UGA coach Mark Richt prays for the right recruits
Georgia coach Mark Richt revealed his secret on handling the rigors and stresses of recruiting: He prays.
“I put a lot of things to prayer, and this is one thing I put to prayer. I ask the Lord to ‘Give us the guys that belong at Georgia. The ones that don’t belong, work it out.’ I don’t get too bent out of shape with [recruiting], one way or the other. We’re going to get what we need. We’re going to get the right guys here.”
More than a month after signing day, UGA is still trying to put the finishing touches on its 2009 recruiting class. On Friday, tight end Orson Charles of Tampa will decide between the Bulldogs, Tennessee and Southern Cal. On signing day, Richt displayed a calm and cool demeanor in front of Georgia supporters eager for some last-minute drama. The Bulldogs missed on several high-profile prospects, including Carver-Columbus linebacker Jarvis Jones (signed with Southern Cal) and safety Jawanza Starling (Southern Cal) of Tallahassee, Fla., before watching wide receiver Marlon Brown of Memphis select Georgia in the late afternoon.
When Brown made his on national TV, there were screams heard outside of Georgia’s football offices. Richt was doing a radio interview at the time, and said some of his assistants were very excited about Brown near the end of the pressure-packed day.
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186 comments Add your comment
john
March 4th, 2009
7:46 pm
Here’s what many of you apparently don’t understand: A person who has great faith isn’s afraid of sharing that faith. It’s not about football or recruiting. It’s about having faith in a higher power and being able to turn things over to that higher power. CMR has great faith and is willing to share that with anyone and everyone. This isn’t about anything other than that.
Saint Richt
March 4th, 2009
7:15 pm
Rolling my eyes at the phony…………..Saint Richt will save us ALL!
JustCallMeChamp
March 4th, 2009
6:53 pm
I think for the most part Richt is a classy coach who really cares about his program. Which is why I was so shocked 2 years ago in Jax when he encouraged his players to pull that stupid stunt against The Champs. Now say what you want Dawg fans, that he didn’t mean the whole team and yada yada yada…it was STILL an unsportsman act he encouraged. From a punk like Lane Kiffin I would expect such antics but that is not Richts M.O. Remember, that season he had just admonished his team about dancing on Vanderbilts logo…Vanderbilt??? Anyway, since his little meeting with Pope Urban, It looks like he’s back on the straight and narrow.
Maddog
March 4th, 2009
6:19 pm
VolNation, how in the world could you get “God cares about Georgia football more than any other school” from this article?
Perhaps you would prefer CMR and his coaches rip their shirts off (ala Chippendale Dancers) at a “pep rally” with football recruits.
Richt prays for football recruits... - VolNation
March 4th, 2009
6:11 pm
[...] prays for football recruits… UGA coach Mark Richt prays for the right recruits | College Football Recruiting Ok so God cares about Georgia football more than any other school? And when a recruit doesn’t [...]
Baba O'Riley
March 4th, 2009
6:10 pm
LOL at a UGA fan pretending to be LSU Fan. I don’t think LSU fans would call it the Chicken Bowl, and I know they wouldn’t get their panties in a wad over a GT-UGA discussion.
Why don’t you pretend to be a Mississippi State fan?
Maddog
March 4th, 2009
6:09 pm
Bill, I’m quite surprised when posters such as yourself engage in a public forum and the only thing you accomplish is draw attention to your ignorance.
So a coach and their assistants should be held accountable for every action of their 85 players? You trash a coach because of the mishaps of teenage athletes?
My mom and dad were, and continue to be, great parents. They instilled a great work ethic and moral barometer in me and my siblings. All was forged from a strong faith in God, Jesus, and prayer. From their guidance, I knew wrong from right. However, even with such a solid upbringing, I made many mistakes during my youth. I, nor anyone, should hold my parents responsible for the irresponsible decisions I made. The circumstances with coaches are the same. They can offer great guidance, and extend a forgiving nature, but they are NOT responsible for every action of their players.
Food for thought since you like to criticize the misdeeds of athletes. What percentage of non-athlete college students also get arrested for similar mistakes? Probably equal to, or greater, than that of athletes.
Perhaps you shouldn’t be so pious and condescending. Instead, get your own house in order.
Sissy Dawg
March 4th, 2009
6:06 pm
Prayer is powerful. God cares about every aspect of our lives. Mark Richt is a godly man and I appreciate the fact that he is not ashamed of his faith. Way to go Mark. But, watch out the rabid ungodly Georgia fans will eat you alive if you ever have an eight win season. I hope you can be a positive witness for them and the competition. By some of the comments Tech has more than a few agnostics and unbelievers that could use a touch form God.
UGA student
March 4th, 2009
5:55 pm
I previously wrote an article that was deleted for an unknown reason. There was no profanity or anything offensive. To be a professional writer, it seems like one would be able to muster a response instead of just deleting criticism. Do you think Rivals.com would print this joke of a piece? I would actually like some insight to Orson Charles instead of what people do during their personal time. The LA Times has better coverage of UGA recruiting right now. This is one of the worst written attempts to draw attention to what the ajc now calls “sporting coverage.”
In regard to Mark Richt, he is content with the unity of Football and the Church. He will never be fired for that fact that the his religious stances, specifically what the Atlanta Journal is trying to endorse here, outweighs his real performance. UGA – 4th in the SEC recruiting race
Stafford #1 at his position
Moreneo #1 at his position
Wonder what would happen if Saban had these kids?
fieldofdreams
March 4th, 2009
5:46 pm
Religion is a curse laid on the rest of the world by lunatics from the Mid East. New world coming, hopefully, soon, free from lunatics who speak for “God.” Not that it matters, but a guy making $4 million a year is a lot more Jew than Christian.