Some of us talked on a teleconference this afternoon with several Georgia folks about spring practice, which begins on Monday. It was a rather long call, with Willie Martinez, Mike Bobo, Matthew Stafford, Kelin Johnson and Mark Richt all making appearances. I'll probably go back and transcribe some of the call later and I'll post here when I do.
I was going to type out a tentative spring depth chart from the one UGA sent out the other day, but instead, why don't you just check it out on the good folks at dawgbone.net's site. It's the same thing.
There are a couple interesting things to note. The one that jumps out immediately is the offensive line, where they're giving some of the young bucks a chance to start first. As of now, the starting line looks like this: OT Josh Davis, Vince Vance, OG Fernando Velasco, Chester Adams, C Chris Davis. So you've got two redshirt freshmen, a junior college transfer who's a redshirt sophomore and two seniors. Should be interesting. I don't expect that to be the way it winds up, but we'll see what happens this spring.
Obviously there was a lot of talk about the linebackers and defensive ends today, as well as about the return of Sean Bailey at receiver. The problem at DE is that Kiante Tripp and Brandon Wood are both still limited by injury, so they won't get much of an idea what those guys can do this spring. Injuries will also keep out Thomas Flowers, T.J. Gartrell, Demiko Goodman, Antavious Coates, Marcus Washington and, for the most part, NaDerris Ward and Thomas Brown.
Interestingly, it sounds as if Thomas Brown is making an impressive comeback from the torn ACL he suffered against Vanderbilt. It doesn't sound like he'll be able to do much in the spring, but Richt said it's "very likely" he'll be available in the fall, while stopping short of saying it's a 100-percent certainty.
The spring depth is razor-thin at tight end. Coleman Watson is struggling with a groin injury that plagued him down the stretch last year and Ward is going to have a non-contact spring, so Tripp Chandler is going to be a busy man. Coach Richt said that will likely give sophomore Mitchell Lane, a walk-on from here in Columbus (Brookstone), a chance to get out there and play some.
Aside from linebacker and OL, I'll also be interested to see the wrangling for position in the secondary. Paul Oliver is the only guarantee I see there at one of the cornerback spots, but Bryan Evans, Asher Allen, Prince Miller, Ramarcus Brown and Thomas Flowers (when he returns) all may stake a claim for some playing time. As he was at the end of last season, Evans is listed as the starter opposite Oliver. Also, at safety, CJ Byrd has taken over Tra Battle's starting spot opposite Kelin Johnson. But I think the competition may be wide open for both those positions. Kelin obviously is the favorite to retain his spot, after starting all of last year, but there's lots of depth there that could make things interesting. Particularly from a couple of guys coming off redshirt years -- Reshad Jones and Quintin Banks. I've heard a lot of talk about those guys, so I'm interested to see what they can do. You have to wonder where Antavious Coates will fit in when he comes back in the fall from his ACL tear. He's got great size and reportedly lots of potential, but you wonder how well he can hold up after multiple knee injuries.
So those are a couple of the things that jumped out at me after the call today. We'll be doing a "five things to look for this spring" thing for Monday, the day spring practice opens. I'm sure some of that stuff will be in there. What all do you think is going to be important for the Bulldogs this spring? Let me hear your thoughts. They might just creep into my "Five Things" if you're convincing enough. So yes, I'm asking you to do my job for me. Get cracking.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Stukes suspended
I know I don't usually post on basketball, but I just saw where guard Levi Stukes has been suspended for tonight's Kentucky game for conduct detrimental to the team.
Just figured I'd pass that along, since I was coming here to post about spring football anyway.
Just figured I'd pass that along, since I was coming here to post about spring football anyway.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Combine results
Was looking around and came across some stuff from this weekend's NFL combine. Figured I'd post some links to pages on the NFL Web site in case you wanted to see how the Georgia guys compared:
Day 3 (Saturday): Ken Shackleford and Martrez Milner participate. Looks like they had an average day. For what it's worth by the way, NFL Draft Countdown has Shackleford as the 22nd-best offensive tackle available and Dan Inman as No. 24. They've got Martrez as the No. 7 tight end.
Day 4 (Sunday): Danny Ware is the only Georgia invitee of note, but I'm pretty sure he didn't participate. I've heard he's been bothered by a sprained ankle, but I know he was in Indianapolis. An AP photographer took a picture of Ware, Penn State's Tony Hunt and North Carolina's Ronnie McGill all watching the workouts from the sidelines. (Draft Countdown's got Ware as its No. 28 RB)...This isn't a Georgia guy per se, but much has rightfully been made of Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson deciding at the last second to run the 40 and posting a blazing 4.35 after borrowing the quarterback from East Carolina's shoes. If you think Willie Martinez doesn't sleep better at night knowing he won't have to defend that guy again, well, you don't know much.
Day 5 (today): Tony Taylor, Charles Johnson and Quentin Moses go. Charles and Quentin appear to have had good days, particularly Charles, who posted the second-best vertical leap and bench press in his DL group. (Apparently my assessment on Quentin's day just from looking at the stats was incorrect. Todd McShay on ESPN said his combine performance hurt his draft stock, maybe enough to where he'd fall out of the second round). Draft Countdown's got Quentin as the No. 5 defensive end available and Charles at No. 7. They've got Tony as the No. 7 outside linebacker. Here's something else that mentions Quentin's day.
Georgia's pro day, when they invite NFL personnel people to campus for individual workouts, will be March 20 by the way.
