Vic Koenning - Weasel

Clemson defensive coordinator Vic Koenning doesn't hide the fact that he's whiny and weasely. I like that about him. He doesn't pretend to be one thing on the outside and to the media, then act totally different to his team and in private. He's equally grumpy and scummy everywhere. He's chock full of stuff to complain about. One year he was complaining about Georgia Tech's chop block tactics. This week, Koenning had this to say about Georgia Tech's offense:

"If you’re a great quarterback, you don’t want to go there. If you’re a great receiver, you don’t want to go there," Koenning said, repeating verbatim what the scout told him. "I’m not trying to be ugly — they’re going to throw the ball 12, 15 times a game. You want to catch balls. Offensive linemen, if you want to be in the NFL, you don’t go there, because you’re not going to get looked at."

This is why I respect Koenning. He open about his weasel-ishness. Most coaches are going to use these empty tactics on recruits one-on-one and in private, then be all "what a great offense that is" with the media. Koenning doesn't hide his slamming of Paul Johnson. He does it right out in the open. Face it - all coaches are using these same tactics to recruits. Koenning is special in that regard.

I don't have time to go into all the comments here, but I'd like to point out some things.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Koenning: "Offensive linemen, if you want to be in the NFL, you don’t go there, because you’re not going to get looked at."

Ok, let's look at some facts.
Number of Clemson offensive linemen in the NFL = 1
Number of Navy offensive linemen in the NFL = 1
Number of Georgia Tech offensive linemen in the NFL = 2

Think about that for a minute. Navy's recruiting classes have been consistently ranked in the bottom 5% of the 116+ 1A teams. Clemson, on the other hand, typically has had top 30 classes every year, including top 20 and top 10 in recent years.

So Navy gets offensive linemen that nobody else wants in college - NOBODY, and they develop one guy to the NFL. Clemson gets many of the top recruits in the land and they only match Navy's ability to put offensive linemen in the NFL.

I think the message here is clear - Clemson cannot take more highly touted, bigger recruits and get them to the NFL any better than Navy, who runs some whacko offense that the NFL pays no attention to and can't get any of the same guys.

The message is clear - DO NO GO TO CLEMSON IF YOU WANT TO BE AN NFL LINEMAN. They won't get you there. Facts are facts. Hey, Bowden's been at it for almost 10 years at that's what he has to show for it?

WIDE RECEIVERS
Koenning - "If you’re a great receiver, you don’t want to go there,"

Facts - BeBe Thomas, Georgia Tech's primary wide receiver, is 2nd in the ACC in receiving yards per game at 71.8. Clemson's leading receiver is Jacoby Ford, at 50.7 yards / game. BeBe Thomas is an NFL prospect and has every chance to go league. Playing in this offense for the next 3 years won't impact that reality. Trust me.

Clemson has one wide receiver in the NFL, so it's not like they're banging the NFL door down sending guy after guy to the league. Georgia Tech has two wide receivers in the NFL.

QUARTERBACKS
Koenning: "If you’re a great quarterback, you don’t want to go there."

The facts are that if you're a drop-back QB only, we don't want you. That's just the way it is. If you don't have some get-up-and-go in your legs, then don't apply here. Charlie Whitehurst - not interested. Cullen Harper - no thanks, we'll pass. Willy Korn - probably not.

If you're a great dual-threat QB, then we can talk. You'll thrive in this offense. If you're a talented, dual-threat high school QB who wants to play QB at the collegiate level, but most schools want you at safety or wide receiver, then give us a call. You have a better chance of being an impact QB at the collegiate level at Georgia Tech than at most other schools.

Another point - Georgia Tech leads the ACC in passing efficiency and is 23rd in the nation in that statistic. Clemson is 59th in the nation in passing efficiency. We may not throw it as many times as the passing schools, but when we do, it ain't dink-and-dunk people. If you want to learn the fine art of the bubble screen, by all means go to Clemson or Miami. If you want to pass the ball downfield, and do it successfully for a lot of yards, check us out.

Last week Georgia Tech won on a 79 yard pass play
The week before Georgia Tech put the Duke game away on an 88 yard pass play and had one receiver go over 230 yards on the day.

Don't believe the hype

BUT IF YOU'RE A RUNNING BACK - WOW!!!
Sometimes it's what you don't say that's most important. Note that he didn't say anything about running backs. There's a reason for that. This system is a running back's dream. If you're a big bruising fullback type, you'll actually get carries in this system. If you're a small, quick but lightweight "scat-back" you'll actually get significant carries in this system. If you're a hybrid with power and speed, then your name is Jonathan Dwyer and you'll lead the ACC in rushing year after year after year, and you'll be a first round draft pick in about 2 years.

This offense is a running back's dream, and if you're a good back, you'll showcase your skills and get your shot at the NFL. If you're an undersized but quick guy, you won't be getting much of a shot at the collegiate level. Ask Maurice Wells as Ohio State. He would have tore it up at the A-Back position.

IF YOU'RE GOOD, IT DOESN'T MATTER
Look, if you are a good football player, you're going to get your shot at the NFL. It doesn't matter that much what team you play for or what position you play or what system you play. You think that Southern Cal, Texas, Ohio State and Miami are the only schools that send guys to the league? How about Central Arkansas, Cal Poly, Cal-State Bakersfield, Central Michigan, Coastal Carolina, Cornell, Akron (who has almost as many NFL players as Clemson), App State, Bethune-Cookman, Brown, Buffalo, Army, Dartmouth, Delaware, Duke (yes), Eastern Michigan, Furman, Hampton, Harvard, Harding, Hawaii, Hofstra, Howard, Houston, Idaho, Idaho State, Jackson St, James Madison, Kent St, Louisiana Tech, Maine, Marshall, McNeese St, Monmouth, Montana, Morgan St, Morris Brown, Mt.Union, UNLV, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New Mexico St, North Dakota, North Texas, Portland St, Princeton, Rice, Richmond, Robert Morris, Sam Houston St, Samford, S.E.Missouri St, Temple, Toledo, Troy St, Tulane, Tuskegee, Weber St, Wyoming............................ they all have guys in the NFL right now and there are loads more schools.

........... shall I go on?

If you're a good player, the NFL is going to find you. Also, guess what - just because you play in a "conventional" offense means nothing in terms of your development towards the NFL.

COLD HARD REALITY
There's a caveat to "if you're good they'll find you". The reality is that the vast, vast, vast majority of you will never play in the NFL. The vast majority of you better be concerned #1 with getting a good education at a great school. One in six Georgia Tech alumni are millionaires. I'm quite sure Clemson can't say that. You absolutely cannot go wrong with a Georgia Tech education.

I kid my Clemson friends and tell them "I would have gone to Clemson but I already had a high school diploma"..................... I kid.

JUST WIN BABY
Here's the thing - if you're a recruit who cares more about catching 100 balls a season and getting 1000 yards than about winning football games, then guess what - we're not that interested. Team comes first. If you're a wide receiver in our system, you'll have to block or you won't catch any balls. If that's a problem, then perfect. Don't come here. It's a great weeding out process.

I DON'T REALLY CARE
Having said all that, I have to be honest - I don't really care that much that we send busloads of kids to the NFL. We will if they're good, but I don't care that much. I care that my school, the Georgia Institute of Technology, wins football games. I care that Georgia Tech builds exciting teams with great kids, builds their character, gives them an education and makes them better people.

