Lovejoy (Hampton, Ga.) had a tremendously successful year last season finishing 13-2 and working their way to a state runner-up finish. Though the Wildcats came up just a little bit short against Norcross, 21-14, linebacker DeMarquis Gates would finish 2012 with over 100 tackles and in the process draw a lot of recruiting attention from schools around the nation.
“Recruiting has been going very well and I'm enjoying the whole thing,” admitted Gates. “I've had a lot of schools coming to talk to me and I currently have four offers from Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss and Kentucky. I've also been hearing from Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Alabama, LSU, North Carolina State, Boston College and Vanderbilt.”
With so many coaches already reaching out to the Georgia product has he decided what he'll be looking for when he's ready to start narrowing things later on down the road ?
“I'm looking for a place where I get along with the players and coaches well,” he explained. “I'm going to have to see how the school works as a whole. I don't want to go to a school where there's a whole lot of trouble going on, so I want to see what the campus life is like and how the students act in general.”
The 6-foot-2, 217-pound defender has been preparing all off-season to help lead this team back to the state championship game and hopefully bringing the hardware home for Lovejoy this time, but he knows to be able to do, he will have to lead with his play on the field.
“I feel I'm an overall great linebacker that can do a lot of things that a coach would want me to do,” claimed Gates. “This upcoming year I'll be playing a lot down on the line as an outside linebacker, but I'll also be playing the middle position also. It's all just going to depend on who we play and whatever the coach needs me to do.”
Though the talented junior is very appreciative about how the recruiting process has gotten off to a fast start for him there's still one team he's hoping to hear from in the near future and that's the Irish.
“I haven't heard too much from Notre Dame, but I'm definitely interested in them,” he admitted. “To tell the truth, I really don't know too much about them yet, but I got a chance to watch them in the national championship game against Alabama and also throughout the season. I know Manti Te’o was a great linebacker there and I feel I'm a great linebacker, so I’d probably fit in good there.
“If Notre Dame decides to show me interest I’d certainly like to get up there to visit. I would definitely put that on the schedule.”
