Under Armour Atlanta Recruiting Notebook
ALPHARETTA, Ga. -- There is rarely a shortage of elite talent at an Atlanta-area camp event and Sunday's Under Armour stop at Denmark High proved similar.
Dozens of future college football stars competed on a cool and breezy day. There was as much buzz about where a given prospect may be headed to play his college ball as much as how one performed on the day.
SI All-American condenses the notebook for the latest recruiting news coming out of the event.
[Related: Top Performers from UA Atlanta]
Class of 2022
The most talked about prospect as the event began was Cordova (Tenn.) St. Benedict defensive lineman Walter Nolen, who is as coveted a trench prospect as there is in the 2022 cycle. He told SI All-American he is consistently hearing from LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Tennessee. The Georgia Bulldogs, with 2021 and 2022 commitments as well as assistant coach Tray Scott are building some buzz of late. His mother confirmed that Coach O (Ed Orgeron) at LSU is the head coach the family is in most consistent contact with. A decision is not to be expected until December but a list cut could be coming in the next month or so.
Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive lineman Tyler Booker has no shortage of scholarship offers from national powers. He's made it no secret he wants to hit the road once the dead period ends and already has plans to check out several programs like Alabama, Notre Dame, Penn State and Florida, among others.
One of the top prospects set to soon commit is Jefferson (Ga.) two-way talent Malaki Starks, who checked in at defensive back Sunday despite electing not to compete. The in-state Bulldogs are in a proverbial dog fight with national powers Alabama, to which he was sporting a Crimson Tide hat, and Clemson for one of the Peach State's best. Starks, who said he has yet to make up his mind, is expected to commit on March 26.
Atlanta (Ga.) Woodward Academy running back Damari Alston is another national prospect who impressed Sunday. Plenty of programs are involved and visits to places like Penn State, Tennessee, Ohio State, Georgia Tech are possible once the NCAA’s dead period ends at the end of May. Alston has no clear timetable for a decision although he would like to end the process in the summertime if at all possible.
Mykell Williams looked among the most athletic defensive line prospects in attendance and his offer list reflects that. The Columbus (Ga.) Hardaway prospect was once close to making a commitment, is now in no rush to make a decision and like many, is excited to hit the road to visit contenders like Georgia and USC at some point soon. Kentucky and Georgia Tech were also mentioned by Williams.
Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian offensive lineman Addison Nichols is going to hit the visit trail hard in the month of June, presumably after the dead period wraps up. Georgia will get him on campus first, followed by Florida, USC, Ohio State and Tennessee into the month of July. Nichols said the UT visit will be at the tail-end of the process because he is already comfortable with Knoxville.
One of the top linebacker projections competing Sunday was Jaylen Sneed of Hilton Head (S.C.) High School. The rising-senior is high on Notre Dame’s board and the feeling is mutual, as he is heading to South Bend to kick off his spring break this week. Ohio State, Georgia and South Carolina are among those involved, but Oregon is a campus Sneed wants to see sometime soon.
Anniston (Ala.) defensive back Antonio Kite, fresh off of leading his high school to state championship recently, is looking to soon narrow his list of schools to a top group. Adding a slew of offers in the last few months, Kite knows a few programs set to make the cut whenever it comes — Alabama, Georgia and Florida State.
Kody Jones, a recent Michigan defensive back commitment out of Memphis (Tenn.) Germantown, says Tennessee’s entire coaching staff is recruiting him as an athlete. Visits will be a part of his summer and he reports solidity to the Wolverines despite additional interest from Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and Memphis.
A prospect Power 5 programs have yet to jump in on, for now, is Dacula (Ga.) wide receiver Wyatt Sullivan. Florida Atlantic and Florida A&M are his offers to date while Florida State, Boston College, South Florida and Coastal Carolina are in contact as well. Sullivan jumped on the SIAA radar at the Elite 11 Atlanta event earlier this month.
Class of 2023
Elite rising-junior defensive lineman Lebbeus Overton, of Milton (Ga.) High School, has the nation's best after him including Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Florida and others. His father Milton, who was an associate athletic director at Alabama for six years, is now the AD at Kennesaw State. Alabama and Clemson have had Overton on campus to this point, but he is hoping to soon change that.
Defensive Back A.J. Harris of the Glenwood School in Alabama says Georgia and Notre Dame are a pair of programs on his mind early on along with Auburn, Kansas and Kansas State among initial offers. There is no early timetable for a decision.
Another trenchman in the 2023 class with plenty of eyes on him is Keldric Faulk of Highland Home (Ala.) High School. The edge talent has been to Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Florida early in his recruitment. Visits to places like Ohio State, Notre Dame and Florida State are on his wish list once the dead period clears up.
Stantavious Smith says he grew up watching Alabama, Florida State and Oregon. The Dougherty (Ga.) defensive line prospect hinted at South Carolina and Georgia remaining on his list of favorites going forward. A list cut is expected sometime “soon.”
One of the most recent risers in the state of Alabama is Sylvester Smith of Munford (Ala.), who can play anywhere in the secondary. He showed up to the event in a Georgia pullover and says the Bulldogs, Florida and Michigan are among the programs that have some attention early on. Communication is underway with Alabama, Auburn and Notre Dame, among others.
Matt Ray, Brooks Austin, Brian Smith and Dale Dowden contributed to this feature
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