I understand that sending kids to the NFL makes your school more attractive to recruits. I get that, so I do want to see it happen. It's just not my priority.

Georgia Tech has 21 kids in the NFL right now. Clemson has 13. 'Nuff said.

DEAD-MAN WALKING
Let's not forget - Koenning is a dead-man walking. He's on his way out at Clemson. Of course he didn't start being a weasel this week. Again, he's been that guy all along. I just want to remind recruits that Vic is on his way out, which is as much reason to jump ship as any other.

I don't wish Clemson bad-luck or lost recruits, but this kind of stuff is annoying.

Tales on the recruiting trail

From Paul Johnson's radio show on the success of the passing game against Duke. After discussing how hard BeBe Thomas had worked all year and how it couldn't have happened to a better guy, Johnson said this:

".......... also it was good for us because they (Duke) had told a couple of defensive back recruits not to come here because we didn't have any receivers to cover (in practice) and that they couldn't get any better. So I wanted them to see that we had a couple of guys that could catch."
- Paul Johnson, 10-8-2008

You just have to love a guy not afraid to call it like it is.

Alonzo Mourning - Promises of Riches

Evidently Alonzo Mourning has written a new book. Evidently he has also thrown out some interesting accusations about his college recruitment:

But first, in the publicity department, there is another matter that will need to be aired out. Mourning writes that various colleges - specifically Maryland, Syracuse, Georgia Tech and Virginia - recruited him with offers of fancy clothes and dinners, and that "everyone understood I could have gotten money at any of these places."

Obviously, you're going to hear about it. A guy's got to sell books, so he needs a hook. Evidently the compelling story of a big man overcoming life threatening kidney disease isn't enough. Well, multiple personality disorder wasn't enough for any of the Hershal's, so you need something more juicy.

We went through the whole Sebastian Telfair accusations, which proved to be false. Now this junk. Of course there's no proving or disproving anything.

Hope you sell some dead trees my man. I'm sure part of the story is how he rose above the traps of stardom to pick Georgetown, where all they could offer him was a scholarship and a gym. Yeah, right.

Hoops Recruiting - Big Weekend Coming

This weekend could very well be one of the most important recruiting weekends of the year for Paul Hewitt. As you may know, Hewitt and his staff have secured verbal commitments from four outstanding high school players:

Glen Rice, 6'4" SF, from Marietta GA
Mfon Udofia, 6'1" PG, from Lithonia GA
Kammeon Holsey, 6'8" PF from Sparta GA
Brian Oliver, 6'6" SF from Virginia

This weekend, we will be hosting the following guys are their official visits:

Derrick Favors, 6'9" C, from Atlanta GA
Kenny Boynton, 6'2" SG from Plantation FL
Mfon Udofia, 6'1" PG (will be his official visit)

Just the four guys already committed were enough for Rivals.com to rank Tech as the #4 class in the nation. If they added Favors, who many consider the best player in the country, it would certainly move them into the top 3. Add Boynton as well (highly unlikely though), and it very well could be the #1 class.

So this weekend becomes a crucial one to slam home this recruiting class. It's generally believed that Favors wants to stay "close to home", although the last reports I saw had his final 6 down to GT, UGAg, FSU, Memphis, KY and UConn.

There are some unconfirmed reports that some NBA players who happen to be former Georgia Tech players, just might be on campus as well. At the end of the day, on a visit like this, particularly when there is no home football game, you need to pull out the stops. I am sure some of the current commits will be there as an unofficial visit as well.

Here is some Favors highlights for your mass consumption



As far as Boynton goes, here's my advice - if he commits to Georgia Tech, consider it a complete and utter shock. I'm not saying we're out of the picture. It's no accident that Favors and Boynton are there together the same weekend. However, Boynton has been uber-targeted by the weasel, and coming off the glow us his Olympic rat cheese, Coach K has to be considered the front-runner to get this guy. If you want to read a long, interesting article about Boynton's recruitment, ESPN had this interesting story from a week or so ago.

Boynton is basically a offensive scoring machine who has no fear unleashing a shot under any situation from anywhere. If he goes to Duke, we'll be glad when and if he's one-and-done. He's going to be tough to handle for anyone.

Here's Kenny in action:

Football Recruiting Comments on Chris Crenshaw

Nice comments on next year's incoming recruit Chris Crenshaw:

Of the experienced players, senior defensive end Chris Crenshaw already has verbally committed to Georgia Tech.

Since then, the 6-foot-3 player has put on 25 pounds of muscle. Now, he's up to 240 pounds.

"He isn't scared of anybody, and he knows how to use what the good Lord blessed him with," Arnold said.

Crenshaw has an 82-inch span from fingertip to fingertip.

"That's 6 feet, 10 inches," Arnold said. "That's just crazy. And as a pass rusher, it makes a real difference. He has worked extremely hard to get where he is. He deserves all he gets."

Hoops Recruiting - Jackets Nab Two More

Yesterday Guard Mfon Udofia committed to Paul Hewitt and the Yellow Jackets. Today Glen Rice Jr, did the same.

I'll have more on this class later. Key targets left are Noel Johnson and Derrick Favors. If somehow those two guys signed up, you just might be looking at the best class ever to land in the ATL.

More later.

Football Recruiting - Jackets Nab O-Lineman

Will Jackson, a TN standout at O-Line, committed to the Jackets today. More later.

Recruiting Bonanza

Yesterday we mentioned that three guys verbally committed to Paul Johnson. Turns out that number inflated to four by late evening, and the other Paul (Hewitt) got into the act with his first commit of the class of 2009.

FOOTBALL
Click here to check out the three guys we reported on yesterday (Daniel Drummond, Jay Finch, Chris Crenshaw). The 4th guy to commit was Jeremy Moore, a 6'3" 170lb WR out of Austin TX. He's a big physical receiver who doesn't seem to mind blocking, which is a good thing.

Per the recruiting sites, we are done at Wide Receiver for this class. One guy - that's it.

HOOPS
How's this for deja vu. The Jackets just got a verbal commit from Brian Oliver. Turns out there is no relation to the original. This one is a 6'6" 200lb SG/SF with a pretty darn good outside shot. Consider him a "top 100" type guy. He plays at the famous Oak Hill Academy. He holds offers from Cincy, UMass, Miami, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, VaTech, WV and Xavier. It seems that GT and VT were his top choices.

As far as Oliver's game, he's been recruited as a versatile guy who could play everywhere from SG to SF to maybe PF. We're likely to see him settle into the 2/3-spot. He's a very good 3-pt shooter, has a good handle and is a very good defender who can block shots. He's athletic, although his foot-speed has been questioned by at least one site. He evidently has a very big wingspan.

Great weekend all-around for Jacket fans. Four commits in football and one in hoops.

Football - Recruiting - Jackets Nab Three

A Saturday football camp turned into a verbal commit free-for-all, as at least three different guys gave their pledges to Paul Johnson (per Scout.com and Rivals.com). A good day for Jacket fans.

