UGA to Penn State players: Come on down!
Mark Richt was unusually open about his interest in Penn State players. (David Tulis / AJC special)
While Mark Richt has perhaps been the most up-front about his interest in picking up some of the Penn State players who are free to leave the NCAA-hammered program and play immediately elsewhere, Georgia certainly isn’t the only SEC school looking at that possibility.
In terms of players currently on the Nittany Lions roster, this is likely to play out rather quickly, as most schools will be starting preseason camp soon — UGA on Aug. 2 — and in order to have a realistic shot at anything close to immediate playing time a transfer would need to be on campus by then.
It’s not surprising that Richt is interested, but what did widen a few eyes among college football observers was how he wasn’t at all coy about it when addressing the subject at Monday night’s UGA Day fan gathering. In fact, he volunteered the news that as soon as they heard about the NCAA sanctions against PSU, the Georgia coaching staff went over Penn State’s two-deep roster to identify players the Bulldogs might be interested in.
The fact that Richt offered that tidbit up in public is an indication that, yes, Georgia is really interested. And why not, the Dogs have a depleted roster that numbers less than Southern Cal, which is on probation!
Penn State players apparently would be welcomed by the UGA team as well. All-American Jarvis Jones tweeted: “Penn State players feel free to b a Part of BullDogs Nation!!!”
While you can bet Nick Saban and other SEC coaches are moving just as quickly as Richt, if more quietly, Georgia does have what appears to be a couple of built-in advantages: Georgia has plenty of room on its roster and also has on staff John Thomas, who until recently was Penn State’s strength and conditioning coordinator for 20 years.
As for which players Georgia might talk with, early speculation has centered on defensive end Deion Barnes and linebacker Khairi Fortt, both of whom considered Georgia out of high school and reportedly took recruiting visits to Athens. And UGA has at least somewhat of a relationship with two Penn State commitments — defensive end Garrett Sickels and tight end Adam Breneman — since both were offered scholarships by Georgia.
Beyond that, the most obvious need the Dogs have is experienced offensive linemen, so I imagine that’s where the Georgia coaches looked hardest when they examined the PSU roster at their retreat Monday. But the Dogs also are in need of additional depth in the defensive secondary.
Of course, we don’t know that Penn State players will bail on the program en masse, though it certainly would be understandable if they did, and Georgia may wind up not picking up any of the school’s current players.
It’s quite likely, however, that Pennsylvania — which proved very fruitful territory for the Bulldogs in past generations with names like Sinkwich, Trippi and Rissmiller — is likely to get increased recruiting attention in the future from a lot of schools, including Georgia. And in addition to Thomas, secondary coach Scott Lakatos is very familiar with the area.
Aunt Pittypat might have been aghast at more Yankees in Georgia, but this is one case where they’re entirely welcome!
Got something you want to discuss concerning UGA athletics or a question for the Junkyard Blawg? Send it to junkyardblawg@gmail.com.
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258 comments Add your comment
Admin
July 24th, 2012
4:11 pm
This blog or whatever it is, is in bad need of an ADMIN to ban all the Bama flamers. Really annoying and sad that it happens on here constantly. It’s a sham they use the Internet to hide like this.
gdawg
July 24th, 2012
4:21 pm
Big Cremson 75, you want a real laugh let them visit Tuscaloozer. Is the national championship trophy still on display at that WalMart.
Will Muschamp
July 24th, 2012
4:36 pm
I’ve got the ship rolling through the ocean and no one is gonna stop us this year! SEC Champs 2012!!
gbal
July 24th, 2012
4:38 pm
Admin – Suggestion, those that want UGA blogs w/out all the bamer gt au…bs.. move over to The Bleacher Report…..UGA section… not as many comments, but true fans there…. The artcles are pro UGA for th most part and writers are not full of the controversial anti UGA stuff n the interest of blog hit numbers…. Kinda refreshing almost Bisherisque reporting… not centered on blog hits… Can also go to othere schools Bleacher Report sections and catch up on their news without he haters… Try it true uga fans ….
