UGA’s impact freshman of 2010? Best bet is an Ogletree
Alec Ogletree passes a poster of himself and his twin brother. (AJC photo by Jason Getz)
Athens — I tried this last February and was — stop if you’ve heard this before — wrong as all get-out. I thought Georgia’s biggest impact freshman of 2009 would be Branden Smith, who made a couple of plays but wasn’t half as significant as Washaun Ealey or Orson Charles. I thought Marlon Brown would be starting by the end of September; he didn’t start at all. I thought Aaron Murray wouldn’t be redshirted; he was.
In sum, I guessed wrong on pretty much everything involving a true freshman last season. (Though I was correct in suggesting Abry Jones and Montez Robinson wouldn’t be redshirted.) This year I tried to cheat: I solicited Mark Richt’s help. And he, being smart, wouldn’t bite.
“If you say this guy’s going to make an impact,” he said Wednesday, “the other guys read it and say, ‘What about me?’ ”
And then Richt went into those cautionary tales that make recruiting so much fun. “Tra Battle was a walk-on, and he starts in our nickel package as a freshman. We offered Tim Jennings a scholarship the night before Signing Day — he was going to South Carolina State — because we’d seen him in an all-star game and he was the best player on the field.”
Postscript: Jennings will play in the Super Bowl on Sunday. He’s a cornerback for Indianapolis. He was a 2-star recruit exiting high school, according to Rivals.com, and he’s in his fourth season as a professional now.
Loading ...In sum, you never know. But we, being all too human, love to guess. And the guess here is that no 2010 offensive signee will leave much of a mark this fall. Why? Because Georgia returns starters at every offensive position save quarterback.
Defense, however, is another matter. The Bulldogs have lost six starters and are thinnest up front. That could pave the way for Mike Thornton, the tackle from Stephenson. Todd Grantham, the new defensive coordinator, sees Thornton fitting into his 3-4 as the 1-gap tackle, and that’s a big thing. Because Georgia hasn’t been recruiting 1-gap tackles in previous years. Garrison Smith, the tackle from Douglass, would be another possibility.
T.J. Stripling, the defensive end from Southwest DeKalb, figures to see time at that position or, since Georgia will now field one extra linebacker, at that position. But Alec Ogletree, the safety from Newnan and the highest-rated Bulldog signee, stands to have the best combination of ability and opportunity. (There’s a chance Ogletree will become a linebacker before he’s done, but Georgia is listing him as a DB.)
Were I guessing today — and I guess I am — I’d go with Alec Ogletree as Impact Freshman of 2010. (Not to be confused with Alexander “Zander” Ogletree, his twin brother who’s likewise a Georgia signee and who UGA lists as a linebacker.) But I invite your input and, in the poll above, your vote.
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166 comments Add your comment
lost
February 4th, 2010
9:47 am
hamilton is my choice for biggest impact player. He said he would do anything, even take a concussion, to make a big hit
Mass Exodus
February 4th, 2010
9:48 am
@ bulldawg 1444…. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU !!!
Dawg Fud
February 4th, 2010
9:50 am
Jakar Hamilton
4tix4dogs4cokes
February 4th, 2010
9:51 am
lagadawg — Wrong again friend…..you obviously do not understand recruiting or CFB….one more shot….UGA had 5 guys on their radar who were realistically in play as of last week….D. Rogers WR, J. Whitaker DT, N. Robey CB, C. Green WR, M. Thornton DT….realistically, they figured they could get 1 of the 2 WR, Robey was clearly headed elsewhere and they probably would get 1 of the 2 DTs….as it stands, Robey de-committed as expected, they struck out on both WRs and got the 1 DT….So, what did they do in the final 24 hours? They offered the OT out of Green Co. and they signed and placed into GMC the WR Outlaw. So, they net was they got 1 of the 5 that were in play and then filled in the gap with 2 late offers. They were never going to sign 22, 25 or 28 kids. What is so hard to understand about this?
Outlaws and Rambo's
February 4th, 2010
9:51 am
Big ole Trinton Sturdivant he aint played too much !!!!
Richard Hamilton
February 4th, 2010
9:52 am
I agree Bulldawg1444. It’s one thing to be upset about the teams performance, but to actually boo your own team. College football is totally out of control.
Randy: So what is your informed, genius plan to fix the problems in Athens? Fire Richt and hire who exactly??? If you guys are going to bitch and moan on here, at least back it up with some well thought out solutions to the problems. Can you even give us one sane idea or are you just on here to bitch.
It would be interesting to see how many people on here that complain about Richt and the dawgs, probably deserve to be fired from their own jobs based on performance.
