It was yet another busy week along the Georgia recruiting trail, as three more highly sought-after prospects made their college declarations known. Whitefield Academy defensive end Kris Redding started the week off by giving his pledge to Louisville. Redding, a 6-foot-4, 232-pound athlete, chose the Cardinals over offers from Memphis, Tulane and Wake Forest. Interestingly, while his commitment only became news this week, Redding actually gave Louisville his verbal more than two weeks ago.
“I actually committed two weeks ago,” Redding explained last week in an interview with CardinalSports.com. “I just wanted to make sure before I told anyone, so I went on this visit.”
Fortunately for Cardinals fans, that visit was more than adequate. “My visit went well. I loved Louisville,” Redding said. “I enjoyed it better than any other visit I’ve been on. I went ahead and committed.”
Also taking his name off the market last week was Centennial defensive end Euclid Cummings, who chose the local Yellow Jackets over offers from Tennessee, NC State, North Carolina and Maryland, among other schools. According to Rivals.com, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Cummings is a three-star recruit and the 65th-ranked prospect in the State of Georgia.
Cummings visited Tech two weekends ago and, according to his recent interview with the Atlanta Journal Constitution, it was that time spent on campus, with team that made the difference.
“When I went on my official visit last weekend, I just felt like Georgia Tech is where I belong,” Cummings explained last week. “I feel like I fit in with the team really well.”
As for the Jackets, Cummings gives them 18 commitments for the Class of 2009 and represents the fifth defensive lineman to commit to Tech so far. And, when discussing Cummings as a prospect, it is all about potential. He plays the game extremely fast, is a good athlete and displays solid strength for his size. He will, however, need to develop a deeper arsenal of pass-rush moves as well as better consistency overall.
While we’re on the topic of Tech recruiting, I feel obligated to at least acknowledge the rumors surrounding Carver running back Demond Dennis. After committing to the Jackets in November, recent speculation has Dennis looking elsewhere, most notably at the Trojans of Troy. In the world of recruiting, where there is smoke there is often fire, meaning Dennis is certainly one to keep an eye on.
HILLTOPPERS SNAG RAIDER
Alpharetta cornerback Vince Williams represented the final commitment of the week, choosing Western Kentucky in the end despite offers from Delaware, Akron, Ball State and Central Michigan. As for why the 5-foot-11, 170-pound athlete chose the Hilltoppers, both education and football played big factors.
“One of the things I liked, I really liked the communications program,” Williams recently told InsideHilltopperSports.com. “I know they have one of the best in the country and that’s a possible major for me. That had some influence, but I also liked the coaches a lot. The chemistry they have with their players, they seem like they really love what they do. They work hard to get the players prepared week in and week out and I felt as though they were building something with their program and I just wanted to be a part of that.”
Despite his team’s 2008 struggles, Williams had a solid season from his cornerback position, registering 41 tackles and two interceptions on the season. And, while he would like to play early and believes he is both physically and mentally capable of doing so, Williams is open to whatever the coaches feel is best.
“I think [whether I play] all depends on how I handle the situation and if they feel as though I can make an impact right now, then I doubt that they’ll redshirt me, they’ll probably have me play right then. I’m going to compete hard, do my best in the weight room and on the field and give myself the best opportunity possible and see how it goes from there.”
NOT SO FAST
Rumors and the name Jonathan Davis have gone hand-in-hand in the recruiting world over the last couple of weeks. Over the last few weeks, the 5-foot-9, 205-pound Tucker linebacker has been rumored to have committed to Boston College, Penn State and, most recently, to South Carolina.
“I’ve gotten calls from probably 15 coaches today about that story,” Davis’s father explained to BlazerSportsReport.com last week. “We have not committed to anyone yet.”
As for the leaders, UAB, Central Florida and South Carolina lead the way. And though South Carolina is certainly the biggest name among the bunch, the elder Davis warns against any assumptions.
“The problem is people look at that list and think, ‘Oh well. If that’s it, then he’s definitely going to South Carolina,’ and that’s just not the case. We really like UAB, but South Carolina is coming after him hard.”
From here, Davis will take his time, as he still has official visits scheduled to the campuses of all three finalists.
Janovitz can be reached at sjanovitz@scoreatl.com.
Loading ...
