What, if anything, would losing Da’Rick Rogers mean to UGA?
Da'Rick Rogers: If he's a Vol, is Signing Day sunny for Georgia? (AJC photo by Jason Getz)
Vince Dooley, who knew a thing or two about recruiting and about winning, said of the former: “It’s the way you win in the offseason.” And if that’s the case, would Da’Rick Rogers’ apparent defection to Tennessee — esteemed colleague Chip Towers has the breaking news — constitute a loss? A 45-19 sort of loss?
On the one hand, you can’t lose what you never actually had. On the other, Rogers is considered the best player in the state and is rated No. 9 nationally by Rivals.com. He’d committed to Georgia last summer. Bulldog fans — and Bulldog coaches — had been counting on him for a while. But now it appears he’ll be a Vol instead, and if that’s the case he’ll have spurned a program that has won 90 games in nine seasons for one that changed coaches last month.
I’m headed to Athens for tomorrow’s Signing Day doings, but on SD Eve I wanted to ask you folks: If Rogers does wind up signing with Tennessee — he’s scheduled to make his announcement at 9:45 a.m. at Calhoun High — does that take the fizz off Georgia’s recruiting class? Is this a loss? A Big Loss? Or is it no loss at all?
And with that, the floor is open for what I know will be our usual erudite discussion. Thanks in advance.
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568 comments Add your comment
Dooley's elephant
February 3rd, 2010
6:28 am
Dooley’s already cheating like kiffin to get these thug recruits in town—those hostesses must be doing their job real good! The Dawg D will shut him down and UT will be lucky to win 7 games in 2010—bank on it.
Bubba
February 3rd, 2010
6:33 am
I get into recruiting as much as anybody, but it’s always good to keep it in perspective. Neither I nor anybody else was excited much when Georgia signed a largely unknown fullback out of Gwinnett County in 2001. Over the next few years, David Pollack gave us lots to be excited about.
GT
February 3rd, 2010
6:37 am
Best thing that could have happened to Georgia. Now they can start winning games while the game is being played instead in recruiting season. Now the Vols can have those wild expectations. They will find it a curse yet Dooley looks mature enough to handle success, this will be interesting.
GR82BAG8R
February 3rd, 2010
6:39 am
Georgia’s lack of success at winning championships despite years of elite recruiting classes shows that the number of stars associated with a recruit means very little. It’s about heart and character. Georgia has a lot of athletes that possess those attributes and Richt does not want to disrupt that. No one knows how Georgia will really do until the games are played, but the new DC should help immensely.
Those of you that want to denigrate Tech’s recruiting ratings should remember that their football team has the highest SAT scores of any public university in the country. That tells me they are not necessarily going after the best athletes, but only the athletes that can make the grade.
Bobo the Dodo
February 3rd, 2010
6:40 am
Would you wish to be coached by the offensive idiots UGA has hired in right now? Think about it, probably not and neither did he so wish him the best and let it go.
The dawgs will never be more than they are now as long as mediocrity are their friends.
UGAIII will not last the year with out a heart attack.
the real Kirby Smart
February 3rd, 2010
6:45 am
This is why I didn’t want to come back to UGA. it’s a sinking ship. See ya in 2 yrs as HC beyathches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Come on guys ....
February 3rd, 2010
6:46 am
Come on guys,
Let up on the poor guy some. He is a kid trying to make a major decision in his life. Tennessee just offered the person, who for all intensive purposes is his brother, a scholarship. Did they do that to get Rogers? I am sure that was part of it. But how can you blame the guy for following his brother to the only major school that offered his brother a scholarship. Even more so, the family took him in when he needed it most. I am sure he felt like he owed that to the family. He hadn’t signed a contract. Everyone knows a verbal commitment means little. That is why all colleges, UGA, Tech, and UT included, continue recruiting kids right up til signing day. We applaud our coaches for “stealing” someone from another school, but criticize the recruit for changing his mind? We should all wish him the best of luck (except for maybe on a particular Saturday in the fall).
David
February 3rd, 2010
6:48 am
A recruit need to go will your heart feels good to be not want your friend want you to go!!!!
