The blackout in Athens, Ga., was only supposed to eclipse Auburn. It may have gotten Clemson, too.

That may be the case when it comes to Jefferson County senior A.J. Harmon .

The 6-foot-5, 325-pound lineman has verbally committed to Clemson. But the Dream 16 standout had a change of heart on Tuesday.

"My mind and heart is really centering on Georgia," he said. "I'd say I'm 65 percent sure I'm going to Georgia. I'm going to go to Clemson this Saturday for the Boston College game. Clemson better pull out all the stops. Because all I saw on Saturday with that blackout may have changed my mind."

It's a stark reversal for a giant of a youth whose cell phone has a bright orange faceplate, not to mention Harmon bought a $35 Clemson belt buckle earlier this year.

"I was 90 percent sold on Clemson before Saturday," he said. "You could say 100 percent Clemson. But I saw a lot of stuff in Athens I wanted to be a part of."

Harmon will visit with his family and an inner circle of school administrators and coaches whom he trusts on Sunday. He plans to call both teams on Sunday with his final decision.

He will let his chosen school know so they can hold a scholarship. He'd let his second-place school know so they can find another defensive lineman.

"What I saw Saturday was me," Harmon said. "Georgia played with emotion and let it all out. That's me. That's the player I am. A place that's hype like that is a place for me to go play ball."

LEGEND'S SEAL: An added element to Aquinas senior Marshall Malchow's season was a story shared by Aquinas assistant Mike Laney . It seems Malchow was Larry Campbell's player of the week earlier this year, too.

The Lincoln County coach asked Laney to help him find Malchow after the teams played on Sept. 28.

"He wanted to see Marshall," Laney said. "He enjoyed watching him play during film study and wanted to meet him."

He also critiqued his play.

"Coach Campbell told him he was a real football player," Laney said. "And to not let any one else ever tell him that he wasn't."

Campbell can advance to third nationally on the all-time list with his 413th career win on Friday. The Red Devils play at Landmark Christian.

"It was the ultimate compliment," Malchow said. "I was in shock when he said he liked watching me play. That will be with me when I'm 80 years old."

SIGNING DAY: Washington County center Elhanan Bone was always the tallest kid on his basketball teams growing up.

It fueled his middle school dream. So did the fact he's currently approaching 6-foot-8.

Bone became the first Golden Hawk to sign an NCAA Division I basketball scholarship in 16 years on Wednesday. He signed with UNC-Greensboro during the NCAA's early signing period.

"I felt it was a great opportunity and I could to contribute in my first year," Bone said.

Alabama State, Charleston Southern and Mercer were his other Division I offers.

"They all liked how he ran the floor," Washington County coach Carlos Hope said. "He's a good defender and rebounder but they were impressed with his mid-range game. He shot it well from 12 to 15 feet this summer."

Reach Jeff Sentell at (706) 823-3425 or jeff.sentell@augustachronicle.com.