Georgia Tech Football Recruiting 2012: National Signing Day Recap

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets received letters of intent from 17 different players on Wednesday but come in as part of the bottom half of the ACC conference according to Rivals.com. The Yellow Jackets class is currently ranked No. 10 out of the 12-team ACC conference ahead of only Boston College and Wake Forest.

Tech suffered a major blow when it lost offensive line recruit Will Adams to Auburn and defensive end prospect Dalvin Tomlinson to Alabama. Rivals rated Tech's class as having two four-star recruits and 13 of the three-star in the 17 man class.

Florida State took top honors in the conference and is followed Miami's huge 33 player class. Clemson checks in at No. 3 and is followed by Virginia Tech and Virginia in the top five. North Carolina comes in at No. 6 and is followed by Maryland, Duke and North Carolina State as teams all in front of the Jackets.

For more on Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Football recruiting, visit From The Rumble Seat and SB Nation Atlanta. Click the link for more on National Signing Day 2012.

2012 Georgia Tech Recruiting Class Signees List, Now With More Beau Hankins

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets finally got some good news in the afternoon, with the addition of three-star linebacker Beau Hankins making up for at least a part of the loss of Will Adams to the Auburn Tigers and the miss of local four-star Dalvin Tomlinson, plus the loss of co-offensive line coach Todd Spencer due to a NCAA recruiting violation.

Tech has 17 letters of intent in the bag, with the defensive front seven getting perhaps the biggest boost. Four-star defensive end Francis Kallon leads the new defensive linemen, while four-star athlete/quarterback and Alabama decommit Justin Thomas may be the biggest name.

Via Georgia Tech blog From the Rumble Seat, a list of the 2012 class as it stands at the moment:

For more on the Jackets, visit Georgia Tech blog From the Rumble Seat.

Georgia Tech's Todd Spencer Resigns Over Texts To Recruits

In a surprising twist, Georgia Tech's offensive line coach Todd Spencer resigned on National Signing Day.

Spencer had broken NCAA rules when it comes to sending illegal text messages, and coach Paul Johnson was reportedly ready to fire him.

#GaTech OL coach Todd Spencer has resigned. CPJ wanted him fired after school found out he sent illegal texts 2 recruits. Resigned instead

— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) February 1, 2012

The turmoil on the coaching staff may have cost the Yellow Jackets on the recruiting trail.

Will Adams, a three-star 6'5 280 offensive lineman from Tyrone, Georgia, had been a long-time Georgia Tech commit, but he decided to re-open his recruiting due to Spencer's situation.

Adams visted Auburn last week and ended up committing to the school earlier on National Signing Day.

At this point, there's no clear indication as to where Johnson wants to go in terms of replacing Spencer, but the offensive line coach is particularly important for Georgia Tech, a team which runs a unique triple-option system that most recruits aren't as familiar with coming out of high school.

Beau Hankins Picks Georgia Tech In National Signing Day Upset

In a nice win for a Georgia Tech program that had been struggling on the recruiting trail in the weeks leading up to National Signing Day, three-star LB Beau Hankins from Birmingham, Alabama picked the Yellow Jackets over Arkansas, Penn State, Stanford and Central Florida:

PatrickClaybon Patrick Claybon

#NSD #42NSD LB Beau Hankins announces with a big smile that he will be going to Georgia Tech #GT #UCF #Stanford #PSU

1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply

The 6'2 225 inside-linebacker runs a 4.6 40 and was the No. 30 rated player in the state of Alabama.

The state of Georgia, located in the heart of SEC country, is heavily recruited by almost all of the major powers in the South, which means Georgia Tech has to be able to win recruiting battles for out-of-state players like Hankins.

Beating out a top 10 program like Arkansas for a guy they wanted is a nice victory for Paul Johnson's staff.

A highlight tape from his junior season:

Georgia Tech Recruiting: Signing Day LOI Roundup

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets haven't had the National Signing day they'd hoped for, missing on Alabama Crimson Tide commit Dalvin Tomlinson and losing longtime commit Will Adams to the Auburn Tigers. Still, they've yet to lose any players they weren't worried about, and officially managed to keep top recruit Francis Kallon.