Mass Exodus
February 4th, 2010
9:54 am
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU Richard Hamilton !!!!!
NCAA recruiting guide lines rule
February 4th, 2010
9:55 am
UGA got what? 19 kids?? How many were they allowed to sign? I expect that the factual number was about 19, as their overall team numbers are high, which means this class may have beens smaller. It also bodes well for 2010 with red shirts and depth. This is very key.
Anyone have the correct answer?
J Dawg
February 4th, 2010
9:57 am
No depth at WR … Really ? Durham, Wooten , King, Marlon Brown, Troupe, not to mention #8 and Charles . Bennett won’t see the field.
GT51
February 4th, 2010
9:57 am
if uga has recruited as well as everyone says they have these past few years, then how can richard samuel move from rb to lb and be projected to start? What has happened to all of the 4 star lb recruits?????? Not coached up.
Bill
February 4th, 2010
9:57 am
Richard H, most of them don’t even have a job!
GeoffDawg
February 4th, 2010
9:58 am
GATA = Get After That A$$
Blind Homers Club
February 4th, 2010
9:58 am
One solution is for blind homers like bulldawg 1444 and Hamilton to demand better from our well paid coaches. If you cant stand the heat homers the get out of the kitchen! Or if you cant run with the big dawgs …stay on the porch !
4tix4dogs4cokes
February 4th, 2010
10:02 am
GT51 — Samuel was a 5-start RB/LB coming out of HS. His preference was RB, he was given a chance there and was ultimately beat out by Ealey and King. You might remember those guys, they were “coached up” enough to gash the maggots on national TV. Also, the UGA defense was “coached up” enough by graduate assistants to stop ManBoobs and his “perfect option” offense.
Richard Samuels as a LB
February 4th, 2010
10:03 am
With Samuels going to L backer, that is a like another big time D recruit. It is also called depth. When Roberrt Edwards ( 90s ) went to tailback from L backer, he was a great, great SEC running back until the UT game and he blew his knee out and was not 100% after that. Samuels could be just as big an impact going to Linebacker. He has bulk, size and speed. HE WILL BE an impact player for sure. I do believe that he will enjoy tearing heads off of runners.
This is only more good news for UGA fans to chew on. Great Frosh class ( depth wise ) with a couple of impact players beyond Samuels and it keeps on getting good at UGA.
We are fine depth wise at wideout, where the darick kid would have been 3rd or 4th string in his frosh year. At UT, he does not have a QB that can deliver the ball.
Go Dogs!!
Go Dogs.
Mike S
February 4th, 2010
10:04 am
NCAA – Georgia had 19 scholarships available for this season originally. Add to that the scholarships that opened up from players leaving early (Curran, Jones, etc).
UGA had thier 19 set for months. The firing of Willie Martinez, Jancek, etc caused a couple guys to rethink thier offers (Dean R, Robey), especially after Lakatos and Grantham were hired. At that time the writing was on the wall for both Deon Rogers and Nickell Robey — both are small quick players — the 3-4 and Lakatos in particular wanted Big agressive DB’s to play up on the line. Deon and Robey are small and did not fit that mold. So they made the intelligent decision and chose to play elsewhere.
Then the defection of Da’Rick to play with his BFF added another scholarship.
UGA then had to scramble to fill those final spots.
BUT, bottom line, the plan was NINETEEN SCHOLARSHIPS for MONTHS. With the defections and a few new Schlarships open, richt decided to try and rope in a few high profile guys.
End of story — UGA intended 19, they got 18. They now have 3-5 extra scholarships to offer to deserving non-Sholly players or to hold for late signees/walk ons. The Scholarships could also be held over to next season, which would allow UGA to go after a 28-30 player class like our friends over at AU.
J Dawg
February 4th, 2010
10:08 am
Lonnie Outlaw remember the name. You probably never heard of him because he only has 2 stars beside his name, but he is sick. Super hands, super fast. trust
UglyOldDog
February 4th, 2010
10:09 am
MB……….I know I’m old, dumb and full of…., but I still don’t understand how a school can sign more than 28 kids (in the SEC) or have more than 25 kids on any 1 yrs scholorship total at anytime…MB help me…I’m a UGA grad (I sure that explains the dumb part at least)
Must be Bennett's dad
February 4th, 2010
10:10 am
Whoever it was that said Michael Bennett is going to be the top contributor as a freshmen must be related to him. Most likely a parent… Give me a break.
