Over the last few years, recruiting has gone younger and younger with col-

leges starting their evaluations of potential prospects beginning with the targets’ sopho-more and sometimes freshman year of high school. More juniors than ever have commit-ted to schools before even playing a down of their senior seasons. Forthefirsttimeever,thetoprisingseniorsin Georgia will be given a chance to showcase their talents in front of the entire nation, and those 90 juniors lucky and skilled enough to participate in the 2011 AT&T Georgia Junior Bowl will have a chance to learn under some of the best prep coaches in the state. These players willalsogettheirfirsttasteofthespotlightastheytryandcarryateamforthefirsttimeinthisall-star showdown. The rosters of the 2011 con-

The players won’t be the only all-stars roaming the sidelines at Hallford Stadi-

um for the 2011 AT&T Georgia Junior Bowl. The coaching staff is top-notch and should have plenty of experience and knowledge to offer their outstanding rosters. Tucker’s Franklin Stephens will coach the East team, and the players would be smart to soak up as much wisdom as Stephens offers as he has a state title on his coaching resume. Ste-phens’ staff would make some NFL head coach-

test will pit the beasts of the East versus the best of the West. Both rosters feature players that are sure to be on everyone’s “Best Of” list from Rivals.com, Scout.com, the AJC Super Eleven, 24-7 Sports and the Score 44. In 2010, several quarterbacks stood out ontheplayingfield.CollinsHill’sTaylorHe-inicke and Chattahoochee’s Timmy Byerly were among them, but only Clarke Central’s Martay Mattox received a scholarship offer from a BCS school to play at the next level. The next generation already has that beat with Greyson Lambert (Wayne County) holding multiple SEC offers. Jonquel Dawson (ML King) set several DeKalb County passing re-cords last season and will join Lambert and North Gwinnett’s Scott Hosch on the East ros-ter. Both Dawson and Hosch will be looking at

es blush with Camden County’s Jeff Herron, a three-time champion, and Chattahoochee’s Ter-ry Crowder, who just claimed the Class AAAA title a few weeks ago. Ed Dudley of Ware Coun-ty will bring his many years of experience to the East staff. Dudley took Walton to the AAAAA semifinalsseveralyearsago.LeroyRyalswasalso in the AAAA state championship game last season. Kevin Whitley, Mike West and Tom Hall are also respected coaches in the state. The West coaching staff is just as deco-

The mission of RisingSeniors.com is to prepare high school junior student-athletes for their senior year on and off the field. By providing them with the tools to thrive academically, athletically and socially, this should be the start of the best year of their young lives. With an ever-changing college recruiting process, these athletes could find themselves unprepared to face the challenges and miss out on this experience. Rising Seniors.com is here to help. The game today is the conclusion of four days of preparing these young men and their parents for the process of making the smooth transition to their senior year, college and beyond. Thanks to AT&T and the other sponsors and thanks to you for supporting the game and our mission.

MESSAGE FROM THE CO-FOUNDERS

offers from big-time programs soon. The 2011 season could very well go down as the year of the quarterback with these three under center. It will be hard for a running back to fol-low the hype that Isaiah Crowell lived up to the last two seasons. But Stephenson’s Mike Davis (East) will try, as will Peachtree Ridge’s DiAndre Atwater (East). The West roster will also offer up two candidates to carry on Georgia’s tradition of talented tail-backs. Sandy Creek’s Mike Hilton will also be the focus of the offense in 2011 now that his highly decorated teammates have left after back-to-back state titles. One members of the East can boast an NFL pedigree. Atwater calls the former Bronco and Raven Steve Atwater “Dad.” Zack and Daron Blaylock are the sons of for-

rated and it starts with the head man. Lowndes head coach Randy McPherson will serve as the boss of the West and he can hold his charges’ attention with his three state titles. Tom Fallaw of Cairo also sports a champion-ship ring as he will assist McPherson. Thom-asville’s Richard Marsh has made the playoffs every year during his tenure and Fitzgerald coach Robby Pruitt has taken a team to the state finals in 2000 and been in contentionseemingly every other year as well. Steve

mer Atlanta Hawks star Mookie Blaylock. The talent on the West shouldn’t be over-looked, especially on defense. Carver-Colum-bus defensive back Deion Bonner is atop every BCS school’s dream list while Harris County defensive lineman Jordan Jenkins outplayed Alabama-bound LaMichael Fanning at times this season. Norcross kicker Chris Bingham can also boot the ball through the endzone and through the goalposts on a regular basis. Bing-ham is as cold-blooded as kickers come, and will be one of the most sought-after kickers across the country in 2011. These are just a few of the 90 players that will be showcasing their talent at the 2011 AT&T Georgia Junior Bowl, which is sure to be one of the best all-star games one will see in the country.

DeVoursney, Tim Glanton, and Maurice Free-man will also command some respect after all of the talent he has turned out the last few seasons. Robert Edwards is a new coach to the high school rankings but is known for his playing career with Georgia and the New England Patriots. In addition to bringing together some of the best rising seniors, some of the state’s best coaches have also been tapped to participate in the 2011 AT&T Georgia Junior Bowl.

