Historical offer for Little and Georgia State

Trivia time – who's the first recruit to ever be offered a scholarship from Georgia State?

The answer - Drew Little.

This quarterback prospect was offered by Georgia State head coach Bill Curry this past weekend, making him the first ever for this veteran coach.

"It's awesome." Little said. "To be the first ever… I guess it's kind of historical."

Little and his high school coach at McDonough (Ga.) Henry County High School Rex Robertson, visited Atlanta and Georgia State about a month ago. There, they met with Curry and his offensive coordinator John Bond.

"We met and had a good talk," Robertson said. "They basically told us that they want Drew to be their first recruit ever. I mean really he's like the only player they are recruiting at this point and they want him to help build their first class. They were selling him and at the same time they are trying to get computers for the offices and stuff like that.

"When we left that meeting I could tell he was excited about playing in the (Georgia) Dome, for Georgia State being their first recruit ever, and playing close to home. It made him feel like he was going to Georgia Tech all over again."

Georgia State has ties to Little. Coach Bond was previously at Georgia Tech in the same position under Chan Gailey. After an impressive camp last summer with the Yellow Jackets, Bond and Georgia Tech offered Little. But that all changed with the firing of Gailey.

Enter Paul Johnson and his triple option attack for the Jackets. That's not the right fit for the 6-6 and 245 pound signal caller from Henry County. The scholarship offer from Georgia Tech went away.

Still, Little and coach Robertson thought other offers would come. To date, surprisingly no one has offered Little except from coach Curry and Georgia State. Other teams like UAB, Middle Tennessee State, Connecticut and New Mexico are showing interest.

"I am shocked. Drew has handled it well. It has humbled him and made him more focused than ever."

Little has played most of his first three years for Henry County. He started some as a freshman and threw for 700 yards and five touchdown passes. As a sophomore, Little passed for over 1,900 yards and 18 touchdowns. Last season he exploded for 3,170 yards and 41 touchdown passes, giving him a shot at the Georgia state record for both yards and touchdown passes with a big senior year. He currently has 6,000 passing yards and 64 touchdown passes. Little will need over 9,000 to become the state's career leader.

In a scrimmage last week Little passed for 370 yards in three quarters of play in very difficult conditions (high wind). Last season as a junior he threw for a career high 515 yards against Perry (Ga.).

The big question with Little is his size. At 245 pounds some schools likely consider him too big to play quarterback. But he's also 6-6 and with the proper strength and conditioning, he could certainly trim down and be a very effective pocket passer at the next level. Little has a great command in the pocket and throws a nice ball. When he sets his feet, Little can really sling it. He has a good, lively arm. Little has the ability to throw the ball with velocity and touch when needed. He's adept at locating secondary targets.

Speaking of targets, Little has more than his share. Wide receiver Jamal Patterson recently committed to Stanford while 2010 receiver Markeith Ambles already has major scholarship offers and will be one of the top receivers in Georgia next season. Running back Quan Jones is also a dangerous receiver out of the backfield. Henry County has the respect in the state as well. They are currently ranked No. 4 in the AJC (for AA).

So what's next for Little?

"My focus is on my high school team. Of course I want to win a state title. We worked hard this summer and we are ready for a big year. Then, it will be time to start thinking about college. Going to Georgia State would be awesome. Coach Curry is a great guy. Bond is there and I really like him. I mean he was on me at Georgia Tech and now he's there.

"It would be cool to be the first ever player to commit to Georgia State and be a part of that from the ground up. But at this point, I still want to see what is out there."

Georgia State will put together their first recruiting class with this year's crop of prospects. They will begin to play in 2010.

Henry County opens up their season with nearby Eagles Landing Christian Academy on Friday night

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