Alabama Crimson Tide: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
JEFFERSON, Ga. -- A bystander watching Preston Williams (Lovejoy, Ga./Lovejoy) warm up at the Georgia state track and field championships simply said, “Who is that guy?” Williams stood on the edge of the long jump pit -- where he was challenging for a state title as only a sophomore -- and exploded with a flat-footed jump to the middle of the pit, reaching a height and distance that turned heads.
As did his outfit. Williams wore blindingly bright yellow shoes, mismatched socks (one was a multi-colored, neon leopard print, while the other was decorated with cupcakes), cut-off camouflage sweat pants over black leggings and a Lovejoy t-shirt. The ensemble was topped off with a gray scarf that would look great on a 78-year-old retiree from Boca Raton but seemed out of place wrapped around Williams’ noggin as a headband.
“This is my look,” Williams said. “My jumping look -- I am exotic.”
While his fashion is eclectic, the true answer to who Williams is a lot more complicated.
As did his outfit. Williams wore blindingly bright yellow shoes, mismatched socks (one was a multi-colored, neon leopard print, while the other was decorated with cupcakes), cut-off camouflage sweat pants over black leggings and a Lovejoy t-shirt. The ensemble was topped off with a gray scarf that would look great on a 78-year-old retiree from Boca Raton but seemed out of place wrapped around Williams’ noggin as a headband.
“This is my look,” Williams said. “My jumping look -- I am exotic.”
While his fashion is eclectic, the true answer to who Williams is a lot more complicated.
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The RN Top 10 will appear throughout the camp and combine season and rank prospects based strictly on their on-field performance at that particular event. It does not reflect their overall prospect ranking.
ASHBURN, Va. – The East Coast and mid-Atlantic states represented well on Sunday as eight players earned invites to The Opening at the Nike Football Training Camp outside of Washington, D.C. Defense ruled the day, led by two five-star prospects from Virginia.
10. Nick Scott
Fairfax (Va.) Fairfax |RB| 5-11, 180
Scott stood out among a field of backs who were overshadowed by the prospects at nearly every other position. He earned the attention of coaches for his strong play and versatility but missed the MVP award, which went to Vincent Lowe (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield), who also posted the top SPARQ score.
Scott committed to Penn State in February over an offer from Boston College.
ESPN national recruiting analyst Craig Haubert’s take: “He’s got a great frame, and what I like about him as a Penn State verbal, he’s a versatile player. He may not run by you, but he does a good job in route-running.”
ASHBURN, Va. – The East Coast and mid-Atlantic states represented well on Sunday as eight players earned invites to The Opening at the Nike Football Training Camp outside of Washington, D.C. Defense ruled the day, led by two five-star prospects from Virginia.
10. Nick Scott
Fairfax (Va.) Fairfax |RB| 5-11, 180
Scott stood out among a field of backs who were overshadowed by the prospects at nearly every other position. He earned the attention of coaches for his strong play and versatility but missed the MVP award, which went to Vincent Lowe (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield), who also posted the top SPARQ score.
Scott committed to Penn State in February over an offer from Boston College.
ESPN national recruiting analyst Craig Haubert’s take: “He’s got a great frame, and what I like about him as a Penn State verbal, he’s a versatile player. He may not run by you, but he does a good job in route-running.”
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#BlueChipBattles: ESPN 150 release edition
April, 19, 2013
Apr 19
12:49
PM ET
By RecruitingNation | ESPN.com
Student Sports, ESPN, ESPNSpeedy Noil, Adoree Jackson and Da'Shawn Hand are three of the most coveted recruits in the Class of 2014.
: RecruitingNation summoned its writers from around the country to outline the recruiting battles for the ESPN 150's top 10 prospects.
Plus, rank the battles in SportsNation.
#TopFBMixtapes: Athlete mixtapes are all the rage in this highlight-crazed era of sports. We reached out to our Twitter followers to find out which 2014 football stars had the best highlight reels on YouTube, then had our staff rank and comment on the top submissions.
Tom Luginbill writes
: After talking to many coaches across the country and hearing their frustrations, here are their five biggest complaints about homemade highlight videos.Watch List DE Carter attracted to success 
April, 16, 2013
Apr 16
10:30
AM ET
By
Radi Nabulsi | ESPN.com
BUFORD, Ga. -- ESPN Watch List defensive end Lorenzo Carter (Norcross, Ga./Norcross) credits his blindingly pink socks and highlighter yellow shoelaces with helping him win the defensive lineman MVP award at the Atlanta NFTC on Saturday.
