottest topics on message boards, and there are legitimate reasons for the speculation:

The AJC Super 11 linebacker from Buford High School is the younger brother of UGA offensive lineman Dallas Lee. The younger Lee has gone with his parents (both longtime UGA fans) to just about every Bulldogs game this season to see his brother play, even after Dallas broke his leg in October.

While at the games, Dillon has had the chance to build a relationship with UGA’s coaches, including Mark Richt. For the record, Dillon says he’s committed to Alabama.

This is UGA’s biggest recruiting weekend of the year. Will Lee make an appearance in Athens? His mother told the AJC on Thursday that it won’t be decided until after Buford plays in the Class AA state championship on Friday.

South Carolina DB recruit Rico McWilliams (AJC)

Alabama is flirting with one of Georgia’s best cornerbacks, Lovejoy’s Rico McWilliams. He committed to South Carolina last summer.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound McWilliams is considered one of the state’s top “cover corners” and has helped lead Lovejoy to the Class AAAA state championship game against Tucker at 8 p.m. Friday. McWilliams has prototype size, speed (4.4 in the 40), and athleticism for the DB position.

Lovejoy coach Al Hughes said he has been contacted by Alabama assistants Kirby Smart and Chris Rumph about his star defender.

“They made an ‘unofficial’ scholarship offer,” Hughes told the AJC. “They’ve want to sign three cornerbacks this year, and he’s one of those three. Alabama said that they know his focus is on the state championship game. They told him to think about things, and after the playoffs are over, they would continue to pursue him if he’s interested.”

McWilliams said, “Coach …

UGA offers ex-Florida RB commit Mike Davis (Photo by US Army All-America Bowl)

UGA landed the No. 1 running back in the nation with Keith Marshall on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs have also entered the sweepstakes for the player who many consider the No. 1 running back in Georgia.

Stephenson High School’s Mike Davis, who de-committed from Florida on Sunday after being pledged to the Gators for nearly a year, was offered by UGA on Tuesday.

UGA recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner called Stephenson’s coaches on Monday night to confirm that Davis de-committed from Florida. Garner showed up the next day at the Stone Mountain school to offer Davis in person.

“Georgia saw Mike as a junior and they were slow to react,” Stephenson assistant Corey Johnson said. “They said now that they had a second chance, they were going to move very fast with a scholarship offer and they did. Mike was excited and thankful for the offer.”

Around 30 colleges have inquired about Davis since he …

When asked to rate the visit on a scale of 1-10, Tomlinson said, “I’d say an 8 or 9. It probably would’ve been a 10 if I had gotten up there on Friday. But the Saturday experience was a great experience.”

The 6-foot-3, 270-pounder, who is one of the state’s Top 5 uncommitted prospects, said he was unable to make it on Friday because of wrestling practice at school (he’s a two-time state champion in the heavyweight division) and he was going to watch Eagles Landing Christian Academy in football’s playoff semifinals (wasn’t able to go after all).

Tomlinson was the big man on campus this weekend at Georgia Tech, which also welcomed QB Dennis Andrews of Tallahassee, Fla., and Allatoona High School RB Miles Jones. Andrews …

Now you can get a good look at English transplant who is causing such a stir in college football’s recruiting circles. We’re talking about Francis Kallon, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound defensive end from Central Gwinnett High School. He’s committed to Georgia Tech.

Kallon, who is ranked as a 4-star recruit by both Scout and ESPN, recently had a highlight video of his senior year – his only year of playing organized football – put on YouTube (see video at bottom).

Up until now, only college scouts and high school coaches had seen the video. What did they think? Central Gwinnett coach Todd Wofford paused before answering. “You wouldn’t believe it if I said it. I … don’t want to put that kind of pressure on him.”

