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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 Hurricanes in August. He officially remains committed to Miami.

Kirby lined up …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Fast forward to now and things are just about the same: The defensive back from Banneker High School has South Carolina as his leader, followed by UGA and Vanderbilt. Elder will likely pick a school toward the end or after his senior season.

“For the most part, it’s the same three schools with everybody chasing South Carolina … nothing has changed,” Banneker assistant Ryan Andrews said.

UGA had a chance to plead its case when Elder made an unofficial visit for the South Carolina game. That was likely Elder’s only recruiting trip during the season because Banneker has construction at the school, forcing it to move games to Saturdays at a neutral location.

Banneker DB Chaz Elder (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

Elder is back to …

Tramel Terry, who is a candidate to be South Carolina’s No. 1 overall prospect for 2013, de-committed from UGA on Sunday. The day before, M.L. King senior wide receiver Blake Tibbs committed to UGA (click on story link).

Back to Terry: The speedy wide receiver from Goose Creek High School had made the surprising decision to commit early to UGA a couple of months ago at Dawg Night prospect camp.

“Yeah, I pretty much rushed my decision,” Terry told the AJC. “I don’t want to be committed to Georgia unless I’m 100 percent in. I have other schools I’m looking at. Georgia is still on top of my list. I just feel like I wasn’t committed even when I was, so it was time to go ahead and do this.”

The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Terry said he has a top three, claiming UGA as the leader, following by …

It the first offer for Brandon Kublanow, the 6-foot-3, 290-pounder from Walton High School who is an early favorite to be the state’s No. 1 college prospect along the offensive line for 2013. Kublanow is a UGA fan and the Bulldogs could be the next to offer.

“The Finisher” earned his nickname after devastating and dominating blocking skills were caught on tape by Rivals and Scout at last month’s Corky Kell Classic at the Georgia Dome. Kublanow had 13 pancake blocks against Peachtree Ridge, including a couple where he fell on top of the defender as he was making the block and – to the amazement of scouts – stayed on top of the defender and shoved his helmet into the artificial turf, as if to make sure he got the message.

The video …

The Bulldogs have a chance.

The 6-foot, 210-pound linebacker from Stephenson High School will make an unofficial visit to UGA for Saturday’s game against Coastal Carolina.

Kirby made the decision to take the last-minute recruiting trip after talking with UGA recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner on Thursday night.

“We had a long conversation and Coach Garner said he wanted me to come up for a visit soon; I told him that I’m not really doing anything this weekend, so I’m going on Saturday,” Kirby told the AJC.

“Georgia is one of the schools recruiting me the hardest. They let it be known that they are excited that I am coming to visit. And I’m excited to go on the visit and have a good time watching college football.”

It is a surprising turn of events in the relationship between UGA …

How does UGA’s 0-2 start affect football recruiting?

The Bulldogs have 14 players committed to sign football scholarships with the team in February, along with four high school juniors pledged the sign with UGA the following year.

Many of Georgia’s commitments made unofficial visits to Georgia for Saturday’s 45-42 loss to South Carolina, including 5-star offensive lineman John Theus of Jacksonville and Thomson High School defensive tackle John John Atkins (UGA’s most recent commit). As far as junior prospects, Camden County QB Brice Ramsey, Newnan safety Tray Matthews, and Goose Creek (S.C) wide receiver Tramal Terry – both early commitments to UGA — were among those in attendance.

What do the recruits think of UGA’s 0-2 start? And will it affect their commitment …

• Tonight, McWilliams will lead Lovejoy High School against North Clayton in a 7:30 p.m. Thursday game that will be televised on WSB-TV digital channel 2.2 and at this link on www.wsbtv.com.
• On Saturday, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound McWilliams, who is committed to South Carolina, will watch his Gamecocks play against UGA, a team that didn’t give him much love during the recruiting process.

Rico McWilliams is one of 7 Georgia players committed to South Carolina

Neither UGA nor Georgia Tech were one of McWilliams’ 25 scholarship offers, which included Nebraska, Arkansas, Michigan State, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.

“I’m at a Georgia high school, so it kind of bothered me at first that I didn’t get recruited by Georgia or Georgia Tech,” McWilliams told the AJC. “But I look at it like everything happens for a reason. Maybe I didn’t do enough last year …

Lassiter junior QB Eddie Printz committed to SMU (AJC photo)

One of Georgia’s top junior quarterbacks will be playing at SMU for former Atlanta Falcons coach June Jones.