bucket
July 24th, 2012
4:40 pm
I’m just sitting here laughing at all the Tech and Tide fans on the Junkyard Blawg! And they call UGA fans losers! lol
Tide is rolling and nothing can stop it
July 24th, 2012
4:47 pm
gbal
July 24th, 2012
4:38 pm
Admin – Suggestion, those that want UGA blogs w/out all the bamer gt au…bs.. move over to The Bleacher Report…..UGA section… not as many comments, but true fans there…. The artcles are pro UGA for th most part and writers are not full of the controversial anti UGA stuff n the interest of blog hit numbers…. Kinda refreshing almost Bisherisque reporting… not centered on blog hits… Can also go to othere schools Bleacher Report sections and catch up on their news without he haters… Try it true uga fans ….
HAHA The Dawgs are getting tired of being told that their not a top-tier program!
Dawg Haus
July 24th, 2012
4:53 pm
Good idea, gbal. I never thought to check out the postings on Bleacher Report, but there is good stuff on that site.
Jam Kenp
July 24th, 2012
4:55 pm
Come on down the Athletic Dept will insure you pass all your finals.
LogicalUS
July 24th, 2012
4:55 pm
Let’s see UGA is in DESPERATE need of :
OL
RB
WR
CB
S
K
but don’t worry UGA is still going to “win the MNC”. Bahahahahahaahh
Geez, what happened to those 25 years of the #1 recruiting classes and Dream teams? We are 10 days from fall camp and the preseason MNC are looking to poach another school’s players?
Isn’t UGA 5 deep at every postion with All Americans and future Pro Bowlers?
Rip Van Winkle
July 24th, 2012
4:56 pm
I just woke up; didn’t PSU beat us in a bowl game?
Rip Van Winkle
July 24th, 2012
4:57 pm
Isn’t UGA 5 deep at every postion with All Americans and future Pro Bowlers? Yes but they also have CMR and Bobo the clown.
ga gator
July 24th, 2012
4:59 pm
Sad situation in State College Pa. I will be surprised that most 4-5 star players will transfer unless they grew up PSU fans. I see nothing wrong at all with Richt or any other coach offering them roster spots.
North Georgia Dawg
July 24th, 2012
5:06 pm
@ Logical, UGA is fine at wide receiver. We have Mitchell, Conley, Michael Bennett, King and Scott-Wesley and even Wooten. Georgia doesn’t need safeties this season once Rambo comes back. We picked up a solid placekicker in last recruiting class. So your information is incorrect.
North Georgia Dawg
July 24th, 2012
5:10 pm
Look out this season for T.J. Stripling because he was already vying for playing time before a serious knee injury his freshman year. He’s got a chance to be really good, along with Harvey-Clemons, Ramik Wilson and Garrison Smith. Smith already was solid last season. Our defense (especially after the first two games) should be fine. Our offensive line is what I’m worried about. Marshall, Malcome and Samuel need to have decent blocking.
SOUTHGADAWG88
July 24th, 2012
5:10 pm
Joey I think taking scholarships, banning bowl games and championship eligibility do hurt a program.A program can survive scholarship reductions by signing high level recruits though.USC has done it recently,as I said earlier Stanford avg 18 recruits a year.
When you look at our team,what positions are we hurting at due to undersigning?OL maybe?The thing about the OL .. we don’t know if that extra 3rd or 4th guy would pan out any better than the guys we already had.The secondary looks a little light,but Sanders and Marshall were expected to by major contributors,and..we still had guys leave the team due to lack of playing time in the secondary.
This also points out how hard it is to get 6 or 7 high quality guys at the same position.Somebody is always going to leave due to lack of playing time.The other thing here is that when you look around the SEC,the top teams are not rotating a bunch of players.The better teams are taking more of an NFL approach,the starters play almost all the minutes.
SoGaDAWG
July 24th, 2012
5:13 pm
I would love to see us pick up a db , kicker and o line
BLT
July 24th, 2012
5:20 pm
“I’m just sitting here laughing at all the Tech and Tide fans on the Junkyard Blawg! And they call UGA fans losers! lol”
What’s really funny is you are a permanent fixture on the Tech blog! Pot meet Kettle.