Georgia Tech DE commit Francis Kallon of Central Gwinnett High School (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

You can take a look at the video yourself below. One important thing to keep in …

Grayson defensive end Robert Nkemdiche, who is the first Georgia high school football player to be ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect in the nation, looked every bit as good as advertised in Grayson’s 25-17 win over Lowndes in the second round of the Class AAAAA playoffs on Friday night. Watch the video above for highlights of it.

Nkemdiche is a 6-foot-5, 270-pound junior who has Alabama, Florida, LSU, USC and Oregon as his top five, while UGA is “in the mix.” After Friday’s game, Nkemdiche told the AJC he was going to try to get over to UGA for an unofficial visit for Saturday’s Kentucky game but later said he ended up not making trip (Grayson is still in the playoffs). Nevertheless, it was still positive news for UGA, which was once considered a longshot to land Nkemdiche, even though Grayson and Athens are only 35 miles apart. Nkemdiche did visit the Bulldogs last weekend for the Auburn game — his only recruiting trip this fall other than to travel to rumored …

Breaking: Recruiting drama! Georgia’s top basketball prospect changes his mind and signs only hours before midnight deadline (click here)

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They aren’t part of his top five, but UGA still has a spot in the sweepstakes for the No. 1-ranked junior in the country, Robert Ndkemiche of Grayson High School.

The 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive end made a rare unofficial visit last weekend, traveling to UGA with a couple of teammates to watch the Auburn game. The only other trip that Nkemdiche has made this fall was to rumored frontunner Alabama for the LSU game.

Despite the Atlanta suburb of Grayson being located only 35 miles from UGA, the Bulldogs haven’t been able to crack Nkemdiche’s top five, which consists of Alabama, LSU, Florida, Oregon and Southern Cal.

However, his coach told the AJC on Tuesday night to not count the Bulldogs out.

“I’d put Georgia in the …

UGA is now a serious contender for AJC Super 11 DE Jordan Jenkins after his official visit with the Bulldogs this past weekend (AJC)

Jordan Jenkins, the 5-star defensive end from Harris County High School, liked his official visit to UGA so much that the Bulldogs may be sneaking up to join his longtime frontrunners, Alabama and Florida.

It was some surprising good news for UGA, which had been given up as all but dead in the fierce recruiting battle for the 6-foot-3, 250-pounder who is considered one of the nation’s top overall athletes. Jenkins nearly canceled his official visit to UGA on two separate occasions before finally making the recruiting trip this past weekend.

UGA’s chances for the AJC Super 11 selection who is ranked as the state’s No.1 prospect by at least one recruiting publication have dramatically improved.

“Jordan told somebody that Alabama and Florida are …

Stephenson High School's Class of 2012 is a candidate to lead the nation for the number of seniors that will sign major-college football scholarships (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

Stephenson, the high school which may have had most talent-loaded roster the state of Georgia has ever seen, was eliminated in the first round of the state playoffs.

Stephenson, which has 11 seniors committed to D1 schools and could add several more before February’s signing day, lost to Lowdnes 7-0 in the Class AAAAA playoffs on Saturday.

It was a heartbreaking end for Stephenson (9-2), which got a bad draw in the first round after losing to ML King 50-49 last week when UGA-bound WR Blake Tibbs returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown with 16 seconds left in regulation. The loss knocked Stephenson down to a No. 2 playoff seed, where it had to face an underachieving but always dangerous Lowndes squad.

The state of Georgia may never see a star-studded roster like Stephenson, which was led by AJC …

UGA has entered the sweepstakes and offered a late scholarship to the state's No. 1 WR prospect, Sandy Creek's Jaquay Williams. He committed to Auburn last summer (AJC)

Is Auburn in danger of losing the commitment of WR Jaquay Williams to UGA?

UGA is making a late charge for Williams, and offered a football scholarship last week to the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder from Sandy Creek High School. Williams is considered the state’s No. 1 prospect at wide receiver.

Williams, who committed to Auburn over Ohio State last summer, told the AJC he will make an unofficial visit to Georgia on Saturday – his first trip to Athens in two years. Part of the reason will be to hear out the sincerity of UGA’s interest, and the other part will be to watch Auburn play in person.