The list of received letters of intent with hours still to go, via @FTRSRecruiting, who's live on the scene at Boddy Dodd Stadium:

• Adam Gotsis, OL
• Anthony Autry, DB
• Chase Roberts, OL
• D.J. White, DB
• Dennis Andrews, QB
• Francis Kallon, DE
• Freddie Burden, OL
• Marcus Allen, RB
• Michael Summers, WR
• Pat Gamble, DT
• Ryan Rodwell, P
• Travin Henry, ATH
• Tyler Stargel, LB

For more on Dalvin Tomlinson and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Football recruiting, visit From The Rumble Seat and SB Nation Atlanta. Click the link for more on National Signing Day 2012.

Will Adams Commits To Auburn Over Georgia Tech

Longtime Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets offensive lineman commit Will Adams announced on National Signing Day that he'll play for the Auburn Tigers. The lifelong Georgia Bulldogs fan never got a whole lot of attention from the Dawgs until late in the process, after UGA had lost Chester Brown, but by then he'd narrowed it to two teams.

Auburn appeared late as well, showing up after Tech's offensive line coaching status became murky. His status has been all over the place for most of the past two weeks, with visits to Auburn reportedly being planned and unplanned.

A 6-foot-7 three-star out of Georgia Tech pipeline Sandy Creek, Adams is ranked one of the country's 100 best offensive tackles by recruiting services. He needs to bulk up before he'll be able to play in the SEC.

For more on Dalvin Tomlinson and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Football recruiting, visit From The Rumble Seat and SB Nation Atlanta. Click the link for more on National Signing Day 2012.

Dalvin Tomlinson Commits To Alabama Over Georgia, Georgia Tech

Dalvin Tomlinson, Commitment Announcement Time And TV Schedule

College football is big business. Major universities go to great height to bring in the most talented high school football players in hopes that they can convince them to wear their jersey and help them win football games for the next few years. Some of the best high school players in the country get offers from top schools throughout the country and today, those players make their decisions. It's National Signing Day, which to hard-core fans, is like the NFL's draft. Some players get so much attention that they make their official announcement on TV in front of millions. One of those players is Georgia native Dalvin Tomlinson.

Tomlinson, a 6-foot-2, 270-pound defensive tackle from Henry County High School, is listed by Rivals.com as the nation's 149th best high school senior and the 11th best defensive tackle. He has been somewhat hushed about his intentions to this point as he's been focused on winning a third straight state wrestling title.

omlinson is rumored to be choosing between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson tide. He will be making his decision live on FOX5 in Atlanta on Good Day Atlanta shortly after 8:30 a.m. (ET).

For more on Dalvin Tomlinson and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Football recruiting, visit From The Rumble Seat and SB Nation Atlanta. Click the link for more on National Signing Day 2012.

Georgia Tech Recruiting 2012: Dalvin Tomlinson, Will Adams Announcement Times

Can Dalvin Tomlinson make something of a middlin' Georgia Tech recruiting class? Might Will Adams leave Tech for Auburn? Visit Georgia Tech blog From the Rumble Seat and SB Nation's national college football recruiting coverage.

Dalvin Tomlinson, National Signing Day 2012: UGA And Georgia Tech Send Scholarship Papers To Top DE Recruit

Dalvin Tomlinson, the Henry County High School Super 11 defensive end, is still very much a candidate to end up in Georgia in 2012.

According to Michael Carvell of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the finalists for the services of the top prospect are the Georgia Bulldogs, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Alabama Crimson Tide. All three schools have sent Tomlinson scholarship papers, although there remains no word of which school he is planning on committing to prior to National Signing Day on Wednesday.

"There's nothing new ... well, I mean, Dalvin hasn't told anybody anything," Henry County coach Mike Rozier told the AJC. "He knows where he's going but he's not telling anybody. That guy is tight-lipped and poker-faced. His own family members, his aunt and uncle, they don't know."

