Mark Richt’s ‘Dream Team’ picks up momentum
Ray Drew is the latest to say he'll join the "Dream Team." (Ray Drew)
Our Chip Towers reports five-star Thomas County Central defensive end Ray Drew announced this morning he’s going to become a Georgia Bulldog.
Perhaps some of those snarky folks who laughed at Mark Richt’s “Dream Team” gambit are taking it somewhat more seriously now.
Snagging Drew is a biggie not just because he’s rated a five-star player, but because Georgia badly needs talent on its defensive line. Now if UGA can get another stellar DE, Asheville’s Jeoffrey Pagan, who recently decommitted from Clemson and is reportedly favoring the Dogs, plus sign junior college nose guard John Jenkins (who won’t announce until Feb 5), Todd Grantham’s 3-4 will be looking a lot more formidable.
And then, of course, there’s still running back Isaiah Crowell, who’ll make his decision public on signing day on ESPNU.
The Dream Team is far from complete at this point. But it’s closer to reality than many ever thought it would be.
Assuming these guys all sign on the dotted line, is that enough to elevate the Georgia program back to the elite? And can it be done in the 2011 season — in other words, are the Dogs likely to actually get turnaround performances from that many true freshman players this fall against SEC competition? What do you think?
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503 comments Add your comment
richthater
January 28th, 2011
11:59 am
yeah, UGA has only pulled in top 10 classes as ranked by rivals.com 3 out of the last 4 years. talent is not the problem. am i the only person that sees this?
the minister of sacks; Ray Drew
January 28th, 2011
12:00 pm
Jerry i guess you were saying the same thing when stafford threw 13 ints the first year he started too yeah i see your point just bench him he is terrible plays in the best conference in america throws 8 ints and just bench him makes perfect sense
DawginLex
January 28th, 2011
12:00 pm
Stevie superior,
Your record against Richt is 2-4 at SC and you couldn’t beat FSU when you were at Florida. You got BLOWN OUT vs Auburn and couldn’t beat a sorry FSU team.
Congrats on beating the worst UGA team in 10 years.
You’ll be 2-5 vs richt after your trip to Athens this year.
GT Joe
January 28th, 2011
12:02 pm
Jackson was already leaving; he just visited FSU, went AWOL, not returning calls, so it was a case of “fire the kid” before he quits on you.
We
January 28th, 2011
12:04 pm
GT Joe: Man Boobs is 1-3 against CMR. Get your facts right. You mindless dribble is very entertaining though. Thanks for reminding me of how jealous most of the Nerd Herd is! This has to be killing you. Man Boobs is losing recruits and CMR is full steam ahead. I would have to say,
“It stinks to be you!”
What??
January 28th, 2011
12:04 pm
There were actually 4 – 4 star defensive linemen in last year’s class. I think that will certainly help this year.
Jerry
January 28th, 2011
12:05 pm
Stripling or Morant didn’t start a game in 2010, doubt Drew will either.
Lemay was an excellent pickup replacement for Murray.
But Georgia doesn’t have a commitment yet from NT or RB. Hard to imagine running game being better without new O-Lineman, or a new RB. Run defense won’t get better without a muhc bigger and better NT.
GT Joe
January 28th, 2011
12:05 pm
LOL, top 10 recruiting classes yearly, beating tech 9/10 times, and what does that get you?
Shreveport, then Memphis. LOL. Delusional dogs crack me up.
College football in the state of Georgia is dead (coming from a tech fan)
SSIgator
January 28th, 2011
12:06 pm
What is all the excitement about? Let’s go down the list:
Do they know their full legal names?
Do they know how to drive?
If so, do they have a license?
Do they know how to swim? A must for pool time.
Do they already have their own attorney or will they rely on UGA for one?
Oh, never mind. We all know what happens to these kids once they set foot in Athens. Another good class down the drain. Bobo and the gang will see to that.
