Georgia
Recruiting roundup: Oregon’s loaded camp, Utah lands a lineman, USC grabs two from Georgia
The Hotline is delighted to provide fans with a regular dive into the recruiting process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Seattle-based national recruiting editor for 247Sports. He submitted the following report on July 31 …
Dead period goes dead again
For the last time in the foreseeable future, there was a one-week window open in July for recruiting purposes. The quiet period allowed schools to host events, and all four Pac-12 schools headed to the Big Ten took advantage.
But that’s it for the late-July window. Beginning next summer, the entire month of July will be a dead period: No on-campus visits, either official or unofficial, can be held. Same with August.
College coaches love the idea. They are stretched so thin that after the six-week spring evaluation period from mid-April until the end of May, and then with the June contact period. July will offer a much-needed respite.
So, goodbye camps, pool parties, cookouts and barbecues. Hello, vacation.
Week to remember for Oregon
All that said, the Pac-12 schools that enter the Big Ten on Friday each held some sort of recruiting event.
Oregon hosted its loaded Saturday Night Live camp, a tradition in Eugene since Willie Taggart’s lone season (2017). Aside from the former Opening Finals in Beaverton at the Nike Campus, the Ducks’ version is arguably the most talent-rich camp in the region each year.
The 2024 edition was no different, with seven players ranked No. 1 at their position in the 2025 and 2026 classes in attendance, including the No. 1 receiver in the country, Oregon commit Dakorien Moore, the No. 1 athlete in the country, Michael Terry, who has Oregon in his top three, and the No. 1 safety in the country, Trey McNutt, who has the Ducks on his short list.
McNutt will announce his decision on Saturday while Terry plans to announce later in the month. The Ducks would love to land the Ohio and Texas natives, respectively, to their star-studded class.
Other camp attendees included: the No. 1 receiver in the class of 2026, Chris Henry Jr., a commit to Ohio State; the No. 1 tight end in the country, Kendre Harrison; plus Zion Elee, the No. 1 edge rusher in the country; and the No. 1 offensive tackle in the country in 2026, Immanuel Iheanacho.
Henry has been committed to Ohio State for a year, but that hasn’t slowed the Ducks down. Position coach Junior Adams has turned his attention heavily to Henry.
Oregon received a commitment from the No. 2 running back in the country in 2026, Texas resident Tradarian Ball.
More events held out West
While the Ducks were the only Big Ten-bound program that held a recruiting camp, their brethren hosted recruiting events: Washington held the Luau on Montlake; UCLA had its Bruin Pool Party and Barbecue; and USC held a barbecue and cookout.
The Trojans received positive momentum from the weekend for their 2025 class when longtime Georgia linebacker commit Jadon Perlotte flipped his pledge from the Bulldogs, where he committed in December 2022, to the Trojans.
And yet Perlotte wasn’t even their highest-profile commitment from Georgia. That honor went to the No. 1 linebacker in the class of 2026, Xavier Griffin.
While the Trojans had three earlier pledges from the Southeast all reverse course and de-commit, they are hoping Perlotte and Griffin stay on board.
USC also added a local product in St. John Bosco athlete Josh Holland, an athlete in the 2026 class.
Washington continued its torrid July by adding Rylon Dillard-Allen, a former Arizona State commit who opened things up and then picked the Huskies. And they are trending for Zac Stascausky, a former Minnesota commit from Portland, who spent Saturday on Montlake instead of in the Twin Cities and de-committed from the Gophers earlier this week.
Meanwhile, the Bruins went heavy on 2026 targets, although they did offer a scholarship to Polynesian Bowl All-Star punter Lennox Miller.
Utes land Southland lineman
Few schools do a better job evaluating and developing defensive linemen than Utah, and coach Kyle Whittingham may have found another gem, albeit one from a high-profile program.
Utah landed a commitment from Semi Taulanga, a key part of Mater Dei High School’s state championship defense who had the option to sign with UCLA or Brigham Young.
Almost Dunn
Aaron Dunn, the No. 2 prospect in Utah and the top uncommitted offensive lineman out west, has an announcement date set.
Dunn will reveal his college choice Aug. 8 on the 247Sports YouTube Channel, and he has a heavy former Pac-12 flavor in his final five.
The four-star prospect will choose from the two home-state schools, BYU and Utah, as well as from Oregon, UCLA and USC.
Each school welcomed him for official visits in May and June.
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Originally Published:
Georgia Tech LB Kyle Efford was in Charlotte today representing the Yellow Jackets and talked to the media on Thursday at ACC Media Days. Here is what he had to say.
On being more of a vocal leader…
“Oh, man, it’s changed a lot. I’m at that point now where I’m in my redshirt senior year, man, my fifth year. I have no other option but to be a vocal leader and to lead my team by example, but also, if I need to speak up, I’ll speak up.”
On benefiting from Jason Semore as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach…
“Yes, sir. So Coach Semore is not only the best coordinator in the country, but he’s the best linebackers coach in the country. And his defense is made for linebackers to run the show, be the quarterbacks, get us in and out of defenses. And that’s what I’m willing to go for the defense, for the best of the team.
