AJC College Sports Recruiting

Whomever RB Alvin Kamara visits on Feb. 1 will likely have inside position (AJC)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. — Alvin Kamara, the AJC’s Mr. Football, has two major decisions to make over the next month:

The biggest one is picking a college, with the Norcross High School running back listing Alabama and UGA as his co-leaders, and Oregon somewhere in the mix. He’s got a month to figure that out.

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The other one is a little more pressing: Next week, Kamara will finally decide which college he will visit on Feb. 1, the final recruiting weekend before signing day.

“I’m not certain where I will take that last visit, I’m still trying to figure it out,” Kamara said. “Both Alabama and Georgia want that last visit, so I still got to wait and see.”

Kamara has developed close friendships with the assistants from both of his co-leaders who are in charge of recruiting him, Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart and UGA …

Continue reading Alabama and UGA fighting it out for last visit with AJC’s Mr. Football »

Robert Nkemdiche has put his best effort in defending his No. 1 ranking by dominating Under Armour practices this week (AJC)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. — Not much has changed over the last month involving recruiting with Robert Nkemdiche, the nation’s undisputed No. 1 overall prospect.

For starters, Ole Miss is the still the clubhouse leader for the 6-foot-5, 284-pound defensive end from Grayson High School.

“Yes, it would be real hard for me not to go to Ole Miss; that’s a family thing,” Nkemdiche said on Wednesday, referring to his older brother Denzel Nkemdiche playing linebacker for the Rebels.

“It would be real hard not to do that, real hard.”

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The main competition for Ole Miss is LSU.

Contrary to published reports, Nkemdiche said he has yet to pin down dates for official visits with either co-leader.

“I’m not sure about dates but I’m sure enough taking an Ole Miss visit,” Nkemdiche …

Continue reading Robert Nkemdiche: Ole Miss still leads for nation’s undisputed No. 1 prospect »

Urban Meyer has made LB Trey Johnson a recruiting priority (AP)

Georgia will have only one player pick a hat on national TV during an all-star game.

It’s Trey Johnson, the linebacker from Central Gwinnett High School.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pounder will announce his college decision on ESPN during the Under Armour All-America game at 5 p.m. Friday. Here’s Johnson on his finalists:

• Ohio State: “I like the atmosphere up there, and I understand they need linebackers.”
• Florida: “I like the defensive scheme they have, and how good their defense was this year with Will Muschamp.”
• Tennessee: “They brought in the same defensive scheme that Auburn had, which is the same scheme my high school ran, so I feel like I fit into it well.”

Most people consider it “automatic” for Johnson to select Ohio State because that’s the only college that he toured on an official visit. What is Johnson’s response to that? “I made a ton of official visits. I took three trips to Florida. I’ve been to Tennessee …

Continue reading Decision Day: Will it be Ohio State, Florida or Tennessee for 4-star LB? »

One of the state’s most inspirational recruiting stories this year involves a former UGA football player.

Since being dismissed from UGA nearly a year ago, Nick Marshall of Wilcox County High School has resurrected his career – and life – somewhere in the middle of Kansas.

The former AJC Super 11 selection switched back to his preferred position of QB, enrolled at Garden City junior college, and had a breakout season that has attracted attention from big-time college scouts.

Former UGA DB Nick Marshall was offered at QB by Texas this week (AP)

“Nick had a great season for us, and that opened up a lot of doors for him,” Garden City coach Jeff Tatum told the AJC.

Texas is the most recent scholarship offer for Marshall, who is also considering Kansas State and Indiana, among others. Auburn has also expressed heavy interest.

What about that Texas offer? “They are really excited about recruiting him,” Tatum said. “They want to do a little more up-tempo offense and a little more …

Continue reading Texas offers former UGA DB as a quarterback »

One of the biggest stars from the RisingSeniors Bowl already has an early scholarship offer from Georgia Tech.

And there’s another one on the way from UGA.

Nick Chubb, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound running back from Cedartown High School, said he talked over the telephone with UGA assistant Bryan McClendon, who told him that he will have an offer from the Bulldogs.

Paul Johnson and Mark Richt are both courting 2014 RB Nick Chubb (AJC)

“Coach McClendon said that they are definitely going to offer,” Chubb said. “He said he wanted to get to me in a hurry because he knows more offers are coming. He wants Georgia to be one of my first offers.”

What was Chubb’s reaction? “It’s an honor to offered by one of the best teams in the nation. I’m going to go over there (in January), sit down with the coaches, and see how I like it.”

Chubb’s family likes the idea: They are all Georgia fans. “Yes, they are. And I grew up liking them. But I kind of like doing my own thing.”

Perhaps no one had more …

Continue reading Both UGA and Georgia Tech offer RB Nick Chubb »

This year’s award for “Best Recruiting Soap Opera” could go to AJC Super 11 wide receiver Demarcus Robinson of Peach County High School.