Lassiter High School’s Eddie Printz picked Southern Methodist over offers from Kentucky and Cincinnati. Printz also had serious interest from a dozen other schools, including South Carolina, Florida and Mississippi State.

How did June Jones, the SMU football coach, lure one of Georgia’s best? “They’ve been on Eddie for quite some time,” the quarterback’s father, Ed Printz, told the AJC. “Eddie visited over the summer and really liked it. The coaches made it clear that it was a ‘committable’ scholarship offer. They are very high on Eddie and think he can do big things there. After watching SMU’s game on TV [Sunday night], Eddie said he wanted to commit, and I gave him my blessing.”

“The thing about SMU is that they were always serious. They didn’t say things like they wanted to see …

Mike Davis (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

Could Florida be in danger of losing one of Georgia’s top running backs?

Stephenson High School’s Mike Davis, who committed early to the Gators, confirmed to the AJC that he plans to visit other schools but remains committed to Florida.

“I just want to take my visits with my teammates,” Davis explained. “There’s nothing there with me committing to another school. It’s just me going to have fun with my teammates while they are having fun. I want to enjoy the time with them because I know this might be my last time with them. Of course I’m committed to the Florida Gators. I’m not trying to go anywhere else.”

Which other schools may get visits from Davis? He isn’t ready to say. “I don’t know.” Davis had around 15 early offers when he committed to Florida last February over Alabama, South Carolina, Auburn, Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Penn State.  What about UGA or Georgia Tech? “I haven’t heard anything …

“I do apologize,” Banneker assistant Ryan Andrews said. “I know everyone is waiting on his announcement. I was just informed by Chaz he will not announce today. I am not sure what caused the change of heart. Again, I do apologize for this. I am not sure when or how soon a decision will come. Thank you.”

Even before the postponement, the 6-foot-2, 180-pounder from Banneker High School had decided against calling a press conference on Friday because it wasn’t his style. Elder felt uncomfortable with drawing attention to himself. He and his coaches were just going to let a few people know via Social Media and text messages. Elder is also considering Vanderbilt, but UGA and South Carolina are the frontrunners.

DELAY ON …

The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder from Banneker High School will choose between his three finalists — UGA, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.

Elder has won rave reviews as a safety prospect, but decided a few months ago that he would prefer to play cornerback in college because it would give him a “better chance” of reaching his NFL dreams. UGA, South Carolina and Vanderbilt have all agreed to let him play cornerback. Here’s more on the three finalists:

• Vanderbilt: “Chaz has the opportunity to be the first guy to do a lot of things at that school that hasn’t been done before,” Banneker assistant Ryan Andrews. “Vanderbilt doesn’t have the football history as the other schools, so he has the opportunity to come in, start something there …

The 6-foot-4, 227-pound defensive end from Tucker High School made the surprising decision to commit early to Vanderbilt. In June, Dawson picked Vanderbilt over Georgia, Notre Dame and South Carolina, among his 23 early scholarship offers.

It hasn’t discouraged Georgia. Dawson said UGA mailed him a written scholarship offer earlier this month, and that he stays in touch with Bulldogs recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner on a regular basis.

“Right now, I’m committed to Vanderbilt, but I’m still taking offers and listening to what people have to say,” Dawson told the AJC. “I just know my final decision will be in February. That’s when everything matters.”

Dawson said he will likely take only two official visits – to Vanderbilt and UGA. “I might go …

The 6-foot-3, 255-pounder is an AJC Super 11 selection and has around 20+ early scholarship offers, with Florida, Clemson and Indiana filling out the rest of his top five. Tomlinson, who is a two-time state champion in wrestling, has a 3.8 GPA.

“Dalvin is relentless,” Henry County coach Mike Rozier said. “He is at full tilt every play, and looks like he never takes a play off. He goes both ways for us and his motor is always running. The college scouts always talk about that when they watch his film. You just don’t see many high school kids that are relentless and have a motor like him.”

Tomlinson made a recruiting trip to Alabama on Saturday and nearly committed.