DANIEL DRUMMOND
A 6'3", 230lb kid from Flowery Branch HS, he was offered and committed on the spot to Georgia Tech. Most schools were after him as a MLB, but we recruited him as a B-Back. Has some pretty impressive measurables - ran about a 4.5-40, 35" vertical, bench 350lb and a 3.8GPA. Drummond had offers from Arkansas, Ok St, WV, Marshall and Troy.

JAY FINCH
A 6'4" 265lb O-Line / D-Line combo player. While every other school recruited him for the D-Line, we recruited him for the O-Line. Looks like he ran about a 4.7-40, so quicker looks to be better than bigger when it comes to O-Linemen for Paul Johnson. Jay is from Kennesaw Mountain. Had offers from Louisville, Ole Miss, NCST and at least 3 other schools.

CHRIS CRENSHAW
A 6'2" 210lb LB / DE from Jefferson County. Offered by Miss St and was getting a lot of interest from Virginia and Alabama. He will likely end up in the LB position although he was ranked the #33 DE by Rivals.com nationally.

Football - Welcome Home Boys

Tired of hearing about all the kids exiting the Georgia Tech program? Well, here's some good news. There are some kids on their way in from high profile programs as well. As you will read, sometimes you have to let kids before before you can truly bring them home.

ANTHONY ALLEN

A big powerful running back that should fit right into the B-back position. He's 6'1 232lb and comes by way of Louisville, where he actually led the Cards in TD's as a freshman with 14. He also rushed for over 400 yards as a freshman. He set a Louisville record against Middle Tennessee State with 275 yards on the ground with a workmanlike 35 carries. Wow.

“He is tough, he’s tough to bring down,” UofL senior quarterback Brian Brohm said. “He was wearing them down and I think by the fourth quarter they were tired of tackling him. He is a big back and he wears on you throughout the game. And in the fourth quarter he is going to pound them.”

Allen is actually a "local" guy, from Jesuit High School in GA. So he's coming home. He was recruited by Georgia Tech heavily but chose UL instead. So just like Tashard Choice, eventually they come home. Allen should have 2 years to play.

MARIO EDWARDS

Edwards is a 6'2" 200lb safety who joing the Ramblin Wreck by way of Virginia Tech. However, he's another hometown kid returning to the nest. He's from the ATL.

An all-state defensive back for Coach Dallas Allen at Westlake ... Also saw action as a wide receiver ... Registered 98 tackles as a senior ... Had four interceptions, six sacks, two fumble recoveries and a blocked punt ... Caught six passes for 123 yards ... Helped team to a region title ... Contributed 12 tackles, an interception, two pass deflections and a forced fumble during a playoff game against Banneker ... An all-city and all-state selection ... Rated the No. 25 safety in the country by rivals.com ... Rated the No. 83 safety in the country by scout.com ... Listed as the No. 27 prospect in the state of Georgia in the rivals.com postseason rankings ... Had 75 tackles, two
interceptions, 10 pass break ups, four forced fumbles and three sacks as a junior.
Personal: Mario Edwards ... Born 7/14/88 in Atlanta, GA ... Son of William and Maudestia Edwards ... As a youngster, won the state of Georgia 200-meter dash for the 11 and under age group.

He was a "3-star" guy on Scout.com, and had some interest in Georgia Tech, but it seems that we never offered him. Here's what I think - if you're a DB and get an offer from Virginia Tech, you've got to be pretty good. If there's one thing Beamer does right, it's DB's. Edwards should have 2 years to play, but he has filed a waiver to avoid sitting out a transfer year and evidently has a good case.

PRESTON LYONS

Another running back - this time a B-back candidate. He comes from Colgate by way of Marist High School. That's right - another hometown kid. He's about 6'1" 200lb. He should have 2-3 years to play.

High School: A 2007 graduate of the Marist School in Atlanta, Georgia … lettered and started three years with the War Eagles … played fullback in his senior season … served as a game captain in his senior year … carried 184 times for 1,451 yards and 22 touchdowns and caught eight passes for 71 as a senior … rushed for a school record 3,707 career yards and 61 touchdowns … had 4,074 career all-purpose yards … his 2006 team was Georgia state runner up in Class AAAA … was first team all-state, first team all-DeKalb County and first team all-Northside Atlanta … set school record of career rushing yards (3,707) and career touchdowns (61) … team’s most valuable back … coached by Alan Chadwick.

Personal: Major is undeclared … parents are Coleman and Joanne Lyons of Atlanta, Georgia … born August 9, 1988 in Greenwich, Connecticut … has one brother and sister … full name is Preston Zech Lyons.

ON THE RECRUITING FRONT

Great news! It's now official - the Jackets land highly touted QB prospect Jordan Luallen. He's a tall dual-threat guy, 6'3", 205lb.

As a junior, Jordan Luallen helped lead his team to a 9-2 record. He completed 60 percent of his passes for 756 yards and 12 touchdowns with no interceptions. He also rushed for 475 yards and 13 touchdowns; bench presses 280 pounds, squats 330 and claims a 31-inch vertical jump.

He had offers from Cincinatti, Indiana, Iowa, Louisville, Maryland and Standford, among others.

Good times!!!

Football Recruiting Map (ACC) - 2010

This map shows you where the ACC Class of 2010 is from. You can see how teams recruit various regions. You can actually click right on the map, zoom in or pan it in any direction. Really sweet is that you can zoom in and click on one of the flags and get a bio of the kid. Just as sweet is that their location is actually the high school they play for. So click on "satellite" view and zoom further to see the actual stadium where they play their high school ball. Cool stuff.


View Larger Map

Football - Recruiting - Jackets Nab Two More for 09

Folks, another year, and another trend continues to drive like a freight train. That would be the early commitments of high schoolers. Today the Jackets picked up two more verbals, one a DE and one a DT. To give you a little perspective here, the first guy to verbal AND sign with the Jackets from our most recent recruiting class gave his pledge in May 2007 (Embry Peeples). We'll ignore that WR Chris Jackson actually verballed in 12/2006, but ended up at 'Bama.

So here we are in February and there are already 3 kids that have pledged themselves to Paul Johnson and GT. So who are they?

JOHN DREW, 6'3" 295lb DT, Columbus GA (Northside HS)
Well thought on in the state. Probably Top 30 caliber in the state. Probably not as tall as 6'3", but he is athletic. Plays hoops for his high school team and claims to have a 33" vertical. Had 70 tackles and 9 sacks his junior season. He was hearing from a lot of bigtime southern schools and apparently UGAg has been high on his list for awhile. Some message board chatter from UGAg fans was that he was a talented kid from a good family and that they wished they had gone after him harder sooner. I have no idea what that means, but it is what it is. Seems like a good get all around, and a great interior bookend to go with JC Lanier, the first recruit to verbal in the class of 2009


EMANUEL DIEKE, 6'7", 205lb DE, College Park GA (N.Clayton HS)
Think Michael Johnson. Tall. Fast. Not strong enough. Raw. A bit of a project. But with weight + strength on that frame, the sky's the limit. Send him to the Chinese all-you-can-eat buffet a bunch of times, then send him to the weight room. Then back to the buffet, then back to the weight room. You get the idea. From the same high school as Morgan Burnett. Wants to major in pre-med.