GT51
February 4th, 2010
10:12 am
richard samuel was never projected to play lb. listed solely as rb. he was another one of those feature articles in the ajc. the next hershel walker!!! Manboobs gashed the grad asst defense and spray on tan last year on nat tv. uga is going to see how losing 3 d lineman will affect the entire defense this year. defense will definitly be worse
TXDawg
February 4th, 2010
10:12 am
Hey Mark Bradley, Ogletree went to Newnan High in Newnan, GA, not Newman High, which I believe is Peyton Manning’s alma mater in New Orleans.
Robert
February 4th, 2010
10:13 am
hope Da’Rick rogers will come across the middle knowing that Jakar Hamilton and Alec ogletree will be waiting on him.
E.Lo
February 4th, 2010
10:14 am
Come on M.B., Ogletree did not come from Newman, Georgia. I think you meant to say Newnan. LOL!
E.Lo
February 4th, 2010
10:15 am
Sorry TXDawg, you beat me to it. It’s still funny as $hit.
TXDawg
February 4th, 2010
10:17 am
Oh yeah, impact freshman for this year…..ummm….either Thornton or Stripling. The only areas on the team where anyone could see an impact over what we already have is D-Line or Linebacker. Outside shot goes to Alec O, if he is moved to LB. Our DBs and Offense are covered…..however, if Hutson Mason proves to be some sort of prodigy, then he could be the answer to your question. Not sure Richt would do that to Murray though.
TXDawg
February 4th, 2010
10:18 am
No problem E.Lo…..at least MB knows he has some editors in the house…lol
Mark Bradley
February 4th, 2010
10:19 am
Thanks, editors. I’m obliged.
SOUTH GA DAWG FAN
February 4th, 2010
10:20 am
Was Outlaw the 18th or 19th kid to sign ? I have seen him many times he is in my neck of the south . he is a freak could have been 4 or 5 stars easy but for the most important thing but you already know that because he has to go to junior college.
UGA right now on D makes a better team
February 4th, 2010
10:20 am
To: Mike S
Thank you for the recruiting numbers answer and you also made my point, sir. UGA will have a bountiful ( 27-29 qty. like AUB ) class in 2011 with many positions being slotted for blue ships,etc. UGA on offense for example, is frankly, loaded.
We are set at F back, at running back with Mr. Malcome coming in and @ TEs with three very fine players, QB, O line and flanker/ wide outs. The D will be fine with Arby Jones, DeAngelo Tyson and Brandon Woods, and the two new big kids and all of the DEs coming in. I believe that we red shirted four or five D players from a year ago on the D line. If so, good news for depth.
UGA on D is a better football team right now with Samuels and Ogletree as L backers or with Olgetree at Safety, coupled with Jakari Hamilton, Martrez Robinson and Justin Huston and company and Gamble,etc.
The new D coaches will infuse an aggressive, hard hitting, attacking style and it will be welcome. This one fact will add two wins or three to our “relatively” easy schedule for 2010. Richt will also be involved greatly in the QBs. This is very important.
It will be fun.
Go Dogs.
Mark Bradley
February 4th, 2010
10:23 am
Outlaw was the 19th signee, SOUTH GA.
Paul in RDU
February 4th, 2010
10:24 am
UglyOldDog – I presume you are asking how can you sign 28 kids in one year and keep under the 85 scholarship limit. It’s pretty simple – attrition. A number of kids won’t make the grade, some will quit, transfer, flunk out, leave for the NFL etc. You can guarantee that all 28 won’t be on the squad in a couple of years.
According to this morning’s Raleigh paper, UNC signed 29 kids last year. Only 20 of them are on the roster today.
Chris Phillips
February 4th, 2010
10:25 am
If Grantham puts T.J. Stripling in at OLB, my guess is that Stripling will have the biggest impact. He is very fast, evasive, and has strong hands. He will be an instant threat to QB’s.
Mark Bradley
February 4th, 2010
10:26 am
Mark Richt said it yesterday: If you’re signing 28, you’re assuming some of them won’t qualify. But committing to them tends to give you leverage when/if they do become eligible.
Todd Blackledge
February 4th, 2010
10:27 am
Hey Tech, nice # 43 ranked class you dorks pulled in.
Mark Bradley
February 4th, 2010
10:27 am
It will instructive to see how positions and deployment change with the 3-4, Chris. Outside linebackers are the big pass rushers in Grantham’s system, as opposed to defensive ends in the 4-3.
De' truth
February 4th, 2010
10:31 am
I hope(in the interest of him staying in school)that Da’Rick can spell better than his mother.