Apparently the Yellow Jackets and the Crimson Tide are the frontrunners for Tomlinson's services. Tomlinson attended nearly every Georgia Tech home game in 2011 and reportedly wants to stay close to home. Carvell considers UGA to be the "dark horse" for the services of the young player, but noted that Tomlinson has visited the campus multiple times for varying reasons and the home-state ties may play a factor.

For all news and information regarding the Gerogia Bulldogs, please visit Dawg Sports. For updates and perspective on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, head on over to From the Rumble Seat. For wall-to-wall coverage of National Signing Day, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated football recruiting hub.

Will Adams Recruitment Affected By Todd Spencer's Possible Departure From Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech offensive line coach Todd Spencer could be departing Paul Johnson's staff, according to a report by CoachingSearch.com. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a factor in Tech commit Will Adams' visit to Auburn over the weekend was that Spencer, his primary recruiter, was rumored to be leaving the team:

[Adams] told the AJC on Saturday that he was aware of the reports that Georgia Tech co-offensive line coach Todd Spencer is not expected back with the team. ""I heard something like that may happen, and that’s one of the main reasons I decided to visit Auburn."

With the citizenship issues of Chester Brown preventing the University of Georgia from taking an offensive lineman, the Dawgs might be in play for Adams as well. Adams told Al.com that he's still committed to the Yellow Jackets after visiting The Plains, but that "we're still talking about it" regarding his final decision. However, the AJC updated their original story on Adams Sunday night that he was not committed to any school.

Spencer has been on the Georgia Tech staff for four seasons, and was suspended before the 2011 season for one game because of recruiting violations.

For more on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, go to From The Rumble Seat. For the latest on college football news and recruiting from across the nation, visit SB Nation's college football news hub.

Junior Gnonkonde Commits To UNC After Georgia Tech Issue

Lanier County High School defensive end Junior Gnonkonde was the very first commitment in Georgia Tech's 2012 signing class, but now he'll line up against them once a season, and not because he flipped - the Jackets did.

Gnonkonde signed with North Carolina over the weekend, after reopening his recruiting following a meeting with Tech head coach Paul Johnson, who, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, informed Gnonkonde that his test scores were too low to sign with the Jackets.

Gnonkonde is a 6-4, 215 lb. weakside defensive end for Lanier, and is rated as a three-star prospect by both Rivals and Scout. After parting ways with the Yellow Jackets, he entertained offers from the Tarheels, South Carolina, Wake Forest, Central Florida and Syracuse among others, but opted for UNC Sunday.

For more on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, go to From The Rumble Seat, and for the latest news from around National Signing Day, be sure to visit SB Nation's college football news hub.

Antonio Crawford Flips On Georgia Tech For Miami

Antonio Crawford isn't worried about Paul Johnson's threat that his scholarship offer could be rescinded for visiting ACC rival Miami - the cornerback from Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, officially flipped his commitment from Georgia Tech to the Hurricanes this weekend.

Crawford's weekend visit to Miami had threatened his standing with Johnson and Georgia Tech, since the defensive back had verbally committed to Tech last summer. Johnson holds verbal commitments to a higher level than most BCS coaches, insisting that commitments not visit other campuses once they've indicated they'll play for Georgia Tech. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Crawford's scholarship could be in jeopardy for simply visiting the Canes.

Crawford, a 5-11, 180 lb. two-way player, is listed as a three-star receiver / cornerback prospect by both Rivals and Scout.

For more on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, go to From The Rumble Seat, and for the latest news from around National Signing Day, be sure to visit SB Nation's college football news hub.

Georgia Tech Football Recruiting 2012: Receiver Travin Henry Commmits

Travin Henry, a wide receiver from Cook County, committed to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets after a quick weekend of renewed interest by both parties. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the 6-3, 227 lb. wide receiver had been in touch with the Jackets since his sophomore year, but not much recently:

"I’d been hearing from Georgia Tech since my sophomore year but really not a lot recently," Henry told the AJC. "Two weeks ago, they called my coach out of nowhere and it just went from there."

Henry committed to Georgia Tech at the end of his weekend visit, choosing the Jackets over Vanderbilt, Middle Tennessee State, Memphis and Kentucky. Henry is rated as a two-star prospect by Scout.com and a three-star prospect by Rivals.com.