Day 3 (Saturday): Ken Shackleford and Martrez Milner participate. Looks like they had an average day. For what it's worth by the way, NFL Draft Countdown has Shackleford as the 22nd-best offensive tackle available and Dan Inman as No. 24. They've got Martrez as the No. 7 tight end.
Day 4 (Sunday): Danny Ware is the only Georgia invitee of note, but I'm pretty sure he didn't participate. I've heard he's been bothered by a sprained ankle, but I know he was in Indianapolis. An AP photographer took a picture of Ware, Penn State's Tony Hunt and North Carolina's Ronnie McGill all watching the workouts from the sidelines. (Draft Countdown's got Ware as its No. 28 RB)...This isn't a Georgia guy per se, but much has rightfully been made of Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson deciding at the last second to run the 40 and posting a blazing 4.35 after borrowing the quarterback from East Carolina's shoes. If you think Willie Martinez doesn't sleep better at night knowing he won't have to defend that guy again, well, you don't know much.
Day 5 (today): Tony Taylor, Charles Johnson and Quentin Moses go. Charles and Quentin appear to have had good days, particularly Charles, who posted the second-best vertical leap and bench press in his DL group. (Apparently my assessment on Quentin's day just from looking at the stats was incorrect. Todd McShay on ESPN said his combine performance hurt his draft stock, maybe enough to where he'd fall out of the second round). Draft Countdown's got Quentin as the No. 5 defensive end available and Charles at No. 7. They've got Tony as the No. 7 outside linebacker. Here's something else that mentions Quentin's day.
Georgia's pro day, when they invite NFL personnel people to campus for individual workouts, will be March 20 by the way.
NCAA allows Lemon fund
release from UGA:
ATHENS --- The University of Georgia Athletic Association has received permission from the NCAA to accept donations on behalf of UGA football player Michael Lemon and his younger brother, Marquez(15), who suffered the loss of their mother last week.
The Athletic Association is continuing to work with the NCAA in the establishment of a possible trust fund to assist Michael in taking care of Marquez. Due to NCAA rules, the Athletic Association is required to adhere to strict guidelines in the disbursement of funds for the actual and necessary expenses that have resulted from the recent tragic death of the young men's mother, Phaba Lemon of Lizella, Ga.
Individuals interested in making a donation should make checks payable to the University of Georgia Athletic Association with "The Lemon Support Fund" notated on the memo line. Contributions should be forwarded to:
University of Georgia Athletic Association
c/o Eric Baumgartner
P.O. Box 1472
Athens, GA 30603
Proceeds are not tax deductible and will be transferred to The Lemon Trust Fund once established. The Athletic Association is working diligently with the NCAA to adhere to all applicable rules. Any questions related to the fund or NCAA rules related to the matter should be directed to Eric Baumgartner, UGA Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance ebaumgartner@sports.uga.edu or 706-542-9103
ATHENS --- The University of Georgia Athletic Association has received permission from the NCAA to accept donations on behalf of UGA football player Michael Lemon and his younger brother, Marquez(15), who suffered the loss of their mother last week.
The Athletic Association is continuing to work with the NCAA in the establishment of a possible trust fund to assist Michael in taking care of Marquez. Due to NCAA rules, the Athletic Association is required to adhere to strict guidelines in the disbursement of funds for the actual and necessary expenses that have resulted from the recent tragic death of the young men's mother, Phaba Lemon of Lizella, Ga.
Individuals interested in making a donation should make checks payable to the University of Georgia Athletic Association with "The Lemon Support Fund" notated on the memo line. Contributions should be forwarded to:
University of Georgia Athletic Association
c/o Eric Baumgartner
P.O. Box 1472
Athens, GA 30603
Proceeds are not tax deductible and will be transferred to The Lemon Trust Fund once established. The Athletic Association is working diligently with the NCAA to adhere to all applicable rules. Any questions related to the fund or NCAA rules related to the matter should be directed to Eric Baumgartner, UGA Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance ebaumgartner@sports.uga.edu or 706-542-9103
Hebron suspended
release from UGA...
University of Georgia freshman linebacker Akeem Hebron has been suspended for the first two games of the 2007 season as a result of his arrest early Sunday morning on charges of underage possession of alcohol.
UGA head coach Mark Richt said Hebron will also have internal discipline and community service work imposed in addition to the two-game suspension.
“We regard this as a serious matter,” said Richt. “There are team rules as well as civil laws that have to be adhered to. Akeem will have to pay a price and hopefully he has learned a lesson that will serve him not only during his college career but also for the rest of his life.”
University of Georgia freshman linebacker Akeem Hebron has been suspended for the first two games of the 2007 season as a result of his arrest early Sunday morning on charges of underage possession of alcohol.
UGA head coach Mark Richt said Hebron will also have internal discipline and community service work imposed in addition to the two-game suspension.
“We regard this as a serious matter,” said Richt. “There are team rules as well as civil laws that have to be adhered to. Akeem will have to pay a price and hopefully he has learned a lesson that will serve him not only during his college career but also for the rest of his life.”
Hebron arrested
Redshirt freshman linebacker Akeem Hebron was arrested early Sunday for underage possession of alcohol. (That link should be good for a little while longer. I think on Monday you could see something more on it at this site, considering the UGA PD arrested him.
According to the report, he was booked at 7:59 a.m. and released at 11:28 a.m. on $500 bond from James Bond Bonding Co.
According to the report, he was booked at 7:59 a.m. and released at 11:28 a.m. on $500 bond from James Bond Bonding Co.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Ball honored by UTC
Georgia just sent out this press release. UGA running backs coach Tony Ball is going to be inducted into the athletics hall of fame at his alma mater, Tennessee-Chattanooga, tomorrow.
