A.J. Green
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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A.J. Green (born Adriel Jeremiah Green on July 31, 1988) is a wide receiver for the University of Georgia Bulldogs in the NCAA college football tournament. During his freshman year at Georgia, Green made an immediate impact by giving quarterback Matthew Stafford a reliable target while taking away the focus of defensive teams from the Dawgs' vaunted running attack anchored on Knowshon Moreno. Green and fellow freshman wide receiver Julio Jones of Alabama head a group of receivers in the 2008 NCAA recruiting class that is believed to have brought back the tall, physical receiver type.
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[edit] Personal Life
Adriel Jeremiah is the only child of Dora (a claims clerk at Wal-Mart) and Woodrow Green (a loader driver for a cement company). His brother Avionce, born five years before him, died in a car accident in 1993 when he was only 4.
The family resides in "a country area." His hometown of Summerville is the third fastest-growing city in South Carolina located 25 miles from Charleston. Despite his town having major football teams such as Clemson and South Carolina, A.J. said he was never a fan of either. When he was younger, A.J. admitted an early liking for Georgia simply because he adored Georgia’s red-and-black color scheme. One of his earliest visits to Georgia was when he was in 10th grade and by that time, A.J. was already smitten by the atmosphere.
Despite his talent, A.J. did not play organized football before he was in seventh grade. Outside football, A.J. also has a passion for basketball.
A.J. was diagnosed with a learning disability, having difficulty with reading comprehension. Because of it, he has to read what is on the page in front of him more than once.
When he was in high school, A.J. spent the summer on a part-time job at Steve & Barry's clothing store.
[edit] High School
Green attended high school at Summerville High, the same school that produced the likes of running back Stanford Jennings (Cincinnati Bengals), tight end Keith Jennings (Chicago Bears), Kevin Long (Tennessee Titans), Jamar Nesbit (New Orleans Saints), and Dustin Fry (St. Louis Rams). The late Louis Mulkey, who was the coach of the junior varsity basketball team, discovered Green when he was in middle school. He was eventually tapped to play for the B team football and JV basketball squad.
On the gridiron, Green played under John McKissick, the winningest football coach in history on any level. As a freshman, he caught 57 passes for 1,218 yards and eight touchdowns. He's phenomenal performance that year led comparisons to Randy Moss, prompting his coaches to give him the No.84 jersey (same as Moss) before he switched after his freshman season. His efforts even drew the attention of Tom Lemming, editor of Prep Football Report, who had never traveled to scout on a freshman before going to SC to see Green. He also went on to receive his first of four all-state accolades.
The following year, he registered 75 receptions for 1,422 yards and 16 touchdowns and was named as EA Sports' top sophomore player in the nation. Following the 2005 season, Green was featured by Sports Illustrated. He was profiled as part of its “Where Will They Be?” stories on potential future professional greats, alongside John Tavares and others. The magazine also compared him to Moss and predicted him to be in the NFL by 2011. SI.com also ranked him as the #1 prospect for 2008 after his sophomore year.
As a junior, Green had 60 catches for 1,203 yards and 14 touchdowns and was the only junior nominated to the 2006 USA Today All-American first team after helping the Green Wave remain undefeated in the regular season. He was also selected by Rivals.com to its Junior All-America team. In addition, RISE Magazine named him as the #1 prospect for the class of 2008 following his junior season.
During his final year, Green fell short on his goal of 100 catches and 2,000 receiving yards, but nonetheless improved on his junior year stats by catching 72 passes for 1,437 yards (20.0 avg.) and 15 touchdowns. Summerville advanced to the playoffs that year but lost to Byrnes in the finals. On the hardwood, Green and the rest of the Green Wave had an emotional run highlighted by a thrilling win over Spartanburgh High of Sumter to win the South Carolina state championship in honor of coach Mulkey. Mulkey, captain of the Charleston, SC F.D. died along with eight other firefighters in his Ladder 15 in a fire at a furniture store in Charleston on June 18th, 2007.