GT Joe
January 28th, 2011
12:06 pm
We: CPJ is 1-3 vs. UGA? Can you list those 3 losses for me? Thanks.
Jerry
January 28th, 2011
12:07 pm
No one puts murray in Stafford’s league, Murray isn’t even in Tershinski’s league. Even Joe T Jr. beat a winning team. Stafford beat a bunch of em’. So did Shockley, Greene, Cox. Murray just chokes.
the minister of sacks; Ray Drew
January 28th, 2011
12:07 pm
yeah jerry so i guess after matt.s freshman year you thought hey next year lets start joe cox or for that fact blake barnes for matt since he threw 13 ints his first year
GT Joe
January 28th, 2011
12:08 pm
PS: “mindless dribble” is what you do on the basketball court. LOL.
Jerry
January 28th, 2011
12:09 pm
QB is about W’’s and L’s, Murray went 6-7, who cares about his individual stats, he went 0-6 against winning teams, and helped lead his team to a 6-7 record. Top QB’s don’t do that at Georgia.
AltamahaDawg
January 28th, 2011
12:10 pm
I’ll say one thing for this class of recruits…..to commit to UGA this year, after the worse season in recent history, with absolutely no recruiting momentum from the year before, with all the negativity this program/staff is wading through right now, puts these young men very high in my book.
More on the topic: I think the real question is what effect will these guys have in 2012, when I think the real acid test for Richt is going to be……have UGA competing for the SEC.
All that is required in 2011 is solid improvement, and that can be done with the existing roster, by solving some identifiable issues in the spring/summer. Any contribution from this class is just bonus. Thier contribution probably have more to do with enthusiasm, than results.
PaleRider
January 28th, 2011
12:10 pm
I hope Richt opens the spring with no starting QB and opens up the competition. Can we PLEASE get the best QB on the field?? That does not necessarily mean the one with the most snaps.
Jerry
January 28th, 2011
12:10 pm
Not worried about the QB position, Georgia’s got a lot of guys there between Gray, Lemay, Marshall and Mason.
It’s NT, DE, and OL you have to be worried about. Georgia got blown out on the line of scrimmage in 10′ on both sides of the ball.
We
January 28th, 2011
12:11 pm
GT Joe he lost one time when he coached at Ga Southern and don’t down play it because Southern can take tek to the wood shed. That’s why tek never plays Southern. Your jealousy is keeping us very entertained.
Do you really want to talk about basketball???? Didn’t think so!
As I said before “It STINKS to be you”
7576DAWG
January 28th, 2011
12:11 pm
With what we already have plus Crowell and Jenkins and a few more it will go down as one of the great recruiting classes ever at UGA. But that’s just part of the team. Now the coaches have to come around and show they belong on top. CMR needs to get involved in the play calling again unless he hires a co offensive coordinator that can help Bobo when there is a lot of pressure during a game. Bobo should be made recruiting coordinator , that’s where his value is.
Hiring a great offensive line coach is very important and to get a great one from the college ranks or the NFL you may have to make him co coordinator so you can justify paying him what it will take.
Do these thinks and prove to everybody that the DREAM TEAM will not be wasted and UGA could build a top 10 program that will last for years . One that the top recruit’s can’t wait to sign with every year.
gomdawg
January 28th, 2011
12:11 pm
Great job .looks like Georgia has a lot of talent coming in and with the talent that we have aleady 2011,2012,2013 who knows what might happen ??????????// GO DAWGS JUNKYARD DEFENSE IS BACK. TODD’S JUNK YARD DAWGS
Necromonger
January 28th, 2011
12:14 pm
GT Joe…must be hell knowing Man Boobs can’t recruit, what’a say big mouth!!! Oh, Man Boobs is gonna yank another offer! Dang, is he gonna recruit anybody that can play football.
