Richt, Georgia have been hurt by too many recruiting risks
Mark Richt has seen several players arrested and suspended this offseason, including former tailback Isaiah Crowell. (AP photo)
HOOVER, Ala. – Mark Richt ignored the red flags and was among the nation’s coaches who lined up around the block for Isaiah Crowell.
He already has seen seven members from his vaunted 2011 recruiting class either kicked out, flunked out or never academically qualified to begin with (“Dream Team”? Anybody?).
Arrests and suspensions likely will lead to four defensive starters missing games next season.
There is a problem again at Georgia — and it matters little that it’s a different one from the past.
Richt, to his credit, no longer responds to players’ criminal or just plain stupid actions by merely making them run stadium steps or suspending their dessert privileges. He has come a long way from enabling Odell Thurman. He suspends players. He kicks them out. He tries to make them understand that getting four or five stars stamped on your forehead by a recruiting site and the ego trip of a signing-day news conference shouldn’t be accompanied by a sense of entitlement (even if it too often does).
The problem now is that too many of the players Georgia is recruiting should be red-lined. The line of risk needs to be pulled back.
Obviously, Richt and his staff are getting a lot right. The Bulldogs are favored to win the SEC East. They’re projected to open the season as a top-10 team.
But imagine if they actually had everybody there.
“We’re not recruiting bad kids,” Richt said in a private media session with local writers Thursday at SEC Media Days. “We’re recruiting a lot of great kids. Other schools are recruiting the same guys.”
Have the negative headlines of this offseason given him reason to pay closer attention to a recruit’s personal blemishes?
“We do find out as much as we possibly can,” he said. “There are rules on how many times we can call a kid and see him in person. We try to maximize those things.”
Sorry. But losing seven of 26 kids from one recruiting class in one year screams that there’s a need for a better filter.
Richt was accurate when he said, “To say that issues aren’t happening around the country isn’t really realistic.”
But losing at least five starters (Crowell plus four on defense suspended) is significant.
Crowell, after multiple suspensions and missteps his freshman season, was bounced following his arrest on felony gun charges. Cornerback Sanders Commings is gone for two games following an arrest for domestic violence. Safety Baccari Rambo (possibly four games), cornerback Branden Smith and linebacker Alec Ogletree all reportedly tested positive for marijuana. Three other freshmen (Nick Marshall, Chris Sanders, Sanford Seay) were kicked out for their reported involvement in a campus theft.
Some of Georgia’s problems can be attributed to having a tougher drug-and-alcohol policy than other schools. But that doesn’t explain everything. The recruiting mistakes will hurt.
The we’ll-be-better-off-without-him rallying cries regarding Crowell makes for a nice locker-room speech. But it’s just not factual. He was Georgia’s best running back — by a long shot — and the Dogs’ potential issues on the offensive line don’t suggest just anybody can be productive.
This will be a team that must rely on its defense and its resolve. The Dogs’ ability to rebound from a 0-2 start with 10 consecutive wins last season said something about the character of the players who aren’t getting arrested (even if that was followed by two more losses to LSU and Michigan State). It’s a team with a solid quarterback (Aaron Murray), strong leadership and several players who bypassed the NFL draft last season to come back for another season. But the suspensions and player losses will hurt.
“There’s been more attrition the last couple of years than there has been since we’ve been at Georgia,” Richt said. “But sometimes that happens. We’ll still have plenty of guys to field a team.”
Then again, if just having enough players was the criteria, there would be celebrations in Toledo and Ole Miss. The question now is whether the Dogs’ chances for a special season have been undone before they’ve even played a game.
By Jeff Schultz
Previous SEC Media Days blogs
• Arkansas living with deserved humiliation after Petrino firing
• Muschamp getting heat but deserves some time at Florida
• Slive: SEC needs to be vigilant to avoid Penn State situation
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779 comments Add your comment
Dawg Haus
July 19th, 2012
5:05 pm
Pretty creepy about the bathroom, Chopdawg.
Well
July 19th, 2012
5:05 pm
“UGA plays Hawaii.”
Don’t forget about this: “AND UGA MARCHES 90 YARDS DOWN THE FIELD FOR A FIELD GOAL AGAINST UCF.”
kingster
July 19th, 2012
5:06 pm
Kerryb, you see the problem is Jeff S. is doing his job, Jeff reports for the AJC and that paper is in the state of Ga., those other schools have major new papers who report their problems, don’t get my at Jeff for stating the facts, Kerryb you want to point fingers, make excuses for UGA, these player did what was reported, admit it and hope things get better, that right fix the PROBLEM, try and get to know the kids you’re recruiting in some way or fashion that will not break NCAA rules, Stanford does it, South Carolina does it, if you’re going to be the big dog you got to expect trouble cry baby.