AT&T Georgia Junior Bowl

Coaches Section

Izell Reese Joe Burns

1 Deion Bonner DB Carver-Columbus

2 JoshHolsey DB Creekside

3 Kaleb Nobles QB Fitzgerald

4 Timothy Gurley DB Cairo

6 Chris Bingham K Norcross

7 William Gardner QB Coffee Counry

8 Terry Pettis DL Langston Hughes

9 Ricky Parks QB Callaway

10 Jonathan Jones DB Carrollton

11 Jalyin Piercy LB Griffin

12 Jeffery Cameron LB Callaway

15 Chaz Elder DB Banneker

16 Carnell Boyd WR Westlake

17 Nigel Matthews WR Darlington

18 Zack Blaylock DB Walton

19 Amba Etta-Tawo WR McEachern

21 Terrell Cason LB Cairo

22 Wayne Johnson Jr. DB Chattahoochee County

23 Charles Purnell RB Westlake

24 Daron Blaylock LB Walton

25 Tolerance Shepherd RB Fitzgerald

26 Trevus Edwards DB Fayette County

28 Mike Hilton RB/DB Sandy Creek

No. Name Position School

Randy McPherson Lowndes Head CoachMaurice Freeman Brooks County Coach Randy Hill Lowndes CoachRichie Marsh Thomasville CoachRobby Pruitt Fitzgerald Coach

Robert Edwards Arlington Christian School CoachSteve DeVoursney Griffin CoachTim Glanton South Paulding CoachTom Fallaw Cairo Coach

30 James Mathis DL Lowndes County

32 Stephon Smalls WR/RB Fitzgerald

44 Reed Allen DL Calhoun

45 Zach Gordon TE/WR Carrollton

46 Eric Ziegler DL Chattahoochee County

48 Quintez Williams DL Sandy Creek

50 Jacob Southerland OL Whitefield Academy

51 Corey Hicks LB Douglass

52 Adrian Jacklyn OL Newton

54 Darian Small DL Dutchtown

55 Jordan Fletcher OL Fitzgerald

56 Junior Gnonkonde DL Lanier County

71 Zed’rious Wright-Starks OL Creekside

73 Jamal Covington OL Lovejoy

74 Will Adams OL Sandy Creek

75 Harrison Davis OL Walton

76 Preston Mobley OL Colquitt County

77 Joe Faraj OL North Cobb

78 Jeremy Daniels OL Lanier County

80 Kenneth Towns WR Westover

90 Jordan Jenkins DL Harris County

94 Derious Bennett DL Carver-Columbus

No. Name Position School

1 Devon Miller DB Charles Drew

2 Tre Sorrells RB Alcovy

3 Jonquel Dawson QB MLK

4 Scott Hosch QB North Gwinnett

5 Jadarius West DB/RB Charles Drew

6 Markuss Eligwe LB Stone Mountain

8 Deontae Scott WR Metter

9 Charlie Hegedus WR Lassiter

10 Shadrach Thorton RB Liberty County

11 Malachi Jones WR Wesleyan

12 Greyson Lambert QB Wayne County

14 Jacob Sealand LB Tucker

16 Austin Hardin K Marist

17 James Dean LB Glynn Academy

18 Blake Tibbs WR MLK

19 Christian Goodlett DB Peachtree Ridge

20 Alan Carson DB MLK

21 Alex Gray DB Peachtree Ridge

22 Dillon Lee LB Buford

23 Paris Head DB Buford

24 C.J. Moore DB Buford

27 George Morris WR Central Gwinnett

28 Mike Davis RB Stephenson

32 DiAndre Atwater RB Peachtree Ridge

33 Raphael Kirby LB Parkview

35 Darreon Herring LB Stephenson

41 Kurt Freitag TE Buford

47 Quayvon Hicks DL Pierce County

50 Thomas Jackson OL Southwest DeKalb

53 Carlos Hood DL Stephenson

55 Jafar Mann OL Stephenson

56 Jarontay Jones DL Stephenson

58 Brandon Green OL Cedar Gove

67 Callan Gillison OL Chattahoochee

70 Shaquille Huff DL Eastside

71 Steve McKenzie OL Stephenson

75 Micah Anderson OL Stone Mountain

76 Jordan Barge DL Grayson

78 Joe Harris OL Lithonia

79 Chase Roberts OL Greater Atlanta Christian

81 Joshua Dawson DL Tucker

90 Sheldon Rankins DL Eastside

99 Shaquan Brock LB Camden County

No. Name Position School

Franklin Stephens Tucker Head CoachEd Dudley Ware County CoachJeff Herron Camden County CoachKevin Whitley Stockbridge CoachLeroy Ryals Clarke Central Coach

Mike West Metter CoachTerry Crowder Chattahoochee Coach Tom Hall Flowery Branch Coach Victor Floyd Brunswick Coach