Sportsrealist
January 28th, 2011
12:14 pm
GT Joe, You keep running you’re mouth, and we’ll keep winning. You know out of all the tech fans, you have the biggest “little sister complex” of them all. You really are jealous that your team will never matter, so you jump on what ever small soap box that you can find. I tell you what. I will extend an open invitation for you to come join the Bulldog nation and enjoy being a winner for a change, It’s OK, we all make mistakes. The important thing is that you can change. You will really like feeling like a winner for a change. Come on over and join us. I’ll even give you a new blog name…..It can be Bulldog Joe…….What do ya say “Bulldog Joe?”…..Come and join us.
SSIgator
January 28th, 2011
12:15 pm
Bill King -
“Assuming these guys all sign on the dotted line, is that enough to elevate the Georgia program back to the elite?”
Elite? Elite at what? Just signing players? I did not know you could win championships in that category.
THE TRUTH
January 28th, 2011
12:16 pm
UGA = WHERE 5 STARS GO TO DIE.
You clowns have had great recruiting classes every year for the past 6-7 years, and what did that get you?? Nothing. 8-5. 6-7 in the Libery Bowl. Stafford, Moreno, Green, Houston. NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT. The “Dream Team” will be without a coach in 10 months anyway..
We
January 28th, 2011
12:21 pm
Is anyone else on here, other than myself, enjoying the whining going on with all the tekies? I think it is so funny. AND you can tell the tekies that try and disguise themselves as other schools fans.
I’m just as excited as the next fellow Dawg about this recruiting class, but it takes more than signing them up. I hope that CMR has made the changes necessary to coach these kids up to the next level. That is still waiting to be seen!
GT Joe
January 28th, 2011
12:22 pm
LOL, Georgia Southern? Wow, how low will dog fans go. Now they are happy they beat CPJ at Georgia Southern. Comical.
Actually, it’s kinda flattering that you did that much research on CPJ. Then again, if I had a coach that was soft was a baby’s bottom, I’d be jealous of CPJ too.
GT Joe
January 28th, 2011
12:24 pm
Dont get confused, We. we aren’t whining. Just pointing out that this kind of recruiting class happens every year for UGa. The blogs are on fire every year when UGa gets all these recruits. But in the end, Shreveport and Memphis.
At least tech has an excuse to go to shreveport, we can’t recruit like UGA. But what UGa does with the best of georgia talent is sickening.
We
January 28th, 2011
12:26 pm
@GT Joe
a.k.a. IDIOT. You said Man Boobs was 1-2 against CMR. Like everything else on here you were wrong!. Plus, it was a tekie that brought that to my attention.
AND please give us a reason to be jealous of a 1-3 man boobs again. You need to take down the life size poster board of him in your room and get a life!
Hey Nerd, why is it that tek has never agreed to play Ga. Southern?
We
January 28th, 2011
12:27 pm
GT Joe again thatnk you for reminding us just how moronic most tek nerds are.
GT Joe
January 28th, 2011
12:27 pm
Same reason why UGA was terrified to play Erk Russell…
'94 UGA Grad
January 28th, 2011
12:27 pm
Hey overexuberant fans,
Let’s not get carried away. I’m as excited as anyone about this recruiting class but some people on here are talking about a NC in 2011 and trash talking AU and BAMA. Let’s not forget where we are. A little humility would do us all some good.
GT Joe
January 28th, 2011
12:28 pm
I wonder if CPJ ran up 400 yards rushing on UGA when he was at G. Southern…
We
January 28th, 2011
12:30 pm
“Same reason why UGA was terrified to play Erk Russell…”
WHAT??? You sir, are a moron! We did not lose to Erk, but then again that wussy administration won’t give Southern an opportunity to play them and collect a check at the same time because that would be too humiliating! I’m done with you nerd
SSIgator
January 28th, 2011
12:30 pm
94 UGA Grad -
Humility? At UGA or in their fans? Are you sure you went to school there?