It's interesting. With these early commitments, fans don't have the typical barameters to decide in their minds - "this is a great get". Most of the commits GT is after haven't been ranked by Scout.com or Rivals.com. There aren't a list of articles about the kids. They have only played their junior seasons, so there's limited stats to pick up on.

So here's what seems to happen - a ridiculous amount of people get excited about just having a commit this early. That fact alone for some reason is important enough to people and is "great news". While getting commits early in-and-of-itself is no better than getting great players later in the process, there are reasons to be excited. First, you have to believe that the recruiting process generally involves sending out scholarship offers in waves. A group of Tier 1 kids in a particular position get offers knowing their are X number of spots available. These are the kids the staff has identified as their top targets.

That doesn't necessarily mean they are the best players according to Scout.com or Rivals.com. What it does mean is that they are the best players for our system + the right character guys + the right academic credentials. So you generally have to believe that JC Lanier, John Drew and Emanuel Dieke are considered top priorities by the staff. After all, we are basically on the first wave of offers for the class of 2009.

Paul Johnson has made it clear that his goal is winning championships. To do that, he must attract top caliber talent and bring in kids have to fit his system and can handle the coursework. So be excited because:

• 1. These seem to be "first wave" offers. Tier 1. That's encouraging.
• 2. These kids are all from the state of Georgia. That's encouraging.
• 3. Games are still won in the trenches, no matter what scheme you run. Having some "first wave", Tier 1 DL-man is a nice way to start the class, considering our depth is taking a major hit the next 1-2 years
• 4. The kids all seem to be solid character kids from good families, which was always a trademark of Coach Gailey. Nice to see PJ bringing in the same type guys.
• 5. Lots of very positive comments from kids from PJ's first junior day a couple of weeks ago. Evidently it was a well-run, effective event, and Giff Smith & staff understand how to make sure kids feel the true family atmostphere at GT. With kids pledging so early, "junior day" is no longer an event to just plant seeds for the future. It's about today.
• 6. Many positive comments on Paul Johnson. This from Drew - “I saw that everywhere he has been, he has won. He has been able to turn them into winning programs.”
• 7. Who likes to wait until late spring and summer to start seeing the verbals trickle in.
• 8. UGAg is going to sign a VERY small class this year. That certainly leaves more opportunities for GT
• 9. The in-state talent is much like 2007, when GT cleaned up. There are a bunch of kids with talent who can make the grade - more than in an average year.

So let's keep the momentum. Welcome to GT young men. Welcome to a new era in Georgia Tech football.

Hoops Recruiting - Iman Shumpert Video

Very impressive video from one of Iman Shumpert's recent games. Thanks WindyCityJacket for the upload. Right now Iman is the sole member of our latest recruiting class.



Here's another highlight video:



Here's Iman attempting some wild dunks:

Recruiting - Football Class of 2009

Well, the ink isn't even dry on the LOI's from the class of 2008 and Paul Johnson gets his first commit for the class of 2009, a Defensive Tackle who's about 6'3", 345lb. Yeah, you read right. He's already a 4-star Rivals.com guy (if that matters to you), and was a much sought after recruit. Clemson has already offered and he was garnering interest from all the major schools.



Definitely a super way to get next year's class going. By the way, take a look at these photo's and tell me you can't wait to see him in a uni:

I'd hate to see the "after" picture from the first one above.

Folks, there are some additional reasons to be pumped about next year's recruiting possibilites.

• it appears that the state of Georgia is loaded in 2009 - one of the better years in a long time in terms of talent in-state
• It also appears that a larger portion of that talent will actually be able to get into GT (at least more than typical)
• Lastly, our friends at Georgie are going to have a relatively small recruiting class, and they already have something like 5 slots filled.

The 2008 Class is in the Books

The 2008 Football Recruiting class is complete. Only minor signing day drama, as Tech reeled in a high potential tall but lightweight DE named Antonio Wilson, but also lost Lee Butler back to Duke, where he was originally committed.

So, there are 20 names in total. A nice class. Plenty to be excited about. In the spirit of promoting Georgia Tech athletics, I am going to completely rip-off the bio's on these kids from RamblinWreck.com for your viewing pleasure. Here's their link. I didn't think they would mind...... right :-)

Here's the breakdown:

Offense................... 10

Defense.................. 10

Defensive Line....... 2

Linebackers........... 3

Safeties................... 2

Corners................... 3

Quarterbacks........ 2

Offensive Line....... 3

A-backs (slot)........ 2

B-backs (~FB)....... 1

Wide Receivers..... 2

Now the bio's.

T.J. Barnes
DT/6-7/325
Enterprise HS
Enterprise, Ala.

Was a standout defensive tackle at Enterprise High School and can play line on either side of the ball... ranked as the 48th-best offensive tackle prospect nationally by Rivals.com... ranked by Rivals.com as the 18th-best high school prospect in Alabama... ranked as the 24th-best Alabama prospect by Scout.com... ranked No. 59 nationally among offensive tackle prospects by Scout.com... made more than 70 tackles, 20 tackles-for-loss, one sack and one interception as a senior... set a school record with eight sacks in one game... played four years of high school football at almost every position on the offensive and defensive lines... father, Terry Jones, played football at Auburn... cousins Fred Baxter and Randy Hart played football at Auburn... chose Georgia Tech over Louisville, Alabama, Auburn and others... selected Georgia Tech because of the academics, the football and the atmosphere... born June 14, 1990 in Montgomery, Ala... given name is Tarence Jariviz Barnes, but goes by T.J... has four teenage siblings.

Brandon Leslie
S/6-0/195
Edison HS
Fresno, Calif.

Has good agility and is fast in the open field... an aggressive player who delivers hard blows... had 71 tackles and four interceptions as a senior... named to Superprep's All-California team... rated the 49th-best safety prospect nationally and the 73rd-best overall prospect in California... an all-state and all-west coast selection as a sophomore... all-league and all-state as a senior... a good student with a lofty GPA... missed his entire junior season with a shoulder injury... earned four letters in football... served as team captain two years... also earned two letters in basketball... chose Georgia Tech over Nebraska, Stanford, Washington, among others... Leslie said: "The area of the school was just great. I want to be a part of that D. The people at the school, and the fans, they really showed me a lot of love."... chose Georgia Tech because of the academics, the people, the city of Atlanta and the football program... wore No. 24 in high school as a tribute to a close friend who passed away... given name is Brandon Jamal Leslie... born June 11, 1989 in Fresno, Calif... has one sister, Shymel... comes from an athletic family... cousin of former NFL running back Ickey Woods... another cousin, Steve Taylor, played football at Nebraska... father, Mike Leslie, played basketball at Santa Clara... has an uncle who played baseball at Fresno State.

Jon Lockhart
CB/6-0/190
Blountstown HS
Blountstown, Fla.

Has a good blend of size and speed... a good athlete with playmaker potential... has the versatility to play safety and/or receiver... played both wide receiver and cornerback on the high school level... ranked by Rivals as the nation's No. 70 cornerback prospect... ranked No. 61 nationally in the same category by Scout.com... led Blountstown HS to three district championships... was a second team all-state selection at wide receiver as a junior... played four years of high school football under coach Greg Jordan... also played three years on the Blountstown HS basketball team... chose Georgia Tech over Vanderbilt, South Florida, Mississippi, Duke and others.... selected Georgia Tech because the of the academics, the athletics and the city of Atlanta... born October 19, 1989 in Tallahassee, Fla... power-cleaned 385 and had a 41-inch vertical at the Scout.com combine... given name is Jonathan Sinclair Lockhart... has three siblings - Timothy, Raven and Sage.