For more on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, go to From The Rumble Seat, and for the latest news from around National Signing Day, be sure to visit SB Nation's college football news hub.

Will Adams Decides To Take Official Visit To Auburn

Offensive lineman has suddenly become a hot name among local schools as National Signing Day is rapidly approaching. Adams has been committed to Georgia Tech since July but recently received a scholarship offer from Georgia and has decided to take a last minute visit to Auburn.

"One of the main things is that I wanted a school to compare to Georgia Tech. I don't want to have any regrets down the road. I didn't want to regret not visiting Auburn,"

Adams is a 6-foot-6, 280 pound offensive lineman out of Sandy Creek High School. He reportedly grew up a Bulldogs fan but committed to the Yellow Jackets when he had no offer from the Bulldogs. His trip to Auburn comes with risks as Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson frowns on commitments taking more official visits to other schools. Johnson reportedly told Adams when he learned of the recruits plans to visit Auburn that "If you're looking, then we're looking."

Georgia showed interest in Adams after losing offensive line recruit Chester Brown to state immigration policy. The Bulldogs are also chasing Adams' high-school teammate JaQuay Williams who is also committed to Auburn.

For more on Georgia Tech Football, head to From The Rumble Seat. For more on Georgia Football, check out Dawg Sports.

National Signing Day 2012: UGA, Georgia Tech Have Chances At Top Recruits

Georgia Tech Recruiting: Will Adams Finally Gets UGA Offer, According To Report

With national signing day just around the corner, many schools are making late pushes for recruits. The challenge for schools like Georgia Tech is keeping their commitments through signing day and actually seeing those recruits sign on the dotted line.

A pair of Yellow Jackets recruits has been pursued by other schools this week. Four-star defensive end Francis Kallon was approached by Auburn, Florida State and Vanderbilt, according to Rivals, but is reportedly standing by his commitment to the Yellow Jackets.

Also according to Rivals, offensive lineman Will Adams could have a decision to make after receiving offers from both Auburn and Georgia. Adams grew up a Bulldogs fan and did not have an offer from Georgia when he committed. The Bulldogs are looking to add some more offensive linemen commitments after losing Chester Brown earlier this week due to a state immigration policy.

For more Georgia Tech football, head to From The Rumble Seat. For more college football, visit SB Nation's NCAA Football hub.

Antonio Crawford Visiting Miami, Georgia Tech Commit Announces On Facebook

Via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Michael Carvell, Plant High School cornerback Antonio Crawford, who has been committed to Georgia Tech since last Summer, announced via Facebook that he would be traveling to Florida to visit Miami University after receiving a scholarship offer from the Hurricanes.

From the AJC:

DB Antonio Crawford, who has been committed to Georgia Tech since last summer, will take an official visit to Miami this weekend, according to his Facebook page. Crawford wrote that he had been offered a football scholarship by Miami and he "was going to be in MIAMI this weekend to visit The U."

This is not the first time a player who has committed to Georgia Tech has continued to check out other schools. Paul Johnson has a unique stance on visits, essentially treating a visit as a sign that a player isn't committed. Defensive tackle Tre Jackson did the same after receiving later offers from the Hurricanes, the Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles.

National Signing Day is Feb. 1, which is less than a week away, so this is bad timing for the Yellow Jackets. For more updates on Georgia Tech, visit From the Rumble Seat.

Dalvin Tomlinson Won't Visit UGA Before Decision; Dawgs Still In Top Three

The University of Georgia will not be able to host three-star defensive tackle recruit Dalvin Tomlinson from Henry County High School before Feb. 1 due to the fact that he is focused on winning a third straight heavyweight wrestling title.

Still, according to ESPN, Tomlinson lists Georgia in his top three schools to commit to along with Georgia Tech and Alabama:

"Right now I am just evaluating each college individually to make sure I make the right choice for me," Tomlinson said. "My top three schools are Alabama, Georgia Tech and Georgia. Those are the main three I might be going to right now."

Tomlinson spoke about each school, saying what he liked about each one (watch the video here). When he spoke of UGA, he said he likes the fact that they have the major he wants and he likes the honesty of head coach Mark Richt.

