Georgia Bulldogs

ATHENS, Ga. – ESPN 150 defensive tackle Elisha Shaw (Tucker, Ga./Tucker) spent the weekend visiting the University of Georgia and a former teammate. When he left, the nation’s No. 4 defensive tackle said that the Bulldogs no longer trailed the Crimson Tide.

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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. -- The youngest student at Stephens County High School in Toccoa, Ga., also happens to be the school's largest student. Freshman offensive tackle Ben Cleveland is only 14 and claims to be the youngest student in the ninth grade. Despite his youth, he already stands 6 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 315 pounds. Cleveland receives an abundance of slack-jawed stares when he is on the football field, but the real gawping comes when he steps onto the baseball diamond to man first base.

In fact, that was where a college football coach first spotted him.

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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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ATHENS, Ga. -- ESPN Watch List wide receiver Demarre Kitt (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek) recently cut his mammoth offer list down to a top-15 group of schools that he will consider.

“It got crazy at one point with almost everybody that offered me trying to talk to me,” Kitt said. “So I had to cut my list down to 15 schools. After spring practice I will cut it down to eight or 10. At the end of summer I will do five and then go from there.”

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ESPN Watch List defensive tackle Joshua Frazier (Springdale, Ark./Har Ber) has doubled his offer list in the last month. The 6-foot-4, 330-pound junior has added offers from USC, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and now Georgia.

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ATHENS, Ga. – The Georgia Bulldogs will be looking to replace both starters at safety next season as seniors Bacarri Rambo and Shaun Williams graduate and move on to the NFL. So far the Bulldogs’ coaching staff has five safeties committed in the Class of 2013, but one, Shaq Fluker (Meridian, Miss./East Mississippi Community College), has been rumored to be looking around lately.

Fluker took his official visit to Georgia this weekend and made a decision.

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Every season the stars of college football change. The crop is turned over and we meet the new faces of the sport. Sometimes those players jump out and surprise us, rising from part-time role players to the feature of an offense or defense. Who will those players be in 2012? Travis Haney looks at 30 potential breakout players this season.

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It’s still way too early in the game, but there are two schools sticking out more than the rest for Raekwon McMillan (Hinesville, Ga./Liberty County).

He’s got offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Notre Dame and Texas among many others, but two keep coming to the forefront.

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COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – Durham Smythe (Belton, Texas/Belton) has never wavered in his commitment to Texas, but that doesn’t mean recruiters aren’t still trying to land the four-star tight end.

“Thing have been quiet for a while, but yesterday Georgia randomly offered me,” Smythe said Friday.

Georgia tight ends coach John Lilly reached out to Smythe via a Facebook message to make the offer. Smythe was surprised by the gesture, but the 6-foot-5, 230-pound prospect said it came far too late.

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