UGA hires director, on-campus recruiting
May, 18, 2012
5/18/12
10:21
AM ET
By
Radi Nabulsi | ESPN.com
The search for Georgia’s director of on-campus recruiting is finally finished. Coach Mark Richt announced Thursday that Daryl Jones, an accomplished high school coach and athletic director, had been named to the position.
Jones’ hiring represents the end of a search that lasted months, with many stops and starts. Two candidates were offered the job, only to later have the offer rescinded for either not living close enough or not having the prerequisite degree needed.
There has been a gap in the Bulldogs’ staff ever since Charlie Cantor abruptly resigned the assistant recruiting coordinator job last July. Richt jettisoned that post and replaced it the new Director of On-Campus Recruiting position.
Jones’ hiring represents the end of a search that lasted months, with many stops and starts. Two candidates were offered the job, only to later have the offer rescinded for either not living close enough or not having the prerequisite degree needed.
There has been a gap in the Bulldogs’ staff ever since Charlie Cantor abruptly resigned the assistant recruiting coordinator job last July. Richt jettisoned that post and replaced it the new Director of On-Campus Recruiting position.
In less than a month, ESPN 150 offensive lineman John Theus (Jacksonville, Fla./Bolles) will arrive in Athens and begin the next stage in his life as a college student athlete. The 6-foot-6, 295-pound prospect chose the Bulldogs over programs like Florida, FSU and Notre Dame, and his addition gives Mark Richt a much needed talent boost to the offensive line with the graduation of starters Cordy Glenn, Justin Anderson and Ben Jones. In this feature, Theus discusses his journey from Jacksonville to Athens.
It’s weird to think about where I came from, to where I am now. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was a freshman at 265 pounds and it was my first day of summer workouts. Now I am less than 30 days away from leaving my house for Athens. The last part of my senior year has definitely been a little hectic but also a lot of fun. We just had our senior prom a few weeks ago and with only a couple days of school left, all of my senior friends are ready to head out. I have mixed emotions about leaving home seeing because of how close I am to my family.
But don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely excited about being in Athens with my brother, Nathan, and all the friends I already have up there. Nathan actually is back home now, so my real training for UGA has begun. The workouts that I have been doing are the ones that Coach T [Joe Tereshinski] sent to all of the signees. They are some of the toughest workouts I have done but I know I need them in order to prepare for the 6:30 a.m. summer workouts the best I can.
It’s weird to think about where I came from, to where I am now. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was a freshman at 265 pounds and it was my first day of summer workouts. Now I am less than 30 days away from leaving my house for Athens. The last part of my senior year has definitely been a little hectic but also a lot of fun. We just had our senior prom a few weeks ago and with only a couple days of school left, all of my senior friends are ready to head out. I have mixed emotions about leaving home seeing because of how close I am to my family.
But don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely excited about being in Athens with my brother, Nathan, and all the friends I already have up there. Nathan actually is back home now, so my real training for UGA has begun. The workouts that I have been doing are the ones that Coach T [Joe Tereshinski] sent to all of the signees. They are some of the toughest workouts I have done but I know I need them in order to prepare for the 6:30 a.m. summer workouts the best I can.
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Growing up playing two sports, Davin Bellamy (Chamblee, Ga./Chamblee) was unsure of which direction he should take. Until about two months ago, the All-State basketball player felt equally good about his chances of succeeding on the court or the gridiron. Now the decision will be easier for Bellamy.
“I love basketball, but football was my first love and getting 26 offers really helped me get over it,” Bellamy said.
He might have Rodney Garner to thank for that. Back in October, the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator for Georgia stopped by to take in the Chamblee game against Miller Grove. Garner left at halftime, but not before giving Bellamy’s head coach a quick couple of words that would light a fire under the junior prospect.
“I love basketball, but football was my first love and getting 26 offers really helped me get over it,” Bellamy said.
