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The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
Thursday, December 20, 2018 3B
COLLEGE FOOTBALL I Early Signing Day
Putting pen to paper
Majority of players make it official during first day to sign
CHELSEA PURHGAM I For Associated Press
Robert E. Lee offensive lineman Beaux Limmer sits on stage during a national
signing day event at Robert E. Lee High School in Tyler, Texas, Wednesday,
Dec. 19, 2018. Limmer announced his intentions to attend the University of
Arkansas to play college football.
BY RALPH D. RUSSO
Associated Press
Zach Harrison is one of the most
highly touted recruits in the country
and he goes to high school 15 miles
from Ohio State.
Yet not until Wednesday, the first
day of the early signing period, did
the 6-foot-6, 245-pound defensive end
commit to become a Buckeye, giv
ing incoming head coach Ryan Day
his first victory as Urban Meyer’s
replacement.
“Huge,” Day said. “This was one of
those ones we had to win. ”
Harrison’s choice, streamed out
over Olentangy Orange High School’s
website, was maybe the most intrigu
ing development of what can now be
considered the new signing day. This
is year two of the early signing period
in college football and just like last
year, most of the scholarships have
been scooped up. The traditional
signing period in early February will
mostly be for finishing touches
Alabama has already signed most
of a class that was already considered
the best in the country and added a
couple more five-stars on top of that.
Ahead of the Crimson Tide’s latest
College Football Playoff appearance
and national championship pursuit,
coach Nick Saban has already locked
up another recruiting title.
The Southeastern Conference is
primed to have the four highest-rated
recruiting classes after the early
period ends Friday. According to 247
Sports’ composite rankings of major
recruiting websites, Alabama is No. 1,
followed in order by Georgia, Texas
A&M and LSU.
Oregon rounded out the top five, the
one interloper amid the usual suspects
in a top 10 that included Clemson,
Oklahoma and Michigan.
Ohio State has mostly lived in the
top five during Meyer’s remarkable
seven-year run as Buckeyes coach.
But after the uncertainty about Mey
er’s future throughout the season, the
Buckeyes had a smaller-than-usual
class and trail both Michigan and
Penn State in the Big Ten.
Meyer was suspended for the first
three games of this season after the
university commissioned an investi
gation into his handling of now-fired
former assistant coach Zach Smith,
who was accused of domestic vio
lence by his ex-wife. After Meyer’s
return, there were questions about
his health — he has a brain cyst that
causes severe headaches — and some
prospects may have been apprehen
sive to sign with a coach who might be
on his way out.
Meyer announced his retirement
earlier this month. Day will take over
after the No. 5 Buckeyes play No. 9
Washington in the Rose Bowl on Jan.
1.
The 39-year-old Day is a first-time
college head coach after spending
two seasons as offensive coordinator
for Meyer. Meyer is 82-9 at Ohio State
and if Day is going to even come close
to keeping up that level of success, it
starts on the recruiting trail.
Harrison is a five-star recruit who
was also considering Michigan and
Penn State. He had kept his recruit
ment relatively quiet. Not until he
unzipped his jacket to reveal an Ohio
State T-shirt did most outside of his
circle know he was staying local.
“It’s been a long process,” Day said.
“His head coach had a lot to do with
this. (Ohio State defensive line coach)
Larry Johnson has been recruiting
Zach Harrison for a long time. Urban
was a part of it.”
But just like those three games the
Buckeyes won while Meyer was sus
pended, this win goes on Day’s ledger.
FIELDS RELATED?
Ohio State lost the quarterback it
had lined up for this class when Dwan
Mathis of Michigan flipped to Georgia.
The late change immediately sparked
speculation that Mathis’ decision was
related to the likely transfer of Justin
Fields, who was a five-star recruit in
2018.
Fields has notified Georgia of his
intent to transfer and Ohio State is
rumored to be a destination. NCAA
rules would require Fields to sit out
next season, but he could apply for a
hardship waiver that would give him
immediate eligibility.
The Buckeyes will likely be looking
for a new starter in 2019, with Dwayne
Haskins expected to declare for the
NFL draft after the Rose Bowl. Ohio
State has quarterbacks Tate Martell,
who was Haskins’ backup this season,
and Matthew Baldwin on the roster.
Adding Fields could change plans.
CALI-DUCKS
Even during the halcyon days of
Chip Kelly and Marcus Mariota at
Oregon, the Ducks never had a top-10
recruiting class.