B.J. Machen
LB/6-1/225
Hilliard Darby HS
Hilliard, Ohio

Has great strength, runs well and is rarely knocked down... relentless in pursuit of the football... athletic enough to avoid blockers... named first team Associated Press Division I All-Ohio... selected to the Columbus Dispatch All-Metro Defensive Player of the Year... Rivals ranks him No. 23 among prospects in Ohio and No. 43 nationally among outside linebackers... ranked as the 73rd-best prospect in the Midwest by Superprep... registered more than 130 tackles to go with five sacks in 13 games as a senior... played in the Big 33 (Ohio vs. Pennsylvania all-stars) Game in June... averaged 13 tackles per game as a junior... led team in tackles, sacks and tackles-for-loss in both 2006 and 2007... led Hilliard Darby to an 11-2 record and the Division I regional final - the school's first playoff appearance... earned three varsity letters in football... also played two years on the track and wrestling teams... the cousin of current Yellow Jacket defensive back DeRon Jasper... a good student with a lofty GPA... chose Georgia Tech over Maryland, Stanford, Duke, West Virginia and Syracuse... Machen said: "I like the location, I like the coaches and I have family down there."... his father, Ron, played at Stanford and his grandfather played at Illinois.... Born June 8, 1990 in Akron, Ohio... given name is Bijan Chrsian-Joseph Machen.

Daniel McKayhan
WR/6-0/180
Martin Luther King, Jr. HS
Decatur, Ga.

Helped lead Martin Luther King, Jr. High School to a Division 5A championship in 2007... a versatile player who may also develop into a punt and kick returner... named all-region and all-county honorable mention in 2007... returned punts for a total of 312 yards as a senior... named all-county and all-region in 2006... made four catches in the DeKalb County East vs. West Game... made six receptions vs. North Atlanta High School as a junior... earned three varsity letters in football at MLKHS, where he played wide receiver, quarterback and returned punts and kickoffs... also earned one letter in baseball... a good student who was on the honor roll every year of high school... member of the National Honor Society... chose Georgia Tech beause of excellent academics, it's close to home and an "opportunity to be a part of something great"... was recruited earlier by Paul Johnson's staff at Navy... chose Georgia Tech over Memphis, Vanderbilt and others... given name is Daniel Lamons McKayhan... born Jan. 15, 1990 in the golf town of Southern Pines, N.C... has two younger siblings, Dee-Dee and Jae-Jae.

Nick McRae
C/6-4/290
Dublin HS
Dublin, Ga.

A highly-touted center prospect with good size... Class 2A all-state honorable mention... also played on Dublin's 2006 state championship basketball team... in the fall of 2006 he led Dublin HS to a state title in football... ranked by Rivals as the 18th-best center prospect nationally... ranked by Superprep as Georgia's No. 45 prospect... earned four varsity letters in football under coach Roger Holmes... played center, defensive tackle and defensive end... served one year as team captain... also played two years of basketball at the center position... chose Georgia Tech over Maryland, Mississippi, NC State and others.... McRae said: "I like Coach Johnson. He seems like a good person and a good coach."... wore No. 76 in high school - the same number his father, Ronald, wore as a prep... born October 23, 1989 in Dublin, Ga... given name is Nicholas Rashad McRae... has three siblings - Natoya, Jasmine and Josh.

Malcolm Munroe
LB/6-3/215
Coral Reef HS
Miami, Fla.

Tall, rangy and athletic linebacker... has a good mix of size and speed... has the versatility to play almost any position on defense... earned three letters in football at Coral Reef High... earned one letter in track in the 200- and 400-meters... named to the Florida Times-Union Super 75... the No. 36-ranked outside linebacker prospect according to Rivals... ranked by Rivals as the No. 42 prospect in the state of Florida... one of Tech's highest-rated recruit by ESPN... invited to play in the Dade County North-South All-Star Game... earned numerous local awards including the Miami Herald's Dade Top 25, top defensive lineman (team award) and all-camp team... nominated for the National Honor Society... considering a major in biotechnology... chose Georgia Tech over Auburn, Louisville, South Carolina and others... chose Georgia Tech because of the football program, the campus atmosphere, the academics, the defensive scheme, and the opportunity to excel off the field... wore No. 42 in high school... given name is Malcolm Shakajamal Munroe... born March 12, 1990 in Miami... has three siblings... brother, Dorian, is a red-shirt junior safety at the University of Florida... father, Norman, captained his collegiate cricket team in England... has an uncle who served in government in Guyana.

Embry Peeples
A-Back/5-10/175
Dr. Phillips HS
Orlando, Fla.

An extremely fast player and an elusive back... has the speed and athleticism to be a return specialist... possesses receiving skills out of the backfield... rushed for 636 yards on 103 carries in 12 games last season (average of 6.18 yards per carry)... rushed for five touchdowns... also had a pair of receptions for 22 yards... plagued with an injury most of senior year... rushed for 909 yards as a junior including eight consecutive 100-yard games... named to Superprep's All-Florida team... on Rivals' list of top 100 prospects in Florida... Rivals ranks him the No. 38 all-purpose back nationally... ranked by Scout.com as the No. 69 running back prospect nationally... named the Orlando Touchdown Club Player of the Week in Week 1 after rushing for 223 yards on 21 carries... helped lead Dr. Phillips HS to a district championship in 2006... played three seasons of high school football - two under coach Kevin Pettis and one under Bob Head... ran track for three years... has run a 10.71 in the 100-meters... maintained a high GPA of 3.5 or better each year... chose Georgia Tech over LSU, West Virginia and others... selected Georgia Tech because of the academics, location and football tradition... born August 24, 1990 in Miami... given name is Embry James Peeples... cousin, Jameal Cook, played more than two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers... has two siblings - Beau and Thi.

Rashaad Reid
CB/5-10/180
St. Augustine HS
St. Augustine, Fla.

A versatile defensive back with a number of skills... named to the Florida Times-Union Super 75... rated as the No. 58 cornerback prospect nationally by Scout.com... played three years of high school football and served one year as team captain... led St. Augustine HS to three consecutive district championships in 2005, 2006 and 2007... was on the class 3A state championship team as a sophomore in 2005... also played three years of basketball and ran track for three years... led the track team to district titles in 2006 and 2007 and was selected all-district in the 4x100 relay... a good student who consistently made the honor roll... chose Georgia Tech over South Florida, Arkansas, NC State and Central Florida... selected Georgia Tech because of the academics, the football program, a chance to compete for a national championship and the city of Atlanta... born Dec. 11, 1989 in St. Augustine, Fla... given name is Rashaad Dwayne Reid... has two siblings... cousin, Willie Cooper, played football at Miami... cousin, Quinterrance Cooper, played football at Western Kentucky.

Kamaron Riley
CB/6-2/180
Hawkinsville HS
Hawkinsville, Ga.