“I was tempted to do it,” …

Central Gwinnett High School junior linebacker Trey Johnson committed to Auburn over Florida, Florida State, Clemson, Tennessee and South Carolina among his 24 early scholarship offers.

“Obviously being the national champion, Auburn has a great football program; Trey wanted to play for a winning program,” Central Gwinnett coach Todd Wofford told the AJC.

Another advantage Auburn had was with the coach recruiting Johnson — Ted Roof, the Auburn defensive coordinator who played football at Central Gwinnett before later starring at Georgia Tech. “Trey and Coach Roof really have a great friendship. It was a different kind of bond than Trey had with the coaches at the other schools he visited. Trey really liked the friendships he had with …

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)

Do you want to some of the state’s top college football prospects in one place?

At least a dozen will play on display at a high school scrimmage at 7 p.m. at DeKalb’s Hallford Stadium.

It’s a football scrimmage between Stephenson and Tucker.

Everybody knows about Stephenson. They’ve got enough talent to compete with a small college (they tried to scrimmage Valdosta State but GHSA wouldn’t allow it. Kidding) Stephenson has 11 seniors that have committed to D1 schools, including 7 to the SEC. The top Stephenson players to watch are DE Jarontay Jones (committed to Virginia Tech), LB Raphael Kirby (Miami), tailback Mike Davis (Florida) and defensive lineman Jafar Mann (Florida).

Then there is …

Whitefield Academy SG Kenny Gaines is UGA's second basketball recruit for 2012, with both from the state of Georgia (Photo courtesy of Sydney Cooper Photography)

Kenny Gaines, a shooting guard from Whitefield Academy, committed to UGA over Clemson, Georgia Tech, South Carolina and Iowa on Tuesday. Gaines will play at UGA alongside Milton High School point guard Charles Mann,  who pledged to Bulldogs last month.

UGA coach Mark Fox certainly picked the right time to call his next target, Gaines.

“Really, it was Coach Fox that won me over,” Gaines told the AJC. “On Monday night, my mom and I were sitting in my room and praying what decision to make, and what schools to really consider and look at. It was like five minutes after we got done praying that Coach Fox gave us a call. We felt like that really was a sign from God. We asked Him to show us as fast as he could what schools to pick. After we got that phone call, we really …

*

Chris Bolden was being recruited by Georgia Tech to play both the point guard and shooting guard positions. (AJC photo)

One of Georgia’s top college basketball prospects visited Georgia Tech on Saturday, was offered a scholarship by Yellow Jackets coach Brian Gregory and liked it so much that he committed by the end of the day to the ACC school.

It was quite a day for Chris Bolden, the 6-foot-3, 185-pounder who is being recruited by Tech as a “combo guard” — to play both point guard and shooting guard. Bolden originally committed to Miami last year before his junior season of high school, but re-opened his recruiting after coach Frank Haith left Miami for the Missouri job last April.

Bolden picked Georgia Tech over offers from South Carolina, Virginia Tech, USC, Boston College, Miami, Ole Miss, and Harvard, among 20 schools.

“It doesn’t get any better …

Lithonia HS OL Joe Harris commits to South Carolina over UGA and Clemson with his mother next to him on Wednesday (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

(BREAKING: Click here to read about top UNC recruiting target in Georgia shocked by firing of Butch Davis)

Joe Harris, who is considered by some to be Georgia’s No. 1 college football prospect on the offensive line, committed to South Carolina on Wednesday.

“I love everything about South Carolina — it just shines brightly to me,” Harris told the AJC.

The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder from Lithonia High School picked South Carolina over UGA, Clemson and Mississippi State among his 13 early offers at DeKalb County’s football “Media Day.”

“South Carolina is on the rise; they have some of the best players in the country with Marcus Lattimore and Alshon Jeffrey,” Harris said. “They need some help on the offensive line. The coaches feel like …

The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder from Lithonia High School named his four finalists out of 13 early scholarship offers. He will announce around 4:30-6 p.m. Wednesday at a school function.

“I want to go to the university where I can see myself being the biggest success at as a football player, along with having a big impact on the team and helping them win,” Harris told the AJC on Tuesday night.

Harris on his four finalists:

• UGA: “It would be a good place to be for all four years. They play in the SEC, which is the best conference in college football.”
• South Carolina: “It’s a great place. They have a lot of young, talented and really skilled players. They’ve got Marcus Lattimore at …

He’s never had a recruiting moment like Friday night.