Second-year coach Mario Cris
tobal, a former Alabama assistant
and Miami player, is changing that
by cleaning up in California. Oregon’s
class is the best in the Pac-12 and half
of the 22 players they signed are from
California. More important than the
quantity was the quality.
Oregon landed the top-ranked
player in the state in Kayvon
Thibodeaux, a defensive end from
Southern California, along with six
other four-star recruits from the
Golden State.
GEORGIA
■ Continued from 1B
Smart said he and his coaching staff
had to react quickly to adjust to Fields’
possible transfer.
“We communicated with (Mathis)
and expressed interest and the inter
est was mutual and we think he’s a
very good player, very talented,”
Smart said.
Mathis (6-6, 205) passed for 1,509
yards and 20 touchdowns while com
pleting 62.5 percent of his passes in
2018. Georgia also has a commitment
from quarterback John Rhys Plum-
lee (6-1,185), from Hattiesburg, Mis
sissippi. Plumlee, also a top baseball
recruit, has not signed.
Georgia had the nation’s No. 2 sign
ing class on the 247 Sports composite
ranking, behind Alabama.
Smart’s recruiting class received
a boost when five-star linebacker
Nakobe Dean of Horn Lake, Missis
sippi announced he was signing with
Georgia over other schools, including
Alabama. Dean, who has graduated,
will be an early enrollee at Georgia.
“He should be able to come in and
compete (in 2019),” Smart said.
Dean (6-0, 220) joins outside line
backer Nolan Smith, the nation’s No. 1
overall prospect by 247 Sports, center
Clay Webb, defensive tackle Travon
Walker and wide receiver Dominick
Blaylock as five-star headliners in the
class.
Smart addressed a pressing need
by signing five defensive linemen.
The class includes one running back,
Kenny McIntosh (6-1, 210), from Fort
Lauderdale, Florida.
VASHA HUNT I Associated Press
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (13) rolls out against
Auburn during the first half of the game Nov. 24 in Tuscaloosa,
Ala.
Alabama QB
expects ankle to
be 100 percent
Tua left with injury toward
end of SEC championship
Associated Press He finished second to
Tua Tagovailoa is optimis
tic that he will be fully recov
ered from ankle surgery and
ready to play in the Orange
Bowl.
The Alabama quarter
back and Heisman Trophy
runner-up said his left ankle
will be just fine for the Col
lege Football Playoff semifi
nal game with Oklahoma on
Dec. 29.
“I’ll probably be at 100
percent by the time the
game comes,” Tagovailoa
said Wednesday. “That’s my
prediction. Definitely.”
He has been practicing on
a limited basis since the top-
ranked Crimson Tide began
playoff preparations last Fri
day. Coach Nick Saban has
said his star quarterback “is
probably ahead of schedule
Tagovaila suffered a high
ankle sprain on the opening
series of the Southeastern
Conference championship
game Dec. 1 against Geor
gia. He had surgery the next
day. Saban says other Tide
players have returned in
about two weeks from that
procedure.
Tagovailoa said he has
been able to do footwork
drills and other work but still
hasn’t been able to make
cuts.
“Other than that, there’s
nothing that’s hindering me
too much,” he said. “It’s just
the surgery that hurts. My
ankle’s fine and everything’s
fine. Just the scar.”
Tagovailoa will get a
break after Thursday’s prac
tice with Alabama reporting
to Miami next Monday, on
Christmas Eve.
Oklahoma quarterback
Kyler Murray in the Heis
man balloting, won the Max
well Award and was named
the Walter Camp Player
of the Year. Tagovailoa
was also the SEC offensive
player of the year and a sec
ond-team AP All-American.
But hobbled early, he had
his worst game against Geor
gia and exited for good in
the fourth quarter after left
tackle Jonah Williams came
down on his right foot.
Tagovailoa said he didn’t
think much of the left ankle
injury after returning to the
sideline. “I told the trainers
just to tape it up,” he said.
“I felt like I hurt the team
by trying to stick it out,”
Tagovailoa said. “I had to
make an executive decision
as well if I came back in in
the fourth quarter. That
executive decision came
down to me going back in or
not. I wasn’t able to move in
the pocket. I wasn’t able to
extend plays with my feet
when things weren’t there.
That’s what you need to
be able to do to work the
defense.”
On Wednesday, Tago
vailoa was joined by his little
brother on the Tide. Taulia
Tagovailoa, a four-star pros
pect, signed with Alabama.