A naturally-gifted athlete... was a standout on both sides of the ball as a cornerback and receiver on the high school level... ranks third in Hawkinsville High history with 10 career interceptions... had six interceptions in 2007 including two in one game... named Class A all-state in '07... was first team all-region as a receiver in `06... also among the top receivers in Hawkinsville history... had 43 receptions as a junior and 78 receptions for his career... averaged 16.4 yards per receptions with 707 yards total as a junior... was a freshman on the 2004 team that won the state championship... Scout.com ranks him among the top 100 prospects at his position nationally... played football at Hawkinsville under coach Lee Campbell... also ran track and played basketball... current Yellow Jackets Trey Dunmon, Robert Hall and Jim Henry also attended Hawkinsville High... chose Georgia Tech over Vanderbilt, Indiana and others.... selected Georgia Tech because of the academics and the people... owns a 36-inch vertical... born March 8, 1990 in Hawkinsville, Ga... given name is Kamaron De'Shaun Riley... has two siblings... cousin, Charles Johnson, played three years of football at Georgia and now plays in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers.

Jaybo Shaw
QB/6-0/190
Flowery Branch HS
Flowery Branch, Ga.

A dual-threat quarterback who could fit nicely into Georgia Tech's offensive scheme... utilizes his athleticism to avoid the rush and buy more time in the pocket... good at improvising when play breaks down... throws well on the run... does a good job of reading the end on the option... fundamentally sound son of a football coach... as a junior he threw for 2,700 yards and 28 touchdowns... rushed for 1,500 yards and 21 TDs as a junior... set just about every school quarterback-related record at Flowery Branch... finished his career with 9,340 yards and 127 touchdowns... named to the North squad in the GACA North-South All-Star Game... selected to the Gainesville Times 2007 all-county first team... ranked as the nation's 10th-best dual-threat quarterback prospect nationally... among Rivals' top 50 prospects in the state of Georgia... ranked as Georgia's No. 58 prospect by Superprep... ranked the No. 56 prospect nationally at quarterback by Scout.com... led Flowery Branch to consecutive sub-region championships and state playoff appearances... played four years of football under coach Lee Shaw... served two years as team captain... also played basketball for three years, ran track two years and played one year of tennis... chose Georgia Tech over Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and others... Shaw said: "I like Coach Johnson because he's a straight shooter and he's been successful everywhere he's been. He's a winner.".. born October 27, 1989 in Gainesville, Ga... given name is Jaybo Lee Shaw... has two younger siblings - Connor and Anna Kate... father, Lee, played fooball at Western Carolina... mother, Dawn, played basketball at North Georgia.

Quentin Sims
WR/6-3/190
Colerain HS
Cincinnati, Ohio

Has good size and athletic ability... played for one of Ohio's top prep programs... Colerain went 12-1 in 2007 and finished No. 14 in USA Today's National Super 25... had 24 receptions for 313 yards and two touchdowns in 2007... also rushed 75 times for 764 yards and seven touchdowns... moved to quarterback during the state playoffs in place of an injured starting QB... led Colerain to conference championships in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007... won district championships in 2004 and 2006... was part of the 2004 state championship team... earned nine varsity letters at Colerain High School - three in football, four in track and two in basketball... was a sprinter and high-jumper for the track team... a second team all-conference selection in 2007 as a running back... also named all-city honorable mention... had a memorable season opener as a senior in 2007... playing quarterback, he rushed for 228 yards on 12 carries, was 3-for-3 passing with two touchdowns, with one of the TDs going to his younger brother, Damon... was a two-time all-conference selection in track... was part of the school record-breaking 4x400 relay team in '07... member of the high school student senate... chose Georgia Tech over Buffalo, Virginia and others... selected Georgia Tech because of the Management program, the football team and coaching staff, and the city of Atlanta... earned a national championship in karate in 2000... father, Fred Sims, was a running back at Oklahoma in 1981 and 1982... born July 11, 1990 in Tucson, Ariz.

Phil Smith
OT/6-6/290
Jesuit HS
Tampa, Fla.

Possesses good speed for a player his size... earned all-county honors in 2007 as an offensive lineman... selected All-Hillsborough County second team... earned all-state honors by the FSWA as an offensive tackle... rated as the No. 56 prospect nationally at offensive tackle by Scout.com... recorded six sacks on the defensive line as a junior... earned three varsity letters in football at defensive end, offensive tackle and tight end... also earned three letters in basketball as an imposing center... served one year as captain of the basketball team... recorded a triple-double as a sophomore with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 11 blocked shots against Berkeley Prep... selected for the student council as a senior... attended same high school as current Yellow Jackets Andrew Smith, A.J. Smith and Michael Peterson... former Tech quarterback George Godsey also attended Jesuit HS... Smith said "It's a family atmosphere" at Georgia Tech... chose Georgia Tech over Penn State and several other schools... born July 24, 1990 in Tampa... given name is Philip Wallace Smith... father, Mark, played football for four years at Nicholls State... has a younger brother, Brad.

Steven Sylvester
LB/6-2/225
Union Grove HS
McDonough, Ga.

Has natural tools of a linebacker but also the skills to play running back... has good size... a strong tackler who consistently knocks ball carriers backwards... ranked by Superprep as Georgia's No. 21 prospect... ranked No. 26 in the same category by Rivals... Rivals ranks him the 26th-best prospect nationally at inside linebacker... Scout.com ranks him 23rd nationally as a weakside linebacker prospect... named first team all-region as a senior and second team as a sophomore and junior... selected to play in the Georgia North-South All-Star Game... scored four touchdowns in his final high school game... earned four varsity letters in football under coaches Bill Hobbs and Mike McDonald... also earned three letters in basketball as a power forward... former teammate of Georgia Tech redshirt freshman linebacker Kyle Jackson... was vice-president of the student body... homecoming king as a senior... received the Coca-Cola Award for outstanding athletic and academic achievement... chose Georgia Tech over Georgia and Alabama, among others... Sylvester said: "I like Coach Johnson. He's a no-nonsense type guy and knows what he wants. He was really successful at Navy and I'm happy to be able to play for him."... born October 18, 1989 in Enterprise, Ala... once lived in Seattle... given name is Steven Joseph Sylvester.

Cooper Taylor
S/6-4/195
Marist School
Atlanta, Ga.

A good-sized safety with ability to play linebacker... a solid pass defender... ranked by Superprep as Georgia's No. 61 prospect... ranked by Scout.com as the No. 78 prospect nationally at safety... a two-time all-state and all-county selection... a good student... earned three varsity letters in football... played a variety of positions on the prep level including wide receiver, free safety, running back and quarterback... led team to the state championship game and a regional championship in 2006... broke the school single-season interception record in '06... chose Georgia Tech over Mississippi State, Virginia, Duke and others... Taylor said: "I really like Coach Johnson and he told me what plans he had for Georgia Tech."... born April 14, 1990 in Atlanta... given name is Cooper Austin Taylor... the son of former Georgia Tech quarterback Jim Bob Taylor, who went on to play for the Baltimore Colts in 1983.

Omoregie Uzzi
OG/6-3/291
Chamblee HS
Chamblee, Ga.