ATHENS, Ga. Georgia running backs coach Tony Ball will be inducted into the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga¹s Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday.
Ball was a record-setting running back and return specialist for the Mocs from 1977-80. Ball¹s career average of 26.0 yards per return ranks second on the UTC charts, and his career yardage total of 1,304 yards is fifth best in UTC history. He set the school single-season record of 37.7 yards per return in 1977.
A member of the Chattanooga Times Free Press All-Century Team, Ball was a member of three straight Southern Conference Championship teams. He also was the receivers coach for the Mocs in 1988 and from 1990-91.
Ball will be inducted along with Glen Richardson (football), Bret Gustafson (wrestling) and Tyleana Hanner (track and field) into the Hall of Fame Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club. The Hall of Fame inductees also will be honored at a halftime ceremony at Saturday¹s men¹s basketball game against UNC Greensboro.
³To be recognized as a Hall of Fame recipient at your alma mater is a unique and special honor,² UTC Director of Athletics Rick Hart said. ³These individuals certainly made a mark in their respective sports and are definitely deserving of this recognition. This will be one of the most memorable accomplishments of their lives, and we are honored to bring them back to campus for this ceremony.²
ATHENS, Ga. Georgia running backs coach Tony Ball will be inducted into the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga¹s Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday.
Ball was a record-setting running back and return specialist for the Mocs from 1977-80. Ball¹s career average of 26.0 yards per return ranks second on the UTC charts, and his career yardage total of 1,304 yards is fifth best in UTC history. He set the school single-season record of 37.7 yards per return in 1977.
A member of the Chattanooga Times Free Press All-Century Team, Ball was a member of three straight Southern Conference Championship teams. He also was the receivers coach for the Mocs in 1988 and from 1990-91.
Ball will be inducted along with Glen Richardson (football), Bret Gustafson (wrestling) and Tyleana Hanner (track and field) into the Hall of Fame Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club. The Hall of Fame inductees also will be honored at a halftime ceremony at Saturday¹s men¹s basketball game against UNC Greensboro.
³To be recognized as a Hall of Fame recipient at your alma mater is a unique and special honor,² UTC Director of Athletics Rick Hart said. ³These individuals certainly made a mark in their respective sports and are definitely deserving of this recognition. This will be one of the most memorable accomplishments of their lives, and we are honored to bring them back to campus for this ceremony.²
Lemon's mother dies in fire, fiance arrested
I just read the story from our sister paper in Macon about Georgia defensive end Michael Lemon's mom being found dead at a house fire yesterday. Police arrested her fiance after reporting that she died from blunt force trauma prior to the fire. It's a very sad story. I've never spoken to Michael, but I'm sure we'll all keep him in our thoughts.
Kudos to the Macon Telegraph delivery person who came upon the burning house and blew on her car horn and beat on the doors until she woke up Lemon's 15-year-old brother. That's heroic.
Kudos to the Macon Telegraph delivery person who came upon the burning house and blew on her car horn and beat on the doors until she woke up Lemon's 15-year-old brother. That's heroic.
Combine schedule
Came across a draft combine schedule today and thought I'd post it. The combine starts today in Indianapolis and runs through Feb. 26. The vast majority of the physical workouts are Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Again, Georgia has six players scheduled to participate -- LB Tony Taylor, TE Martrez Milner, OL Ken Shackleford, DE Quentin Moses, DE Charles Johnson and RB Danny Ware.
Day 1 Arrivals* - Group 1 (K, P, OL), Group 2 (OL), Group 3 (TE)
Wednesday
February 21, 2007Travel to
February 22, 2007Measurements ~ Medical Examinations ~ Psychological Testing ~ Interviews Friday
February 23, 2007NFLPA Meeting ~ Psychological Testing ~ *PK/ST Workout* ~ Interviews Saturday
February 24, 2007Workout (timing, stations, skill drills) ~ Departure from
Day 2 Arrivals - Group 4 (QB, WR), Group 5 (QB, WR), Group 6 (RB)
Thursday
February 22, 2007Travel to Indianapolis ~ Registration ~ Hospital Pre-Exam & X-rays ~ Orientation ~ Interviews Friday
February 23, 2007Measurements ~ Medical Examinations ~ Psychological Testing ~ Interviews Saturday
February 24, 2007NFLPA Meeting ~ Psychological Testing ~ Interviews Sunday
February 25, 2007Workout (timing, stations, skill drills) ~ Departure from Indianapolis
Day 3 Arrivals - Group 7 (DL), Group 8 (DL), Group 9 (LB)
Friday
February 23, 2007Travel to Indianapolis ~ Registration ~ Hospital Pre-Exam & X-rays ~ Orientation ~ Interviews Saturday
February 24, 2007Measurements ~ Medical Examinations ~ Psychological Testing ~ Interviews Sunday
February 25, 2007NFLPA Meeting ~ Psychological Testing ~ Interviews Monday
February 26, 2007Workout (timing, stations, skill drills) ~ Departure from Indianapolis
Day 4 Arrivals - Group 10 (DB), Group 11 (DB)
Friday
February 23, 2007Travel to Indianapolis ~ Registration ~ Hospital Pre-Exam & X-rays ~ Orientation ~ Interviews Saturday
February 24, 2007Measurements ~ Medical Examinations ~ Psychological Testing ~ Interviews Sunday
February 25, 2007NFLPA Meeting ~ Psychological Testing ~ Interviews Monday
February 26, 2007Workout (timing, stations, skill drills) ~ Departure from Indianapolis * - Players from groups 1-3 may be selected to arrive the evening of Tuesday, 2/20/07 to assist with medical scheduling only.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Dogs add '08 commit
I was just looking over at the recruiting sites and reading their stories on Georgia's seventh commitment for 2008, Seminole County athlete Bacarri Rambo. That's a good name for football, I think. Sounds like Georgia got that one at just the right time. I don't know anyone in that corner of the state, but I might try to ask around some about the kid today. Says he wants to play safety at UGA, but plays QB and LB in high school.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Spring football on the way
S0 we're only a couple weeks from the start of spring football, which I look forward to. This time of year can be a bit dull -- college basketball's fine, but I'm not real big on the NBA or NHL and baseball spring training hasn't really gotten going yet.
