We had another great installment in the The Official Visit series, our 790 The Zone recruiting show that airs from 2-4 every Sunday. Among other guests, we had the chance to catch up with two of the state’s top defensive linemen in Grayson’s Shawn Green and Jeffrey Whitaker of Warner Robins, and also had the opportunity to speak with Tucker head football coach Franklin Stephens. Green, a 6-foot-2, 275-pound defensive tackle with offers from Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, Mississippi and Florida State to name a few, gave us some great insight into his ongoing recruitment, which included naming Ole Miss his leader and expressing a special interest in the SEC.
“I think the SEC is the best conference so it was just an honor to get an offer from an SEC school (Ole Miss).”
Beyond the SEC, Green has also had extensive contact with Georgia Tech and Yellow Jacket defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Giff Smith.
“I like Georgia Tech too. They are close to home. Coach (Giff) Smith seems like he’ll be a very good defensive line coach and I like his scheme and the way he plays his linemen.”
Green will likely keep a close eye on the Tech’s defensive line production this year, as he did acknowledge the team’s youth and overall depth at the position.
“Playing time is worries me there a little because I want to play early, but if it comes down to it I am willing to battle for a spot.”
As for Georgia, the hometown Bulldogs have yet to extend an offer to the Grayson standout.
In catching up with coach Stephens, we were lucky enough to get the second-year lead man to discuss the element of speed in the recent success of his Tucker Tigers.
“We’ve been blessed with having some kids that can run,” said Stephens, “but on defense we specifically look for kids that can run and put them on defense…In order to be good on defense you’ve got to have some kids that can run and once they get to the ball they’ve got to have a bad disposition and fortunately we’ve had those types of kids.”
Back to recruiting, Stephens has some special talent roaming the sidelines, specifically 2011 linebacker James Vaughters. Listed at 6-3, 220 pounds, Vaughters has one of the most impressive offer lists of any 2011 recruit, one that includes Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State and UNC to name a few. Needless to say, Stephens is as impressed with Vaughters as each of the aforementioned schools.
“James is one of those special kids you only get to coach once in a while. Athletically he’s very gifted, but academically he’s very gifted also. James has a 4.0 GPA, does extremely well in the classroom, and is a very grounded kid. Every now and then you get one those kids that is very intelligent in the classroom but then they have problems transferring that to the field, but that’s not the case with James; his football intellect is very high and then athletically he’s very gifted”
Finally, the Sunday interview with Jeffery Whitaker was one of the most entertaining to have hit The Official Visit thus far. In addition to being a top recruit and a quite informative lad, Whitaker is one of the most insightful and interesting teenagers any of us (The Score Gang) have ever had the pleasure of speaking with. Among the many noteworthy topics discussed was Whitaker’s take on the University of Georgia in general and Athens specifically.
“It’s a fun place. The recruiting part is football, but you’re not going to do football forever. Football is a lot of the time, but there are going to be times when you’re going to want to go out and have fun and Athens is a pretty good spot for that.”
The 6-3, 315-pound massive athlete also had some favorable things to say about Clemson, the first school to extend an offer, and head coach Dabo Sweeney. Whitaker also expressed his admiration for the football played in the SEC, though he will apparently weigh many factors beyond conferences before his decision is made.
“The SEC is by the far best conference. To me it is the best conference for defensive linemen and offensive linemen; you know the guys up front are big, good-looking boys. But to decide the college where I’m going to go I’m going to think outside the box a little bit and just look around. This is going to be a lifetime decision so I’m going to look around in California and other places and look for the best place that fits me.”
Finally, while Whitaker informed us he will wait until the end of his senior season to make a decision, he still has plans to keep plenty busy during the summer.
“In June I’m just training with my trainer every day. Right now I’m at 310, the right way though. I’m a good-looking 310. My goal is to lose ten more pounds in the next two weeks. July is for visits; I’ve got Alabama and Auburn in mind and maybe two more in July.”
Listen to The Official Visit every Sunday from 2-4 on 790 The Zone. Janovitz can be reached at sjanovitz@scoreatl.com.
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