Tomlinson says that Georgia and Georgia Tech are "neck and neck" right now and he will likely inform the coaches of his decision sometime this week.

For more updates on the Georgia Bulldogs, visit Dawg Sports.

Georgia Tech Recruiting: Junior Gnonkonde's Scholarship Revoked, Paul Johnson Cites Academic Reasons

Lanier County High School defensive end Junior Gnonkonde was Georgia Tech's first commitment for its 2012 signing class but won't be signing with the Yellow Jackets after he was informed that his scholarship offer had been withdrawn by the school.

Lanier County athletics director John White told the AJC that Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson indicated that the offer was pulled because Gnonkonde's test scores were too low. That confused White, who is also Gnonkonde's legal guardian, because of the timing which comes just 10 days before signing day.

"Georgia Tech's admissions people had his transcript and test score for awhile. Why didn't they let us know long before this? We're finding out just now? This kid has been committed to Georgia Tech for 11 months, we didn't talk to other schools because he was committed there, and now this happens 10 days before National Signing Day?"

Gnonkonde is scheduled to take an official visit to Central Florida sometime next week and has already been contacted by Florida, Georgia and Louisiana Tech among others.

For more on Georgia Tech's Football recruiting class be sure to check out From The Rumble Seat. For more College Football recruiting news be sure to check out SB Nation's College Football Hub.

2012 Georgia Tech Football Recruiting: Jackets To Offer Aussie Adam Gotsis

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have officially offered a scholarship to Australian Adam Gotsis, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting. The 6-foot-5, 295 lb. lineman is in Atlanta visiting the Yellow Jackets this weekend. Gotsis projects to play as a defensive lineman for Tech.

As we previously reported, the long distance courtship of Melbourne native Gotsis and the Yellow Jackets has drawn interesting coverage from down under. The AJC reports the connection is between Tech head coach Paul Johnson and Paul Manera, who serves a position representing Australia on the International Federation of American Football (who knew?). Manera was once recruited by Johnson to play at Hawaii in 1989.

In addition, apparently Tech coaches are angry the news about Gotsis is out:

We can confirm that Gotsis arrived safely from his long journey from Australia to Georgia Tech because a couple of reporters noticed him while leaving a press conference on campus. They said he looked every bit of 6-5 and 295 but lean and muscular. Also, Georgia Tech’s coaches were reportedly upset that word got out about Gotsis visiting this weekend because they were hoping to keep him a "secret" from competing colleges until National Signing Day.

We've seen this before, but only in movies about football.

For more on Georgia Tech, visit From The Rumble Seat. For the latest on college football across the nation - make that world! - go to SB Nation's college football page.

Paul Johnson Slams Oversigning Days After Justin Taylor Story Broke

Georgia Tech Recruiting: Lynn Griffin Reportedly Flips On Southern Miss

Jacksonville, Florida safety Lynn Griffin, rated a three-star by most services, has flipped on the Southern Miss. Golden Eagles after taking a Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets visit, according to Rivals.com. The Trinity Christian DB has been committed to USM since August, but has taken multiple visits to Atlanta.

In December, he'd called the exit of coach Larry Fedora and company a factor in his re-opened recruiting.

Standing six feet tall and weighing 206 pounds, he's Tech's 16th 2012 commitment and fourth pure defensive back. Secondary has become a position of relative strength for this class, with all four being rated three stars.

Elsewhere, the Jackets picked up a commit from Statesboro OL Freddie Burden and saw DE Francis Kallon's stock improve -- he was granted a fourth star by Rivals.

Updated commits list:

For more on the Jackets, visit Georgia Tech blog From the Rumble Seat. For more national recruiting news, visit SB Nation's college football recruiting section.

Georgia Tech Recruiting: Adam Gotsis Visiting From Australia

Dalvin Tomlinson, National Signing Day 2012: Georgia Still In Top Three Despite No-Show Visit

Dalvin Tomlinson's abrupt cancelation of his scheduled visit to the University of Georgia could've been a sign that the Bulldogs have fallen significantly behind Georgia Tech and Alabama for the Henry County High School defensive end, but Tomlinson's coach told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that's not the case, and a family issue kept Tomlinson from traveling to Athens.