The award came with a brilliant gold dog tag that complemented his outfit. But what really caught Carter’s eye, and fashion sense, was the big gold box that he was handed that contained his invitation to The Opening.
The award came with a brilliant gold dog tag that complemented his outfit. But what really caught Carter’s eye, and fashion sense, was the big gold box that he was handed that contained his invitation to The Opening.
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The RN Top 10 will appear throughout the camp and combine season and rank prospects based strictly on their on-field performance at that particular event. It does not reflect what their overall prospect ranking will be when the 2014 rankings are unveiled this spring.
BUFORD, Ga. – With 276 players taking part in the Atlanta Nike Football Training Camp on Saturday, there were dozens of prospects in the 2014, 2015 and 2016 classes who had already been offered by FBS programs. Six of the participants were awarded invitations to the The Opening later the summer.
10. Terronne Prescod
Lithonia (Ga.) Columbia |OG|6-foot-4, 320 pounds
The offensive linemen at the Atlanta NFTC were not an overly impressive group, but Prescod stood out, not just because of his hairstyle. He locked up and drove back multiple defensive tackles and showed an impressive base.
Prescod is approaching 10 offers, and has scholarship opportunities with Missouri, Ole Miss and Virginia. At the moment, Prescod says Missouri is standing out. Watch out for Auburn if they offer, as they seem to be the school he feels most at home with right now.
Craig Haubert’s take: “Prescod did a nice job in the offensive line group that was not among the strongest at the NFTC this year. He showed good bend and strong punch and he has outstanding size, both in height and bulk.”
BUFORD, Ga. – With 276 players taking part in the Atlanta Nike Football Training Camp on Saturday, there were dozens of prospects in the 2014, 2015 and 2016 classes who had already been offered by FBS programs. Six of the participants were awarded invitations to the The Opening later the summer.
10. Terronne Prescod
Lithonia (Ga.) Columbia |OG|6-foot-4, 320 pounds
The offensive linemen at the Atlanta NFTC were not an overly impressive group, but Prescod stood out, not just because of his hairstyle. He locked up and drove back multiple defensive tackles and showed an impressive base.
Prescod is approaching 10 offers, and has scholarship opportunities with Missouri, Ole Miss and Virginia. At the moment, Prescod says Missouri is standing out. Watch out for Auburn if they offer, as they seem to be the school he feels most at home with right now.
Craig Haubert’s take: “Prescod did a nice job in the offensive line group that was not among the strongest at the NFTC this year. He showed good bend and strong punch and he has outstanding size, both in height and bulk.”
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MIAMI – At the end of the Miami NFTC, Richard Yeargin III (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./University School of Nova South) had succeeded in what he had set out to do, which was competing and showing he was worthy of his offer list. The 6-foot-4, 225--pound athlete took home linebacker MVP honors, and was also rewarded for his performance with an invite to The Opening.
“I was able to turn up my intensity, learn my pass coverages better, come off the edge and I will take home some moves that the coaches taught me,” Yeargin said.
Yeargin said he has well over 20 offers to date, and has forgotten more of them than he can remember.
“I was able to turn up my intensity, learn my pass coverages better, come off the edge and I will take home some moves that the coaches taught me,” Yeargin said.
Yeargin said he has well over 20 offers to date, and has forgotten more of them than he can remember.
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ATHENS, Ga. -- Outside linebacker Jacob Pugh (Tallahassee, Fla./Godby) isn’t exactly sure of how many offers he has. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior has not counted them. Once he had received over 30 offers to the top programs in the nation, there really seemed no point in doing so. Pugh is more concerned about the five that he has on top.
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Mid-atlantic DE 'amazed' by Bama offer
February, 20, 2013
Feb 20
5:38
PM ET
By
Greg Ostendorf | ESPN.com
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The plan was for 2014 defensive end Jesse Aniebonam (Olney, Md./Good Counsel) to visit the University of Alabama in the summer, work out in front of head coach Nick Saban, and hopefully do enough to earn a scholarship offer from the Crimson Tide.
On Wednesday, the plan was expedited a little bit. Aniebonam talked on the phone with Saban, who went ahead and extended the offer.
On Wednesday, the plan was expedited a little bit. Aniebonam talked on the phone with Saban, who went ahead and extended the offer.