Cdpridg
July 19th, 2012
5:11 pm
Shultz knows this…just a way to get alot of hits…attack the home teams large fanbaes in a way that will definetly attract negative trolls and away we go….dozen pages of bs spewed back and forth between UGA fans and the fans of teams that UGA wipes the floor with more times than not…..believe me that is most programs……nice formula isnt it Jeff….he is just getting ready for the season
Well
July 19th, 2012
5:11 pm
“dozen pages of bs spewed back and forth between UGA fans and the fans of teams that UGA wipes the floor with more times than not”
Yeah, that’s it. UGA is great ONLY in the minds of mutt fans.
Richt, Ole Miss coach respond to Spurrier’s schedule shot | UGA sports blog
July 19th, 2012
5:16 pm
[...] Richt, Georgia have been hurt by too many recruiting risks [...]
Cdpridg
July 19th, 2012
5:17 pm
Well…not to bright are we…if you didnt feel UGA wasnt great or worthy from the beatings you have taken…..you wouldnt be here bub…
Joey
July 19th, 2012
5:18 pm
kerryb, I agree that nobody sympathised with UGA in ‘08, when we had the toughest schedule in the country.
But I disagree with you on Richt about ‘07 – it was Richt who coached us to two losses to underdogs, a win vs either would have put the Dawgs in the SECCG, and the way we were playing in the second half of that season, should have put us in the BCSCG, instead of LSU.
Our head coach has killed his own chances about 3 times by losing games he shouldn’t have.
Media vote: Georgia will win SEC East | UGA sports blog
July 19th, 2012
5:23 pm
[...] Richt, Georgia have been hurt by too many recruiting risks [...]
BankerDawg
July 19th, 2012
5:24 pm
Well put Joey…Richt has been his own nemisis
Well
July 19th, 2012
5:24 pm
“and the way we were playing in the second half of that season, should have put us in the BCSCG, instead of LSU.”
Nope, not at all. LSU won the SEC and deserved to go. Then again, that year was an AWFUL year in college football.
Well
July 19th, 2012
5:25 pm
“Richt has been his own nemisis”
Yet UGA keeps him around. Says more about UGA than anything else.
a country boy can survive
July 19th, 2012
5:25 pm
@Bammer
The difference is what you do when you’re hot. Bama, LSU, Auburn, and even Tennessee win titles. UGA plays Hawaii.
__________________________________________
I’m sure the SEC powers did everything they could to get that Hawaii matchup. Didn’t want to see another SEC champion getting embarrassed on national television like UGA did against WVU.
danny
July 19th, 2012
5:27 pm
Jeff, if Crowell would have went to Bama, you would have ripped him from not keeping in-state talent.
pbt Dawg Fan
July 19th, 2012
5:30 pm
i agree with danny, If CMR doesn’t go after these guys the Fans will jump all on his back for not going after top talent. Recruits sometimes are hit and Miss. All UGA FANS WANTED cmr to get this guy.
kingdaddy
July 19th, 2012
5:36 pm
Country bumpkin
Is that why Bama won’t play Louisiana, Monroe anymore??? Bama never lost a game to UGA??? Look moron, you lose a game, you shake it off and move on. Try harder next time. It wirked for bama, it’ll work for UGA. Quit worrying so much about the Dawgs. Your team won’t get to play us this year, cause you won’t make it to the SEC-CG this year either, lol…
5150 UOAD
July 19th, 2012
5:38 pm
The next dWag player that gets in trouble will have to serve detention at the German teaching cross dressing prostitute’s house.
5150 UOAD
July 19th, 2012
5:39 pm
Son we at UGa would love to offer you a football scholarship. Before I give you a LOI and the pen could you pee in this cup?
kingdaddy
July 19th, 2012
5:41 pm
How many so-called fans have ripped CMR for missing some of Ga.s best recruits? Damned if you do, damned if you don’t …
bulleagle
July 19th, 2012
5:44 pm
“Some of Georgia’s problems can be attributed to having a tougher drug-and-alcohol policy than other schools. But that doesn’t explain everything.” …sure it does! soften uga’s stiff drug policy and they fall back into the pack, or stiffen everyone else’s and see uga not standing out.
name me a high profile multi-starred player that everybody was shying away from but uga? EVERYBODY wanted crowell!….so, it’s “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” cause AJC is quick to point out when uga doesn’t offer this bluechip or another in the state.
how many chances did the old ball coach give garcia? makes you wonder how many incidents go unknown in columbia doesn’t it?…and how are the gators any better than uga on discipline? oh yeah, 1st time drug offenders get NADA…and death threat texters and laptop stealers stay on the team, cam left on his own terms as i recall…and eye gouging gets you half a game.
c’mon, man! i’ll take richt and his character over ANYBODY!