I believe coach Richt is doing a teleconference for the start of spring on Feb. 28 and spring practice is tentatively scheduled to start on March 5. The G-Day game will be April 7. When they announce the actual schedule, I'll let you know. There will be some scrimmages mixed in, but those dates are also TBA to my knowledge. My guess is there'll be one on March 24, but I'm not sure of that.
Here are some spring dates of note for some others you may be interested in:
Florida: Starts March 21, Spring game April 14
Kentucky Starts March 28, spring game April 21
South Carolina starts march 20, spring game April 14
Tennessee Starts Feb 22, spring game march 23
Vandy starts march 13, spring game march 31
Alabama starts march 24, spring game april 21
Arkansas TBA
Auburn starts feb 27, spring game march 17
LSU starts feb 23, spring game march 24
ole miss starts march 2, spring game april 7
Mississippi State starts feb 26, spring game march 31
Georgia Tech starts march 1, spring game april 7
Also, the NFL draft combine is this week. It's my understanding that six Georgia players will take part -- Danny Ware, Charles Johnson, Tony Taylor, Quentin Moses, Ken Shackleford and Martrez Milner. He's had a quiet career (offensive linemen often do), but I think Shack might be one to watch. Not predicting he's an early pick or anything, but I did a story a while back on the draft prospects of Georgia's offensive linemen and the scouting guy I talked to said Shack's got a chance of going in the middle rounds because he's got the size, frame and raw skills and only started one year, so teams might see some untapped potential in him. He said it also may help that there's really only one year's worth of film on Shack, which might help him where it might hurt a guy like Dan Inman who has multiple seasons as a starter on film. That would show how much progress a guy made and how much they improved or didn't improve certain things from year to year. I'm no scout, so I'd never thought of that stuff. I thought it was interesting though.
I believe coach Richt is doing a teleconference for the start of spring on Feb. 28 and spring practice is tentatively scheduled to start on March 5. The G-Day game will be April 7. When they announce the actual schedule, I'll let you know. There will be some scrimmages mixed in, but those dates are also TBA to my knowledge. My guess is there'll be one on March 24, but I'm not sure of that.
Here are some spring dates of note for some others you may be interested in:
Florida: Starts March 21, Spring game April 14
Kentucky Starts March 28, spring game April 21
South Carolina starts march 20, spring game April 14
Tennessee Starts Feb 22, spring game march 23
Vandy starts march 13, spring game march 31
Alabama starts march 24, spring game april 21
Arkansas TBA
Auburn starts feb 27, spring game march 17
LSU starts feb 23, spring game march 24
ole miss starts march 2, spring game april 7
Mississippi State starts feb 26, spring game march 31
Georgia Tech starts march 1, spring game april 7
Also, the NFL draft combine is this week. It's my understanding that six Georgia players will take part -- Danny Ware, Charles Johnson, Tony Taylor, Quentin Moses, Ken Shackleford and Martrez Milner. He's had a quiet career (offensive linemen often do), but I think Shack might be one to watch. Not predicting he's an early pick or anything, but I did a story a while back on the draft prospects of Georgia's offensive linemen and the scouting guy I talked to said Shack's got a chance of going in the middle rounds because he's got the size, frame and raw skills and only started one year, so teams might see some untapped potential in him. He said it also may help that there's really only one year's worth of film on Shack, which might help him where it might hurt a guy like Dan Inman who has multiple seasons as a starter on film. That would show how much progress a guy made and how much they improved or didn't improve certain things from year to year. I'm no scout, so I'd never thought of that stuff. I thought it was interesting though.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Finally taking a breath
Man, yesterday was a long day. I left Butts-Mehre a little after 9 p.m., so I was there for roughly 13 hours yesterday. It was tough keeping my eyes open while driving back to Columbus. What took an especially long time was getting together a quote on each individual signee for the player bios we did for the paper. Dean Legge from the Dawgpost hooked me up with a couple I was missing and I did the other 20 or so myself, which meant listening to LOTS of tape. But we got something on every player except Ben Harden, so I was pleased. I don't think anybody else went to that trouble. You can read the bios here.
You can also read my signing day story here. I was pleased with it. It's tough to cram all the necessary stuff in there and keep it at a readable length, but I think it says everything that needed to be said.
I'll post some more stuff later. I have to do a copy desk shift at the Ledger tonight, so it's possible I'll have some free time to post some more quotes. I did an interesting Q/A with tight ends coach David Johnson (also the area recruiter for Columbus) about the new players at his position. That's when I found out that they plan to use Aron White as a receiver to start out. Interesting.
Speaking of No. 1 players at one position playing at another, don't plan on seeing Brandon Miller move to defensive end. I can't remember who said it yesterday (I think it was Richt), but apparently they're going to try him at middle linebacker.
You can also read my signing day story here. I was pleased with it. It's tough to cram all the necessary stuff in there and keep it at a readable length, but I think it says everything that needed to be said.