DSGD
February 3rd, 2010
6:49 am
Oh yeah! Mr. Rogers is going to take the mighty Vols to sec championship all by himself. You fans are very stupid and have no since of reality. Dawg fans don’t worry I think Ga is going to still be challenging for the sec east this year. One bad year and losing a couple of kids who really didn’t want to come to Ga will not change that. GET A GRIP EDIOTS IT’S NOT THAT BIG!
gomdawg
February 3rd, 2010
6:49 am
So of these young men are so STUPID LOOKING AT LAST MINUTE FAME AND NOT EDUCATION????
Need Job
February 3rd, 2010
7:00 am
C’mon folks there are enough good kids to go around every school in the South will have a good class. Just take a look at the rankings it’s amazing how many schools in the south are on top. Finding the right school is the most important decision these kids will make at this point in there life.
JB
February 3rd, 2010
7:04 am
Please please please don’t hang the success or failure of our program on a 18 year old kid, who if played in the Atlanta area would most likely be a 3 or 4 star. All this emotion is based on a star system that is usually wrong. Hell, I think Bryan Evans was a 5 star for pete’s sake and he couldn’t cover a sugar bowl with a table cloth. We will be fine. We are loaded on offense and if you’ll study our commits, it’s about 75% defense, which is where we need help. There are people on here who take anything negative and jump on it. I would love to know the in’s and outs of the Georgia Tech rejections. Good luck Da’rick.
GT53
February 3rd, 2010
7:07 am
As my name suggests, I am not a Georgia fan, however, anyone that turns down an opportunity to play there to go to all places..Tennessee, he is rising for a falling.
UGAKev
February 3rd, 2010
7:10 am
Not a big loss. I would have liked him to come to Georgia but we are not hurting at receiver. The Whitaker kid going to Auburn was a lot bigger hit to the class. Georgia will be fine. The class is still good and if Georgia has a great year then the recruits will poor back in next year. It’s like they always say,you can turn a 3 star recruit into five star talent but five star talent has pretty much peeked and cannot get much better. Roger’s seem more like a Tennessee player. I kind of compare him to Peerless Price with that visor he wears.
Dawg Master
February 3rd, 2010
7:13 am
How many hostesses did DaRick score with before he made his decision? Those chicks are pretty hot and are probably good “convincers.”
Deputy Dawg
February 3rd, 2010
7:19 am
Mark Richt is letting the wheels fall off the wagon in Athens! Rogers leaving the program is only a symptom of a larger problem. Think about it folks. Derek Dooley is a FIRST year coach but he has already out-coached MR. I don’t look for us to win more than 6 – 7 games for the next few years with MR at the helm. Maybe we need to buy him out and get a REAL coach in Athens. I’m just saying……….
David
February 3rd, 2010
7:21 am
I just talk to an NFL Scout on the phone, and he told me that Da’Rick Rogers would be more ready for the NFL going to Georgia than Tennessee. He told me like AJ Green that Georgia’s pro style offensive will get a typical player more ready for the NFL for leaving early three years instead of four. Plus, Tennessee will be between coaches and a typical recruit will have some problem getting used to doing the thing he want to do for a couple of years instead of fitting a glove like UGA has!!!!
silver britches
February 3rd, 2010
7:21 am
It will mean nothing to Georgia now. The D has to be rebuilt and the O line fixed. How many star recruits have we seen just bomb out.Many great college players are walk ons and come from JC programs. If Rogers wants to go to the orange vowels so be it.
Will
February 3rd, 2010
7:25 am
I find it somewhat amusing that college football coaches complain about 17-18 year olds changing their minds and not honoring verbal commitments when college coaches change their minds and do not honor written contracts for employment about as often as they change underwear.
Large Orange
February 3rd, 2010
7:32 am
@ David……I just talked to Santa Claus on the phone and he said you have always been full of crap even as a little boy, which apparently you still are. So you were on the phone with an “NFL Scout” (wink wink) at 7:00 in the morning on NSD? Sure, we believe you David. Will you be speaking to Barack Obama later today? I can see through your little scam…….you are thinking maybe Da’Rick will read my post and change his mind. What a buffoon loser you are! Anyway, say hello to Barack for us when he calls you today…..LOSER!!!! Gotta run….Peyton Manning is calling to ask my advise on the Super Bowl.
13 top100 recruits Didn't Help USC, Fla or Notre Dame in 2009
February 3rd, 2010
7:33 am
USC went 7-6 with 13 of the “best recruits in the nation” in 2009.
