Building a fence around Georgia
Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson hinted that next year’s recruiting class may be entirely comprised of prospects from the state of Georgia. Last month, the Jackets signed 14 in-state players, the largest haul since 1992.
“The state is very important,” Johnson said. “We wanted to try to make an emphasis on that, and we have. There’s a chance we may take everybody in-state this year [with our 2010 scholarships]. We may take them all from Georgia.”
Georgia Tech expects to sign between 12-15 players next year, and already has its first commitment with Collins Hill tailback Charles Perkins. “I think there’s a lot of good players in Georgia, there’s some great high school coaches, and football is important,” Johnson said. “We’re one of the two bigger in-state schools and we need to make sure that we are very thorough here.”
“Now does that mean we won’t go outside? No. But if we are going outside of the state, those guys need to be remarkably better than the guys we can find in the state. As long as we can find guys with what we need academically in the state, there is no use to bypass them for somebody else. Having said that, I think that you really, really want to also concentrate on the contiguous states that are touching Georgia. We’re just as close to some parts of South Carolina or Alabama as we are to parts of Georgia. Those states I consider to be a one little hub. What I’m talking about is that it doesn’t make sense for us to be in Ohio, Pennslyvania, or California, or Texas trying to make a living, when we have good players here.”
Meanwhile, UGA coach Mark Richt said homegrown talent has always been the No. 1 priority. The Bulldogs landed 11 players from the Peach State last month. “The state of Georgia will always be the hub of our recruiting. We’re 69-percent Georgia kids on our roster, and that’s part of the reason I took this job,” Richt said. “There are great players in this state. Every once in a while, an out-of-state player gets involved, but they have to be pretty special. We’re not going to another state to find a No. 2. We’re looking for No. 1’s there.”
“We’re fortunate to play well over the last few years where we do generate interest from outside of the state. When Matthew Stafford [from Texas] or Knowshon Moreno [New Jersey] are interested, you’ve got to recruit them. The thing about A.J. Green [South Carolina] and some kids from North Carolina, it’s not quite the state of Georgia, but it’s within striking distance. A lot of those kids are not awful far away.”
“But we absolutely love the state of Georgia. When I was at Florida State, we knew with just about every kid we got out of Georgia that he was tough, that he could compete, and that he was well coached. There’s a talent base in Georgia, and a bunch of high school coaches doing an awesome job preparing them for our type of program.”
Vote in our photo-poll: If you were Coach Richt or Johnson, which pairs of 2010 prospects would you offer?
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86 comments Add your comment
Ramblinwreck
March 3rd, 2009
1:25 pm
LawDawg, no one is saying UGA has underachieved since Richt has been there but when they’re hyped up to be the best, they don’t deliver. It seems that if they aren’t hyped up to be the best, they do finish the year better. Also, Tech may be envious of UGA’s success but what team isn’t. No UGA fan can tell me with a straight face that they expected the success they’ve enjoyed the past 8 years. Tech fans are realistic about our chances of success every year. I just can’t stand hearing UGA fans complain about a loss looking to point the finger at someone and then say “It’s a rebuilding year”. By the way, LawDawg those players on UGA team don’t have much going for them when they either graduate if they can or go pro and flop in 2-3 years. UGA might be a good school but you know Tech is definitely a better one and if UGA’s players start thinking too hard they might hurt themselves.
RAMBLE ON!!!
March 3rd, 2009
1:13 pm
I’m taking a half day off today in honor of Square Root Day, a rare holiday that occurs when the day and the month are both the square root of the last two digits of the current year. Numerically, March 3, 2009, can be expressed as 3/3/09, or mathematically as √9 = 3, or 3² = 3 × 3 = 9.
I’ll leave you mutts to yourself pretending 45-42 never happened and planning for your next team TD dance in 2016.
Jacket in NY
March 3rd, 2009
1:10 pm
CPJ is the gold standard by which others will be compared….the AJC article this AM, which chronicles the rigors of a GT off season only underscore this fact….while the other program to the east of us sit around and play video games in the off season our troops are running and lifting so that they may be in optimal condition to run the high octane offense that has become the hallmark of Tech football under CPJ…of course this also readies them for the NFL…perhaps the mutts would be better served to stay off our message board and lobby their coach to implement an off-season lifting program….there is something special afoot in Atlanta and it is high time the mutts learn to fall in line with that reality
LawDawg
March 3rd, 2009
12:56 pm
Why do you Nerds always say that UGA ALWAYS underachieves? We amy have been preseason #1 in apoll last year but only 2 out of the last 20 years has that team finished #1. Also, I don’t think UGA was preseason ranked #2 the year before or #3 a couple years before that. I would say having 10+ wins every year and finishing in the Top 10 every year does not costitute “underachieving all the time”. Nerds, jealousy does not get you very far in this world. You must think harder and work more for success!
Dave
March 3rd, 2009
12:55 pm
What do Tech fans have in common with UGA fans?
Tech fans were never enrolled at UGA either.
Ramblinwreck
March 3rd, 2009
12:53 pm
Savannah Dawg, can’t you come up with something original to say other than screw tech. Why can’t UGA fans just get it in their heads that they won’t always win the Rivalry game. All streaks end and UGA’s ended last year. Don’t be suprised if Tech starts their own streak. You’ve got to hand it to Coach Johnson and players for going into UGA, falling behind early but coming out with a fire that no Tech team has had for a long time. That’s what Johnson brings to the team. Tech won’t be a push-over anymore in this game. Maybe if Tech wins the game this year, there won’t be many excuses for why UGA lost. They will say, Tech was the better team today just like last year.
RAMBLE ON!!!
March 3rd, 2009
12:49 pm
Rabun Dawg because half of UGAgs 10 ten recruiting class ends up at Hargrave Academy every year because they can’t read.
Come on, you know every time you hear an interview with one of your players how embarrassing it is. How many times have you hit the mute button when you’re with opposing fans…don’t lie?
Savannah Dawg
March 3rd, 2009
12:35 pm
Man everyone is so mean to eachother. Can’t we all just get along?
Screw Tech
Ramblin Wrecker
March 3rd, 2009
12:32 pm
I know a lot of the posters on here are out of touch with reality. But I think UGA fans have to admit, things are not as easy as they used to be. Think about it. GT won vs. UGA this season (I know most UGA fans will say 7 out of 8 and that’s fine, but we’re not talking history here, we’re talking about trends). GT recruited more in state players than UGA did this year, 14 to 11. GT went head to head with UGA on a player and won. And not just a player, a WR!!!! Think about that. A kid who I’m sure heard all the negative recruiting about how he will not be used enough at GT, still choose GT over UGA. I’m not making this stuff up. I think that Paul Johnson has started a movement and I’m not sure a UGA without Stafford/Moreno can reverse it in one year. So we’ll see what happens.
Cameron
March 3rd, 2009
12:29 pm
Coach Dodd, you are an idiot my friend. It is okay to be proud of your program. You do have the right coach, but don’t be delusional. UGA only went after Stephen Hill when they missed out on national recruits. He only chose Tech, because he knew he was Tech’s first choice. Did I mention, he was you’re highest ranked recruit. Ask the QB you signed from Indiana what school he has always dreamed of playing for, and he will tell you the same school that never offered him, UGA.