Four players committed at the same time at UGA’s “Dawg Night” prospect camp (This was a “package deal” unlike any other … four players from four different high schools, from three different states).

John Theus, a 5-star offensive lineman from Jacksonville, and a trio of 2013 recruits — Camden County QB Brice Ramsey, WR-DB Tramel Terry of Goose Creek, S.C., and RB Derrick Henry of Yulee, Fla. — all huddled around Richt and pledged at the same time (and a fifth one committed later in the night).

Four? Maybe four on the same day. Maybe. But four at the same time? What?

Ramsey explained how it went down:

He said Theus was one of the first people he saw after reporting to UGA on Friday. ”Theus talked to me, and whispered that he was going to probably …

Alabama-bound LB Dillon Lee (left) with his older brother, UGA OL Dallas Lee (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

Buford High School linebacker Dillon Lee, who has committed to Alabama, proved that he is among the nation’s top athletes over the weekend.

Lee finished in the top 10 of the SPARQ Rating National Championship at “The Opening” — Nike’s new summer training competition that features some of the country’s top college football prospects. In the SPARQ contest, the rising high school seniors are tested in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, 20-yard shuttle, and throwing the power ball.

Lee led the entire field after two events, and ended up finishing 8th overall. In the preliminary round scores, Lee was clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.66 seconds and had a 35.6-inch vertical jump.

Lee is the younger brother of UGA offensive lineman Dallas Lee, and committed to Alabama over Florida State and UGA (click on story link).

It’s always interesting to see how top-rated prospects perform …

Bannker DB Chaz Elder will pick between UGA, South Carolina and Vanderbilt in August (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

One of Georgia’s top defensive backs will pick between UGA, South Carolina and Vanderbilt next month.

Chaz Elder, a 6-foot-2, 180-pounder from Banneker High School has narrowed down to the three SEC East schools out of 20 early offers, which also includes Auburn, Ohio State and LSU. Elder will visit each finalist for a second time in July — including an appearance at UGA’s “Dawg Night” prospect camp on July 15 and at South Carolina on July 21.

Elder met with Georgia recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner, along with defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and DB coach Scott Lakatos in Athens a couple of weeks ago. Elder said he was originally recruited by UGA only at the safey position but is now getting looks at both safety and cornerback. Elder has determined that he wishes to play cornerback in college because it gives him “the best chance” at reaching his NFL …

Wayne County QB Greyson Lambert has nine offers, and may add a few more in July

Georgia’s No. 1 college football prospect at quarterback, Greyson Lambert, is nearly fully recovered from a leg injury that sidelined him for three months and is sprinting through schools on the recruiting trail.

Lambert made unofficial visits to South Carolina and N.C. State last weekend. He plans to make recruiting trips to Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, FSU — and maybe a few other schools — in July.

The 6-foot-6, 195-pounder from Wayne County High School said he has nine early offers: Alabama, South Carolina, Miami, N.C. State, Virginia, Louisville, Purdue, Boston College and Mississippi State. He also had early offers from UGA and Clemson which are no longer available (see below).

Nearly every elite quarterback commits before his senior season, but Lambert is unsure.

“That all kind of got pushed back with the whole leg thing; With not being able to visit many schools in June, I might wait …

It's between Florida and South Carolina for Columbia HS two-sport standout Jhaustin Thomas (AJC photo by Michael Carvell)

One of the Georgia’s top defensive ends has named four finalists.

However, Jhaustin Thomas, says its really down to two schools.

“It’s between Florida and South Carolina,” Thomas told the AJC on Saturday evening.

The 6-foot-6, 240-pounder from Columbia High School attended Will Muschamp Camp earlier this month, and admits he nearly committed on the spot to Florida.

“At first, I was going to do it,” Thomas said. “Then I decided I wanted to visit some other schools to have something to compare with Florida, and to be sure I’m making the right choice. Because once I commit, it’s over.”

Thomas plans to visit South Carolina in July, and possibly his two other finalists — Alabama and Clemson. He wishes to commit before the start of his senior season.

“It’s going to be interesting where he goes,” Columbia coach Mario Allen said. “I know Florida, from my …