He might have Rodney Garner to thank for that. Back in October, the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator for Georgia stopped by to take in the Chamblee game against Miller Grove. Garner left at halftime, but not before giving Bellamy’s head coach a quick couple of words that would light a fire under the junior prospect.
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Our look at the SEC's most productive returning players in 2012 continues with a look at players that grabbed the most interceptions.
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Rising Seniors program selects first group 
May, 17, 2012
5/17/12
10:48
AM ET
By
Radi Nabulsi | ESPN.com
Many of the invitations to the 2012 Georgia Junior Bowl game will not go out until October or November, but 17 players earned a spot April 29 by competing in the new Rising Seniors West and East Football Camp.
Rising Seniors co-founder Joe Burns held a three-stage camp at Tri-Cities High School in Atlanta for freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Seventeen sophomores were chosen by Burns and his instructors as top performers and were invited to the Rising Seniors experience.
The 2012 Rising Seniors program will culminate with the Georgia Junior Bowl, a game featuring 100 of the Peach State's top collegiate prospects split into two teams, an East squad and a West squad. Last year’s roster included such highly recruited players as Reuben Foster (Auburn, Ala./Auburn), Montravius Adams (Vienna, Ga./Dooly County), Carl Lawson (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton), Tray Matthews (Newnan, Ga./Newnan) and Shaq Wiggins (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek) all played in last year's game. Recruiting for Adams and Lawson skyrocketed after their individual performances in the game. They were not the only ones, as 64 of last year's participants have been offered FBS-level scholarships, and more will likely pick up offers during the summer.
"The biggest problem we have had over the last two years is hearing about a kid that should have been in our game but we didn't know about him until it was too late," Burns said. "So this year we held a camp to let the kids receive some professional instruction, hear a positive message and earn their way into the camp. We picked some guys that really fought for it."
Wide receiver Terry Googer (College Park, Ga./Woodward Academy) was among the prospects who came to the camp to earn a highly coveted invitation.
“I have been training for this ever since last year when I watched it,” Googer said. “I really wanted to be in it. When they called my name I was ecstatic. It made my day perfect.”
Heading into the camp, Googer did not have any offers. He quickly picked up five after being selected, from schools including South Carolina and Mississippi State.
Running back Sedrick Palmer (McDonough, Ga./Henry County) also came to the camp focused on picking up an invitation and went home pleased.
“I was real proud,” Palmer said. “I felt like all my hard work had paid off. The minute they called my name all I could do was thank God. It was all I could think about.”
Dante Sawyer (Suwanee, Ga./North Gwinnett) was a quick choice among the camp instructors to be included in the game as a defensive end. Despite a slow start, Sawyer made a big impression.
“I was nervous at first but I did my work,” Sawyer said. “I came in and competed and did what I needed to do to get into this game. I knew ahead of time what it would take. I am very excited. We had a tough defensive line group, but it all came down to who wanted to compete.”
Trent Jenkins (Norcross, Ga./Greater Atlanta Christian) was also in the defensive line group and he wanted to compete. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound sophomore was a unanimous choice to be invited to the game.
“I did what I was coached to do,” Jenkins said. “I am extremely excited for this -- I can’t wait. I am looking forward to this helping me to get to college.”
Other players selected for the game:
Rising Seniors co-founder Joe Burns held a three-stage camp at Tri-Cities High School in Atlanta for freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Seventeen sophomores were chosen by Burns and his instructors as top performers and were invited to the Rising Seniors experience.
The 2012 Rising Seniors program will culminate with the Georgia Junior Bowl, a game featuring 100 of the Peach State's top collegiate prospects split into two teams, an East squad and a West squad. Last year’s roster included such highly recruited players as Reuben Foster (Auburn, Ala./Auburn), Montravius Adams (Vienna, Ga./Dooly County), Carl Lawson (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton), Tray Matthews (Newnan, Ga./Newnan) and Shaq Wiggins (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek) all played in last year's game. Recruiting for Adams and Lawson skyrocketed after their individual performances in the game. They were not the only ones, as 64 of last year's participants have been offered FBS-level scholarships, and more will likely pick up offers during the summer.
