Sorry, he may be a superstar in the making, but he doesn't impress me. I'm ok with him going someplace else.
Randy ----- Original Message ----- From: Gatorrrrrr To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2009 9:44 AM Subject: [gatornews] AJC.com: Lowndes All-America DB Greg Reid "unplugged" Lowndes All-America DB Greg Reid "unplugged" By Michael Carvell | Friday, January 30, 2009, 07:55 AM The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Greg Reid, the AJC's player of the year, might be the nation's hottest college football prospect. Reid, a defensive back from Lowndes, was well known in Georgia circles but propelled himself onto the national stage with his MVP performance in the Under Armour All-Star game earlier this month. Reid intercepted two passes in the ESPN-televised contest. As a result, college scouts have staged a massive invasion of Valdosta during the past few weeks to talk with Reid. Reid was committed to Florida almost a year ago but backed away from the national champion last month because he felt he rushed his decision. Now Georgia is one of the front-runners for Reid, who also is considering Florida State and Alabama while turning down overtures from dozens of other schools. This weekend, Reid will take an official visit to Georgia, his last recruiting trip before signing day. He discussed the recruiting process with the AJC: Q: What has the past month been like for you? A: "It's been out of control, but I've tried to stay calm and not let all the [recruiting] get to me. I never knew it would get this bad. I figured some more colleges would be interested in me after the Under Armour game, but never this much. . I was just thinking that was another game. I never knew this many people would want a 5-foot-8 cornerback." Q: You've never been viewed as the prototype prospect because of your less-than-spectacular size and speed, yet all these colleges want you. What gives? A: "Any coach who knows football knows not to read too much into what a football player does without the helmet and pads on. These combines and camps are a little overrated. I mean, I did OK at them. But when I put on the helmet and pads on Friday nights, it was a whole different story." Q: When you backed off your commitment to Florida only days before the all-star game, you took a big gamble. If you play poorly in that game, it could have worked against you and lost you a ton of major-college offers. Why risk it? Why not wait until after the game to see how you play before backing off? A: "What really made up my mind were the Under Armour practices. I was going up against all these players that were rated much higher than me and had scholarship offers from everybody in the country . and I was holding my own against them on every play. After that, I knew I could play, and that gave me the confidence to make the tough decision about Florida." Q: What really went wrong with Florida? A: "Florida was my favorite team growing up, so I committed to them as soon as I had the chance my junior year. Then I started looking closer at the depth chart in December -- who was coming back -- and they are stacked at cornerback. Florida has a great program, and I love the players and coaches, but it's four years of my life, and I have to do what's best for me. There are better opportunities for me to contribute earlier elsewhere." Q: There were media reports that you made hand signals during the all-star game to acknowledge your father, who is in prison. Can you elaborate? A: "My daddy is in prison in Albany and has never seen me play in a high school game except for that one on ESPN. I was letting him know that I love him. He has been in prison [for aggravated assault] for going on five years, and we're hoping he can get out in time for my graduation." Q: There has been a lot speculation about you meeting college entrance requirements. What's your academic situation? A: "I did terrible, terrible, terrible during my first two years of high school. Then as a junior, I started turning things around. I saw I could go straight to college rather than a prep school if I got it together. I started getting tutors, and my senior year has been awesome. I made all Bs first semester. I have a 2.6 GPA. I've had a lot of college coaches and counselors review my transcript, and they tell me that if I keep it up second semester, then I should be fine." Q: Your high school team was accused of having poor sportsmanship after losing to Grayson in last season's state quarterfinals. What was your perspective? A: "We hate to lose at Lowndes, and we didn't handle that situation very well. . I take the blame for that. I was a senior leader, and I should have had better control of my team. . Whatever team I play for in college, I can promise you nothing like that will ever happen again." --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