A highly-touted recruit who excelled on both the offensive and defensive lines in high school... has good size... moves well laterally and plays with great effort... the ninth-rated offensive guard prospect nationally according to Scout.com... a first team all-state selection in 2007... also named to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's All-Citywide Team... a 2007 U.S. Army All-American... chosen to play in the first Dekalb County Senior All-Star Game... named most outstanding lineman at Chamblee High School... helped lead Chamblee to a 12-2 record in 2007 - the most wins in school history... Chamblee advanced to the state semifinals and earned a final state ranking of No. 3... was instrumental in Chamblee rushing for 4,267 yards (7.5 yards per carry) and 60 touchdowns in 2007... as a junior in 2006, Uzzi recorded 70 tackles and two sacks... selected Georgia Tech over Alabama, Virginia, Georgia and others.

Tevin Washington
QB/6-1/205
Wetumpka HS
Wetumpka, Ala.

Named first team class 6A all-state... also a two-time member of the Montgomery Advertiser all-metro team... earned all-county honors three times... ranked as the No. 60 prospect nationally at quarterback by Scout.com... posted career numbers of 5,042 yards passing, 2,097 yards rushing, 42 passing touchdowns and 25 rushing TDs... rushed for 1,088 yards and 14 TDs as a senior... led Wetumpka to a 10-2 record in 2007... passed for more than 200 yards five times in `07, including a season-high 254 yards in the second round of the state playoffs... rushed for more than 100 yards in five games, including a season-high 214 yards vs. Fairhope HS... a three-year starter for the Indians... played four years of football, including two as team captain, under coach Chad Anderson... also played basketball and baseball in high school... Coach Anderson on Washington: "He doesn't try to force things, but he can get you out of a bad situation with his ability. He routinely made plays that made you just say `Wow!'"... chose Georgia Tech over Louisville, Troy and Memphis... selected Georgia Tech because of its academic tradition, the opportunity to play college football at the highest level and to play for Coach Paul Johnson... born May 19, 1990 in Montgomery, Ala... given name is Tevin Cory-Hunter Washington... has three siblings - Trey, Adrienne and Audrie... father, Lewis, played basketball at Faulkner University.

Richard Watson
B-Back/6-1/225
FAMU HS
Tallahassee, Fla.

A big, bruising back who runs with power... a north-south runner who is very tough between the tackles... has good balance and quick feet for a big back.... prefers to run through defenders as opposed to around them... was a star on offense on the high school level but has the skills to play linebacker on defense... selected to the FSWA Class 1B All-State Team... member of the Florida Times Union's Super 75... named to Superprep's All-Florida team... rated as the nation's third-best fullback recruit by Rivals and the fourth-best fullback by Scout.com... also among Florida's top 75 prospects by Rivals... led FAMU High School to the Class 1B state championship game in back-to-back years including a state title as a junior... led team to three consecutive district titles and two straight regional crowns... rushed for more than 1,500 yards as a senior... as a junior, ran for 2,140 yards and 34 touchdowns, ending the season with a 123-yard effort in the state championship game... served two years as a team captain... earned the Tallahassee Quarterback Club's Offensive Player of the Year... made 75 tackles, 12 tackles-for-loss and five sacks as a sophomore... chose Georgia Tech over Ohio State, Boston College, Arkansas and others... selected Georgia Tech because of the academics, the coaches and the family atmosphere... born June 18, 1990 in Irvine, Calif... given name is Richard C. Watson... has two brothers - Brandon and Alexander.

Antonio Wilson
DE/6-6/220
Columbia HS
Decatur, Ga.

An intriguing prospect who starred in basketball but played high school football for the first time as a senior in 2007... listed as a defensive end but is athletic enough to play receiver... played in just four games in 2007 after suffering an injury in an automobile accident... had 25 tackles and 11 sacks in those four games... has fully recovered from the injury... played three seasons of basketball at Columbia... helped Columbia to the 2006 state championship in basketball... an outstanding student with a GPA approaching 4.0... consistently on the honor roll... member of the National Honor Society... chose Georgia Tech over Vanderbilt and others... selected Tech because of the football, the engineering major and because it's close to home... considering a major in chemical engineering... born October 9, 1989 in Decatur, Ga... given name is Antonio DeMario Wilson... has one sister, Kristie.

Marcus Wright
A-Back/5-8/175
Reagan HS
San Antonio, Texas

A small but extremely quick back... has an exceptional initial burst... has a second gear in the open field... compared by some to Garett Wolfe... rushed for a San Antonio city record of 3,374 yards on 359 carries and scored 45 touchdowns last season as a senior... had at least one carry of 70-plus yards in eight consecutive games... a Parade All-American... an Army All-America selection... played in the Army All-America Bowl... a first team all-state selection... played in eight career playoff games, producing 2,201 yards and 31 touchdowns... named the Texas Class 5A offensive player of the year... selected to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl... finished high school career by rushing for 100 or more yards in 25 consecutive games... had a career total of 7,036 career yards and 85 touchdowns... earned three varsity letters in football and three in track and field as a sprinter... wore No. 21 in high school - the same number worn by his brother... has four siblings... chose Georgia Tech over Tulsa, among others... chose Georgia Tech because of the football program, academics and the location... given name is Marcus Lamar Wright... born Nov. 28, 1989 in Atlanta... father, Michael, played football at Alabama State.

Recruiting Day Post

I won't be able to update this much during the day, but thought I would create a post for people to comment on. In addition, here is a link to www.ramblinwreck.com, where they are already posting some LOI's that have arrived.

Signing Day - The Night Before

Well, Wednesday is that annual culmination of the year-around effort to convince kids why they should give the next four/five years of their life to you and your school. Signing day. Coaches mostly hope for very few surprises, unless it's one of those good ones.

Paul Johnson and staff expect to sign upwards of 21 kids, and could be as low as 19 my guess. In all fairness, this class really cannot be considered Paul Johnson's first. PJ has had a grand total of about 3-4 weeks with his staff in place to make an impression. Recruiting is a year-long process. It's about relationships and trust. It's hard to build that in 3-4 weeks. Chan Gailey's first class had a few gems in it like Chris Reis, but truthfully it was a disaster from the standpoint of long-term contribution. Very few of the players made the 2-deep. Very few made it the full 4/5 years in the program. Of course that was the year Coach Gailey decided to stick with the Dolphins as OC until his season was over. This time around, PJ has probably even less time to make things happen.

As always, you can NEVER truly judge the quality of a recruiting class until year 4. Only in hindsight can you say whether they "panned out". From all signs, this is a balanced class. A bunch of guys with good rankings. Only one guy considered "4/5 star", but only two below "3 star" status. Frankly, I think PJ did fine considering the time crunch. He kept most of the guys that were on-board and brought on some guys that have a good shot at showcasing themselves in the triple-option system................. So a bunch of guys who have a chance to.................................

Rankings Schmankings

Paul Johnson has reeled in a few new recruits the past few days:

Omoregie Uzzi, 6'3" 291lb OG, 4-star kid from Chamblee GA.
Daniel McKayhan, 6'0", 180lb, 2-star WR from Lithonia GA (video here)
Quentin Sims, 6'4" 190lb, 2-star WR from Cincy OH

In addition, it looks like Lee Butler, who switched his commit from Duke to GT, is waivering again. How about this from the article:

Because Tech runs the triple option under Johnson, the former Navy coach, Butler
agreed with Duke coaches who said, “how in the world can a (defensive back) be
the best he can be if he’s not going against top-notch receivers?”

