Four-star Georgia ATH has top five

Four-star Stone Mountain (Ga.) Stephenson athlete Michael Grant says he’s established a top five list and scheduled one of his official visits.

“I’ve pretty much got it down to the five schools I’m looking at,” he said. “It’s Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Miami and Arkansas. I don’t have those in any order right now. They all look really good.”

Grant (6-0, 175, 4.4) is one of the nation’s elite speed merchants. He won the Georgia state 100- and 200-meter championships as a junior. He projects as a defensive back and return specialist.

All five of his favorites have offered scholarships, as well as Auburn, Clemson, Texas, LSU, Wisconsin, Arizona State, UCLA and Notre Dame.

Asked to break down his leaders, he offered the following:

“Georgia is close to home. I’ve always followed them. I just like their whole program. I like their coaches a lot, especially the DB coach. They tell me there’s a chance I could come in and play pretty early with the guys they’re losing this year.

“Florida – I like their track and football combination and the atmosphere there. They’re also losing some guys in the secondary, so there’s a chance I might be able to come in and play early.

“Tennessee always has some of the best track runners and their football is great, too. They have a lot of Georgia guys on their team.

“Miami always has great DBs, and they send a lot of guys on to the NFL. If you play for them, you know the scouts are going to be looking at you a lot. They love speed down there, and that’s my game. I’ve got an official visit set up with them. I’ll be going down there on Dec. 12.

“Arkansas has probably the best track program in the nation. They really support their football players running track. Ahmad Carroll is from Georgia. I’ve talked to him before about what it’s like out there. He likes it a lot. Just like some of the other schools on my top five, they are losing some DBs. They told me they need someone to come in and play right away.”

Grant didn’t rule out the possibility of other schools making a late run at him. LSU is worth watching. He plans to visit Baton Rouge in January, and “that could help move them back up into my top five.”

Through seven games this season, Grant has helped lead Stephenson to a 6-1 record. He’s recorded 35 tackles, two interceptions, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two blocked punts. He’s also returned one punt and one kickoff for a touchdown. He plays sparingly on offense, but has rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries.

Academically, he carries a 3.0 GPA and has scored a 1080 on the SAT.