if it's on the internet, it's true: Jewbaccah's recap GA Edition

It is long ways to the first Wednesday in February. I suspect much of our recruiting future will be tied to wins and losses this year. As such, I am going to take a slow but meticulous approach to the 2013 class. There are literally hundreds of recruits throughout the country we will have interest in. It is such a large group of recruits there is no way to talk about all of them in one snapshot. The Baccah has plan do not fear. We are going to take a tour of football recruiting in America. Certain areas have far more value to Tennessee then others. I will begin with the Territory that is likely more important to UT then any other. Georgia of course. As I go through this it is my motto to only use info from the internet i.e not my opinion. I do however work amongst and around some of these coaches and players in North Georgia. So forgive me as I deviate in this one area.

Georgia and North Georgia to be specific is the central focus of not only Tennessee recruiting but UGA, Auburn, Bama and South Carolina. Historically, it was South Georgia recruiting that created heated rivalries between UGA, Auburn or UF. Times have changed, the once proud Valdosta and other South Georgia schools now play second fiddle to the schools in Gwinnett, Dekalb, Cobb and Fulton County. I am in no way saying other counties do not have great talent from time to time. But northern elite counties have gotten to the point that most of their coaches are former D1 players. In homes of athletes across the country decisions on where to live are now based on who is coaching where and other external factors. To put it in perspective Gwinnett County has as many SEC ready athletes as the state of Tennessee yearly.

Alabama has created strong ties in North Georgia. It is to the point now I would say coaches are pushing kids to Bama rather then UGA. Kiffin during his time here made the Atlanta area his primary focus and was making moves upward before his departure. What has happened since? Georgia has made a strong push the last couple years to hold off competitors. Bama took its yearly crop as did Auburn. There is simply too many good athletes for UGA to take them all. UT however has fallen behind in clear 4th place in the state behind the big three. That is the bad news. The good news is we are beating UF and USClite out in the state. The guys we took from Georgia are very good and likely better then most any guys we could of taken within our own state.

The simple fact is kids do not see UT doing anything special on TV. We need to show kids positive things are happening at UT. I hear from kids and coaches all the time how much they love our facilities etc but in the end we are viewed as a fallen program. The top kids want to go to the best program. Coaches are attached to their players and want the best for them. It is not all about money. Coaches develop relationships with their kids that is akin to family. This is even more so in an urban environment where many coaches adopt players and bring them into their home. The one that has the facilities, the coaches they trust and a winning atmosphere is the one coaches are going to recommend. Positively HS coaches like Dooley and if we do win we will instantly be a destination of choice for many coaches.

As of right now through the internets I know of 23 kids we have offered in the state of Georgia for the class of 2013. Twenty of those offers are for kids in N. Georgia. I would say there are ten more Dooley has visited with personally but are not showing up yet as having offers. Compare that to the 9 kids in TN that have offers. Let us begin looking at these potential Vols from Georgia. I am not going to put stars or offers list with them just yet. At this point most of them have offers from all the big schools. It is just too early to start the star game. I will go back and update this at some point after the summer. I am just going to list basic stuff and add info as it comes out.



Robert Nkemdiche, DE, 6-5, 270, Grayson- He will be a top ten player in the nation for 2013. I have met Robert. He is a detached kid. I would describe him as about 6-4 240. I know he is listed as more. I got to see him up close during Basketball season. I am quite sure he is not 270 or close to it. He is all muscle and very athletic. He moves like someone much smaller. He is not a basketball player but he can play any sport. Although he is quite strange in his mannerisms he does seem like a nice kid. I know he believes he cannot go to UGA because of a new state laws on parents and their status in the USA. He has been telling kids this over and over since signing day. He lives with his coach who played at Alabama. All signs point to an Alabama lock but signing day is a long ways away.

Montravius Adams, DT, 6-4, 290, Dooly County- You heard that right he is from Dooly County. Dooley has been to visit him already. This is a guy we will be in on until the end in all recruiting likely hoods.

Kelsey Griffin, DT, 6-2, 290, Mill Creek.

DT DeAndre Johnson, Northgate 6'3" 310

DB Shaquille Wiggins, Sandy Creek 5'10" 160 40 time: 4.6- Committed to UGA for now.

OL Jeremi Hall Tri Cities 6'4" 335 5.7 5.8

WR Carlos Burse Alpharetta 6'3" 205 N/A 5.8

RB Tyshon Dye Elbert County 6'0" 200

OL Shamire DeVine Tri Cities 6'7" 332 40 time: 5.9

RB Tyren Jones Walton 5'8" 185

DE Isaac Rochell Eagle's Landing Christian 6'5" 240

OL Joshua Outlaw Martin Luther King 6'4" 290

LB Trey Johnson Central Gwinnett 6'1" 220- committed to Auburn. I have seen him play a few times. He is the reason there defense is any good at all in this region. Of course, his team would win state in TN.

LB Johnny O'Neal West Laurens 6'2" 225

DE Carl Lawson Milton 6'3" 245- This kid was made to play LB in the 3-4.

QB Johnathan McCrary Cedar Grove 6'3" 180

DB Vonn Bell Ridgeland 6'1" 190- He lives on TN border. He will likely be a Vol. He has a Bama offer as well. A SS or LB prospect.

DE Naim Mustafaa Alpharetta 6'4" 235 40 time: 4.7

OL Delando Crooks Carver 6'5" 263 40 time: 4.9

WR D.J. Polite-Bray Martin Luther King 6'1" 170

RB Alvin Kamara Norcross 5'10" 190

DE Reginald Carter South Gwinnett 6'0" 216

DT Jay Ellison Harris County 6'1" 280 5.2 N/A N/A list

RB Keyante Green Eagle's Landing 5'9" 190 40 time: 4.5. He was all but committed to us at one point. There is a picture of him with Vol pajamas on the internets. Green I believe put this up on his FB at some point. Of course this all means nothing in recruiting until much later on in the process.

Reuben Foster, LB, 6-2, 232, Troup- Committed to Bama. We will be all over him if he is interested.

Again. This is a preliminary list. More names will be added. I will be adding comments and details on recruits as the process goes along. If my recruiting blogs were a book we will call this Chapter 1: Georgia. Chapter 2: ? will be coming out soon.