Harlem lineman gets offer from Georgia Military

Harlem High School offensive/defensive lineman Barry Davis Jr. recently committed to play football at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville.

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The 6-foot, 215-pound Davis used a unique approach to aid in his recruitment.

Like just about every potential college athlete these days, Davis put together a highlight tape to send to prospective schools.

But the Davis family took it a step further. They used modern technology to their advantage by putting together a seven-minute video and posting it on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQPUE_NMXfA).

Rather than simply posting clips from some of his high school games at Harlem, they included a brief introduction with Davis talking to the camera. They also put together footage of Davis executing various blocks and techniques needed to be a successful lineman.

In the era of parents and coaches marketing their players, I loved this approach, and apparently I was not the only one. Last week, Georgia Military head coach Bert Williams offered Davis a scholarship. Davis agreed to play for Georgia Military and will make that decision official Wednesday on National Signing Day.

Davis will be playing for another area native. Williams was a standout quarterback for Westside in the 1980s. Williams has built Georgia Military into one of the premier junior college football programs in America. Each year, Georgia Military ranks among the best two-year schools at producing Division I signees.

Davis has a few local products to look to as examples. Former Blackville-Hilda star Brandon Isaac and Thomson's dynamic duo of Casper and Jasper Brinkley parlayed success at Georgia Military into scholarships at the University of South Carolina.

Since 1991, 299 Georgia Military players have earned scholarships at four-year schools, including 98 Division I signees. Of those, 36 GMC players have signed to play in the SEC, and 26 of those players suited up for either the University of Georgia or USC. In addition, 18 former GMC players have spent time in the NFL, and that number will climb this season, as former Laney standout and GMC alum Corvey Irvin (UGA) will play on Sundays next season.

As you might imagine, with all that talent, Williams and company have had some terrific seasons on the field, too. They captured the 2001 Junior College National Title and finished as the national runner-up in 2002 and 2005. And an amazing 45 players from GMC have been named Junior College National All-Americans.

So congratulations to Barry Davis and his family, not just for earning a scholarship but for showing other young players a unique way to market themselves to college coaches.

A reminder for all the college football fans out there: Stop by Indigo Joe's at 3730 Wheeler Road on Wednesday as we hold our 10th annual College Football Signing Day Party. The event will be broadcast live on WRDW-AM (1630) and WGAC-AM (580) 5-8 p.m. More than 25 area football standouts will be on hand.