After arriving at the Army All-America Bowl, Robinson told Rivals that he is no longer committed to Clemson.

It’s the second time that Robinson has de-committed from the Tigers. In between, he’s also switched to Florida, and later backed off that pledge.

Now that Robinson has committed and de-committed three times, which college will be his fourth pick?

It’s between Florida and Clemson.

“It’s 50-50, I don’t really know,” said Robinson, who reported to the all-star game wearing a Florida Gators hat.

Robinson said he will announce his fourth and final decision during Saturday’s game on national TV.

He has to make a quick turnaround because he will begin college classes as an early enrollee on Jan. 7.

MT @jcshurburtt 4-star WR Demarcus Robinson now says #UF leads Clemson, which is weird, per @swiltfong247- bit.ly/131jAfI

— Michael Carvell …

Continue reading AJC Super 11 WR will pick a college for a FOURTH time »

Auburn has made a late offer to one of the state’s top seniors at running back.

Auburn made a late offer to Peyton Barber, who is committed to Ole Miss

Milton High School’s Peyton Barber said he got a “random call” on Sunday from Auburn’s new coach, Gus Malzahn. Barber is committed to Ole Miss.

“I didn’t know who it was, at first,” Barber told the AJC. “Coach Malzahn said he had nothing to do with the old coaching staff at Auburn. He said if he had been there, I would’ve definitely had an offer before the season. (Malzahn) felt like I was one of the best running backs he’s watched this year. He liked the way I ran, blocked and caught balls. He said I could be an every-down back there.”

The 6-foot, 225-pound Barber was overlooked by many colleges because he missed nearly all of his junior season with torn ligaments in his ankle. Ole Miss gambled with an early offer to Barber, who committed to the Rebels last summer.

Barber remains committed to Ole Miss, but will take official …

Continue reading Auburn offers Carl Lawson’s teammate as part of possible “package deal” »

The state of Georgia has another strong crop of football prospects for next year.

Around 100 high school juniors will be on display for the RisingSeniors.com Bowl, which will be played at 1 p.m. Monday at Grady High School. Tickets are $20 for the all-star game that will also be broadcasted on ESPN3.com.

Here’s a look at the top five prospects in the game:

• Deshaun Watson, quarterback, Gainesville: The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder has looked like the state’s No. 1 prospect in practices. Watson has prototypical size, he possesses outstanding composure, he’s a running threat, and he can throw on the run with velocity. Watson has been just about perfect on short to intermediate throws in the cold and rainy weather. “He’s as gifted as anybody I’ve seen,” said Blessed Trinity coach Tim McFarlin, the East team’s offensive coordinator. Watson nearly holds all of the state’s major passing records, and he led Gainesville to its first state championship earlier this month. Watson committed to …

Continue reading 5 prospects to watch in RisingSeniors game at 1 p.m. Monday »

Around 100 of the state top high school juniors are on display in the 2012 RisingSeniors.com all-star football game. Practices kick off on Friday, and Monday’s game will be at 1 p.m. at Grady High School (Tickets are still available for $15 in advance here and it will be broadcast on ESPN3 here).

The headliners for this year’s game are Liberty County LB Raekwon McMillan, who has 50 early scholarship offers and is a frontrunner to be the state’s top prospect for 2014, and Gainesville QB Deshaun Watson, who has already broken nearly every major one of the state’s passing records and is committed to Clemson.

Here’s a look at the rosters, along with juniors claiming early offers:

EASTSIDE

• Alex Cason, Valdosta, WR 6′3″185
• *Allen Artis, Wheeler, safety, 6-0, 195: North Carolina (Note: Not playing due to injury)
• Antavis Rowe, Washington WR/DB 5′10″165
• Bryce Grauss, Alpharetta LB 5′11″190
• *Bryce Lewis, Parkview S 6-1, 175: Vanderbilt and Georgia State.
• *Bryson Allen-Williams, Cedar …

Continue reading Preview of the Georgia’s top college prospects for 2014 »

Note: Saturday’s practices were shortened due to inclement weather.

Here are unofficial awards from the first day of practices at the RisingSeniors.com Bowl, which features 95 of the state’s top high school juniors. These are based on observations from players, coaches, scouts and recruiting analysts.

EASTSIDE TEAM

Clemson-bound QB DeShaun Watson of Gainesville looked like the best overall player at Friday's RisingSenior.com practices (AJC)

MVP, OFFENSE

• Deshaun Watson, QB, Gainesville (committed to Clemson, but also reviewing offers from Ohio State, FSU, Auburn and Tennessee, among others). The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder looked like the best overall player at the all-star game. He’s got prototypical size, outstanding composure, he’s a running threat, and he can throw with accuracy and velocity on the run. Watson was just about perfect on the short and intermediate throws on a cold and windy day. “He’s as gifted as anybody I’ve ever seen,” said Blessed Trinity coach Tim …

Continue reading Recruiting Awards from Day 1 of RisingSeniors.com (UPDATED) »