“It’s just an opportunity
for me and my family and
my brother to just come in
and learn from me, learn
from our coaching staff,”
Tua Tagovailoa said. “It’s
just a great opportunity for
him to be here. To have my
brother here, it’s awesome.”
But, he made one
thing clear: “There’s no
competition.”
NBA SCOREBOARD
Walker’s 30-point night paces Hornets to 110-99 win
Associated Press
Kemba Walker had 30 points and six
assists to help the Charlotte Hornets rally for
a 110-99 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers
on Wednesday night.
Walker was coming off a season-low four
points in Saturday’s 128-100 home loss to the
Los Angeles Lakers in which he shot 2 for
13 from the field and missed all five 3-point
tries.
After missing his first seven shots against
Cleveland, Walker got untracked in time to
help Charlotte even its season record to .500
(15-15).
It was Walker’s ninth 30-point game this
season, and helped the Hornets snap a two-
game losing streak.
Jeremy Lamb added 18 points and 12
rebounds, and Marvin Williams 18 points
and 10 rebounds for Charlotte.
Jordan Clarkson scored 20 points, Jaron
Blossomgame had 15 and Cedi Osman added
13 for the Cavaliers.
Walker was at his best in the third quar
ter as the Hornets took their first lead of the
game and had an 11-3 surge late in the quar
ter to lead 77-67.
After the Cavaliers closed to 88-82 with
8:52 left in the game, Charlotte went on a
17-4 surge to end any doubt about the game’s
outcome.
76ERS131, KNICKS109: Joel Embiid had
24 points and 10 rebounds, Ben Simmons
got his second triple-double in his last three
games, and the Philadelphia 76ers snapped
out of a funk to beat the New York Knicks on
Wednesday night.
Simmons had 13 points, 11 rebounds and
10 assists. Jimmy Butler added 20 points and
Landry Shamet had a career-high 17 off the
bench for the Sixers (21-12), who shot 53.4
percent from the field and 50 percent from
3-point range.
Philadelphia had lost three of four,
including a lopsided defeat in San Antonio
on Monday.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 27 points and
Kevin Knox had 21 for the Knicks (9-24), who
have lost three straight and eight of their last
nine.
Emmanuel Mudiay, averaging 20 points
per game in his previous nine contests, was
held to 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting.
SPURS 129, MAGIC 90: LeMarcus
Aldridge scored 20 points and five San Anto
nio players scored in double figures as the
Spurs rolled to a victory over the Orlando
Magic on Wednesday night.
The Spurs, the NBA’s leading 3-point
shooting team, went 12 of 19 from behind
the arc and 50 for 77 overall (64.9 percent)
to win for the sixth time in seven games. San
Antonio shot 69 percent through the first
three quarter and led 104-77 heading into
the final period.
Marco Belinelli came off the bench and
scored 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting, and
DeMar DeRozan and Bryan Forbes added
17 points each.
D.J. Augustin led Orlando with 17 points.
Rookie center Mo Bamba had seven points,
eight rebounds and two blocks in his first
NBA start.
SUNS 111, CELTICS 103: Devin Booker
had 25 points and eight assists, and DeAndre
Ayton added 23 points and 18 rebounds to
lead the suddenly resurgent Phoenix Suns
past the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.
It was the fourth consecutive victory for
the Suns since opening the season 4-24. Phoe
nix has its first four-game winning streak
since March 2015.
T.J. Warren scored 21 points and Kelly
Oubre Jr. had 13 for the Suns.
Kyrie Irving led Boston with 29 points and
Jayson Tatum had 18. The Celtics lost their
second straight after winning eight in a row.
Boston center Aron Baynes broke a bone
in his left hand early in the game and the
team announced that he’ll be sidelined
indefinitely.
The Suns led by six entering the final quar
ter and pushed it to 92-80 on Jamal Craw
ford’s 3-pointer from the top of the arc with
just under 10 minutes to play.
They led 97-84 before Boston sliced it to
five on Marcus Smart’s 3 with 1:49 to go.
Warren was fouled by Smart taking a 3 on
the ensuing possession and made all three
free throws.
After a 3 by Irving, Oubre nailed a
3-pointer on the other end to help the Suns
hold on.
Smart’s 3 at the second-quarter buzzer
gave the Celtics a 62-59 halftime lead.
INTRODUCING
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