No. Name Position School

Blaylock brothers highlight Junior Bowl field that features relatives of pro athletesToday in the Junior Bowl, some very talent-

ed young men will go at it to show their stuff against the best in the state of Georgia. Several of those players have been preceded by family members who have made it to the ultimate level of their chosen sport. (see box for the list) Two of those players who have a famous relative are the Blaylock brothers. Their natu-ral father, Mookie Blaylock, played for the Hawks for several years. However, the twin brothers play football for Walton High School and start at the two safety positions. And they happen to be very good at it. “In a lot of ways they remind me of Jer-maine Phillips (former Roswell, UGA, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back),” said Walton head coach Rocky Hidalgo. “They have that ability when they hit some-one, they always knock them backwards.” Hildalgohasenjoyedbenefittingfromhaving the brothers in his secondary for a full year. “On the field, they’re terrific tacklers,”said Hidalgo. “They’re two of the most phys-ical defensive backs I’ve seen in high school football in a long time. They do a great job of limiting big

plays and keeping people from getting those easy touchdowns on us.” Theynotonlyexcelonthefield,buttheyare also stars off it for the Raiders. The Blay-locks are solid in the classroom and as leaders at Walton. “They’re both very good young men,” said Hidalgo. “They’re good students, they don’t go out looking for trouble. They’re very high-character kids. They’re a great example for all of our players.” The two swell-rounded young men will suit up in today’s Junior Bowl and are looking for-ward to going against some of the state’s best. “I’m really excited,” said Daron about the Junior Bowl. “Just to hang out with a bunch of recruits and play with them, it’s go-ing to be a lot of fun.”

BROTHERLY LOVE … Being brothers, Daron and Zack are compared to each other quite often. And, be-ing athletes, they compete against each other in almost everything. The coaching staff at

Walton uses the twins’ competitive-ness to motivate them in practice and during conditioning. “They can be hard on each other,” said Hildago. “It’s kinda funny. We pit them against

each other all the time (in drills) and

give them a hard time about who’s the better football player, who’s smarter than the other, who’s better looking, and things like that. They’ve got a good rapport with one another and I think they’re very good friends.” Despite almost always being together and competing against each other, the pair doesn’t seem to mind. Zack thinks it is per-fectly normal for brothers to be perpetually battling. “We’re very competitive,” Zack said. “We’ve been competing our whole lives. We’ve been on the same teams and have chal-lenged each other. It’s basically natural.” Daron not only seems to feed off the com-petition with his brother, he actually prefers it. “Yeah, I like (competing with Zack),” he said. “He may be smaller but he can hit hard. We’re even when it comes to (playing) safety. It’s fun to see who’s going to win when we compete.”

RARE TALENTS … The brothers are already drawing atten-tion from major college scouts after complet-ingtheirfirstyearsasstarters.Butdespitebe-ing twins, they are not projected to play the same position in college. “All the schools we’ve talked to say Zack’s perfect for safety and I’m most likely going to move to linebacker,” said Daron, who will play linebacker in today’s game.

Zack has proved his wares at safety, and led Cobb County this year in intercep-tions, ahead of Tennessee commitment Brian Randolph of Kell. To the free safety prospect, this was a major achievement. “It was pretty neat because I’ve always compared myself to Brian Randolph,” said Zack. “He’s a top recruit in 2011 and when I found out I had more interceptions, I felt pretty accomplished.” While Zack will likely play safety at the next level, Daron may have to switch posi-tions. College recruiters have told the slightly heftierDaronhewillfitbetteratoutsideline-backer. But he won’t mind the switch. “I’ll adapt to whatever (position),” said Daron. “I’m a coachable person.” Thus far in the process, Kentucky and Louisville have offered the twins as a pack-age deal while many other colleges are show-

ingsignificantinterest.Itisonlyamatteroftime before more offers fill the mailbox attheir East Cobb home. Aside from the two schools that have offered scholarships, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Ohio State are among those that have shownsignificantinterest. But despite the massive interest in the twins, they likely won’t keep colleges wait-ing long for their pledge. “They’re not the type of kids that would enjoy that type of process,” said the twins’ stepfather, John Woods. “They really want to commit somewhere this summer and enjoy their senior year. They’re humble kids and I think they would look forward to making a decision.” With interest coming from such high-profile schools, it would be normal in theworld of recruiting for some programs to pur-sue just one of the twins. Not in this case. Ev-ery recruiter thus far has stated their interest in both Daron and Zack. And the twins won’t have it any other way. “Yeah, we’re pretty sure we’re a pack-age deal,” Zack said about potential college destinations. Wherever they end up, the Blaylocks will compete hard against each other off the field,andthenknockaroundrivalplayersto-gether on it. Photos courtesy of High-light Reels. Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com.

Shaquille Huff is cousin of Dale Carter

Mike Davis is brother of James Davis.

Zack and Daron Blaylock are sons of Mookie Blaylock

DiAndre Atwater is son of Steve Atwater

Harrison Davis is son of John Davis

FAMILY TIES