I'll post some more stuff later. I have to do a copy desk shift at the Ledger tonight, so it's possible I'll have some free time to post some more quotes. I did an interesting Q/A with tight ends coach David Johnson (also the area recruiter for Columbus) about the new players at his position. That's when I found out that they plan to use Aron White as a receiver to start out. Interesting.
Speaking of No. 1 players at one position playing at another, don't plan on seeing Brandon Miller move to defensive end. I can't remember who said it yesterday (I think it was Richt), but apparently they're going to try him at middle linebacker.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Busy, busy day
I have a ton of quotes I can post later, but I'm still in the middle of writing right now. I'll drop this one quote, which I thought was interesting, from a slightly touchy coaching staff today.
Coach Garner was asked about Vance Cuff in the 2 p.m. press conference. He started answering about Cuff, but I'm not sure the entire quote was meant to specifically address Cuff's recruitment. I'll let you read between the lines on your own, as to whether he may have been referring to someone else...
"Vance, he’s one of the guys we had ranked highly on our board from Day 1. Coach Martinez was very impressed with him. We feel that he’s a young man that has an opportunity to come in and compete and make us better. Same thing, just like with Vance, he committed to us early. Very fortunately he’s in a good program with a good coach that did a good job of shielding him and protecting him, because if he’d been in some different situations, he’s a kid that other schools came in and really pushed hard. But that coach did a good job of trying to protect him and helping him understand that he needs to honor his word. So we’re very pleased with that. That’s one thing that we’ve got to do. We’re gonna do a much better job with our coaches and continue to build strong bonds with our high school coaches and hopefully be able to get young men like that to understand what it means to make a commitment and honor it. We’re very excited about him and the guys that did that. Like coach Richt said, nobody stopped recruiting them when they committed toGeorgia Georgia
Coach Garner was asked about Vance Cuff in the 2 p.m. press conference. He started answering about Cuff, but I'm not sure the entire quote was meant to specifically address Cuff's recruitment. I'll let you read between the lines on your own, as to whether he may have been referring to someone else...
"Vance, he’s one of the guys we had ranked highly on our board from Day 1. Coach Martinez was very impressed with him. We feel that he’s a young man that has an opportunity to come in and compete and make us better. Same thing, just like with Vance, he committed to us early. Very fortunately he’s in a good program with a good coach that did a good job of shielding him and protecting him, because if he’d been in some different situations, he’s a kid that other schools came in and really pushed hard. But that coach did a good job of trying to protect him and helping him understand that he needs to honor his word. So we’re very pleased with that. That’s one thing that we’ve got to do. We’re gonna do a much better job with our coaches and continue to build strong bonds with our high school coaches and hopefully be able to get young men like that to understand what it means to make a commitment and honor it. We’re very excited about him and the guys that did that. Like coach Richt said, nobody stopped recruiting them when they committed to
Aron White, Israel Troupe
Rock Bridge (Columbia, Mo.) TE Aron White and Tift Co. WR Israel Troupe are in.
Little up in the air
We're on Chris Little watch right now. He's supposed to be having his signing at 10:30 in Twiggs County. Haven't heard anything but educated conjecture right now, but the conjecture sounds good for Georgia.
Neland Ball, Ben Harden in
Jackson defensive end Neland Ball and Hargrave offensive guard Ben Harden are in.
Cuff, Figgins, Hill
Colquitt County's Vance Cuff, Shaw's Bruce Figgins and East Hall's Walter Hill are in.
Knox, Houston, Charles White
Statesboro defensive end Justin Houston, Statesboro safety John Knox and Blythewood, S.C. linebacker Charles White all are in.
Greenlee wearing FSU hat, hasn't signed
Greenlee's wearing a FSU hat. hasn't signed yet. stay tuned.
Add Curran, Boling
Brookwood linebacker Rennie Curran and Chattahoochee offensive tackle Clint Boling as well.
Butler's in
Peachtree Ridge punter Drew Butler's fax arrived at 7:03. Apparently there are another couple to announce in a minute.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Last thoughts before signing day
Here it is almost 10 p.m. and I still haven't left for Athens. I'll be at Butts-Mehre bright and early, though, so look here for updates throughout the morning. Every time I hear of a commitment, I'll come here to post.
Of course, the hot topic around these parts is Antwane Greenlee. He's been a walking contradiction for the last couple weeks. Even his Myspace page is contradictory. But I'm not linking to that...you'll have to find it on your own. When I talked to him over the weekend, I felt fairly confident he was picking Georgia, but from some of the stuff I read on the recruiting sites, it sounds like his decision might go down to the wire. I'm still thinking he goes with Georgia. Am I confident in that opinion? No.
For what it's worth, I spoke with Shaw tight end and solid Georgia commitment Bruce Figgins this afternoon about signing day, as well as about his buddy Greenlee.
Here's what Mr. Figgins had to say about Greenlee:
"Me and him, we’re real good friends. We let each other know how things are going with recruiting and with schools. He’s been second-guessing himself."
But does he think Greenlee will sign with Georgia?:
"I believe that he will."
I also found today's D.J. Stafford saga to be interesting, but a bit sad. I guess that's the danger in the recruiting game, where everything plays out so publicly. He decided at the last minute that he wanted to switch his commitment from Kentucky to Georgia, but Georgia isn't interested. You kind of feel bad for the kid. In talking to some coaches around here (numerous Columbus public schools play in the same region as LaGrange), Stafford has a reputation as a great talent, but a major loafer. He also is far from certain to academically qualify. If he ever decides he wants to work in the classroom and on the field, he could eventually be a dangerous player. Good luck to him.