“I’m going to go up there, look around and check things out,” Williams told the AJC on Thursday night. “But I’m really locked in on Auburn right now. Something crazy, and I mean real crazy, would have to happen …

The 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive end from Grayson High School was rated No. 1 in the country for the class of 2013 by 247sports. Nkemdiche has denied longtime rumors that he is a “secret commitment” to Alabama. His only unofficial visit this season was to last week’s game at Alabama. He is officially considering Florida and LSU, along with Alabama.

The bigger surprise was that another junior from Georgia was ranked No. 2 overall in the country – Troup County linebacker Reuben Foster, who is officially committed to Alabama but also still talking with UGA, Auburn and Florida.

“It was really a tough decision among the people that decided between Robert and Reuben,” said Rusty …

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson (AJC)

How do you know which prospects are a top recruiting priority? By where a college head coach appears during his team’s off week.

Georgia Tech was off last weekend, and Paul Johnson spent a day at Central Gwinnett High School. He was there to see the No. 1 commitment of Georgia Tech’s 2012 recruiting class, defensive end Francis Kallon.

Johnson and recruiting coordinator Andy McCollum stopped by the high school early in the day to talk with Kallon’s coaches, then returned later in the evening to closely observe Kallon in Central Gwinnett’s loss to Grayson.

“Coach Johnson was really impressed with Francis, with how hard he has worked to learn football and get better,” Central Gwinnett coach Todd Wofford told the AJC. “He wanted to let Francis know that he was really proud of his season.”

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Kallon played only his senior season of high school football after moving to the Atlanta area from England. Last …

And the first two winners are?

“I know I’m taking one to Alabama for sure, and most likely Indiana,” Tomlinson told the AJC. “The other ones, I have to think about.”

The 6-foot-3, 270-pounder is also being heavily recruited by Georgia Tech, UGA, Florida, Clemson and Stanford – and will decide between those schools for his final three recruiting trips. This season, Tomlinson has made unofficial visits to Georgia Tech (twice), UGA and Florida State.

“He has got a ‘poker face’ with his recruiting; he hasn’t made a decision yet and he’s weighing his options,” Henry County coach Mike Rozier said. “Academics are important to his recruiting because he’s got a 3.9 GPA with honors.”

For a …

That’s right, practices.

Every day in practice, the 6-foot-4, 310-pound Phillips would line up on the offensive line and compete against his celebrated teammate from Griffin High School – Xzavier Dickson, one of the state’s top defensive ends who ended up signing with Alabama.

“Obviously, Dickson was a senior and Nhigel was a sophomore, and early on Dickson handled him,” Griffin coach Steve Devoursney said. “However, as Nhigel got better and better, whenever he got his hands on Dickson, he could hold his own. Then he started figuring out, ‘Once I got hold of him, I can block him.’ But the problem was getting hold of Dickson.”

Note: You can watch Phillips in action at 7:30 p.m. Thursday when Griffin plays Dutchtown on WSB-TV’s digital channel 2.2, along with www.wsbtv.com

Phillips projects to be another solid prospect out of historically …

AJC Super 11 pick Geno Smith of St. Pius (AJC)

Alabama DB commit Geno Smith is planning an unofficial visit to archrival Auburn but it’s not why you think.

Yes, Auburn was the runner-up to Alabama for the AJC Super 11 DB’s commitment but his trip to Auburn would be to go see Alabama play. This year’s Iron Bowl will be played at Auburn on Nov. 26.

“Other than the Iron Bowl, I don’t plan on visiting any other schools than Alabama,” said Smith, who still hears from Auburn, UGA, LSU, Arkansas and Florida State on a regular basis.

Smith has kept an extremely low profile since committing, focusing on his senior season at St. Pius, which is 7-0 and ranked No. 2 in Georgia’s Class AAA. Smith stars on both sides of the ball for St. Pius, also playing tailback.