Bennett, WR, #1 Immediate Impact Player
February 4th, 2010
10:33 am
Coach Richt said in the post-recruiting interview that WR was a position where Georgia lacked depth. 6 or 7 there for 3 receiver sets is not good enough.
Bennett, WR, #1 Immediate Impact Player
February 4th, 2010
10:36 am
Lonnie Outlaw headed to JUCO for 2 years his high school coach said yesterday. Not enough college credits, didn’t take any college prep courses.
Mark Bradley
February 4th, 2010
10:36 am
I heard him say that about wide receivers, but then you start recalling names — Green, Troupe, Brown, Durham, King, Wooten — and you think, “Will there really be many catches for the No. 7 wide receiver?” And CMR also noted Georgia’s tight ends are close to being wide receivers themselves.
What the Huck
February 4th, 2010
10:38 am
Toe Meets Leather…..you need to go over to your blog and moan about your 44th rank class instead of being over here dissing our 15th ranked class….and as for having done NOTHING with our top ten classes….
we have not won a national championship, as six other schools have the past seven years….but we are 3-1 against Bama during that time; 3-1 against LSU, 5-2 against Auburn and we are 8-1 against Tech lately….and, yes….I DO know our record against Florida and Tennessee…
Without-a-clue
February 4th, 2010
10:39 am
Not enough wide receivers to run 3-receiver sets? Good! Use 2 & 3 tight ends and RUN THE D@MN BALL!!
Bennett, WR, #1 Immediate Impact Player
February 4th, 2010
10:41 am
Georgia prefers to run 3 WR sets. That gives 4 guys a chance to get a lot of touches, AJ will have 1 WR wrapped up, that leaves 2 spots, 2 guys who rotate with those 2 spots, Bennett is smart, hungry, tall, fast, and very smart. I think he will work his way into 1 of the 3 spots. Tremendous athlete.
Bennett, WR, #1 Immediate Impact Player
February 4th, 2010
10:49 am
AJ will get double teams, and rolled coverages, so guys like Bennett will have the best WR mismatches.
Out of Georgia’s 6 WR’s, if 3 get injured, you’re down to 1 on the depth chart in each of the 3 WR spots. That’s not good depth. Georgia owuld move to a 2 WR set then likely, might anyways.
Toe Meets Leather
February 4th, 2010
10:51 am
UGA’s recruits may not see a lot of action on the field, but when they leave Richt’s program, they’ll know how to pray.
Mike S
February 4th, 2010
10:53 am
Toe Meets Leather — which means they will be prepared for the important things in life.
Pup Fan
February 4th, 2010
10:53 am
Is Richard Samuel moving to LB a done deal? I haven’t seen anything official as of yet. He should have been a LB in the first place! MAN-BEAST!!!!!
Mark Bradley
February 4th, 2010
10:54 am
Richt said Wednesday Samuel is moving to linebacker.
Paul Paul
February 4th, 2010
10:55 am
By far the biggest impact will be made by the coaches we have just hired. We needed defensive coaching and we got 2 of the very best. We still have one more spot to fill and my guess is it might be Travis Jones of New Orleans. He would be a great compliment to the other two and if they win the Super Bowl that would be a huge plus.
Coaches make huge differences if they able to instill the right fundamentals and values in their players. Look at what Coach Grantham did with the undersized nose tackle at Dallas. For you Tech fans look at the last 2 years under Coach Johnson. Nobody would have predicted his success. Bulldogs need look no further than Coach Fox. Fundamentals and discipline have made the basketball team better than anyone could have anticipated.
Coach Richt has made some mistakes over the years but he seems to learn from them. When coach Turberville told him in his early years he couldn’t win in the SEC without a good running game he listened. Coach Richt also realized he needed to learn clock management after losing one of his early games because of it. Coach Richt has learned what he needs to to do at this juncture and is doing it.
As for the recruits we got what we needed. We have talented young men coming back who can play. The coaching changes will make these young athletes play up to their potential. Next year will surprise a lot of people.
As for the recruit we lost to young Coach Dooley I think down deep the coaches are secretly glad he didn’t come. He has some issues that are going to make him hard to deal with on the college level. We need more kids like AJ Green that love Georgia and want to play there.
From an old Dog we are going to be fine in the years to come. Character is something that cannot be taught and I think we have some of that.
Wolfdawg777
February 4th, 2010
10:57 am
im thinking brandon burrows will become fullback. He played running back in highschool and even though he is picked to play DE we will have
so many and he would be a hoss of a fullback.
jon zealy
February 4th, 2010
10:57 am
You need to add a “I don’t give a rats ass” to the poll. ; 0)