Greenlee's signing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. tomorrow morning and our superstar preps reporter Robert Spruck will be there. He's going to call me with Antwane's decision as soon as he finds out, so I'll post it as soon as I know. And as for the rest of the class, as I said, tune in throughout the day as I'll be posting signees as they're announced at Butts-Mehre. I may try to swing by the Bling Pig tomorrow as well to see what that's all about. We'll have to see how the day goes.
Of course, the hot topic around these parts is Antwane Greenlee. He's been a walking contradiction for the last couple weeks. Even his Myspace page is contradictory. But I'm not linking to that...you'll have to find it on your own. When I talked to him over the weekend, I felt fairly confident he was picking Georgia, but from some of the stuff I read on the recruiting sites, it sounds like his decision might go down to the wire. I'm still thinking he goes with Georgia. Am I confident in that opinion? No.
For what it's worth, I spoke with Shaw tight end and solid Georgia commitment Bruce Figgins this afternoon about signing day, as well as about his buddy Greenlee.
Here's what Mr. Figgins had to say about Greenlee:
"Me and him, we’re real good friends. We let each other know how things are going with recruiting and with schools. He’s been second-guessing himself."
But does he think Greenlee will sign with Georgia?:
"I believe that he will."
I also found today's D.J. Stafford saga to be interesting, but a bit sad. I guess that's the danger in the recruiting game, where everything plays out so publicly. He decided at the last minute that he wanted to switch his commitment from Kentucky to Georgia, but Georgia isn't interested. You kind of feel bad for the kid. In talking to some coaches around here (numerous Columbus public schools play in the same region as LaGrange), Stafford has a reputation as a great talent, but a major loafer. He also is far from certain to academically qualify. If he ever decides he wants to work in the classroom and on the field, he could eventually be a dangerous player. Good luck to him.
Greenlee's signing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. tomorrow morning and our superstar preps reporter Robert Spruck will be there. He's going to call me with Antwane's decision as soon as he finds out, so I'll post it as soon as I know. And as for the rest of the class, as I said, tune in throughout the day as I'll be posting signees as they're announced at Butts-Mehre. I may try to swing by the Bling Pig tomorrow as well to see what that's all about. We'll have to see how the day goes.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Allen Bailey picks Miami
So Allen Bailey has finally announced his choice -- picking Miami over Florida, after having ruled out Alabama and Georgia.
Personally, considering his status as a nautical wheeler, I figured he'd wind up at Tennessee. He could be an admiral in the Volunteer Navy and arrive at every home game by boat.
Personally, considering his status as a nautical wheeler, I figured he'd wind up at Tennessee. He could be an admiral in the Volunteer Navy and arrive at every home game by boat.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
So is Georgia slumping down the stretch?
Truthfully, I don't know the answer to that. There seem to be a handful of prevailing points of view, all of which have some merit.
1. Georgia is closing slowly. I agree with that to a point, as the Bulldogs have missed out on several big-name recruits and only have one commitment since Christmas -- tied for the fewest in the SEC since then. That figure may be a tiny bit deceptive, though (see No. 2)
2. Most of the class was already secure before Christmas, so there were only a couple spots left to fill, leading to the perception that Georgia's closing more poorly than it actually is because they're not filling out their signing class now as much as other teams are. Well, that's true. HOWEVER, they still missed on some in-state guys they apparently wanted to other nearby programs, so this perception argument only goes so far.
3. Georgia already met its needs with the early commitments before Christmas. Anything else after that is just icing on the cake. That, I absolutely agree with. Georgia's class is rated eighth in the nation by Rivals.com, so it's not exactly like they're hurting. But they could have contended for the No. 1 spot (or at least Top 5) if they'd closed on a couple guys they were after in the last six weeks.
Of the above three points of view, the ones I agree with most are Nos. 2 and 3 (which are along the same lines), that the perception they're closing slowly is accurate, but that much of that is self-imposed because they got so much of what they wanted early. But check this out. As I mentioned earlier, Georgia has added only one commitment since Christmas, which ties Vanderbilt for fewest in the SEC since then. On one hand, they don't need to add guys they're not sure about to complete this class. On the other hand, they haven't gotten the guys they've been going after lately, thus far. THIS is what I think especially contributes to the "closing slowly" perspective. All these other schools are rounding out their classes and have been reeling in commitments lately, while Georgia mostly has not.
Here's the list, how many of the commitments they've added since Christmas out of their entire class, and the number of stars Rivals.com gives those recent commitments:
SEC EAST
Georgia: 1 player out of 23 commitments committed since Christmas. He is a 2-star player.
Florida: 5 out of 25 since Christmas. Two 5-star, three 4-star
Tennessee: 7 out of 30. Two 5-star, three 4-star, two 3-star
South Carolina: 4 out of 30. One 5-star, Two 4-star, One 3-star
Kentucky: 4 out of 25. One 3-star, Three 2-star
Vanderbilt: 1 out of 14. One 2-star
SEC WEST
Auburn: 6 out of 25. Two 4-star, Four 3-star
Alabama: 10 out of 21. Four 4-star, Four 3-star, Two 2-star
LSU: 5 out of 24. Five 4-star
Ole Miss: 7 out of 25. One 5-star, One 4-star, Three 3-star, Two 2-star
Arkansas: 9 out of 25. One 4-star, Six 3-star, Two 2-star
Mississippi State: 2 out of 31. One 3-star, One 2-star
In that same time, Georgia lost several recruits that they showed some interest in. I don't know how many of them they weren't really all that interested in, how many they were really after and how many they never really had a shot at. But off the top of my head, they reportedly went after these guys who are apparently going elsewhere:
Joe Blaes (3-star, Iowa State); Cameron Heyward (4-star, Ohio State); Orlando Franklin (4-star, Miami); Miguel Chavis (3-star, Clemson); Chris Little (4-star, Florida State, then Notre Dame); Doug Wiggins (4-star, Miami); Eric Berry (5-star, Tennessee); Allen Bailey (undecided); and Morgan Burnett (4-star, Georgia Tech)
But where does that really put Georgia? Of course, ranking in the top five would be nice, but first of all, I'm not sure that these rankings really mean that much, and second of all, they still rank eighth in the nation according to Rivals (although, yes, in the middle of the pack (fifth) in the SEC).