"The biggest problem we have had over the last two years is hearing about a kid that should have been in our game but we didn't know about him until it was too late," Burns said. "So this year we held a camp to let the kids receive some professional instruction, hear a positive message and earn their way into the camp. We picked some guys that really fought for it."
Wide receiver Terry Googer (College Park, Ga./Woodward Academy) was among the prospects who came to the camp to earn a highly coveted invitation.
“I have been training for this ever since last year when I watched it,” Googer said. “I really wanted to be in it. When they called my name I was ecstatic. It made my day perfect.”
Heading into the camp, Googer did not have any offers. He quickly picked up five after being selected, from schools including South Carolina and Mississippi State.
Running back Sedrick Palmer (McDonough, Ga./Henry County) also came to the camp focused on picking up an invitation and went home pleased.
“I was real proud,” Palmer said. “I felt like all my hard work had paid off. The minute they called my name all I could do was thank God. It was all I could think about.”
Dante Sawyer (Suwanee, Ga./North Gwinnett) was a quick choice among the camp instructors to be included in the game as a defensive end. Despite a slow start, Sawyer made a big impression.
“I was nervous at first but I did my work,” Sawyer said. “I came in and competed and did what I needed to do to get into this game. I knew ahead of time what it would take. I am very excited. We had a tough defensive line group, but it all came down to who wanted to compete.”
Trent Jenkins (Norcross, Ga./Greater Atlanta Christian) was also in the defensive line group and he wanted to compete. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound sophomore was a unanimous choice to be invited to the game.
“I did what I was coached to do,” Jenkins said. “I am extremely excited for this -- I can’t wait. I am looking forward to this helping me to get to college.”
Other players selected for the game:
- Wide receiver -- Keegan Karim (Kennesaw, Ga./Harrison)
- Wide receiver -- Nate Brown (Suwanee, Ga./North Gwinnett)
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ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia’s baseball team knows it has a spot in next week’s SEC tournament field, but the Bulldogs’ seeding in the 10-team event is far from settled.
Entering the final series of the regular season -- at Alabama (19-33, 7-20 SEC), which owns the league’s worst record -- Georgia (30-22, 13-13) is in the middle of a group of five teams all within a game of one another in the conference standings.
Ole Miss (34-19, 14-13) owns a half-game lead over Georgia for the No. 5 seed in the tournament, with Arkansas (36-17, 13-14), Vanderbilt (26-25, 13-14) and Mississippi State (31-21, 13-14) all tied just behind the Bulldogs in the standings. Auburn (29-24, 12-15) trails Georgia by just 1½ games and is the lowest seed in the tournament as of now.
Entering the final series of the regular season -- at Alabama (19-33, 7-20 SEC), which owns the league’s worst record -- Georgia (30-22, 13-13) is in the middle of a group of five teams all within a game of one another in the conference standings.
Ole Miss (34-19, 14-13) owns a half-game lead over Georgia for the No. 5 seed in the tournament, with Arkansas (36-17, 13-14), Vanderbilt (26-25, 13-14) and Mississippi State (31-21, 13-14) all tied just behind the Bulldogs in the standings. Auburn (29-24, 12-15) trails Georgia by just 1½ games and is the lowest seed in the tournament as of now.
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Klepal updates recruitment, has new offers
May, 16, 2012
5/16/12
2:54
PM ET
By
Corey Long | ESPN.com
Tampa (Fla.) Plant offensive lineman Richy Klepal received offers from Georgia and USC in the past week and will try to make a final decision in the next few months.
The 6-foot-5, 275-pound lineman has an offer list close to 25 but he is ready to make some cuts. Klepal has enlisted Plant head coach Robert Weiner to help him through the process.
"Things have gotten pretty crazy in the last few weeks," Klepal said. "It's been the most exciting time of my life but also the most stressful time in my life.
The 6-foot-5, 275-pound lineman has an offer list close to 25 but he is ready to make some cuts. Klepal has enlisted Plant head coach Robert Weiner to help him through the process.
"Things have gotten pretty crazy in the last few weeks," Klepal said. "It's been the most exciting time of my life but also the most stressful time in my life.
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Roundtable: Next SEC coach in hot seat?
May, 16, 2012
5/16/12
9:00
AM ET
By DawgNation Staff | ESPN.com
Entering last season, much of the talk was about the temperature of Mark Richt’s hot seat. After compiling a 6-7 record, the natives were restless. One year, one division title, one top-five recruiting class and one new contract extension later, Richt appears to be sitting atop the icebox at the SEC coaches’ picnic. But some of his fellow coaches are sweating, and after seeing the situation up close, we are wondering: “Which SEC coach has the most pressure on him going into the 2012 season?”
David Ching: Although it is somewhat unfair given the disaster he inherited, I believe Tennessee coach Derek Dooley's seat is probably the hottest entering the season. The Volunteers went 5-7 last season and are a mediocre 11-14 in his two seasons after taking over from Lane Kiffin.
It is apparent that the fans in Knoxville are dissatisfied after the team missed out on the SEC championship game through four straight years -- the Vols' longest drought since 1992-96, when Florida went to each of the first five league title games. The Vols have given no indication that they are ready to contend for an SEC East title, so their drought is likely to reach five this fall.
David Ching: Although it is somewhat unfair given the disaster he inherited, I believe Tennessee coach Derek Dooley's seat is probably the hottest entering the season. The Volunteers went 5-7 last season and are a mediocre 11-14 in his two seasons after taking over from Lane Kiffin.
It is apparent that the fans in Knoxville are dissatisfied after the team missed out on the SEC championship game through four straight years -- the Vols' longest drought since 1992-96, when Florida went to each of the first five league title games. The Vols have given no indication that they are ready to contend for an SEC East title, so their drought is likely to reach five this fall.
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Georgia
2011 overall record: 10-4
2011 conference record: 7-1 (T-1st)
Returning starters: Offense: 7; defense: 9; kicker/punter: 0
Top returners:
2011 overall record: 10-4
2011 conference record: 7-1 (T-1st)
Returning starters: Offense: 7; defense: 9; kicker/punter: 0
Top returners:
Check out DawgNation's photo gallery live from the Georgia state high school track championships.
JEFFERSON, Ga. -- Coming off a personal record in the 100 meter of 11.10 seconds, Brendan Langley (Marietta, Ga./Kell) can now say he is a state champion, as the Longhorns clinched the Georgia AAAA state track title Sunday. Now the 6-foot-1, 186-pound cornerback can focus on trying to earn a championship ring on the gridiron as well. He took a step in the right direction at last month the Charlotte NFTC, picking up an invitation to summer's elite event, The Opening, held at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Ore.
“I learned a lot about backpedaling, hip placement and coming out low in your breaks to make it easier for a taller cornerback like myself,” Langley said. “I am very excited to be a part of The Opening, especially since I have never been to the West Coast.”
JEFFERSON, Ga. -- Coming off a personal record in the 100 meter of 11.10 seconds, Brendan Langley (Marietta, Ga./Kell) can now say he is a state champion, as the Longhorns clinched the Georgia AAAA state track title Sunday. Now the 6-foot-1, 186-pound cornerback can focus on trying to earn a championship ring on the gridiron as well. He took a step in the right direction at last month the Charlotte NFTC, picking up an invitation to summer's elite event, The Opening, held at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Ore.
“I learned a lot about backpedaling, hip placement and coming out low in your breaks to make it easier for a taller cornerback like myself,” Langley said. “I am very excited to be a part of The Opening, especially since I have never been to the West Coast.”
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Paring down the list to six was just too tough. So Josh McNeil went with a top 12.
