ACC Blitz: Waiting on Signing Day decisions
Clemson continues to wait it out for athlete Keenan Allen. Allen made a trip to California this weekend and is expected to announce on Signing Day between Cal, Clemson and Alabama. Check out the breakdown of recruiting in the ACC as National Signing Day nears in a special edition of the ACC Blitz.
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href=#gatech>Georgia Tech | Maryland
The Tigers continue to wait it out for athlete Keenan Allen. Allen made a trip to California this weekend and is expected to announce on Signing Day between Cal, Clemson and Alabama. Clemson and South Carolina made one last push sending their staffs to see linebacker Justin Parker. Parker is expected to announce between the two schools on Wednesday afternoon. Word is that he is leaning towards the Tigers at this time. Clemson is still waiting on a decision from D.J. Howard, who is apparently down to the Tigers and Kentucky. The Tigers also got in the picture with UNC commit Darius Lipford. He's expected to announce on Signing Day.
The Blue Devils finished strong with two pledges on the final weekend, both coming from visitors who were offered while on campus. Defensive tackles Steven Ingram and Will Bryant chose the Blue Devils following official visits this weekend. Duke did lose one pledge as well. Alex Hill made the shift from Duke to Illinois.
Offensive lineman Dan Foose made a slightly surprising choice committing to Illinois over Florida State. The Seminoles played host to three visitors this past weekend in Christian Green, Vincent Sanders and five-star Christian Jones - who was on an unofficial visit. Jones and Green appear to be headed to Tallahassee, while Ole Miss will still be tough to beat for Sanders.
The Yellow Jackets received a commitment from visiting athlete Tony Zenon over the weekend. Georgia Tech attempted to make a late play for Vanderbilt commit Chris Boyd, but he has decided to stick with the Commodores. With the departure of Jonathan Dwyer, Paul Johnson filled up on tailbacks. Tech has commits from three RBs in the class, including two in-state prospects.
Maryland continues to wait and see with wide receiver Brandon Coleman. He plans to announce on Signing Day between Rutgers and Maryland. Defensive lineman Roney Lozano could be announcing on Signing Day as well. Maryland continues to be in the picture for defensive back Tony Grimes, although there are rumors that he committed to Ole Miss.
The Hurricanes had a huge visit weekend to close out the year with the nation's No. 2 player, Seantrel Henderson, and another five star, Shon Coleman leading the way. Both Henderson and Coleman are considered longshots but Miami has a good chance at landing four-star J.R. Ferguson following a good official and have improved their chances with defensive tackle Jeffrey Whitaker who is down to the 'Canes and Auburn. California linebacker Josh Shirley also visited and has always been high on Miami, but will he come across the country?
It was a big week for the Tar Heels with five commitments. It started with defensive end Kareem Martin on Monday. The Tar Heels solidified the end position with a pledge from Tim Jackson on Friday. UNC also closed out the running back spot getting two prospects, Casey Turner and Giovanni Bernard. The Tar Heels also received a commitment from cornerback Tre Boston. The Tar Heels may have room for two more, one of which is possibly wide receiver Markeith Ambles. Ambles is rumored to be favoring UNC although he took a last-minute official to Tennessee this weekend. Meanwhile, Ethan Farmer is also expected to choose UNC soon.
Running back Mustafa Greene's selection of the Wolfpack earlier this week helped solidify the tailback spot. Greene's pledge closes the book on State's 2010 class, a class that was a massive upgrade on both sides of the lines. The Wolfpack landed a combined 11 offensive and defensive line prospects, including five-star offensive tackle Robert Crisp. The Pack went far and wide this year recruiting Utah, Ohio, Georgia, South Carolina and New Jersey to fill their needs.
Mike London's recruiting efforts are paying dividends with two more commitments in the past week, both coming from in-state prospects Jake McGee and Stephen Lawe. London also landed Louisville commit Mike Rocco on Sunday and is after JMU pledge Dejor Simmons as well. If offered, Simmons is expected to be a strong lean.
The Hokies quietly closed up the 2010 campaign. End Kareem Martin picked North Carolina and receiver James Louis cancelled an official to Tech. Virginia Tech did a particularly strong job in-state once again with 12 of Tech's 19 pledges coming from Virginia. The Hokies did a particularly strong job filling the offensive line with four commitments, including two impressive tackles in Laurence Gibson and Mark Shuman.
It was a tough Friday for Wake Forest. Their chances with Jawan Jamison went up in smoke just after they had offered mid-week; Jamison committed to Rutgers. Then, defensive end Tim Jackson gave his commitment to North Carolina that day. The Demon Deacons still haven't filled the running back spot, and may they may hold off after passing on David Glasco. Wake did close out with a top target in offensive tackle Dylan Heartsill, who committed Sunday.
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