ESPN Recruiting Nation Football

Each week, Tales From The Road will provide news and updates about where Georgia’s coaches have been and what prospects are standing out.

This week’s targets: University of Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham made the most of his time on the road over the last few days, checking in on two five-star defensive line prospects and his top target at outside linebacker. On Tuesday, Grantham saw defensive tackle Andrew Brown (Chesapeake, Va./Oscar Smith), the No. 3 prospect in the country. That same day, Grantham also went with defensive line coach Chris Wilson to see defensive tackle Lamont Gaillard (Fayetteville, N.C./Pine Forest). The No. 10 prospect in the country, Gaillard has the Bulldogs on top of his list at the moment. Coach Wilson also saw ESPN 150 defensive end Kentavius Street (Greenville, N.C/J.H. Rose), ESPN 150 defensive tackle Elisha Shaw (Tucker, Ga./Tucker), ESPN 150 cornerback Wesley Green (Lithonia, Ga./Martin Luther King) and three-star lineman Kendall Baker (Atlanta/Marist) over the last seven days. On Friday, Grantham was in attendance to watch the ESPN 150 defensive end Lorenzo Carter (Norcross, Ga./Norcross). Last Thursday, wide receivers coach Tony Ball went to check on what could be his top target at wideout for the 2014 class. ESPN 150 prospect Cameron Sims (Monroe, La./Ouachita Parish) says Coach Ball came out twice to see him this spring, and he plans to return the favor this summer with a visit to Athens, Ga. Earlier this week, inside linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti wasted no time in going to see new outside linebacker target and recent Florida decommitment Christian Miller (Spring Valley, S.C./Spring Valley). The ESPN 150 prospect had been hoping to get an offer from the Bulldogs, and now plans to come check Georgia out soon.

Area of interest: South Georgia is home to two targets that Georgia would love to add to their 2014 recruiting class. ESPN 150 cornerback/athlete Malkom Parrish (Quitman, Ga./Brooks County) is looking at both in-state schools, and after visits to both campuses he seems torn between the two. He might be the most talented cornerback the Bulldogs have a great shot at bringing in this recruiting cycle. Recent offensive line target Dyshon Sims (Valdosta, Ga./Lowndes) is thirty minutes down the road, and he hold his offer from Georgia in very high regard. Putting their foot on the gas for both prospects could result in two additions to the commitment list from a pair of in-state prospects with enormous potential.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

NORCROSS, Ga. -- ESPN 150 defensive end Lorenzo Carter seems to never stop grinning, even on the football field. His 100-megawatt smile calls to mind another affable defensive end, Michael Strahan, complete with the trademark gap. Even a shoving match with a teammate resulted in Carter falling down laughing about it later.

During the Norcross spring game on Friday, Carter and offensive tackle Horatio Walker tangled as they went at each other in the trenches. Walker held Carter’s jersey and was rewarded with a shot to the helmet.

“Well it was a run, and I don’t think Horatio respects me on the run yet, but it is all good,” Carter said between guffaws. “He tried to bully me around, but I was not having that so I had to hit him back. I was having fun out there.”

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Despite debuting at No. 89 in the initial ESPN 150 rankings, wide receiver Jesse Jackson (Petal, Miss./Petal) is still flying a bit under the radar. He picked up offers from Alabama and Ole Miss in March, but he’s stayed at four offers for nearly two months.

Last week, the interest picked up. Four SEC schools came by the school in a matter of two days, and Jackson came away with offers from Auburn and Missouri as well as a camp invite from Georgia that could turn into an offer.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

D'Andre Walker (Fairburn, Ga./Langston Hughes) racked up 105 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 21 sacks, two forced fumbles, two recovered fumbles and a blocked punt last season as a junior. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound pass rusher played a huge role in helping his team to a 10-2 record and its first playoff berth in school history and hit the recruiting map late in January, when North Carolina became the first program to offer Walker.