McNeil told ESPN via text message that he was still considering only Ohio State, Alabama, Florida, Miami, North Carolina State, Oregon, California, South Carolina, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame and East Carolina.
McNeil told ESPN via text message that he was still considering only Ohio State, Alabama, Florida, Miami, North Carolina State, Oregon, California, South Carolina, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame and East Carolina.
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Results: The Bulldogs went 1-2 this week, losing the season finale against Georgia Tech 8-6 and splitting a weekend series against No. 3 South Carolina. The Bulldogs won 6-5 in 10 innings Saturday after falling 3-0 in Friday’s series opener. Sunday’s rubber match with South Carolina was rained out and will not be made up. Georgia has clinched a spot in the 10-team SEC tournament in Hoover, Ala.
Georgia record: 29-22 (13-13 SEC)
Georgia record: 29-22 (13-13 SEC)
Watch live: NCAA Men's And Women's Outdoor Track & Field SEC Championship.
AND
Check out DawgNation's photo gallery live from the Georgia state high school track championships.
AND
Check out DawgNation's photo gallery live from the Georgia state high school track championships.
MACON, Ga. -- When he arrived at the University of Georgia, Mark Fox circled the summer of 2012 as the ideal time to take his Bulldogs basketball team on an NCAA-permitted summer tour.
Radi Nabulsi/ESPN.comTo focus on the Bulldogs' rebuilding, rising sophomore G Nemanja Djurisic passed up an opportunity to play with his native Montenegro's national
team this summer.Because of the leadership turnover on his roster, the Bulldogs’ nine-day trip to Italy in August will be particularly valuable as a team-building exercise. Georgia’s four new signees -- Kenny Gaines, Brandon Morris, Charles Mann and Houston Kessler -- will even be allowed to join the team in Italy, so the practice and game time allotted before and during the trip will give the Bulldogs a head start in preparing for life without departed guards Gerald Robinson and Dustin Ware.
“We thought this might be the time to go,” Fox said Tuesday at the UGA Day gathering in Macon. “It’s unfortunate that it’s an Olympic year, but it’s a perfect time for our team to go because we had a lot of young guys that played a lot last year. We return all those guys, and we’ve got a lot of new, young faces. It’ll give all those guys a chance to jell, figure out who the leader is on the court and get used to each other.”
Sophomore forward Nemanja Djurisic would have missed the trip had he decided to compete for the national team of his home country, Montenegro. Djurisic was a member of the national team several times as a junior player, but decided the timing was not right for him to join the team this summer.
“He had an opportunity to, but just felt like the time commitment was just too great,” Fox said. “He was going to have to be gone for nearly two months and he just didn’t feel like that was the wisest thing to do. So he’ll hope to play for them again later.”
The NCAA permits a basketball program to take such a trip every four years, allowing teams to practice 10 times leading up to the trip.
Radi Nabulsi/ESPN.comTo focus on the Bulldogs' rebuilding, rising sophomore G Nemanja Djurisic passed up an opportunity to play with his native Montenegro's nationalteam this summer.
“We thought this might be the time to go,” Fox said Tuesday at the UGA Day gathering in Macon. “It’s unfortunate that it’s an Olympic year, but it’s a perfect time for our team to go because we had a lot of young guys that played a lot last year. We return all those guys, and we’ve got a lot of new, young faces. It’ll give all those guys a chance to jell, figure out who the leader is on the court and get used to each other.”
Sophomore forward Nemanja Djurisic would have missed the trip had he decided to compete for the national team of his home country, Montenegro. Djurisic was a member of the national team several times as a junior player, but decided the timing was not right for him to join the team this summer.
“He had an opportunity to, but just felt like the time commitment was just too great,” Fox said. “He was going to have to be gone for nearly two months and he just didn’t feel like that was the wisest thing to do. So he’ll hope to play for them again later.”
The NCAA permits a basketball program to take such a trip every four years, allowing teams to practice 10 times leading up to the trip.
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.