As is the case with a lot of football players in Gwinnett County, Norcross High defensive back Jarett Cole attracted suitors from across the Southeast and the country. Nebraska, Iowa and Wake Forest were among schools that offered him scholarships.
Cole elected to stay closer to home, a decision that he will make binding Wednesday on signing day. He is among 17 prospects who are expected to sign national letters of intent with Georgia Tech. Cole also will continue the flow of recruits from Gwinnett to Tech, a pipeline largely constructed by defensive coordinator Ted Roof.
“I built relationships with a couple other coaches, but me and coach Roof’s relationship is pretty tight,” Cole said. “I’d say he’s different from a lot of people.”
Besides Cole, Tech class will have three more players from Gwinnett — linebacker Jakob Brashear from Dacula High, running back Xavier Gantt from Buford High and defensive tackle Chris Martin from Grayson High.
That adds to the three each from the 2014 and 2015 classes (one of them, running back Myles Autry from Norcross, was later released from his letter of intent before enrolling), a total of 10 signees in Roof’s three years recruiting the county since his hire in January 2013. In coach Paul Johnson’s first six classes at Tech, the Jackets procured five signees out of Gwinnett.
It is a highly fertile county in a highly fertile state. Of the top 35 prospects in Georgia, as rated by 247 Sports, nine are from Gwinnett schools, as are 22 of the top 100. Longtime Norcross coach Keith Maloof said that Roof has done a good job of building relationships with coaches across the country, something that Tech “had missed for a while.”
“We’re putting out 130 (Division I) athletes every year,” said Maloof, who also sent A-back Clinton Lynch to Tech two years ago. “Georgia Tech needs to take advantage of it.”
Roof’s ties to the county extend back decades. Roof played high-school football at Central Gwinnett, graduating in 1982, before starring for the Yellow Jackets. He continued to recruit the county as his career progressed. When he returned to Tech, the Roofs made their home in Buford, where Roof’s twin sons Terrance and Michael play for Buford High’s powerhouse team.
Given his long history there, “he knows everybody and everybody knows coach Roof and everybody welcomes him in,” Archer coach Andy Dyer said. “We’re all pulling for him.”
Dyer is perhaps the best example of the deep roots Roof has in the county. When Dyer played at West Georgia, one of his coaches was Glenn Spencer, a college roommate of Roof’s and later a Tech coach. One of Dyer’s assistants, Robert Hill, was a high-school teammate of Roof’s at Central Gwinnett High.
But, beyond his familiarity, it’s Roof himself who has helped win recruits to Tech. Many describe him as honest, personable and genuine.
“He’s not trying too hard,” said coach Mickey Conn of Grayson High. “He just comes in and sits down and talks with us like we’re normal people.”
Roof won over Cole’s father, Rod, by the interest that he took in getting to know both Coles beyond football.
“It wasn’t, what can my son do for Georgia Tech,” Cole said. “It was, what can Georgia Tech do for him as far as his future is concerned.”
About the Author