"I talked with Dalvin and he had something that came up with his family," Henry County coach Mike Rozier told the AJC. "He said he talked with [UGA assistant Bryan McClendon] on Saturday morning and let him know. It was a personal issue having to deal with his family."

Rozier also said that Tomlinson, who recently lost his mother to a longtime illness, is "overwhelmed" by the attention of the recruiting process, and will take some personal time to make a decision before announcing his choice on February 1. Rozier mentioned that coaches from South Carolina had recently been in contact in addition to Tomlinson's assumed top three of Bama, Tech and UGA.

For more on the Georgia Bulldogs, go to Dawg Sports. For more on Georgia Tech, visit From The Rumble Seat. For news on everything in college football recruiting, visit SB Nation's college football news hub.

Dalvin Tomlinson, National Signing Day 2012: Georgia Tech Tomlinson's Top Choice?

Henry County High School defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson, who stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 270 pounds, is Scout.com's No. 17 ranked defensive tackle in the nation. He is one of two top-tier Georgia high school football players that have yet to commit to a school. The two favorite colleges to land Tomlinson have been rumored to be Georgia Tech and Alabama and that may be even more true after he didn't go to his scheduled visit at University of Georgia on Monday.

From The Atlanta-Journal Constitution:

"Dalvin just texted me, he didn’t go to Georgia today," Henry County coach Mike Rozier said. "He didn’t say why. I’m trying to call Dalvin and [UGA assistant Bryan McClendon] right now to see what’s going on. I will let you know as soon as I find out."

We didn’t hear back from Rozier or Tolimlinson by late Monday night. We don’t know if Tomlinson will reschedule the UGA visit or cancel it altogether.

Tomlinson is attempting to win his third straight wrestling championship right now which could have factored in to his decision to skip his visit with the Bulldogs. According to his high school coach, Rozier, he also hasn't had any contact with Alabama recently either.

Justin Thomas Commits To Georgia Tech, Flipping On Alabama

One-time Alabama Crimson Tide commit Justin Thomas of Prattville, Alabama, a four-star athlete according to Rivals, has committed to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Thomas had been committed to Bama for nearly a year, hoping to play quarterback, but evidently feels he has a better shot of playing the position at Tech. The Tide reportedly wanted him to return kicks.

Former Alabama high school star Jamal Golden, a Jackets cornerback, broke the news:

@211Boy_4Life Well Twitter I have someone who was once my rival about to become my teammate next year... #yessuh!!! #JustinThomas

@211Boy_4Life Me and Justin gonna make me things happen here at #GT

At 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, Thomas does look more like an option quarterback than a pro-style passer, which Alabama's offense will clearly favor.

He also has offers from Auburn, Florida, LSU and others, but it's hard to say just how many of the schools on his list want him as a quarterback. If that's the position he wants to play, then ... hey, who said Paul Johnson's scheme couldn't find well-suited talent?

For more on the Jackets, visit Georgia Tech blog From the Rumble Seat.

Georgia Tech Recruiting: D.J. White, Anthony Autry Join 2012 Class

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets got their first 2012 commits in a while, with the first weekend of visits season yielding three-star defensive back D.J. White of McDonough and defensive back/wide receiver Anthony Autry of Norcross. 

Tech's 2012 class had been thin in the secondary heading into the weekend, with only three-star Antonio Crawford already aboard. The Jackets are up to 12 commits.

White, a longtime South Florida Bulls commit, had offers from Auburn, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and others. Autry's most impressive offers were from Appalachian State and Indiana.

Actually, all you need to know about White's talent: he got a hug from Paul Johnson after flipping on USF. The last man Paul Johnson hugged is buried beneath Beautiful Eagle Creek, but that may have been a different sort of hug.

For more Georgia Tech football, head to From The Rumble Seat. For more college football, visit SB Nation's NCAA Football hub.

