Georgia Bulldogs: Michigan State Spartans
The football program at Locust Grove High School started in 2009 with a freelance Class AAA schedule, then continued to play in AAA for two more years before making the move to AAAA in 2012. Heading into last fall, the Wildcats had a record of 6-19, having won two games each season. For rising junior Cortez McDowell, it was time to help the fledgling program take the next step.
“My main goal was to help my football team since we have not done well the last two years, so my mindset was to help my team win more than two games,” McDowell said.
The 6-foot, 200-pound prospect was a major part in his program doubling its win total in one season, recording 60 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 10 passes broken up, two interceptions, forcing two fumbles, recovering one fumble on defense while rushing 25 times for 209 yards and three touchdowns and catching 29 passes for 679 yards and eight touchdowns on offense. He took a leadership role on defense, and whenever the team needed a big play on offense, McDowell was there.
Syracuse and NC State had already offered him during the spring of his sophomore year, and after his junior season, scholarships started pouring in. This spring, McDowell has visited Florida State, Tennessee, Georgia, Georgia Tech, South Carolina and North Carolina. While most visits were similar, a few of the trips left an impression on the talented athlete.
“My main goal was to help my football team since we have not done well the last two years, so my mindset was to help my team win more than two games,” McDowell said.
The 6-foot, 200-pound prospect was a major part in his program doubling its win total in one season, recording 60 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 10 passes broken up, two interceptions, forcing two fumbles, recovering one fumble on defense while rushing 25 times for 209 yards and three touchdowns and catching 29 passes for 679 yards and eight touchdowns on offense. He took a leadership role on defense, and whenever the team needed a big play on offense, McDowell was there.
Syracuse and NC State had already offered him during the spring of his sophomore year, and after his junior season, scholarships started pouring in. This spring, McDowell has visited Florida State, Tennessee, Georgia, Georgia Tech, South Carolina and North Carolina. While most visits were similar, a few of the trips left an impression on the talented athlete.
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ATHENS, Ga. -- Offensive tackle Dyshon Sims (Valdosta, Ga./Lowndes) awoke from a post-practice nap to find out that a longtime dreams of his had come true.
“I was actually sleeping around 9:30 when I got an alert on my phone from my Facebook account that I had gotten a message,” Sims said. “It was from the offensive line coach, Coach [Will] Friend. So I called him and he said they were offering me a full scholarship to come play at the University of Georgia.”
The 6-foot-4, 278-pound junior was taken aback.
“I was actually sleeping around 9:30 when I got an alert on my phone from my Facebook account that I had gotten a message,” Sims said. “It was from the offensive line coach, Coach [Will] Friend. So I called him and he said they were offering me a full scholarship to come play at the University of Georgia.”
The 6-foot-4, 278-pound junior was taken aback.
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Peppers should know future school soon 
April, 24, 2013
Apr 24
6:15
PM ET
By
Jared Shanker | ESPN.com
By mid-July, one of the top players in the country will have a pretty good idea as to where he will be playing his college football in 2014.
Paramus (N.J.) Catholic cornerback Jabrill Peppers, No. 2 in the ESPN 150, will visit Stanford in July. Following that trip, he will have his future program in mind.
“Definitely after I visit Stanford I should have it pretty clear where I want to go,” Peppers said.
The five-star cornerback is coming off April trips to LSU, Michigan and Ohio State, and while Peppers did not tip his hand, people close to the dynamic two-way athlete say Michigan has a sizeable lead of those three. He has listed Stanford as his No. 1 for several months and will visit Palo Alto before officially dropping them from the top of his list.
Paramus (N.J.) Catholic cornerback Jabrill Peppers, No. 2 in the ESPN 150, will visit Stanford in July. Following that trip, he will have his future program in mind.
“Definitely after I visit Stanford I should have it pretty clear where I want to go,” Peppers said.
The five-star cornerback is coming off April trips to LSU, Michigan and Ohio State, and while Peppers did not tip his hand, people close to the dynamic two-way athlete say Michigan has a sizeable lead of those three. He has listed Stanford as his No. 1 for several months and will visit Palo Alto before officially dropping them from the top of his list.
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When offer No. 31 came in for Washington (Pa.) running back Shai McKenzie last week, he figured it was time to start cutting his list. It sounds simple, but McKenzie had a harder time when it came to putting pen to paper.
“He struggled to make a list,” Washington coach Mike Bosnic said. “He’s really unsure.”
“He struggled to make a list,” Washington coach Mike Bosnic said. “He’s really unsure.”
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Watch List safety picks up Georgia offer
March, 21, 2013
Mar 21
1:41
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By
Radi Nabulsi | ESPN.com
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.
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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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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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Watch List wide receiver Drake Harris (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) reopened his recruitment earlier this year, but didn’t officially decommit from Michigan State until Monday afternoon.
Despite the decommitment coming on the tails of three consecutive weekends visiting with Michigan coaches and players in Ann Arbor, Harris said the two aren’t related.
Despite the decommitment coming on the tails of three consecutive weekends visiting with Michigan coaches and players in Ann Arbor, Harris said the two aren’t related.