NCDawg
July 19th, 2012
5:46 pm
Mr.Schultz… please give some thought to the idea that maybe UGA is tougher on the student-athlete than other schools. Crowell would still be the same person if he wore the Crimson of Alabama, the Orange and Blue of Florida, or the Blue and White of Penn St. Everyone recruits the same guys. You did not see any school withdrawing their scholarship offers to him at any point. No one bailed out and said “we’re out of the running… he’s a bad apple” NO. Maybe it is time to realize that maybe UGA has higher standards that these kids are unable to live up to. That makes much more sense than this “recruiting risks” crap. Jeeeeezzzzzzzzz…..
kingdaddy
July 19th, 2012
5:47 pm
5150¢
I guess you already know the address???
a country boy can survive
July 19th, 2012
5:47 pm
kingdaddy is here, brainiac character soon to follow.
CrazyUGA
July 19th, 2012
5:48 pm
BankerDawg, please tell me you are joking? The sked is the easiest in the SEC. Not a single difficult team from the West (only Ole Miss and Auburn), and outside of South Carolina, the East is a joke. So is UGA’s out of conference: GaTech is terrible, and give me a break on Buffalo, Georgia Southern, AND Fla Atlantic? That is an utterly pathetic OOC sked. Further, they have 7 home games, 1 neutral site, and only 4 road games.
Even the beloved Phil Steele, you picks UGA high every year, found UGA’s strength of sked to be 81st, behind heavyweights such as Wake Forest, Southern Miss, and Western Kentucky.
You clearly answered my question: both ignorant and a homer.
Cap
July 19th, 2012
5:48 pm
Jeff, how about an article about all of the arrests of Alabama players in Tuscaloosa over the years? Oh wait, there haven’t been any. Must be they are recruiting the “good” student-athletes!
5150 UOAD
July 19th, 2012
5:50 pm
KingDaddy…..that is the way it will always be. If the kid goes to UGa and makes a mistake it is Richt’s fault but if he goes to another school and doesn’t get in trouble it is Richt’s fault.
KingDaddy it was posted in the newspaper where he was advertising. LOL
P_The_Ricker
July 19th, 2012
5:53 pm
Schultz,
I believe you’d be more correct to cite the word “alleged,” in that rambo and ogeltree “allegedly” tested positive for marijuana, as oppose to “reportedly.”
I’m guessing you’re going off a comment from a hs coach that was recorded by chip towers, of which has never been confirmed by any other party. Do you have some other source?
Until either the players come forward, the test results are released or a statement is made by the university, let’s wait for the final word.
JB at home
July 19th, 2012
5:55 pm
Jeff throws this article out, then gets in Volvo and drives home laughing all the way. We are a train wreck as fans of UGA. We all love Richt, but he just can’t over the hump thus our frustration and the visits on here by low life trolls
Dawg'88
July 19th, 2012
5:58 pm
Other coaches like Nick Satan recruit players like Crowell as well. So everyone takes the same risks. No logic in a Schultz story. Shocker. Schultz still just doesn’t like Coach Richt because he stood up to him and embarrassed JS publicly. But then again…JS embarrasses himself with his columns and distasteful humor attempts. If I see a JS article compilmentary of UGA….I’ll be stunned.
collegeballfan
July 19th, 2012
5:58 pm
” Lot’s of theories, but something is not right.”
JB – you are entirely correct. And I also do not have any answers. But any way you spin it, “Something is rotten in the state of BulldogFootball.” (Apologies to Will.)
a country boy can survive
July 19th, 2012
6:02 pm
grow up dawg’88. Your ignorance is showing.
CobbDawg51
July 19th, 2012
6:07 pm
A bigger question to me is why Richt always recruits like we are on probation? For example, this year we easily had room for a full class of 25 and Richt signs 19; then only 17 qualify. Has Richt ever signed a full class? By contrast, Saban would have over signed and let attrition take care of it.
greg reid
July 19th, 2012
6:08 pm
Thank goodness, I didn’t go to Athens.
Looking forward to another great year in Tallahassee.
shankit
July 19th, 2012
6:11 pm
I think Georgia, Florida and Vanderbilt, it is about time to
leave the sleazy SEC, and go to the ACC.