Florida couldn’t beat a top 10 team with 10 top 100 recruit starters in 2009.
Notre Dame was stocked with top 100 recruits over the last 5 years, went 6-7 most years.
Dawg Tired
February 3rd, 2010
7:38 am
Mark – I certainly did not know anything about this young man, other than he was a highly regarded recruit talent-wise until all the attention about his possible defection came to the forefront just recently. Based upon the latest developments, it would seem reasonable to make some observations that one would not have enough information to make previously.
What I do know now is that he apparently does not consider his word to mean very much. Obviously, he could prove differently by sticking to his word, which I think (I’m admittedly not sure because IF character is in fact a problem,, I think UGA is better off without him) is what I want him to do.
My point is that no one may have known, or had reason to think, he was a prima donna when he committed. Recent events certainly seem to indicate that he MAY in fact be exactly that.
Jona
February 3rd, 2010
7:39 am
Who cares. These recruits are just kids. Doing what he thinks is best for him. Georgia will be fine. TN on the other hand still sux.
McDawg
February 3rd, 2010
7:39 am
all this proves is that Nash & Robers are very very very close friends (wink, wink)
gss303
February 3rd, 2010
7:40 am
Enter your comments here
papadawg
February 3rd, 2010
7:41 am
ONE player does not make or break the recruiting class. The Dawgs still have a very good group coming and I’ve never gotten caught up on one player. (#34 exception) His best friend was offered a scholarship from the Vols and he wanted to stay with him. HIT happens.
hatfieldgeoff
February 3rd, 2010
7:43 am
You always hate to lose talent, but you can’t be sure what these kids are. You can look up a long list of recruits that fans fretted over losing and that turned out to be average or below average players. Some others nobody had heard about like David Pollack turn into 3-time all-americans. You can’t tell what goes through the mind of a teenager and the Rogers situation was complicated by a father (Mr. Nance) using Rogers talent to leverage a scholarship for his son. It is funny how most of you guys talk about how recruiting means nothing but as soon as UGA loses a recruit it is the end of the world. Columnist need to get on one side of the fence and stay there not jump back and forth as it suits their whim to stir the pot.
gss303
February 3rd, 2010
7:44 am
Didn’t he get kicked of Darlington before going to Calhoun…..?
May get kicked out there as well…..very good academic school.
There are some good jr college and prep schools out there.
I know how exciting it is to know Dooley is coming to rocky top after 10 turndowns and his
big time record….Kiffin left a mess….
Excitement!
dap01
February 3rd, 2010
7:46 am
Mark: UGA is still 30 places higher than TECH in the national recuiting rankings. Why don’t you write about that? Why the negative slant.
Look at De’Rick’s past, UGA is probably better off with out him. What about an article about the relationship between Nash and Da’Rick? I bet that there was a Da’violation involved, don’t you?
Dawg Tired
February 3rd, 2010
7:49 am
Will’s point is a good one except for those of us who also think that the coaches who do those kinds of things also lack character, as I have said many times on these blogs. In other words, I do put the same standard on the recruits and the coaches, except that I understand the difference in maturity is relevant, but still does not excuse the failure to keep one’s word. Of course, these 18 year olds are also lacking good role models in both the coaches who don’t keep their word and parents who don’t insist their son keep his.
Nevertheless, failure to keep one’s word, whether he is 18 or 38 is a character problem.
Hairy Dawg
February 3rd, 2010
7:54 am
Dawgs dont need that sorry word breaking dung heap wasting space in Athens. We have to recruiting WR with talent to play in SEC speed and then dominates east for championship. Dooley got him a real winner who stinks on field with bad character and goning to jail with Nukeyse and his BB gun.
Jason
February 3rd, 2010
7:55 am
News Flash… This kid isn’t a team, he isn’t an entire Offensive scheme and by his action, he’s for damn sure not an upstanding person. Better off without him and the rest of those prima donnas who think their turd doesn’t stink.
BullyDawgs
February 3rd, 2010
7:59 am
Who really cares about losing this kid. He is just one recruit, and wasn’t he held in check by a Soph CB from Buford?