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ATHENS, Ga. -- The last time a running back traveled more than 600 miles to play for the University of Georgia, Knowshon Moreno wound up hurdling defenders and dropping jaws with his combination of balance and speed. After redshirting his freshman season, he played only two years before heading to the NFL draft, leaving Georgia fans wondering what could have been.
Now another top running back from the Mid-Atlantic region is looking at the Bulldogs, and now that Shai McKenzie (Washington, Penn./Washington) has the Georgia offer he wanted, maybe history will repeat itself.
Now another top running back from the Mid-Atlantic region is looking at the Bulldogs, and now that Shai McKenzie (Washington, Penn./Washington) has the Georgia offer he wanted, maybe history will repeat itself.
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Super sophomore Patrick likes latest offer
March, 7, 2013
Mar 7
9:39
AM ET
By
Radi Nabulsi | ESPN.com
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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Vandy, Vols impress Watch List receiver
February, 17, 2013
Feb 17
8:51
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By
Jared Shanker | ESPN.com
CLEVES, Ohio -- The state of Tennessee is making a move for one Watch List prospect in the Midwest.
Class of 2014 receiver Dominique Booth (Indianapolis/Pike) added offers from Tennessee and Vanderbilt recently, and he made a return trip to Knoxville in January. It was his first time visiting the Volunteers under new coach Butch Jones, though.
“I’ve been to Tennessee before but it was real different with the new coaching staff,” Booth said. “I don’t know how to explain it, it’s a different atmosphere going on around there. Everybody’s a lot different. The last time [under former coach Derek Dooley] was real gloomy.
Class of 2014 receiver Dominique Booth (Indianapolis/Pike) added offers from Tennessee and Vanderbilt recently, and he made a return trip to Knoxville in January. It was his first time visiting the Volunteers under new coach Butch Jones, though.
“I’ve been to Tennessee before but it was real different with the new coaching staff,” Booth said. “I don’t know how to explain it, it’s a different atmosphere going on around there. Everybody’s a lot different. The last time [under former coach Derek Dooley] was real gloomy.
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ESPN Watch List defensive end Peyton Newell (Hiawatha, Kan./Hiawatha) estimates that he has picked up seven new offers over the last two weeks. His offer list stretches from UCLA to South Carolina and from Texas to Michigan State. Twenty-seven schools so far have extended verbal offers to the 6-foot-3, 270-pound junior, including the Georgia Bulldogs who offered on Wednesday.
“Yesterday I got offers from Georgia and Michigan State on the same day,” Newell said. “So it has been definitely crazy. I think I have gotten an offer from every conference. It is overwhelming and exciting. And I am very blessed to be in the situation that I am in with being able to have my choice on where to go. So I am really excited for next year.”
The Bulldogs’ coaching staff may be the latest offer but Newell has been on Georgia’s radar for a while.
“Yesterday I got offers from Georgia and Michigan State on the same day,” Newell said. “So it has been definitely crazy. I think I have gotten an offer from every conference. It is overwhelming and exciting. And I am very blessed to be in the situation that I am in with being able to have my choice on where to go. So I am really excited for next year.”
The Bulldogs’ coaching staff may be the latest offer but Newell has been on Georgia’s radar for a while.
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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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Florida State offered one of the top junior prospects in the state for the Class of 2014 in T.J. Harrell (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Catholic) on Tuesday. Head coach Jimbo Fisher and wide receivers coach Lawrence Dawsey were the bearers of good news for the 6-foot-1, 205-pound linebacker.
So what did Harrell think about the offer?
"It was great," he said. "I know that Jimbo Fisher and Lawrence Dawsey were by today. It was really exciting."
So what did Harrell think about the offer?
"It was great," he said. "I know that Jimbo Fisher and Lawrence Dawsey were by today. It was really exciting."
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Watch List WR Snodgrass explains delay
January, 10, 2013
Jan 10
2:56
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By
Derek Tyson | ESPN.com
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- ESPN Watch List wide receiver Thaddeus Snodgrass (Springfield, Ohio/Springfield) was set to make his final decision between Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin in November, but that didn't happen.
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound athlete decided to postpone his announcement. He felt it wasn't the right time.
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Ruffin talks LSU, FSU and other favorites
January, 9, 2013
Jan 9
9:00
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By
Radi Nabulsi | ESPN.com
ATLANTA -- One of the Peach State’s top cornerbacks recently had a chance to win the Georgia Junior Bowl with a catch in the end zone. The fact that he was playing receiver and not cornerback in a game that boasts 100 of the best players in the state is a testament to why he is coveted by LSU, Florida State, South Carolina and a host of other schools.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
David Ching
David Ching came to ESPN.com in 2011 after six years covering UGA for the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer and Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald. He lives in Athens. Email him at davidchingespn@gmail.com.
Radi Nabulsi
Radi Nabulsi joined ESPN.com in 2011 after covering the University of Georgia for Rivals.com for four years and for the UGA Athletic Association since 1993. Nabulsi is a graduate of the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and lives in Athens. He can be reached at radinabulsiespn@gmail.com.
Kipp Adams
Kipp Adams joined ESPN.com in 2011 after covering University of Georgia football and basketball recruiting for five years at Rivals.com. He lives in Sandy Springs, Ga., and enjoys spending time with his two sons. He can be reached at kippadamsespn@gmail.com.