Rivals National Rankings for SEC teams, which grades by total points:
1. Florida (3.88-star average per player)
2. Tennessee (3.67)
5. LSU (3.71)
7. South Carolina (3.4)
8. Georgia (3.48)
9. Auburn (3.44)
13. Alabama (3.29)
17. Ole Miss (3.16)
33. Arkansas (2.92)
45. Mississippi State (2.58)
55. Kentucky (2.40)
64. Vanderbilt (2.50)
1. Georgia is closing slowly. I agree with that to a point, as the Bulldogs have missed out on several big-name recruits and only have one commitment since Christmas -- tied for the fewest in the SEC since then. That figure may be a tiny bit deceptive, though (see No. 2)
2. Most of the class was already secure before Christmas, so there were only a couple spots left to fill, leading to the perception that Georgia's closing more poorly than it actually is because they're not filling out their signing class now as much as other teams are. Well, that's true. HOWEVER, they still missed on some in-state guys they apparently wanted to other nearby programs, so this perception argument only goes so far.
3. Georgia already met its needs with the early commitments before Christmas. Anything else after that is just icing on the cake. That, I absolutely agree with. Georgia's class is rated eighth in the nation by Rivals.com, so it's not exactly like they're hurting. But they could have contended for the No. 1 spot (or at least Top 5) if they'd closed on a couple guys they were after in the last six weeks.
Of the above three points of view, the ones I agree with most are Nos. 2 and 3 (which are along the same lines), that the perception they're closing slowly is accurate, but that much of that is self-imposed because they got so much of what they wanted early. But check this out. As I mentioned earlier, Georgia has added only one commitment since Christmas, which ties Vanderbilt for fewest in the SEC since then. On one hand, they don't need to add guys they're not sure about to complete this class. On the other hand, they haven't gotten the guys they've been going after lately, thus far. THIS is what I think especially contributes to the "closing slowly" perspective. All these other schools are rounding out their classes and have been reeling in commitments lately, while Georgia mostly has not.
Here's the list, how many of the commitments they've added since Christmas out of their entire class, and the number of stars Rivals.com gives those recent commitments:
SEC EAST
Georgia: 1 player out of 23 commitments committed since Christmas. He is a 2-star player.
Florida: 5 out of 25 since Christmas. Two 5-star, three 4-star
Tennessee: 7 out of 30. Two 5-star, three 4-star, two 3-star
South Carolina: 4 out of 30. One 5-star, Two 4-star, One 3-star
Kentucky: 4 out of 25. One 3-star, Three 2-star
Vanderbilt: 1 out of 14. One 2-star
SEC WEST
Auburn: 6 out of 25. Two 4-star, Four 3-star
Alabama: 10 out of 21. Four 4-star, Four 3-star, Two 2-star
LSU: 5 out of 24. Five 4-star
Ole Miss: 7 out of 25. One 5-star, One 4-star, Three 3-star, Two 2-star
Arkansas: 9 out of 25. One 4-star, Six 3-star, Two 2-star
Mississippi State: 2 out of 31. One 3-star, One 2-star
In that same time, Georgia lost several recruits that they showed some interest in. I don't know how many of them they weren't really all that interested in, how many they were really after and how many they never really had a shot at. But off the top of my head, they reportedly went after these guys who are apparently going elsewhere:
Joe Blaes (3-star, Iowa State); Cameron Heyward (4-star, Ohio State); Orlando Franklin (4-star, Miami); Miguel Chavis (3-star, Clemson); Chris Little (4-star, Florida State, then Notre Dame); Doug Wiggins (4-star, Miami); Eric Berry (5-star, Tennessee); Allen Bailey (undecided); and Morgan Burnett (4-star, Georgia Tech)
But where does that really put Georgia? Of course, ranking in the top five would be nice, but first of all, I'm not sure that these rankings really mean that much, and second of all, they still rank eighth in the nation according to Rivals (although, yes, in the middle of the pack (fifth) in the SEC).
Rivals National Rankings for SEC teams, which grades by total points:
1. Florida (3.88-star average per player)
2. Tennessee (3.67)
5. LSU (3.71)
7. South Carolina (3.4)
8. Georgia (3.48)
9. Auburn (3.44)
13. Alabama (3.29)
17. Ole Miss (3.16)
33. Arkansas (2.92)
45. Mississippi State (2.58)
55. Kentucky (2.40)
64. Vanderbilt (2.50)
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Antwane Greenlee Q/A
This is the full transcript of my interview yesterday with Antwane Greenlee. Again, what a nice kid. Clearly Florida State really wants him if who would be his position coach is spending one of the final days he can visit a prospect at Greenlee's school. Tomorrow is a quiet day, where the only contact coaches can make is on their campus, and Monday through Wednesday are dead days, where coaches can't make in-person visits or permit official/unoffical on-campus visits.