Stinger2
July 19th, 2012
6:15 pm
This article was unnecessary. I say this as a GT fan. CMR is a good recruiter. Any coach will have some kids that do not make it.
Dawg'88
July 19th, 2012
6:16 pm
a country boy can survive:
your handle already displayed that you are ignorant. Then you opened your mouth and left no doubt. You came for a battle of wits unprepared I see. Plus, you didn’t counter one thing that I said. So be quiet and let that cut under your nose heal!
59bulldawg
July 19th, 2012
6:17 pm
I agree that choir boys may not cut it in big time college football. But I don’t think pot heads, petty criminals, and general dumb asses improve our chances much either. And I don’t care what other schools do or don’t do. It’s not asking too much of athletes getting a full ride to simply obey the law and not flunk out. We have become the new FSU … only without the success and ring to show for it.
LakeDawg
July 19th, 2012
6:17 pm
I’ve been giving you kudos lately, Jeff. However, this article is a bit over the top. Its true that CMR has had discipline problems. He seems to have corrected his approach. It will take a little time for it to take. There is still plenty of talent to win a championship. If they don’t, it won’t be because of losing Crowell and others. It will be a lack of coaching. I disagree that losing Crowell hurts the Dawgs. You speak of his potential, but there has never been any indication that he was ever going to play to his potential. CMR teams have always fared better with their primary runner being a physical back. Think Musa Smith, Haynes, Lumpkin, even Moreno was physical.
Dawg'88
July 19th, 2012
6:18 pm
AJC is suffering because it takes risks on untalented sportswriters like JS.
NC_Dawg
July 19th, 2012
6:20 pm
Spanky – Also, how big was it that McGarity scheduled the Carolina game in the middle of the season?
What a stupid comment! McGarity has nothing to do with scheduling you moron!
LakeDawg
July 19th, 2012
6:21 pm
Malcombe should be the physical back this year, backed by Samuel. Throw in the freshman for a change of pace, big play back and you have a great backfield. IF the line comes through. If they don’t, it has nothing to do with recruiting bad eggs. They’ve had no such problems with the O line.
a country boy can survive
July 19th, 2012
6:25 pm
There you go again Dawg’88. A dummy for sure.
shankit
July 19th, 2012
6:25 pm
I think all the Alabama, Auburn and LSU should form their own “Great”
conference, and name Paul Finebaum as their commissioner. They
could have Legends, Tammy, Trooper, McLouder as their commissioners.
They are a fri–ing discrace to the SEC. Hope Michigan beats the crap
out of the toilet paper, tree poisoning, and coach’s daughter, Kun Fu fighter.
Chris
July 19th, 2012
6:26 pm
Schultz,
Saying Crowell was Georgia’s best back by a long shot is a little much. Yes he was our leading rusher last year, and yes he did it while missing several games, but the fact remains that he missed several games because he is an idiot, and he missed playing time with minor injuries that other guys play with, and he took himself out of games when he shouldn’t have. He has talent, but to say he is better than an unproven back like Keith Marshal and Todd Gurley by a long shot, is just plain stupid. No one knows how good those guys will be. Marshal, for one, could be as good or better. We just don’t know yet.
He was a cancer that needed to be removed, and it is right to assume that this was the best thing for Georgia. He had a terrible work ethic, wined too much, and that can reflect on other players at times. Just like Moreno lifted his teammates up with his energy, Crowell can and has drug his team down with his bad attitude. We don’t need guys like that at Georgia, and we will be better without him.
a country boy can survive
July 19th, 2012
6:26 pm
Boy, Jeff sure has a lot of red panties twisted up.
LogicalUS
July 19th, 2012
6:27 pm
Jeff, it isn’t just a coincidence that Richt came from FSU and even further ago learned the ropes of player coodling\whitewashing at Miami during its period of virtually outlaw status.
It is the same song and dance of a holier-than-thou front with out of control shenigans rampant behind the scenes.
The only difference is that UGA has the discipline problem without the success.
Cdpridg
July 19th, 2012
6:31 pm
Country boy….you know how it is my friend…A Bulldawg will survive!
Cdpridg
July 19th, 2012
6:32 pm
Logical…..want to put that sucess up against your team???
RTD
July 19th, 2012
6:33 pm
It’s too bad the AJC takes to many rick with mediocre (Schultz & Bradley) “journalists”!
Well
July 19th, 2012
6:35 pm
“They are a fri–ing discrace to the SEC.”
Disgrace: UGA professor cross-dressing and running a prostitution out of his/her house.
Disgrace.