GaTruth
July 24th, 2012
5:30 pm
@BigCrimson – Is that the same discipline and coachng that Sandusky and Paterno were using? Maybe it was the discipline and coaching Joe Pa was using to control all information and issues released to the public.
GaTruth
July 24th, 2012
5:39 pm
The local Penn State news is:
http://www.centredaily.com
Article about the coach trying to keep players, another about So Cal recruiting their start RB.
UGA fans, get out there and post why those kids (OL in particular) should be looking at us.
Better hurry, I hear Saban has already pulled three scholarships from kids he swore he’d never do that to so he can make room for some Penn State guys.
Big Crimson 75
July 24th, 2012
5:50 pm
BLT — you took the words…….
Nothing like taking verbal jabs from a poster named bucket!!
gdog — it depends on which Wal-Mart. Their are so many to pick from in T-Town. 13 or 14 in Tuscaloosa County — hey, that’s 1 for each Trophy!!
ARdawg
July 24th, 2012
6:00 pm
There will be a number of the Penn St players with no ties to the team/coach/school that will bolt in a second for a chance to play elsewhere and for championships. Kind of like a mini-draft. Like there is at ALL schools.
You trolls never slow do you?
SSIgator
July 24th, 2012
6:14 pm
“While Mark Richt has perhaps been the most up-front about his interest in picking up some of the Penn State players”
Well, he better hurry up. At least maybe some of the PSU guys will be able to spell c-a-t without having to spot them the c and the t.
THE Dixie Redcoat Band
July 24th, 2012
6:38 pm
Really can’t imagine many PSU players wanting to come down and be around hip hop/slap dancers and backwards baseball caps!!
kingdaddy
July 24th, 2012
6:52 pm
With a chance to play and maybe even start on the SECe Champs, plus already being friends with John Thomas, UGA is in a very good position…
SSIgator
July 24th, 2012
7:15 pm
I can spell cat… too bad I can’t get any
Smitty
July 24th, 2012
7:28 pm
Hey tide…do they not have any bama blogs for you… sorry..I forgot only two newspapers in alabama
Smitty
July 24th, 2012
7:29 pm
SSIgator….same here
Smitty
July 24th, 2012
7:30 pm
Can’t believe a Dawg agreed with a Gator about anything
NickTheSaint
July 24th, 2012
7:51 pm
“UGA to Penn State players: Come on down!” and see how quick you can get locked up!!! LOL!!
The Last Word
July 24th, 2012
8:17 pm
Really can’t imagine many PSU players wanting to come down and be around hip hop/slap dancers and backwards baseball caps!!
That’s a very good point. There’s no way that any quality people are going come to UGA and play football with Richt’s illiterate, low class goons.
kerryb
July 24th, 2012
8:19 pm
I’m sure if Bama or AU pays them enough they Will come on down.
kerryb
July 24th, 2012
8:21 pm
If you don’t think their players are ready and willing to transfer out of there watch this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YASWRhCXWKY
Pcola-dawg
July 24th, 2012
8:37 pm
At the rate AL recruits are bailing and signing at Auburn, Clemson, UGA, FSU and USC. ST nick and Kirby better start looking at penn state bail outs.
Pcola-dawg
July 24th, 2012
8:39 pm
St Nick couldn’t even land and sex starved UGA flunkie like Mett. Les and the girls at LSU scooped’em
dmr
July 24th, 2012
8:46 pm
If kids leave Penn State for Georgia or anywhere else, it won’t be because another program is stealing players. If a kid winds up anywhere, it will be because he realizes that the Penn State program is going to be in shambles and it would be no fault of his.
However, realize the trouble Penn State finds Itself in is not due to the actions of any outsiders either. OSU and Urban Meyer, Nick Saban and Alabama, Richt and Georgia; none of these people or programs have anything to do with the circumstance Penn State finds Itself in. These kids will consult with parents, teachers, coaches, and others to determine the best course of action for them.
