From Athens-"Things to Ponder"

Buc wrote:

Congratulations to Richt and the other coaches involved in our recent football signings. Guess I should say verbal commitments.

Checking out a couple of other boards around the internet, question seems to pop up as to how many scholarships remain and who will be chosen with those. I am casting my vote for offensive linemen, especially one in the JAX area. John Theus. Watched some film on John at camp, he is whatever folks want him to be ratings wise. Definitely has that streak.

Buc, talk here in Jax is that he's a done deal. A "package deal" with his brother. Believe behind the scenes, John said he would come to Athens if UGA offered his older brother. Why else would they have offered the older brother?? Long snappers are very important but not for a very valuable scholarship.

wlayton wrote:

Buc wrote:

Congratulations to Richt and the other coaches involved in our recent football signings. Guess I should say verbal commitments.

Checking out a couple of other boards around the internet, question seems to pop up as to how many scholarships remain and who will be chosen with those. I am casting my vote for offensive linemen, especially one in the JAX area. John Theus. Watched some film on John at camp, he is whatever folks want him to be ratings wise. Definitely has that streak.

Buc, talk here in Jax is that he's a done deal. A "package deal" with his brother. Believe behind the scenes, John said he would come to Athens if UGA offered his older brother. Why else would they have offered the older brother?? Long snappers are very important but not for a very valuable scholarship.

Reading on a couple other sites, I've also heard Theus was a lock. Hope so! We could def. use him...

DAWG1277 wrote:

wlayton wrote:

Buc wrote:

Congratulations to Richt and the other coaches involved in our recent football signings. Guess I should say verbal commitments.

Checking out a couple of other boards around the internet, question seems to pop up as to how many scholarships remain and who will be chosen with those. I am casting my vote for offensive linemen, especially one in the JAX area. John Theus. Watched some film on John at camp, he is whatever folks want him to be ratings wise. Definitely has that streak.

Buc, talk here in Jax is that he's a done deal. A "package deal" with his brother. Believe behind the scenes, John said he would come to Athens if UGA offered his older brother. Why else would they have offered the older brother?? Long snappers are very important but not for a very valuable scholarship.

Reading on a couple other sites, I've also heard Theus was a lock. Hope so! We could def. use him...

AMEN brother......the kid is the REAL DEAL.....18 year old beast.

wlayton, what is the latest on the running back that you mentioned some time back from your general area. Young fellow appeared to be more than a handful to stop.

Buc wrote:

wlayton, what is the latest on the running back that you mentioned some time back from your general area. Young fellow appeared to be more than a handful to stop.

Derrick Henry, he is UNBELIEVABLE........but he was just in the 10th grade last year. Great article below....long but very enjoyable to read.

The area's next high school phenom is here.

Nassau County isn't a hotbed of elite football talent, but the community has produced the most dominant running back North Florida has seen since Fletcher's Ciatrick Fason.

Yulee sophomore Derrick Henry simply has not been stopped at the varsity level. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Henry has already amassed 3,701 career rushing yards and 39 touchdowns. In his 16 career games, Henry has rushed for more than 300 yards six times and more than 200 in eight of them.

"This county could play football for 500 years, and you'd never see another one as good as Derrick," Yulee coach Bobby Ramsay said. "Not unless there was a massive population boom. You look at his physical size and speed. To be a 10th-grader and do the things he's done is really remarkable."

Henry is already halfway to breaking Fason's area record for most career rushing yards. The former Florida standout finished his high school days with 7,479 yards for the Senators. Fason also holds the area record for most rushing touchdowns with 96.

None of that matters to the 16-year-old Henry. His focus is on helping Yulee reach the playoffs for the first time and making sure his teammates get their fair share of credit for his accomplishments.

"Our offensive line has worked hard to be the best they can be," Henry said. "Our receivers have improved a bunch. Everyone on offense makes sure we execute every play until we get it right."

Yulee (4-1, 2-0), which opened in 2006, can take a major step toward a playoff berth and, more importantly, the District 3-2B title, with a victory over visiting Bolles (6-0, 2-0) on Friday. The Hornets are coming off a crucial 17-6 win over district rival West Nassau last week. In that game, Henry ran for 140 yards and a touchdown.

"He's got deceptive speed," West Nassau coach George Nelson said. "He appears to be strolling, but then he's six yards downfield. He's not quick, but he's fast. If he gets three or four steps going, you're in trouble."

Beating Bolles will be a challenge. The Bulldogs are a two-time defending state champion and routed Yulee 68-0 last season. In that game, Henry was held to his career-low rushing total, gaining 125 yards on 33 carries.

"You can't run to the outside on Bolles," Henry said. "They're too good. I've got to hit the hole hard and get what I can get. I'll have to be patient and hope I break a long one. They are a really great defense with a great coaching staff. This is a big game for our school, and I want to do all I can do."

The challenge of stopping Henry is one Bolles isn't taking for granted, especially because the other Hornets players appear to be much improved from last season.

"He's certainly a fine player, but what has helped them are the teammates around him that have improved," Bolles coach Corky Rogers said. "As good as he was as a freshman, he didn't have much of a supporting cast around him. That improvement accentuates the abilities he has. There aren't many high school running backs with his size, and he follows his blocks well to find that little seam. He's bigger than most of our defenders, so that presents challenges."

Henry's size has always made him stand out. As productive a varsity player as Henry has become, he was an even bigger force in middle school.

"When I first got here, I was told there was an eighth-grade running back I had to see," Ramsay said. "Most of the kids out there are like 5-5. Then I see this one and I said, 'My, God.' Derrick playing against those kids looked illegal. The youth football was so small in his hands it looked like one of those balls the cheerleaders throw out to the fans on Friday night."

Once Henry reached high school, Ramsay was hesitant to move him to the varsity level. Henry's physical attributes were clearly developed enough for the level of competition. However, Ramsay was concerned about the mental part of Henry's development.

"It takes a special kid to play varsity football in the ninth grade," Ramsay said. "It's more mental than a physical thing. Derrick never showed any fear factor or intimidation. The brighter the lights, the more he enjoys it.

"He was our second-string running back for about two reps. I said, 'That's our guy.' "

College coaches at the biggest football factories in the country are hoping they will one day be able to say the same thing about Henry.

While he can't sign a national letter of intent until February 2013, Henry's recruiting process is well under way.

"I was shocked at how much attention he got early," Ramsay said. "He's been verbally offered by everybody that's seen him. It's around 40 schools. Florida, Florida State, Miami, Alabama, Notre Dame and Georgia have all offered him."

Henry isn't ready to begin evaluating schools in earnest yet, but he does already have some idea of where his interests lie.

"FSU and Miami are probably my top two," Henry said. "But I probably won't make a commitment for a long time. It's so far in the distance. I just want to play high school football, but it does motivate me to keep working even harder."

Henry's stats speak volumes about his ability, but he's also helped his recruiting resume out by visiting various camps and turning in impressive feats.

"We were at Florida's camp and Derrick had a 10-foot broad jump," Ramsay said. "I saw a couple of Florida's strength coaches kind of look at each other, like, 'wow.' They must have gone and told [UF coach] Urban Meyer, because before long he was over there with us, yucking it up."

Yep, that was the young man that I was asking about. You guys have probably seen this clip, but notice that Vadal Alexander knocks almost everyone on their backside. Plays on both the left and right side of the line. Crossed fingers for this young man for sure. I want him in the same way wlayton and the rest of us pulled for Isaiah Crowell.