VALDOSTA — It has been some 24 hours for Lowndes' Josh Harvey-Clemons. At 9:15 Wednesday morning, the state's top unsigned prospect announced he would be signing with the Georgia Bulldogs.
Later in the day, it was learned that Clemons' National Letter of Intent had not yet been submitted to Georgia, and that his grandfather, Woodrow Clemons, was not pleased with his decision to be a Bulldog.
Well, Clemons put an end to all the drama surrounding his name on Thursday morning, sending his letter of intent via fax to head coach Mark Richt, according to the University of Georgia sports communications office, which spoke directly to The Valdosta Daily Times.
The 6-foot, 5-inch Clemons chose the Bulldogs over offers from Florida, Florida State and Miami, citing a good relationship with coaches and the atmosphere of Athens as the reasons to sign with Georgia.
“I had a strong relationship with Coach (Todd) Grantham, and after leaving there, it felt like home and I knew immediately that is where I wanted to go,” Clemons said about his decision.
After the news started to break about Clemons' letter of intent not arriving at UGA, the story quickly spread around the country. On Wednesday evening, the Daily Times was able to reach Roy Hart, Josh's uncle, who said Josh was "upbeat and standing by commitment" to the University of Georgia.
When Georgia released its official list of 2012 signings, Clemons was not on the list. But that all changed Thursday morning when Clemons faxed his letter to Georgia.
Now that Clemons has signed with Georgia, the Bulldogs have secured signings from a Region 1-AAAAA Player of the Year on back-to-back seasons, as current Bulldog Malcolm Mitchell earned the honor in 2010 while playing at Valdosta High School.
“I talked to Malcolm and he just told me to make the best decision for me,” Clemons said. “He told me I was going to have to work wherever I go, so make sure to go where I wanted to be.”
Clemons and Mitchell will also be joined by the 2011 Offensive Player of the Year from Region 1-AAAAA. Colquitt County tight end Ty Flournoy-Smith signed with the Bulldogs less than two hours after Clemons announced his decision.
Wednesday morning’s announcement was delayed for several minutes, while he waited for a family member to bring a Florida Gators hat to the table. When the time was right, Clemons turned the attention over to his sister Ashley, who unveiled a red Georgia t-shirt from underneath her sweatshirt.
Clemons followed up his sister’s unveiling by placing the red Georgia ‘G’ hat onto his head.
“She was probably the only one I told,” Clemons said. “So, she already knew and she kept asking, ‘Do I need to go get the shirt?’ So I told her, ‘Yeah, just get the shirt.’”
Wednesday’s announcement capped off a busy recruiting season for the U.S. Army All-American, as he most recently visited Miami just this past weekend. All the recruiting trips didn’t seem to matter though, as the five-star recruit admitted that he knew Georgia was going to be his choice following his official visit in early September.
“The other schools, all were great. All the visits I went on went good and I built relationships with the coaches, but when I left Georgia, I just knew that is where I wanted to be,” Clemons said. “I knew that is where I wanted to play at for the next four years.”
Clemons said he is looking forward to getting back to his normal, every day life of being a teenager. He will also re-join his Lowndes basketball teammates, as the tall 6-foot-5 standout serves as the team’s center.
“It is a big relief,” Clemons said. “Now I can get back to a normal life and I can keep my phone on more often.”
Now that his letter of intent has been signed, Clemons can do just that.
Although recruited as an outside linebacker, Clemons can play multiple positions. During his senior season, he lined up at six different positions for the Vikings. Defensively, he spent time at linebacker before moving to safety prior to the annual showdown with cross-town rival Valdosta.
He also lined up, sparingly, at defensive end. Despite the moves to different positions, Clemons recorded a team-high 117 tackles and three interceptions. Offensively, he recorded three rushing and three receiving touchdowns, while also going 2 for 4 passing.
“He is a great kid and a great football player,” Lowndes head coach Randy McPherson said. “I am real excited to see what he does when he gets up there. We all know, here at Lowndes, that he is going to have a great career.”