Among his accolades include a spot at the 2007 Parade All-American team, the 2008 SuperPrep Elite 50, All-America, and All-Dixie teams, the PrepStar Top 135 Dream Team, and an invitation to the 2008 Under Armour All-America High School Football Game where he caught a 23-yard pass from Kyle Parker while playing for the winning Silver Team. He also received his fourth consensus Associated Press Division-I AAAA All-State first team honors and fourth All-Region selection. Green was listed in several "elite" lists which include the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super Southern 100; the Rivals.com Rivals100 (No.9) and the South Carolina Top 20 (No.2); the ESPN 150 (No.5); and the Scout.com Top 100. In addition, he was Scout's No.10 player in America, the No.2 Wide Receiver in the nation, the No.4 player in the South, and the No.2 player in South Carolina; Rivals' No.2 Deep Threat, No.2 Best after the catch, No.2 Best Hands, and No.2 Wide Receiver.
[edit] College
Even after Green's early commitment to Georgia, several schools continued to pursue the five-star prospect. Florida coach Urban Meyer came by his school twice, Georgia Tech sent him letters weekly to play for the Yellow Jackets' basketball and football teams, and South Carolina assistants Steve Spurrier Jr. and Shane Beamer also tried to recruit him. Their efforts however did not change Green's mind as his original commitment with UGa. stood.
[edit] 2008
In his collegiate debut against Georgia Southern, Green was one of 10 true freshmen to play in the opener. He made 2 catches for 40 yards, including his first career scoring catch on a 4-yard pass from backup quarterback Joe Cox in a 45-21 victory. In the ensuing wins over Central Michigan and at South Carolina, he recorded three receptions each, for 40 and 61 yards, respectively. At Arizona State, Green had a coming out party after recording eight catches for 159 yards and a touchdown in a 27-10 win over the 24th ranked Sun Devils to earn his first SEC Freshman of the Week accolades. His performance also made it to the school charts as the first 100-yard game by a receiver since Kenneth Harris had one on Oct. 21, 2006, and the most yardage since Fred Gibson had 169 yards in 2004. Against 8th ranked Alabama, he led the team with six receptions for 88 yards and a TD in the 30-41 upset loss. In wins over Tennessee and Vanderbilt, Green paced the Dawgs with seven receptions each, tallying 53 yards against the Vols and 132 yards and a TD, including a season-long 49-yard reception against the 22nd ranked Commodores. At No.11 LSU, he chipped in three catches for a team-best 89 yards, including a 49-yard TD reception (Pontiac Game Changing Performance nominee) and a 22-yard run in the 52-38 win.
Against No.5 Florida, he shared the team lead with five receptions for 91 yards, including a new long of 54-yard catch as the Dawgs lost a 10-49 decision. In the 42-38 win at Kentucky, Green caught two passes for 53 yards, including the game-winning 11-yard touchdown reception, while also recording his longest run of the season on a 28-yard sprint. In another cliffhanging win at Auburn, Green caught another game-winning catch on a 17-yard pass to lift the Dawgs to a 17-13 victory. He finished that game leading UGa. with 81 receiving yards on five catches to earn the SEC Freshman of the Week award and once again get nominated for the Pontiac Game Changing Performance. In the season-ending upset loss to 18th ranked rival Georgia Tech, Green caught four passes for 64 yards and a TD to finish the regular-season as the team's second leading catcher with 55 receptions, a team high 951 receiving yards, and a tie with Mohamed Massaquoi for the team lead in TD receptions with 8.
[edit] Career Stats
| Receiving | Rushing | Punt Returns | Kickoff Returns | |||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | TD | Ret/G | Yds/G | Ret | Yds | Avg | TD | Ret/G | Yds/G |
| 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[edit] Highlights
| Highlights from A.J. Green's High School Junior season. |
[edit] Achievements
[edit] 2008
- Phil Steele Midseason All-SEC First Team
- Pontiac Game Changing Performance (vs. LSU, vs. Auburn)
- SEC Freshman of the Week (vs. Auburn, vs. Arizona State)