Coach Semore, he definitely has enigmatic defenses. His major thing is offenses are not the same from the 1990s. Why are the defenses the same? That’s his major point. I can see how it’s going to be great.”
On the consistency of his game…
“Man, just effort to the football. It ain’t nothing but seeing the ball and running the ball every single play.I mean, it’s one thing when you know what you’re doing, but it’s another thing when you empty the tank on every single play. And that’s all I’ve been doing, and the results show.”
On how to improve the run defense…
“Oh, man, across the board, from the first level, second level, third level. There’s always places to develop. I mean, I feel like from our big guys getting vertical, cutting the ball off, to taking double-teams, to the backers, you know, filling gaps, going sideline to sideline all the way to the back and communicating and getting down. There’s room for development everywhere. There’s not one specific area. But I feel like we need to develop across the board.”
On how his brother playing soccer allows him to think differently…
“Yeah, I mean, my brother taught me what it takes to be a pro. I mean, growing up from as far as I can remember, he showed me my work ethic. I was probably in second, third grade, and he was getting me up 5:00 in the morning to go outside and work out with him.I mean, he and my father essentially made me who I am, showed me what it takes to play at a high level.”
On rivalry vs Georgia…
“We Georgia Tech men, it doesn’t matter to us. Bobby Dodd, in between the hedges, Piedmont Park. It don’t matter. We’re a group of guys wired like that. We don’t like to (indiscernible) on the road. We want to get them boys, and I’m sure we will.”
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CATOOSA COUNTY, Ga. — Animal shelters in Northwest Georgia are running out of space, with Catoosa and Walker County unable to take in more animals as the number of strays rises during the summer months.
Catoosa County officials say the county’s animal shelter is maxed out and can no longer accept animals.
Image via Catoosa County Animal Control
The shelter has room for 80 pets but is currently over capacity, limiting how much it can help when large animal rescues happen in nearby areas.
“I can’t speak for everybody, but I can say that working in animal care, summertime is definitely one of the worst times for us and for the animals more,” Abby Lynch, the community outreach and kennel officer for the Catoosa County Animal Shelter says.
Catoosa County officials say summer is when dogs and cats breed because the weather is nice, leading to more strays than usual.
Image via Catoosa County Animal Control
The Walker County Animal Shelter is also dealing with capacity issues.
The shelter says it has brought in 73 animals since the beginning of July.
Image: Walker County Animal Shelter
“In that same time, we have done 28 adoptions, which 28 adoptions in two weeks sounds great. But when you’re doing the math of 73 animals in and 28 animals going out, not super great,” says Melissa Smith, director of the Walker County Animal Shelter.
Catoosa County has helped neighboring counties during past crises.
Image via Catoosa County Animal Control
“We’ve assisted Dade County in the past with similar situations, and that’s when really rescues and shelters help each other,” says Dylan McColollum, director of Catoosa County Animal Control.
Dade County only got an animal shelter this year.
Image: Walker County Animal Shelter
In Georgia, only 61 out of 159 counties have animal shelters, making it more important for shelters to have enough capacity to help their own communities and assist neighboring counties when needed.
“We’re just grateful that we have our own shelter and can take care of our our county and its needs, and we’re happy to assist if other counties need our assistance,” McColollum says.
Image: Walker County Animal Shelter
Adoptions at the Catoosa County Animal Shelter are currently free because of donors. See available animals here.
They were designed to hold a drink, but cups produced in Rome, Georgia, have become one of the FIFA Men’s World Cup’s most unexpected souvenirs.
Inside the Top Cup plant in Rome, millions of cups were created to celebrate the world’s biggest sporting event.
“We made 10 million over 70 different graphics for the World Cup,” said Rome native and Top Cup General Manager Zach Dixon.
The plant in north Georgia produces up to 750,000 cups a day.
“We’ve always been really proud of the cup … but the World Cup has obviously taken it to another level,” said Top Cup CEO David Cuthbert.
Fans have been taking them home from matches. Some have even been listed for sale online.
“We’ve always been really proud of the cup… but the World Cup has obviously taken it to another level,” said Cuthbert.
Dixon said they begin the process with massive coils of aluminum, each weighing about 30,000 pounds. The metal is stamped, stretched, washed, and moved down the line.
The plant produces about 1,100 cups every minute.
Ricardo Marques, the senior vice president of marketing for Michelob ULTRA, said that there have been venue-specific, match-specific, and Finals-specific stadium cups for the World Cup. There are also three separate red, white, and blue designs available for fans at bars and restaurants around the U.S.
“We’ve seen an incredible response to the collection. Together, these commemorative cups give fans a unique keepsake and a lasting reminder of an unforgettable FIFA World Cup experience and the moments that brought millions of people together through the world’s game,” Marques said.
Cuthbert said his company has seen how the World Cup has done wonders for metro Atlanta businesses.
“Our team in Rome, Georgia takes tremendous pride in helping bring this fan experience to life for one of the world’s biggest sporting events,” he said.
So when soccer fans celebrate the surprise victory or mourn their last-minute loss, they’re doing so with a little piece of Georgia.
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