Georgia Bulldogs

ESPN 150 prospect Montravius Adams (Vienna, Ga./Dooly Co.) took his second official visit last weekend, traveling to Clemson. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive lineman was first targeted by the Tigers more than 18 months ago, and they are considered one of the major contenders to get Adams as national signing day approaches.

Adams spoke well of his latest trip.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -– Team Nitro and Team Highlight took to the fields at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports on Monday for Day 1 of practice for Friday’s Under Armour All-America Game (5 p.m. ET, ESPN). Two powerhouse programs in the Southeastern Conference look to battle it out for one of the standout running backs, and one of the top uncommitted offensive linemen is out with an injury.

Tide and Dawgs at top for RB Kamara

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -– Five-star defensive end Carl Lawson (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton) has been committed to Auburn since March. After Gene Chizik was let go and replaced by former Tigers offensive coordinator Guz Malzahn earlier this month, schools lined up to try and get Lawson on campus. If he had his way he would oblige as many of his suitors as possible.

“I would like to visit Clemson, Tennessee, FSU, UCLA, USC, UNC and Ole Miss, but realistically the five I visit might be Clemson, Tennessee, Ole Miss, UNC and USC,” Lawson said.

The coaching changes have yet to affect where he stands with his recruitment.

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MARIETTA, Ga. -- According to offensive lineman Brandon Kublanow (Marietta, Ga./Walton), the best defensive lineman in the state of Georgia is not Robert Nkemdiche (Loganville, Ga./Grayson) or Carl Lawson (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton). Never mind that those two are ranked the No. 1 and No. 2 prospects in the entire nation. Kublanow is not having it. He says that Montravius Adams (Vienna, Ga./Dooly County) is the best defensive lineman in the nation.

What does Kublanow know that all the recruiting experts don’t? Well, he has faced all three on the field.

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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:

• Wide receiver -- Keegan Karim (Kennesaw, Ga./Harrison)
• Wide receiver -- Nate Brown (Suwanee, Ga./North Gwinnett)

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DawgNation Insiders and DawgNation writers David Ching, Radi Nabulsi and Kipp Adams were joined by SEC blogger Edward Aschoff, Southeast regional coordinator Jamie Newberg and ESPN senior national recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill on Wednesday night for The Pound's inaugural live chat, forum style. Here are the highlights. Check out the complete transcript here. (Questions and answers are edited here for content.)

DantesInferno60: I was just wondering, do college coaches possibly pay attention to players that pop up on recruiting websites such as the ESPN 150 or players ESPN says are sleepers? I mean, I understand colleges do their own analysis, but obviously players could fall through the cracks. Do you think they might not have gotten film on a player that ESPN says is the best athlete in the nation at such and such a position and then they decide to offer the player?

Tom Luginbill: College coaches are going to use every available resource at their disposal to do the best job they can and acquire as much info as possible. I can tell you I speak with college coaches all across the country and share ideas and thoughts on players, talk about different film, philosophy and different approaches, and I know coaches know there are different ways to skin a cat and are always looking to get better. Oftentimes, most programs are not national and may have a pool on the large end of about 700-1,000 players they are concerned about or write up, of which about 180-200 will be offered. We do around 3,000, so at times we may see a guy some have not seen yet, and vice versa.

HereWeGoBuffalo89: Loogs, can you explain Lawson at #5 and Andy Dodd making the 150? Those are the two that stood out the most. Also, Ahmad Fulwood is going to be a beast. This coming from a Georgia Bulldog to a future Gator. Please reference my handle on TV when it comes to fruition.

Loogs: Listen, I see the argument for both Adams and Lawson. One is an edge guy and the other interior. At this stage we feel one is further along as a player. Adams may actually have more long-term upside because of some of his raw play. The reality is it comes down to impact off the edge in our minds. Hand usage, leverage, having a plan, pad level, closing speed, technique, scheme versatility, etc. Keep in mind, we aren’t looking at it from a fan's eyes and never pretend to have all the answers, but whether it is pro, college or HS the general notion is to go with the edge guy early on. Don't sleep on Dodd. Prospects that are projected guards but play TE and H-back with that type of movement skills at that weight are going to garner a lot of attention. You watch, more and more schools are looking into him. Too good an athlete for a big guy. Tough to find.

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ATLANTA - The second annual Rising Seniors Junior Bowl game, which took place Friday at 7PM at Grady Stadium in Atlanta, pitted the top 90 junior prospects in Georgia against each other. It was the culmination of a week-long educational program founded by former NFL players Izell Reese and Joe Burns, designed to give football prospects a head start on life. The game was also aired live nationally on ESPN3.

The West won out 27-20 over the East Friday, with Newnan defensive back Tray Matthews making multiple key plays to help his squad win out. Matthews, currently committed to Georgia, is known for his big hits across the middle, but in this game he made his presence known on special teams as well.

With the game tied 14-14 in the second quarter, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown to give his team the lead. Matthews made a big play again in the third quarter, blocking an extra point attempt that would have tied the game.

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