BuLLdawg,
You are right on the money. This is very alarming. There is no reason
we should be sinking like this with recruits jumping overboard like this. Maybe willie was a great recruiter..who knows…CMR better fix this or the bulldawg nation may run him out of town
messin with sasquatch
February 3rd, 2010
8:00 am
maybe now we have a chance against the doggs. whew. glad he decommitted.
Tennersee buddy boy
February 3rd, 2010
8:02 am
The walmarts all over tennessee will be empty today, it’s national signing day. Lets go get cooter and burn some sofas…hee haw!!!!!!!
GaGator
February 3rd, 2010
8:04 am
Rivals.com predicts:
3) Georgia will limp to the finish – Ouch! In the last few days, Georgia lost Nickell Robey and Deon Rogers as a commitments, whiffed on defensive tackle Jeffrey Whitaker and linebacker Telvin Smith as targets and will lose five-star Da’Rick Rogers to Tennessee. They will also likely strike out on wide outs Christian Green, Adrian Coxson and Kadron Boone. And if defensive tackle Mike Thornton picks Kentucky over the Bulldogs as some are now predicting, look for a complete meltdown in Athens.
McDawg
February 3rd, 2010
8:04 am
give it up for Michael Bennett
JDM
February 3rd, 2010
8:06 am
YAWN!!!!
Wow, opinions change on a kid overnight
February 3rd, 2010
8:10 am
Listen to these Georgia fans trashing the #1 prospect in the state, simply because he didn’t sign with UGA. If his letter had arrived in Athens today each and every one of you would be lauding him with praise. But he decides that UT is a better fit for him so now he has issues with character, heart and grades?
Face it, UGA is a mid-tier SEC program now. Georgia is not on the same level with Florida, Tennessee, Alabama and LSU. UGA fits in with South Carolina, Auburn and Mississippi. Good luck to Rogers @ UT.
F-105 Thunderchief
February 3rd, 2010
8:11 am
Glad to see this primadonna head case unmasked in time for him to go infect a rival’s team, instead of Georgia’s. Best news of the day so far. Now bring on the real Bulldogs.
Jona
February 3rd, 2010
8:19 am
Georgia is too deep for a freshman to come in and make an impact right away. The exception being Green. I don’t think Rogers is anything close to Green. These 4 and 5 stars are looking to get on the field right away. I guess at a broken down program like ut, that is possible.
Danny Bulldog man
February 3rd, 2010
8:24 am
Did anybody see the under armour game but he did drop a lot of balls , I think the kid is good but he is no AJ Green . he would have been red shirted and i bet he will be a bust just my feeling about him . I think the hype around him is to much , Just a my opinion .. See next year in Athens rogers where the BOOOS will be to much for you …
Snoop Dawg
February 3rd, 2010
8:25 am
We have a lousy recruiting class because Markt Wrecked has been exposed as an imposter.
Peter Jennings from ABC News
February 3rd, 2010
8:26 am
Breaking News……I am dead but I can still report that UGA’s 2010 class is sucking like a Hoover vacuum. Top prospects are jumping off the sinking USS UGA like rats off a ship. When asked for his response Mark Richt replied..”Well we are going to hold hands and pray like heck” just before heading over to a tanning salon in Athens. More updates throughout the day.
Snoop Dawg
February 3rd, 2010
8:27 am
What quality recruit wants to be coached by the likes of the Preacha Man and Boo Boo?
DawgByte
February 3rd, 2010
8:38 am
Da’Rick going to the Hillbillys will have ZERO impact on UGA. Georgia is loaded at wide receiver. Marlon Brown will pick up his game and make more of impact in 2010 than Da’Rick will at UT.
AltamahaDawg
February 3rd, 2010
8:41 am
Marlon Brown.
Starring Kam Fong as Chin Ho
February 3rd, 2010
8:47 am
I bet he gets booed out of the gym this morning
Stinger
February 3rd, 2010
8:47 am
YellowJacket:
We can’t rail on the Dogs and call them losers, because what does that make us? They came on November 28 to the “little house” as compared to Michigan’s “big house” and put it to us…If we call them losers and they beat us, then what are we????
dawg fan 31
February 3rd, 2010
8:50 am
For one, we have AJ, Marlon, Wooden, Troup, Durham, etc.. We are good at wideout. Not saying we would not mind Da rick but we ill be fine without him as well. Vols need help they have none…that i know of