Excellent point, because heaven knows since they've won like ONE ACC game in like 4 years, Duke is stocked with guys that will teach DB's to learn the game. Love that one. But hey, all's fair in love and recruiting.............. considering we went after him after he committed to Duke anyhow.

So let's get back to recruit rankings. Everyone knows it, but we should remind - grains of saltiness required. Look, it's fun to look at recruiting rankings and try to see where you "stack up" against other schools. However, I think there's enough proof out there that shows Scout.com and Rivals.com and ESPN.com and every other ranking service are making nothing more than semi-educated guesses. It's not so hard for them to figure out the 4/5 star guys. But does anyone really expect that they can evaluate and rank all those hundreds other other players and figure out who is a 2/3 star vs 4? Come on.

Case in point. Scout.com just re-ranked the 2004 classes. GT was originally ranked #35, but low-and-behold, after on-the-field results, they come in at #15, even ahead of our sisters in Athens, who DROPPED from #6 to #17. Last year David Glenn of the ACC Sports Journal ranked ACC classes in what was Chan Gailey's 2nd recruiting class. What was considered near the bottom of the ACC at the time ended up ranked as the #1 recruiting class in the ACC - based on real results and production.

It goes on and on. Recruiting services cater to an audience. They are trying to drive revenue. You don't think it's a coincidence that Notre Dame has wonderful classes every year yet somehow manage to NEVER live up to them? Money makes the world go-round. Folks, GT consistently out-performs our recruiting rankings year-after-year-after-year-after-year-etc-etc. We just don't have quite the audience of Texas, Michigan, etc, etc.

Having said all that - the services get a lot correct - just mainly the players at the top of the lists. Beyond the truly elite players, it gets REAL fuzzy........ and of course there are other factors that determine "success" after four years - strength/conditioning programs, academics, the "system", good coaches, talent evaluation.

In hindsight, I think it's fair to say that Chan Gailey was an outstanding evaluator of talent. That doesn't always mean he got his guy, but he knew how to pick out a lot of those supposed "2 star" guys and magically turn them into 4/5 star wonders. Andrew Gardner was a 2-star guy that only Duke and Vandy wanted to take a chance on and now 2 all-ACC teams later, look who's talking. There are plenty of examples.

I only ramble on in order to make the point not to get caught up in stars and numbers. On paper this class looks like it has a chance to be a decent one. On paper it has a lot of potential. On paper it looks very consistent across the board. In the end games aren't played on paper. Don't sweat the rankings too much. Just have fun with them. And when your Clemson friends gloat about their top 5 class ranking, just tell them how much fun it will be whooping them again, only this time with a new coach and a new system.

Football Tidbits

JACKETS NAB SOME NEW RECRUITS
The Jackets landed a couple of new recruits this weekend- another QB (Tevin Washington) and a big O-lineman (Phil Smith, 6'6" 290lb). Tevin is of course a dual-threat guy. So the class continues to fill up - and I believe this is commit #16. Expect for us to sign 18-20 kids this year, even though there are plenty more free rides available. However, I expect a plus-size class next year, with a handful coming into next spring early counting against this year's class. We'll see. However, it's just not realistic to expect a guy who has had the job only a few weeks to pull in some great recruiting class. The job was to secure the kids they wanted to keep that were already committed, stay hot on the uncommitted kids we wanted all along, then go find some QB's and skill position players to fit the triple-option offense.


QB SITUATION CHANGES FOR 2008
Just FYI - some QB changes in the air. Kyle Manley is done with his football career. He will graduate and not pursue another year. In addition, Taylor Bennett will not be on scholarship for the 2008 season apparently. It appears he's probably going to finish his degree here (as he said himself in a previous AJC article), and may transfer to Boise or some other school to finish his final year of eligibility. However, rules prohibit him from going to a 1A school without sitting out a year without some type of hardship waiver from the NCAA. Since he's had a redshirt year, he wouldn't have any eligibility left. For Jacket fans - the bottom-line is he won't be in a Jacket uniform next season.

So here's the QB situation:

Calvin Booker - earned a scholarship recently (congrats)
Josh Nesbitt - a clear leader?
Jaybo Shaw - a true freshman who runs option.
Tevin Washington - true freshman

THREE JACKETS HEADED TO SUPERBOWL
Well how about that - Gerris Wilkinson, James Butler and Michael Matthews are headed to the Superbowl as their Giants knocked off Brett Favre and the Packers. Congrats. For me, it just solidifies who I am rooting for. Wouldn't it be a monumental upset to take down the evil empire of New England?

Football Recruiting - Jackets Nab a Texas Slotback

One of the fastest kids in the state of Texas changed his commitment from Tulsa to Georgia Tech yesterday - Marcus Wright. Marcus will certainly be a "slotback", one of those two backs that line up typically just outside the OT's in the triple option. Wright is actually from the Atlanta area, but lives and plays in 5A ball in Texas. Was all-state 1st team and the state 5A offensive player-of-the-year. He's also a participant in the US Army All-American Bowl. As a sophomore at a Nike camp, he was electronically timed at 4.36 in the 40. Not bad. Not bad at all. He also runs track.

Now, as a junior he racked up 3,374 yards rushing and 45 TD's (including 8 rushing TD's in one game), which was good enough for the 7th best season ever in the state of Texas by a tailback.

So if he's all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips, then why did he commit to Tulsa? No major powers? It appears that after his committment to Tulsa he did receive offers from some of the major BCS schools in-state, but he decided not to change......... until now..

There's another issue that probably scares off some - he's 5'7", 170lb (listed at 5'6" by Rivals.com). No doubt the size-police blew the whistle for a lot of schools. However, a quick, shifty, speedster makes for a nice slotback if you ask me. I believe you generally want fast, cut-back, smaller guys in this role. In his videos you could see the speed, but I was just as impressed with his vision and cutback ability. Seems like a nice get for PJ.

Here are some links from around the web (some taken from posters at the Hive):

Bio 1Bio 2 with vids
Texas InsideA look at his 06 season
All-State RB in Texas and Offensive POTY, 2007
On San Antonio's all-time rush list
HS stats
(San Antonio link)

One last side note - Wright was Tulsa's first commitment in their class and Wright's father indicated that Tulsa coaches were pretty upset at the switch. So the next time we go bashing Spurrier or Saban for stealing our guys, I guess we have to remember those ole standby lines - "All's fair in love and war", or maybe "what comes around goes around", or "don't count your chickens" or maybe "that's just life in the big city". Not sure, but the shoe sure is on the other foot now.

In fact, the Rival article after his commit to Tulsa ended with this:

When asked what he's going to tell other college programs that try to change his decision, the speedster who once ran back five kickoffs in a Pop Warner game responded, "I'm going to tell them I'm committed to Tulsa, and I'm going to be a Golden Hurricane."

I put that here not to cast negative light on a good day. Just that until ink is to paper, nothing is certain, and these kids are making life decisions. I don't fault Chris Jackson or AJ Jenkins or the other de-commits. It hurts to see them go, but only from the standpoint that they could have helped and represented GT football.

Anyhow, welcome aboard Marcus. You did make the right choice.