In April of last year, Georgia State took a giant leap forward as an institution by officially announcing it would field a football team in 2010. Two weeks ago, the school continued on the fast track to Division I football when it signed its first class of athletes.
With head coach Bill Curry as the closer, recruiting coordinator Georgia Pugh—who told us on Score Atlanta’s Sunday high school recruiting show on 790 The Zone that he was surprised at the number of players to commit well in advance of National Signing Day—brought in a solid class with 26 athletic players that can be moved around based on position needs. The group abounds with two-way athletes, dual-threat quarterbacks (most of which won’t end up under center) and quick running backs. Local backs Nathaniel Anthony (Columbia) and Sam Burkhalter (Blessed Trinity), who also joined myself, Scott Janovitz, Fletcher Proctor and I.J. Rosenberg on last Sunday’s program, will provide a local flavor and plenty of experience in competitive football leagues.
Though there weren’t many linemen in State’s first class, the ones that signed on the dotted line have Division I size. Grayson’s Harrison Clottey, a member of one of the best O-lines in the state during his career, is listed at 6-foot-6, 296 pounds, and South Carolina offensive linemen Grant King and Ramell Davis check in at 6-5, 285 and 6-7, 270, respectively. Though the staff will have to flesh out the roster with a bunch more big uglies in the 2010 class, the lines shouldn’t lack for D-I bodies.
Encouraging is the fact that several State commits chose the opportunity to be pioneers at a new program over the chance to play FBS football. Defensive end Robert Ferguson of Florida football power Glades Central, who projects to move to linebacker in college, chose the Panthers over offers from West Virginia, Louisville, Troy and Northern Illinois. Henry County quarterback Drew Little, perhaps the team’s most high-profile recruit because of his prolific prep passing career (he is second all-time in career passing yards in the state), committed to State shortly after taking an official visit to Boston College. But the jewel of the class might be running back Parris Lee out of Neptune Beach, Fla., a three-star prospect according to Rivals.com and the former recruiting target of Tulane, Middle Tennessee and Central Michigan. The versatile 5-8 back, named as one of the top 24 senior prospects on the First Coast by the Jacksonville Times-Union, has excellent speed and catches the ball well out of the backfield.
TAKING IT SLOW
With a year to redshirt before the team will set foot on the field, State’s 2009 class will have the benefit of training and practicing directly under the head coach and the top members of the staff. For incoming freshman at most other schools, the early years mean a spot buried on the depth chart or spent under the tutelage of graduate assistants, but according to Burkhalter and several other future Panthers, the chance for direct interaction with a coach like Curry was a selling point.
Speaking of selling points, this group, which is chock-full of smart kids from winning programs, should be all an Atlanta sports fan needs to get excited about the city’s newest football team.
Ewalt can be reached at aewalt@scoreatl.com.
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