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After making 58 tackles and three sacks during his junior season, defensive tackle Dontavius Russell (Carrollton, Ga./Carrollton) picked up his first offer from Florida before participating in the Rising Seniors' Georgia Junior Bowl. Since then, eight other programs have offered, including the University of Georgia.
The 6-foot-3, 300-pound prospect was in Athens, Ga., last weekend, and he spoke well of his time spent with the Bulldogs coaching staff.
The 6-foot-3, 300-pound prospect was in Athens, Ga., last weekend, and he spoke well of his time spent with the Bulldogs coaching staff.
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Camden County (Ga.) High School is a powerhouse program in south Georgia. And if Mark Richt has his way it will be a pipeline of talent to his Bulldogs. He already has quarterback Brice Ramsey and offensive utility man J.J. Green as early enrollees for the Class of 2013.
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On Feb. 6 when Alvin Kamara announced on ESPNU that he was going to play for Alabama, his decision marked the end of a six-year streak in which Georgia had signed a top-10 running back.
The battle for Kamara went on for almost a year and the Bulldogs finished a close second, but that means nothing in football recruiting. While the Georgia fanbase was disappointed, the Bulldogs did pick up commitments from A.J. Turman and Brendan Douglas and are in good shape with a couple top 2014 running backs. In fact, Georgia leads for one of the top tailbacks in the Peach State.
The battle for Kamara went on for almost a year and the Bulldogs finished a close second, but that means nothing in football recruiting. While the Georgia fanbase was disappointed, the Bulldogs did pick up commitments from A.J. Turman and Brendan Douglas and are in good shape with a couple top 2014 running backs. In fact, Georgia leads for one of the top tailbacks in the Peach State.
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2014 CB Roberts adds two new SEC offers
February, 13, 2013
Feb 13
3:48
PM ET
By
Greg Ostendorf | ESPN.com
Junior cornerback Stephen Roberts (Opelika, Ala./Opelika) is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after prospects in the state of Alabama. On Wednesday, he received scholarship offers from both Auburn and Kentucky.
“It’s a blessing to get them,” Roberts said. “Most people don’t get offers like this, so it’s a blessing. I know Auburn’s in my backyard. There’s not much I can say. I’m just looking forward to visiting their junior day next Saturday.”
Last month, Roberts picked up his first offer from Alabama. He was given the offer by UA head coach Nick Saban.
“It’s a blessing to get them,” Roberts said. “Most people don’t get offers like this, so it’s a blessing. I know Auburn’s in my backyard. There’s not much I can say. I’m just looking forward to visiting their junior day next Saturday.”
Last month, Roberts picked up his first offer from Alabama. He was given the offer by UA head coach Nick Saban.
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Cortez McDowell’s extensive offer list has grown yet again. Tennessee and Kentucky are the two most recent entrants into the race for the signature of the Locust Grove (Ga.) High School safety. Programs such as Alabama, Florida State and Georgia are among the 13 schools that have already extended scholarship offers to the 6-foot-1, 200-pound junior.
To help make sense of all the opportunities and figure out a favorite, McDowell is hitting the road.
To help make sense of all the opportunities and figure out a favorite, McDowell is hitting the road.
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Taking a look at no-visit policies
February, 12, 2013
Feb 12
11:33
AM ET
By RecruitingNation | ESPN.com
Texas is joining the likes of Michigan, Oregon and Georgia Tech in instituting a no-visit policy for its commits. Is this hard-line stance a good idea for elite programs? RecruitingNation writer Mitch Sherman takes a look the trend.
Read the story here.
Read the story here.
2014 Watch List DB picks up SEC offer
January, 30, 2013
Jan 30
7:08
PM ET
By
Greg Ostendorf | ESPN.com
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Over the weekend, ESPN Watch List defensive back Nicholas Ruffin (Atlanta/St. Pius X) visited Alabama for the Tide’s junior day. He went home with out a scholarship offer. However, it didn’t take long for the UA coaches to change their tune.
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ABOUT TIDE NATION
Greg Ostendorf
Greg Ostendorf joined ESPN.com in 2012 after covering University of Alabama football and basketball recruiting at the Tuscaloosa News and Rivals.com. Ostendorf graduated from the University of Alabama and currently resides in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Email him at gsostendorf.espn@gmail.com.
Alex Scarborough
Alex Scarborough joined ESPN.com in 2012 after covering University of Alabama athletics and high school football for The Tuscaloosa News. He currently resides in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Email him at alexscarborough.espn@gmail.com.