Pcola-dawg
July 24th, 2012
8:50 pm
oh yeah forgot about Dodd flipping from ALA so add LSU
kerryb
July 24th, 2012
9:09 pm
I just found out that the video I posted was a hoax. That was their BB team reacting to getting into the NCAA Tourney.
richie
July 24th, 2012
9:19 pm
bama fans are sick people win a nc but not their division sick
Say What???
July 24th, 2012
9:33 pm
Shameful…
The dust hasn’t even settled on the removal of the Joe Paternon statue. We’ve seen the ultimate destruction of a man’s legacy…the demise of a once proud football program…current players, and prospective recruits have just had their lives turned upside down…and most importantly, kids who were sexually abused and whose lives were destroyed….
All this, and this blog is full of UGA fans crossing their fingers that they might can pick up a player or two…and a coach who is blatanly and publicly offering kids at Penn State within moments of the sanctions being made official.
Shameful is what it is…stay classy UGA.
bucket
July 24th, 2012
9:35 pm
@ BLT – that’s an outright lie. I am proud of the fact that I have never gone to the Tech blog, Bama blog, Gator blog, USC blog, Auburn blog, etc. I am a regular poster on the ajc blogs and I always post under the name bucket. When Tech gets a recruit I wish the young man well and do not participate in the juvenile crap that you and your ilk subject all of us Dawg fans to daily.
bitter vince dooly
July 24th, 2012
9:48 pm
CRAVELL PLEASE DONT MAKE UGA LOOK LIKE VULTURES ON A MEAT POLE
CLASSLESS ARTICLE DUDE
ILL BET THE METH HEADS WILL BE CLAWING FOR JOE PA STATUE
—————- TO SALE AT A SCRAP YARD—————hahahahahah
BS Patrol
July 24th, 2012
9:52 pm
Now the doggies are calling for the AJC to protect them from mean old bloggers who are hurting their widdle feelings. Can you believe the hypocrisy? Dish it out but can’t take it.
14 Titles
July 24th, 2012
9:53 pm
mark this down–ga wins the east, alabama wins the west. alabama blows out ga, plays in the bcs again. This tide team may be better than last year! RTR!
bitter vince dooly
July 24th, 2012
9:56 pm
i just watched the you tube on penn st players celebrating after being notified that they can transfer
thanks—KERRY-B, WHAT A BUNCH OF RATS JUMPING OFF A SINKING SHIP
NO PLACE FOR TRAITORS AT UGA, NO LOYALITY —-SHAMEFULL
bitter vince dooly
July 24th, 2012
9:58 pm
HECK IF THAT WAS THE STARTING TEAM—-THERE WILL BE NO FOOTBALL AT PENN ST
THIS YEAR———-NOBODY LEFT
bitter vince dooly
July 24th, 2012
10:06 pm
HOW CAN A LEGEND FALL THIS FAST???????????????????—JUST DROP THE SOAP
in front of Coach san-break-ya–in
WHILE AT SUMMER CAMP AND find out, —–Penn st gives a new meaning to the phrase
————Shower please, i’m feeling frisky—————friggin TUSK–UR–LOOSERS
———-And YANKEES call southerns ===hillbillies—-pot calling the kettle black
——-Ge3tting YOUR FREAK ON————DOES NOT INCLUDE YOUNG-INS
bitter vince dooly
July 24th, 2012
10:08 pm
PENN ST PLAYERS—-HEAD TROLL–A PERSON SO DUMB WILL BE AVAILABLE TO HELP
YA GET JOBS AS —FRY COOKS AT THE VARSITY———–HAHAHAHAHAHAH
THE Dixie Redcoat Band
July 24th, 2012
10:20 pm
One of Michigans good rb was suspended 3 days ago for dui.
hamptondawg
July 24th, 2012
10:30 pm
Wow! I dropped in to read a UGA blog and found all these bama fans spewing their venom everywhere. Did they run out of trees to poison in AL or what?
Mobile Dawg
July 24th, 2012
10:44 pm
Sometime Richt just doesn’t know when to keep his mouth closed.