Georgia Bulldogs

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. -- Everyone calls him “Pee Wee,” but not in an ironic way that you would call a big man “Tiny.” No, defensive tackle Davonte Lambert (Milledgeville, Ga./Georgia Military College) was born to that nickname.

“I was a premature baby and my auntie came up with that name when I was little, so it just stuck with me ever since,” Lambert said. “I was under five pounds.”

Now Lambert tips the scales at 280 pounds and stands 6-foot-3 atop the wish lists of a number of major college programs.

“I have offers from Georgia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi State, Miami, Texas Tech -- I don’t know all of them off the top of my head,” Lambert said. “I get a ton of letters every day with a lot of handwritten ones.”

Not too shabby for a guy who didn’t get much attention in high school. Now in junior college, Lambert is enjoying the spotlight.

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ATLANTA -- For the last three years, the Rising Seniors staff has invited the state of Georgia’s most talented juniors to participate in a week-long educational program and camp in late December designed to showcase their talents. Attendees learn academic and social development while preparing for the Georgia Junior Bowl, which is played on the last day of the camp. The roster list for the game reads like a Who’s Who of the top players from the Peach State. Some might be unheralded going in, but emerge after the camp atop many colleges' wish lists.

Knowing that the game has so many of Georgia’s best players in it, we decided to take advantage of having them all in one place and ask them some questions. The answers were anonymous, and represent only one part of the sometimes years-long recruiting experience. We thought it would be interesting to see where Georgia’s juniors stood on a variety of topics. Of course these questions were asked at the conclusion of their junior seasons and the answers will have changed as the spring evaluation period unfolds and more trips are taken, but this shows where they are at the time.

Q. Which, if any, school were you a fan of growing up?

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Viewers who tuned into last year’s SEC championship game were treated to an epic battle between Alabama and Georgia that was not decided until the last play of the game. It was the latest in a series of battles between schools that clash again and again on the recruiting trail, year after year. Both have targeted a sophomore defensive tackle from North Carolina. In fact, both programs offered Shy Tuttle (Lexington, N.C./North Davidson) on the same day.

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Elisha Shaw (Tucker, Ga./Tucker) already holds offers from Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State and a handful of other big-time programs, so he wasn’t surprised to get a new offer on Monday.

He was surprised, however, that it came from Texas. The ESPN 150 defensive tackle met with Texas offensive line coach Stacy Searels on Monday and could look into checking out what the Longhorns have to offer this summer.

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- ESPN 150 offensive tackle David Sharpe (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence School) has only played one full year of high school football, but the 6-foot-6, 288-pound athlete has already caught the attention of everyone in the college football recruiting world.

The No. 2-ranked tackle and No. 12 player overall said his football success has come as a surprise.

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Just a few weeks after naming Florida his leader, five-star defensive tackle Lamont Gaillard (Fayetville, N.C./Pine Forest) decided to eliminate Florida.

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The IMG 7v7 Southeast Regional Championship in Bradenton, Fla., on Saturday and Sunday will feature several ESPN 150 players. This star-studded event will feature the South Florida Express, one of the top 7-on-7 teams in the country, and Team Tampa, which won the IMG 7v7 National Championships last year. Here's a look at five things to watch at this weekends events.

1. Wide receiver position is loaded
There will be a plethora of top wide receivers in Bradenton this weekend. Ermon Lane (Homestead, Fla./Homestead), the No. 1-ranked wide receiver in the country, will have a chance to showcase his abilities against some elite talent. Additionally, Travis Rudolph (West Palm Beach, Fla./Cardinal Newman), Artavis Scott (Tarpon Springs, Fla./East Lake), Moral Stephens (Perry, Fla./Taylor County), Kenric Young (Gainesville, Fla./Gainesville), Isaiah Ford (Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian), Garrett Johnson (Winter Garden, Fla./West Orange) and 2015 wideout Da'Vante Phillips (Miami/Central) are scheduled to participate.

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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.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- ESPN Watch List running back Sony Michel (Plantation, Fla./American Heritage) has a top five of Florida, Florida State, Miami (Fla.), Georgia and Notre Dame and is closing in on his decision. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound back visited Florida for its spring game on Saturday and said he enjoyed his trip to Gainesville.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- For most high school players, the end of practice means they get a break from the incessant nagging and ceaseless instruction of their coaches. They go home, eat dinner, study and enjoy the respite until the whistles start blowing next time. For ESPN Watch List safety Quincy Wilson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./University School), that is not the case.

Wilson’s father is the defensive coordinator and the defensive backs coach at the University School, so Wilson jokes that he gets no respite.

“Oh no, there’s no break, there’s no break,” Wilson said. “Monday through Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Yeah, I get it at practice, before practice, after practice, in the car, at the dinner table ...”

The talented junior laughed about the nonstop instruction but he also credited his father with making him the player he is today -- one of the most coveted safeties in Florida.

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ESPN Watch List defensive end Keyon Brown of Wauchula, Fla., knows which play helped put him on the radar of a major college programs. The fourth game of his junior year involved his Hardee Wildcats in a close game against the Sebring Blue Streaks.

“We were playing Sebring, and they threw a screen to the wide receiver,” Brown said. “I had gone in to try to get the quarterback, but he had already thrown it, so I went after the receiver over by the sideline. He was trying to shake somebody, I guess, but he cut back inside, and I was headed out, so I hit him hard and he fumbled. It was a big hit. Everybody just went crazy and started yelling. We recovered it; the receiver was hurt on that play.”

Hustle like that earned Brown double digit scholarship offers, with the latest one coming from Florida State.

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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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ATHENS, Ga. -- Considering that running back Jacques Patrick (Orlando, Fla./Timber Creek) is only in his second year of high school but already has 25 scholarship offers, the case can be made that Patrick is one of the most coveted prospects in the Class of 2015.

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Early on in the recruitment of ESPN Watch List defensive back Kendall Randolph (Tallahassee, Fla./Lincoln), one of the first offers he was told he received was from the University of Georgia. But having minimal contact with the staff over the next year, Randolph was unsure of whether or not he had an actual offer from the Bulldogs. He got his answer during a phone call with assistant coach John Lilly last week.

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