Perhaps the most positive aspect of the 2009 Vanderbilt football season was the freshman year of Warren Norman. The dynamic running back and kick returner broke a nearly 30 year old record of a legend in Herschel Walker and gave VU's struggling offense plenty of chances to breakthrough at times. The 5-foot-10 back signed with Vanderbilt out of Chamblee High, one of the most successful programs in Georgia's DeKalb County region.
This recruiting period, the Commodores have snagged commitments from fellow county players such as Kenny Ladler of Stephenson and Sharrod Golightly of Southwest DeKalb. These two defensive backs are expected to keep VU's secondary among the best in the SEC for many years to come. Other top prospects like Michael Thornton, T.J. Stripling, Mack Brown, Ken Malcome, Raymond Sanders, Jonathan Mincy and Tyrone Cornelius will also be big time signees to big programs this February.
However, the county may have even more high quality, "diamonds in the rough". In my constant search for prospects, I found several prospects with either little to no recruiting coverage on any major network. Some of these prospects look like legit SEC level recruits while others could be good enough for the ACC, Conference USA or Sun Belt as well. Here are some talents that are too good to not play major college football.
Don Steib - Stone Mountain High (Defensive End) 6-foot-2, 265 pounds.
15 sacks, 29 TFL, 84 total tackles in 2009. DeKalb County All-Star.
Extremely explosive, great first step and stamina and speed that reminds me of TJ Greenstone.
Chris Gilzeane - Stone Mountain High (Linebacker) 6-foot, 235 pounds
130 total tackles, 13 TFL, 4 sacks
Nicknamed the "Bull" for good reason. Great size and strength, cut from the Chris Marve mold. Solid quickness.
Rashad Williams - Dunwoody High (LB/DE) 6-foot-2, 220 pounds
88 tackles, 18 TFL, 6 sacks, 1 INT.
Solid drive and ankle. Good linebacker body, good speed. Rico Francis-type.
Jonathan Brooks - Miller Grove (LB/Safety) 6-foot, 190 pounds
Great hybrid bandit type. Similar to Ladler, just not as complete at this point. Perfect guy to pickup in January at the CUSA/Sun Belt level.
Max Thompson- Avondale (Running Back) 5-foot-9, 190 pounds
1,592 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.
Tough, almost Willis MaGahee-type runner. Good strength and speed. A Canadian that no one but in DeKalb must know about.
Miles Gooch- Towers High (QB) 6-foot-3, 220 pounds
Threw for 2,209 yards and 19 touchdowns
Prototypical height and build with good velocity. Release needs to be shortened but lots of upside. Another Dwight Dasher-type.
Jaques Gholston- Redan (DE/DT) 6-foot-2, 245 pounds
69 tackles, 12 TFL, 9 sacks.
Inside/outside type like Theron Kadri. Solid feet and level. High-end motor.
Celento Hairston- Miller Grove (Running Back) 5-foot-10, 180 pounds
1,009 yards rushing and 6 TDs.
Tough hard runner that is a smaller version of Georgia Tech's Roddy Jones.
Muhasbi "Naim" Wakeel- Southwest DeKalb (linebacker/safety) 6-foot, 210
169 tackles, 8 TFL, 6 sacks, 1 INT.
Another perfect bandit/rover type. Could play SAM, Free or nickel. Heatseeking missle.
Kendall Robertson - Avondale (DE/LB) 6-foot-4, 220 pounds
72 tackles, 9 TFL, 7 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries.
Rangy, Aaron Maybin-type. Good shed, jolt and speed. Ideal for a 3-4 defense.
Kyle Sarjeant- Southwest DeKalb (Center/Guard) 6-foot, 255 pounds
Seems capable of gaining 40 pounds. Aggressive driver with solid bend and quick twitch.
Jimmie Kitchen- Lithonia High (DT/OL) 6-foot-3, 265 pounds
101 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 fumble recoveries.
Raw, but good size, ideal on the interior, on either size.
Matthew Hardeman- Avondale (running back/linebacker) 5-foot-11, 215 pounds
93 tackles, six sacks. 10 rushing TDs.
Total athlete. Solid base, good hips, powerful legs. Aggressive.
Jabari Carney- Southwest DeKalb (Defensive Tackle) 6-foot, 260 pounds
109 tackles, 25 TFL, 6 sacks, three forced fumbles.
Undersized, but strong. Solid lateral movement, fast get-off. Would be good addition to a Memphis or UCF type program. A steal if he goes to the OVC.
Cristobal Dinham- Lithonia High (RB/DB) 5-foot-9, 180 pounds
1,084 rushing yards and 7 TDs. 35 tackles, 1 TFL.
Quick, undersized back. Could play either side of the ball at the next level.
Tyrell Poole- Tucker High (FB/RB) 6-foot, 205 pounds
745 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.
Strong blocker, good punch and stick. Hard, downhill runner. Could be a good fullback for someone with weight training.
OTHERS:
Antwon Jackson - Towers High (DE/LB) 6-foot-3, 235-pounds
115 tackles, 14 sacks, 19 TFL, 12 forced fumbles.
I couldn't find a full highlight film on. But I was able to see some Towers highlights and he took over the show. Dominating, great size, solid speed, solid range, looks like a no-brainer type. Can't figure out why there's been little recruiting mention.
Willie Favors- Cedar Grove (QB/RB/DB) 5-foot-9, 170-pounds
762 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. 1,477 yards and 12 TDs thru the air.
Solid, smooth athlete, with great grades at 3.8 GPA, 1600 SAT, 24 ACT.
DeAntonyo Bryant- Stone Mountain (Receiver) 6-foot-1, 170 pounds
Thin, but athletic and quick.
Demetrius Jones- Towers High (Receiver) 6-foot, 185 pounds
732 receiving yards, 4 TDs.
Doral White- Stephenson High (Defensive Tackle) 6-foot, 260 pounds
72 tackles, 13 TFL, 11 sacks.
Artemus Norman- Chamblee High (DE/LB/RB) 6-foot-1, 210 pounds
57 tackles, 18 TFL, 7 sacks. (YOUNGER BROTHER OF WARREN NORMAN)
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