Tallcarl
January 28th, 2011
12:32 pm
It’s starting early, Andrea Adelson of ESPN is picking Boise State to beat Georgia in Atlanta next year. Se says they will run the ball on Ga. weak defensive line. Go Dogs, get this statement game away early. GATA WOOF
Sportsrealist
January 28th, 2011
12:32 pm
GT Joe, I think it was around 250 yards, with the typical 11 yards passing.
Steve Superior
January 28th, 2011
12:32 pm
My first game at Carolina I did beat Central Florida. Wow UGA couldnt score a TD on those guys as well.
GT Joe
January 28th, 2011
12:33 pm
WE: you obviously cant read. Did I say UGA lost to Erk? I said they were afraid to play Erk. MORON. Get back to flippin burgers, the boss is coming.
Jborodawg
January 28th, 2011
12:34 pm
smooth: UGA fans, what more does CMR need to do to gain your lost respect and admiration? He is on the verge of having his best recruiting class PERIOD!!! Quite a statement considering where we were 1 month ago….”
Amen brother.
AltamahaDawg: I’ll say one thing for this class of recruits…..to commit to UGA this year, after the worse season in recent history, with absolutely no recruiting momentum from the year before, with all the negativity this program/staff is wading through right now, puts these young men very high in my book. More on the topic: I think the real question is what effect will these guys have in 2012, when I think the real acid test for Richt is going to……have UGA competing for the SEC….”
Amen again. We’re lucky to be having a top 10 recruiting class with all the negative comments from “fans” in these AJC articles/blogs. If UGA had fired all the coaches and/or made all the suggestions posted here, we’d be lucky to have ANY recruits.
Don’t forget Dawgs fans, this is just recruiting; don’t mean a thang unless they pan out and play up to the billing. It is good to have top players coming in; just don’t expect anything until they get on the field. Please don’t talk NC. First order of bidness is beating Boise St.
All that being said, great choice Mr Drew! Welcome to Bulldog Nation, one of the best college towns, and one of the best universities in the US of A! Now, come on Mr Crowell!
Foster Keats
January 28th, 2011
12:34 pm
All you morons who get all into Recruiting are complete LOSERS!!!!
I find it rather creepy that GROWN MEN obsess about the vital statistics of 17yr old BOYS…
Then you either love or hate these BOYS based on which school they choose…
Step away from the computer, stop looking at Rivals & Scout and stop calling into two-bit local sports radio stations and raving about “that 4 star kid from Columbus”…
Go outside, get some air, read a book, go spend time with your girlfriend, although most of you probably don’t have girlfriends b/c any normal woman wouldn’t put up with someone who constantly obsesses about high school BOYS…
The Tan Man
January 28th, 2011
12:35 pm
Whatch those 5 stars fade away at U G A !
Alabama Jack
January 28th, 2011
12:36 pm
Got talent, need coaches – its the UGA Way.
the minister of sacks; Ray Drew
January 28th, 2011
12:38 pm
foster keats why are you on here its a recruiting blog
VIningsDAWG
January 28th, 2011
12:39 pm
Sign them up, coach them down.
The Dude Abides
January 28th, 2011
12:40 pm
Well if we get the rest of these recruits and complete the “Dream Team” we’re going to see most of those guys getting SERIOUS playing time when they hit the field in 2011.
Jerry
January 28th, 2011
12:40 pm
Here’s hoping Ray Drew makes a Pollack or Houston type of impact.
WIN WITH RICHT
January 28th, 2011
12:41 pm
Dream Team is just the first step. But, I have faith that CMR will turn this thing around and make the 2011 season a great one.
The Dude Abides
January 28th, 2011
12:41 pm
If Friedgen joins the staff, he may try to recruit that offensive lineman from Maryland.
WIN WITH RICHT
January 28th, 2011
12:44 pm
Foster Keats
What happened did you lose you way. You hit the wrong keys. This is not a sex with livestock website.
the minister of sacks: Ray Drew
January 28th, 2011
12:44 pm
jerry although we dont agree on murray have to agree with that last comment agree 100% about ray drew making an impact