Really, it's probably win-win for Antwane no matter which one he picks, in my opinion.
When was it you that you feel like you got your heart set on where you were going? It’s a long process.
It’s a long process. You start off thinking you’re going to
Yeah. It sounds like coach Searels has got a pretty good reputation. How much have you gotten to interact with him?
He came down on Martin Luther King Day actually for the home visit. It was me and my family and a couple other
Was it when you got to meet him a little bit, is that when you felt like you were sold on
Yeah I mean,
When was it you went on your visit to
It was December the 9th.
So it was between the end of the season and bowl practice.
Yeah.
Who else was there on that weekend?
It was me, Vance Cuff, who’s committed. He’s a cornerback. Bean, I know him by Bean, Justin Anderson. That was really it on who I really hung out with and knew.
What were you looking for on the visit, since you’d already committed by that point?
Definitely to get around some of the players, see what they do for fun outside of football. Football’s the big part, it’s the main thing, but what are you gonna do after football, you know.
Is finding somewhere you’ll be comfortable as a student, where does that rank in what you wanted to see out of a school?
It weighs heavy. I mean, football, football, football. You’re gonna do that during the season, after the season, it’s gonna be your life. But eventually you’re gonna kinda want to get away from football. Being that you can’t just go home, you have to really go to a place that you feel you can just have fun and feel like a family and a community outside of that football aspect. So it weighed very heavily for me.
Have you been keeping up with the Internet message board stuff at all? Do you get on that?
I’m not a big fan of it because one week they love you and the next week they hate you. My mom, she’s pretty big on that, but for me, it’ll just basically get in your head.
Get used to it buddy, because that’s the way those people are that get on those things. It’s never gonna stop. What’s funny about it, especially with you, is that you seem to be somebody that the fans of the different schools really want. They’re always like, ‘Is he wavering this way or that way?’ You’re always somebody that seems like a hot topic of discussion. So I was just wondering how much you kept up with it at all.
I kept up with it a little bit. It’s hard. You’ve got your in-state school and the school that you grew up watching and you grew to love. You’ve got an opportunity to play for that school. It’s kinda hard to make that decision. Both of them had coaching changes and both of them brought in great coaches. Both of them, they had the same type things going on. One of them brought in the offensive line coach from LSU, the other one got the offensive coordinator from LSU. Both of them seemed like they were connected in so many different ways. It gets kinda hard for you.
I guess you’ve gotten to know coach Trickett since he came in.
Coach Trickett, he’s an awesome person. I think he’s what keeps me linked to
Friday, February 02, 2007
Richt's son to Clemson
I just got around to typing up this brief. Coach Richt's son Jon, a junior at Athens' Prince Avenue Christian, committed to play for Clemson today. They offered him last July after a summer quarterback camp. He passed for 1,600 yards last year for the upstart Class A school.
ATHENS, Ga. — Mark Richt's coaching staff has already received commitments from six high school juniors for next year's recruiting class, but Richt won't be getting one from within his own household.
His son Jon committed on Friday to play for Tommy Bowden's Clemson Tigers, who offered the Prince Avenue Christian School quarterback earlier last July.
"It was an exciting day for us as a family," Mark Richt said in a statement. "Jon called the coaches from Clemson and told them he wanted to be a Tiger. They seemed genuinely excited about accepting his commitment."
A pure dropback passer, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound junior passed for 1,600 last season for Athens' Prince Avenue, which competes at the GHSA Class A level.
Jon Richt did not consider playing for his father's Bulldogs because of the conflict of interest that would create within his family. However, his family does have a close connection to the Bowdens. Mark Richt coached under Bowden's father, Bobby, for 15 years at Florida State.
ATHENS, Ga. — Mark Richt's coaching staff has already received commitments from six high school juniors for next year's recruiting class, but Richt won't be getting one from within his own household.
His son Jon committed on Friday to play for Tommy Bowden's Clemson Tigers, who offered the Prince Avenue Christian School quarterback earlier last July.
"It was an exciting day for us as a family," Mark Richt said in a statement. "Jon called the coaches from Clemson and told them he wanted to be a Tiger. They seemed genuinely excited about accepting his commitment."
A pure dropback passer, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound junior passed for 1,600 last season for Athens' Prince Avenue, which competes at the GHSA Class A level.
Jon Richt did not consider playing for his father's Bulldogs because of the conflict of interest that would create within his family. However, his family does have a close connection to the Bowdens. Mark Richt coached under Bowden's father, Bobby, for 15 years at Florida State.
Spoke with Greenlee today
I met Hardaway offensive lineman Antwane Greenlee for the first time today. I'd seen him play a couple times before, but I'd never actually met him before today. I liked him very much...very friendly and said to call anytime. He seems ready to get this whole recruiting thing behind him.
Although he's reaffirmed his commitment to Georgia a couple of times lately, including when I talked to him today, other teams aren't just going to let it go, nor could you expect them to. I waited for about 20 minutes outside the coach's office to talk to him today until school let out. While I was waiting, new Florida State offensive line coach Rick Trickett was showing him some tape and giving him a final sales pitch. He passed me on his way out the door.
Although he's reaffirmed his commitment to Georgia a couple of times lately, including when I talked to him today, other teams aren't just going to let it go, nor could you expect them to. I waited for about 20 minutes outside the coach's office to talk to him today until school let out. While I was waiting, new Florida State offensive line coach Rick Trickett was showing him some tape and giving him a final sales pitch. He passed me on his way out the door.
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