Since that time, 34 other programs have offered Walker. While Walker says all schools are now even, three coaching staffs have been able to connect with him the best so far. The 2015 prospect almost committed to one of them a few months back.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

CALERA, Ala. -- Spring practice just wrapped up for ESPN 150 athlete Ronnie Clark, and he put an exclamation point on it last week with three rushing touchdowns for Calera High School in the first half of their spring game.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound athlete is playing quarterback this year for the Eagles, but he is being recruited as a defensive player for the next level, either as a linebacker or a safety.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

With basketball season over, the No. 1 prospect in Florida can finally hit the road to check out some college campuses. The No. 12 overall prospect in the ESPN 150 David Sharpe (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence School) has no shortage of options to choose from.

During spring break, Sharpe visited in-state Florida and Florida State. Over the weekend, he spent time at two out-of-state programs. Sharpe got to Clemson on Friday morning and stayed there until Saturday morning. He then spent the rest of the day in Athens, Ga., before visiting with some family in Georgia.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

SUWANEE, Ga. -- Three weeks ago, ESPN 150 defensive end Dante Sawyer (Suwanee, Ga./North Gwinnett) was on the verge of committing to either Alabama or Georgia. Speculation and predictions lit up the message boards of both schools as well as social media.

“I am going to decide in the next two to three weeks,” Sawyer said on April 29, “I am not sure which one I am going to pick, but it is down to Alabama and Georgia.”

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

At the end of the March, Washington (Pa.) High running back Shai McKenzie cut his list of more than 30 offers to 15. He's just about ready to snip that list in half once again.

The 5-foot-11, 212-pound back is looking to name a top seven soon, most likely after summer trips to Georgia, Georgia Tech and possibly Florida State. He knows two teams that are in great shape to make the cut already.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

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.

“

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

NORMAN, Okla. -- Last year at this time nobody had heard of quarterback David Cornwell (Norman, Okla./North). He hadn’t started a varsity game. He certainly didn’t have any offers, and he wasn’t on anybody’s radar.

My how things change. Cornwell, who is 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, is now ranked No. 24 in the ESPN 150 and the No. 1 pocket passer. As for offers, yeah, he’s got some of those, too.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

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.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Each week, Tales From The Road will provide news and updates about where Georgia’s coaches have been and what prospects are standing out.

This week’s targets: Last Monday Mike Bobo and Will Friend saw Lowndes (Ga.) High School offensive lineman Dyshon Sims, who would get an offer from Georgia two days later. On Tuesday Tony Ball dropped on wide receiver commitment Krenwick Sanders at Wayne County (Ga.) High School and Todd Grantham and Kirk Olivadotti checked in on ESPN 150 linebacker target Raekwon McMillan (Hinesville, Ga./Liberty County) . Grantham also visited ESPN 150 LB targets Rashaan Evans (Auburn, Ala./Auburn) and Jacob Pugh (Tallahassee, Fla./Godby) that day. Defensive line coach Chris Wilson saw safety target Cortez McDowell (Locust Grove, Ga./Locust Grove) and John Lilly saw Callaway 2015 athlete target Terry Godwin (Hogansville, Ga./Callaway). On Thursday, Grantham and Lakatos saw ESPN 150 CB targets Nicholas Ruffin (Atlanta/St. Pius X) and D.J. Smith (Marietta, Ga./Walton), and evaluated Cameron Albright (Kennesaw, Ga./North Cobb).

Area of interest: North Carolina has been good the Georgia Bulldogs. The running back tandem of Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall can attest to that. When the ESPN 150 was released, 10 players from the Tar Heel State made the initial list, which is only one prospect less than the state of Georgia and the same as the entire state of California. The No. 3 tight end in the nation, Jeb Blazevich, has already committed to Georgia, and the Bulldogs lead for the No. 10 overall prospect in defensive tackle Lamont Gaillard (Fayetteville, N.C./Pine Forest).

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

There was a time when news of a rising junior with an offer was reason to pause and take a second look at why college coaches thought enough of such a young prospect to extend a scholarship. Just a few years ago, summer camps and the fall season were primarily seen as opportunities for seniors to earn offers from BCS programs. Now the recruiting landscape has changed immensely, and 2016 cornerback Chad Clay (Marietta, Ga./Walton) is a prime example.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider