Holtz has Georgia on his mind

Posted Jan 31, 2010 by Scott Carter

Updated Jan 31, 2010 at 09:29 PM

USF football coach Skip Holtz received verbal commitments Sunday from a pair of Georgia recruits he began pursuing heavily once taking over the Bulls: LaGrange (Ga.) quarterback Jamius Gunsby and Thomas County (Ga.) Central defensive back Reshard Cliett.

USF started recruiting the 6-foot-5, 229-pound Gunsby as an alternative to Bradenton Manatee quarterback Brion Carnes amid concerns that Carnes, the first USF commitment in the 2010 class under former coach Jim Leavitt, would sign with another program or might not qualify academically.

USF pulled its scholarship offer to Carnes on Friday. Considered the top quarterback recruit in Florida by some analysts, Carnes verbally committed to Western Kentucky on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Gunsby took his official visit to USF over the weekend and committed to the Bulls, providing the program with a different style of quarterback than current starter B.J. Daniels.

“He’s a real talent,’’ LaGrange coach Steve Pardue said. “He’s got all the physical tools. He’s more of a pro-style quarterback who is big and sees the whole field and has a strong arm. He’s got an unbelievable upside.’’

A two-year starter, Gunsby played in high school against USF defensive tackle Cory Grissom, who attended Troup County High in LaGrange.

Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, East Carolina and Troy also showed interest in Gunsby, according to Pardue.

“Florida has been on him the hardest of all,’’ Pardue said. “They fell off here late. A lot of people fell off because they thought he was going to Kentucky. USF came on hard here the last couple of weeks.’’

Former LaGrange quarterback Blake Mitchell played for Holtz at South Carolina when Holtz was a Gamecocks assistant under his father Lou Holtz.

As for Cliett, he is a 6-foot-2, 191-pound safety who flew under the radar for much of his high school career due to injuries. Cliett also made an official visit to USF over the weekend and verbally committed during his stay. As of Sunday, the Bulls had 19 verbal commitments entering the final stretch before National Signing Day on Wednesday.

Cliett also played basketball in high school and is projected as a safety or receiver in college. He was overshadowed at Thomas County Central by teammate Ray Drew, a junior defensive end USF is recruiting and considered one of the top prospects in Georgia in the 2011 class.