The ACC has recruited players from Georgia with great vigor this recruiting cycle, as 20 of the state’s very best football players have already given their pledges to schools within the conference. Three of those 20 removed their names from the list of uncommitted players in the last week with another Georgia athlete giving his word to Vanderbilt around the same time.Here’s a closer look at each.
ACC ON ATTACK
The action began July 28 when Wake Forest landed a verbal commitment from Chattahoochee quarterback Brendan Cross. The 6-foot-1, 189-pound quarterback received offers from Bowling Green, Miami-Ohio and Air Force before designating Wake Forest as his future stomping grounds. After throwing for 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns last year, Rivals.com evaluated Cross as a three-star recruit and ranked him as the 35th-best pro-style quarterback in the country. On film, Cross shows good athleticism and running ability for the position and is a threat to score with his feet on any play. He also has good accuracy, nice touch on his passes and a decently strong arm. Most noticeably, Cross has tremendous field awareness, consistently finding his third and fourth options when necessary.
Also making his announcement last Monday was Chamblee all-purpose back Warren Norman. Choosing Vanderbilt over offers from Georgia Tech and Iowa State, the 5-foot-10, 188-pound Norman is a three-star recruit according to Rivals.com and the 30th-ranked all-purpose back in the nation for the Class of 2009. On the field, Norman does not display great lateral quickness and tends to do most of his running north/south, hitting the hole hard and looking his best once he gets into space. Most importantly, Norman is not afraid of contact and has deadly straight-line speed.
TECH, DUKE JOIN PARTY
Last Tuesday, the Duke Blue Devils reaped the benefits of Georgia’s fertile recruiting lands in a big way, earning verbal commitments from two Peach State athletes. Brandon Putnam, a 6-foot-3, 232-pound defensive end from Sandy Creek, chose the Blue Devils over Arkansas, UAB, Georgia Tech, and Vanderbilt. One of his newest Duke teammates, Kadeem Wise, also chose the Dukies on Tuesday over Georgia Tech, Indiana and Wake Forest. According to Rivals.com, Putnam is a three-star weakside defensive end while Wise is a two-star defensive back.
Not to be outdone by their conference competitors, the local Yellow Jackets joined in on the fun. On Wednesday, Georgia Tech picked up a verbal commitment from Newnan offensive guard Raymond Beno, a two-star recruit according to Rivals. Beno chose Tech over offers from Miami, Southern Mississippi and Wake Forest, among others. At 6-foot-1, 278 pounds, Beno is a big, physical offensive lineman who, at this stage, is more impressive in the running game than the passing game.
Janovitz can be reached at sjanovitz@scoreatl.com.
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