Archive for the ‘South Carolina’ Category

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Ten of Georgia’s top football prospects are participating in Thursday’s Under Armour all-star game, and only two are uncommitted.

Chaz Elder, a defensive back from Banneker High School, will announce his decision between South Carolina and Georgia during the game, which begins at 8 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN. The other uncommitted player from Georgia, Harris County defensive end Jordan Jenkins, will pick between Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Auburn on Monday.

Note: You can also get a good look at UGA RB commit Keith Marshall of Raleigh, N.C., who will be playing in the game.

Back to Elder: The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder Elder has listed South Carolina as his longtime frontunner, and the Gamecocks still appear to be the school to beat. However, Elder did take an official visit to Georgia last month.

“South Carolina is Chaz’s leader, but he hasn’t eliminated the idea of going to Georgia, let …

Continue reading Atlanta DB set to pick between SEC East rivals »

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 …

Continue reading Alabama flirts with Georgia DB who is committed to South Carolina »

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 …

Continue reading With Keith Marshall committed, UGA quickly offers RB Mike Davis »

• (Lots of breaking news of Marshall: Please check at the bottom for the most current updates)

What if Keith Marshall does not pick UGA on Tuesday?

It would be a recruiting nightmare for the Bulldogs. Even the idea that the nation’s No. 1 RB is seriously considering alternatives ignites panic attacks among masses of UGA supporters.

Marshall is the “make-it-or-break” recruit for UGA’s 2012 class. The speedster from Raleigh, N.C., is the guy that the Bulldogs have to get. Why is that? Because of ongoing RB problems and an emergency-level lack of depth (we’re talking fire alarms, folks) at the place once proudly known as “Tailback U.”

For many, the success of UGA's entire recruiting efforts for 2012 will be judged by Keith Marshall's decision on Tuesday (Photo provided by 247Sports.com)

From listening to some UGA fans, if Marshall doesn’t make the “expected” decision on Tuesday afternoon, the Bulldogs might as well forget about next season. It would be like …

Continue reading Recruiting nightmare: What if Keith Marshall does NOT pick UGA? »

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UGA will get its best shot at one of the state’s top uncommitted football prospects next week.

Chaz Elder, a defensive back from Banneker High School, will take his official visit to UGA on Dec. 9. It is the biggest recruiting weekend of the year for the Bulldogs, which have 15 commitments and are trying to land as many as 10 more.

What’s the deal with Elder? It appears to be a two-team race between a pair of SEC East schools, South Carolina and UGA. The Gamecocks have been the longtime frontrunners for the 6-foot-2, 180-pounder, who took an official visit to South Carolina last weekend.

“It’s still the same; it looks like he’s still South Carolina’s to lose,” Banneker assistant Ryan Andrews said. “He loved his visit to South Carolina, he loved being at the game when they played Clemson. He was impressed with atmosphere and had a blast. South Carolina is looking to start him …

Continue reading Chaz Elder: South Carolina leads UGA for DB »

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 …

Continue reading What will be legacy of Stephenson? Maybe best collection of D1 prospects that Georgia has ever seen »

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Several of Stephenson High School’s top football prospects make cameo appearances in a rap video hyping up Friday’s matchup against M.L. King.

The pair of 9-0 undefeated teams will square off at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Hallford Stadium in a game which will also be broadcast live by CSS-TV Comcast Ch. 45.

Stephenson is a candidate to lead the nation this February with the number of seniors signing football scholarships with FBS schools with 11 currently, including AJC Super 11 defensive end Jarontay Jones (committed to Virginia Tech).

Back to the rap video: Linebacker Raphael Kirby steals the show with his swift dance moves. He committed to Miami last spring without ever visiting the ACC school but started looking at other schools at other schools after NCAA allegations swirled around the …

Continue reading Stephenson football prospects appear in rap video about Friday’s showdown with M.L. King »

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 …

Continue reading Recruiting Insider: Will LB Raphael Kirby take an official visit to UGA? »

Shaq Goodwin, the 6-8, 240-pound WR (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

• Two-sport star Shaq Goodwin of Southwest DeKalb is in the process of setting up official visits to UGA, Florida, UCLA, Memphis and Arizona. The 6-foot-8, 245-pounder is planning the recruiting trips around his busy schedule of both football and basketball. Goodwin is one of the nation’s top 15 overall basketball prospects at power forward, and also claims he will play football in college, too — at wide receiver or tight end. We’ll believe it when we see it, not because we doubt Shaq’s football ability, but because he’s that good in basketball. Within the last couple of weeks, Goodwin has entertained in-home visits with Florida coach Billy Donovan, UCLA coach Ben Howland and Memphis coach Josh Pastner. UCLA brought along top assistant Korey McCray, who coached Goodwin in AAU ball for the Atlanta Celtics. What about UGA? Goodwin made an unofficial visit with the Bulldogs a couple of weeks ago. Goodwin was …

Continue reading Inside Recruiting: Shaq Goodwin, UGA, Georgia Tech, and the Harvard way (UPDATED) »

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

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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 with …

Continue reading Brandon Greene committed to Alabama but still courted by UGA »