Georgia Tech Recruiting: Roderick Chungong Jackets' Fourth DL Commit

It's not hard to understand why a program like Southern California is able to continue reeling in four- and five-star recruits despite the sanctions imposed on the program over a year ago. Warm weather, a rich history of championships, beautiful girls and so on. Georgia Tech also has a favorable climate and ... some females. But it goes without saying that the Yellow Jackets' football program doesn't quite have the national pull or cache of the Trojans'.

Still, highly regarded prospects continue to commit to Georgia Tech, the latest being Rivals three-star Roderick Chungong, a 6-foot-3 255-pound defensive end from Maryland. Chungong reportedly chose Paul Johnson's program over Michigan State, Virginia and Pitt, the other legitimate candidates he was considering among his 15 offers. Chungong's high school coach, Bob Milloy, described the senior defensive end in glowing terms: "He’s a good football player, good student, and just an all-around good kid."

Johnson deserves credit for attracting young men with high character and academic performance. 

More soon on Georgia Tech's 2012 commits and other news in the lead up to the 2011 season, but for now, here's a quick highlight video of Chungong's from his first three years of high school ball in Maryland.

2012 Georgia Tech Football Recruiting: Marcus Allen Commits, Has A Famous Name

It just goes to show what a great job Paul Johnson is doing Georgia Tech: RB Marcus Allen won't be headed to USC after all, where he'd be assured of winning a Heisman Trophy and a long NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers and other teams and a weird friendship with O.J. Simpson and ...

I'm sorry, apparently we're talking about Hilliard, Florida RB Marcus Allen, who's himself a highly recruited player, likely Tech's biggest get so far this class. The consensus three-star prospect announced his intention to play for Tech this week, choosing the Jackets over a list of offers dozens deep. Arkansas, FSU, Nebraska and Wisconsin were some of the schools in the running for Allen, who apparently also played QB and was ranked as the nation's No. 61 OLB by Scout.

In fact, it was Tech's desire to have him play running back that helped it land Allen, a student with a 3.9 GPA who's related to former state legends Champ Bailey and Boss Bailey. That 3.9 GPA should help clue you in on what else helped lure Allen to Atlanta.

An updated look at the 2012 class:

For more Georgia Tech football, head to From The Rumble Seat. For more college football, visit SB Nation's NCAA Football hub.

2012 Georgia Tech Recruiting: Will Adams Commits To Favorite Team's Rival

The story on Sandy Creek OT Will Adams, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets newest commit, is that he grew up a Georgia Bulldogs fan. But it actually sounds like he's got as much White and Gold in him as he does anything else, as he described to Michael Carvell some pretty extensive ties to Tech.

Might Adams flip if he happens to get a UGA offer? It's hard to tell, from the sound of it, since he says he tried to attend Dawg Night despite an injury. His only SEC offer came from the Kentucky Wildcats, so Georgia might not end up taking interest in him anyway. Either way, accepting an offer to play against the team you grew up rooting for has to be a really tough choice for a high schooler.

He comes from the same school as did Jackets like Calvin Johnson and Andrew Gardner, and has been battle-tested by some of the state's best pass-rushers, including Georgia's Ray Drew.

Here's an updated look at Tech's 2012 commits list:

For more Georgia Tech football, head to From The Rumble Seat. For more college football, visit SB Nation's NCAA Football hub.

2012 Georgia Tech Football Recruiting: Antonio Crawford Continues Florida Run

If you count Gulf Shores, Alabama as Florida or at least pretty-much Florida, Paul Johnson's 2012 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets recruiting class is shaping up to reflect his 2008 and 2010 Sunshine State-heavy classes. With Plant High School athlete Antonio Crawford committing late Friday, three of Tech's eight commits hail from Florida or, seriously, like inches away from it.

Plant is the same powerhouse Tampa school that produced Aaron Murray and Orson Charles. A three-star prospect who projects as a CB in Atlanta according to his high school coach, Crawford had offers from Ball State, Bowling Green, Florida International, Iowa State, Ohio and South Alabama. He'd also been eyed by Georgia, Alabama and others.

An updated look at Tech's 2012 commitments list:

For more Georgia Tech football, head to From The Rumble Seat. For more college football, visit SB Nation's NCAA Football hub.