Smith has flourished under the incredibly high expectations that were put on him for his senior season. “I know the expectations are high, but I don’t really think about it that much because I’m confident …

Raphael Kirby won't be able to make an official visit to UGA but is still considering the Bulldogs (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

Raphael Kirby, one of Georgia’s top linebackers, said it was between UGA and USC for his fifth and final visit.

He ended up picking neither. At least for now. It could change.

The top prospect from Stephenson High School told the AJC on Tuesday night that he will only take four recruiting trips – he has already been to Vanderbilt, with upcoming visits planned for Miami, Florida and South Carolina.

“Yes, more than likely it will be those four,” Kirby said. “I mean, I’m not … I don’t know, I don’t know. I will probably take four visits, but I’m not sure.”

The recruiting process has been grueling on Kirby, who pledged to Miami last spring and insists he’s still committed to the Hurricanes – but began looking at options after Miami was accused of massive NCAA violations in August. Kirby’s attention has been divided between …

“I enjoyed Auburn but my jacket stays yellow … I’m committed to Georgia Tech,” Francis Kallon told the AJC.

Kallon is a 6-foot-6, 250-pound defensive end from Central Gwinnett High School who is in his first year of playing organized football after moving from London, England. He committed to Georgia Tech last spring, and had only been to Tech games this fall before going to see Auburn this past weekend.

“It was a really, really good game at Auburn,” Kallon said. “Auburn was big. It was very big. It was a lot of stuff to take in. It was a lot of stuff to take in at once. It was like a sea of orange.”

“I met Auburn’s coach [Gene Chizik]. He said he was amazed at my tape. He was happy I was there and that I could see what Auburn …

Or do you prefer when a player does it the old-fashioned way? You know, such as telling a few people and letting the word spread?

Vadal Alexander was one of the nation’s most-heavily recruited prospects but did it the “old school” way. When the offensive lineman from Buford High School  decided he was going to commit to LSU over Auburn and Alabama this week, rather than to have a press conference or “commitment ceremony,” Alexander simply called a few reporters who had been covering his recruiting and let the word spread.

“I’m not the type of guy to be real flashy or anything like that,” …

Buford High School's Vadal Alexander (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

If you heard somebody screaming in the distance on Monday afternoon, it may have been LSU coach Les Miles.

Vadal Alexander, one of the Georgia’s most heavily-recruited college football prospects, committed to LSU over Auburn and Alabama. The 6-foot-6, 300-pounder from Buford High School was ranked by some as the state’s No. 1 OL prospect.

Alexander called all three of his finalists on Monday, and got an enthusiastic reaction from Miles.

“It was great,” Alexander told the AJC. “He was ecstatic. He was screaming and yelling, you know, only like Coach Miles can do. He is very outgoing. He was happy and he was definitely screaming.”

Miles had plenty to hoop and holler about. LSU rallied to edge Auburn for Alexander’s services.

“I had taken my official visits to Alabama and Auburn, and going into this past weekend’s trip to LSU, Auburn was leading,” Alexander said. “But I went to LSU and it …

The 6-foot, 190-pound Drake is an AJC Super 11 selection and committed to Alabama over Georgia Tech and UGA, among others, last February.

Here’s video of Drake …

However, the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder was shifted to quarterback after his team’s 0-2 start and King accepted the call, leading Dunwoody to three straight wins.

Dunwoody plays Southwest DeKalb at 7:30 p.m. Thursday (televised live on WSB-TV’s digital channel 2.2 and at wsbtv.com).

The future Tennessee defender is fine with playing quarterback because “the team is winning ballgames” and said his college coaches approve of it. “They like that I’m athletic enough to play different positions, especially QB. Tennessee’s coaches don’t have any problems with it. They want the best for my team, and right now that’s me playing quarterback.”

Tennessee LB commit Justin King of Dunwoody HS (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

The original plan was for King to play linebacker and running back. “Having Justin at quarterback gives us a big-time weapon at the …

The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder from Buford High School has made official visits to two of his three finalists, Alabama and Florida. He will decide later this week about scheduling a recruiting trip to Florida State.

Freitag took his official visit to Alabama for the Arkansas game. Freitag’s teammate at Buford, linebacker Dillon Lee, is committed to Alabama, while another – offensive lineman Vadal Alexander – has the Crimson Tide as a finalist, along with LSU and Auburn.

“Alabama made it perfectly clear how much they want and need Kurt to be part of the team and school; he left with a very good impression of fitting in,” his mother said.

Freitag saw Alabama play again last weekend during his official visit to Florida, which he also enjoyed.

This is a good story. Refreshing.

Francis Kallon, the star defensive end from England who is playing his first year of high school football, didn’t go to UGA last Saturday because he had to take the SAT.

What’s really interesting about that is that the 6-foot-6, 260-pounder has already has an outstanding SAT score of 1,530. But his parents, who wouldn’t allow Francis to play football unless he made straight A’s, want a better score.

“I think his parents think the higher he scores on the SAT, the more money he will get for his football scholarship — but he’s already getting a full scholarship,” Central Gwinnett High School coach Todd Wofford said with a laugh. “But hey, you have to admire how his parents stress academics.”

UGA is the latest …

Cedar Grove OT Brandon Greene (left) with junior QB Johnathan McCrary (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

UGA hasn’t given up on recruiting Brandon Greene, who has blossomed into the state’s No. 1 college football prospect on the offensive line.

The 6-foot-6, 295-pounder from Cedar Grove High School committed to Alabama last March.

Mark Richt and UGA recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner both recently talked over the phone with Greene.

“Georgia has been coming on real strong,” Greene told the AJC. “Coach Richt and Coach G say about the same thing – that I’m a Georgia boy and that they want me to stay around home to play football.

“They know I’m a big family man, so they keep throwing that at me … being close to my mom, and being able to come home and eat dinner with her sometimes. It’s all good. But you know when you commit to a school, you have a bond …

The mean and nasty offensive lineman nicknamed “The Finisher” got his “dream offer” on Saturday.

UGA coach Mark Richt offered an early football scholarship to Walton High School’s Brandon Kublanow, who is likely the state’s No. 1 junior prospect on the offensive line. UGA offered the 6-foot-3, 280-pound Kublanow at the center and offensive guard position.

“As soon as we got to Georgia on Saturday, they said Coach Richt wants to see you,” Kublanow told the AJC. “My mom and I talked to Coach Richt for about 45 minutes. At the end of the conversation, [Richt] said ‘you have an offer from us and we really want you to come here.’

“I was a little surprised. Some people had told me that I might be getting an offer, but I was still surprised. And …

Thomas is a 6-foot-6, 240-pounder from DeKalb’s Columbia High School who was also hearing from Auburn, Tennessee and Alabama.

“South Carolina is getting a kid with a lot of upside,” Columbia coach Mario Allen told the AJC. “He’s still learning football and he’s still growing. But I think he will definitely be a kid who can probably help South Carolina in his first year. He’s 6-6, close to 6-7, and can run. He has a dominating presence on the football. South Carolina is getting a kid who will work hard and is going to come out and compete on a daily basis.”

Last week, Thomas was matched up against Cedar Grove offensive tackle Brandon Greene, who has …

The 6-foot-3, 255-pounder earned rave reviews for his head-to-head performance last Friday against Sandy Creek defensive lineman Quinteze Williams, who is committed to Florida. Tomlinson started at offensive tackle and defensive end in the loss.

“Dalvin is having a really good season and he really handled No. 48 (Williams) from an offensive standpoint,” Rozier said. “No. 48 is a good player, but he wasn’t as much of a factor as he usually is that night. It wasn’t even close, but they won the game, and I’m sure that’s the most important thing for them.”

AJC Super 11 DE Dalvin Tomlinson of Henry County HS (AJC photo by Phil …