A double whammy: Two touted Georgians spurn the Bulldogs
Xzavier Dickson dealt a blow to the Bulldogs by choosing Bama. (AJC photo by Jason Getz)
Say what you will about the unseemly process of football recruiting, but the young men at the heart of it are expert trend-spotters. They know which program is Hot and which is Not Hot. On Wednesday two ballyhooed Georgians used the Under Armour All-America Game as the venue to announce they’d be making runs for the border, and there you have it.
The Georgia Bulldogs = Not Hot.
Xzavier Dickson of Griffin is bound for Alabama. Quan Bray of LaGrange is taking his talents to Auburn. According to ESPN.com, both rank among the nation’s 25 best prospects. We should also mention that ESPN.com has Georgia’s 2011 recruiting class rated No. 8 nationally. We should also mention that Rivals.com has the Bulldogs 23rd, while Scout.com puts them 20th.
Yes, rankings can and will change. (And yes, recruits have been known to reconsider. Ask Da’Rick Rogers, currently enrolled at Georgia … er, Tennessee.) But seeing Georgia ranked outside anyone’s top 10 always constitutes a shock. Rivals rated the Bulldogs’ signing class among the 10 best every year from 2002 to 2009; last year the Bulldogs were 15th according to Rivals, 21st according to Scout, 12th according to ESPN.
Even in lesser seasons on the field, Georgia under Mark Richt has always been able to point to its recruiting. Now, with lesser seasons running together, the program that controlled its state controls it no more. The buzz about this program has been downgraded to a murmur, and the murmur concerns the future of its head coach. Which grows more tenuous by the moment.
Four SEC schools have qualified for the BCS title game since 2005, Georgia not among them. Seven league members have qualified for the SEC championship game since 2005, Georgia not among them. This program of vast resources has been rendered second-rate.
The Bulldogs lost 19 times in Richt’s first 95 games as coach; they’ve lost 15 times over the past 35. Recruits know this better than anyone. Recruits can sense a program on the descent, even if it’s the flagship school in their state. Thus does the cycle of football spin onward: Win and you’re the place to be; stop winning and you’re the place to flee.
This isn’t to say Georgia can’t and won’t land an uncommitted player or two to bolster this class — Jay Rome of Valdosta and Isaiah Crowell of Columbus are still in play — but Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald offers this nugget: The Bulldogs’ last known public commitment was rendered on Aug. 22.
Put another way, not one recruit has been moved to pledge himself to the Bulldogs since the football season began. Talk about Not Hot.
By Mark Bradley
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571 comments Add your comment
Fleischman in Chi Towns Bed
January 6th, 2011
12:17 pm
Did Saint Richt forget to pray before the game yesterday?
Or was he stuck in a tanning bed?
Or at the local HRS clinic?
BHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA sucks to be a bullpuppy fan. LOSERS
Dawglasville
January 6th, 2011
12:18 pm
I think it is pretty safe to assume that the vast majority of the Richt bashers will never be as successful as Richt has been both in his professional or personal life. If you were, you wouldn’t be living your lives through the Meyers, Sabans, Chiznics of the world.
To the ugly Techies blogging, Richt has done one thing very, very well in his tenure at UGA. You know what that is, so shut it.
Tallcarl
January 6th, 2011
12:19 pm
I’m with EW, he nailed it. I do not want a guy on my team just because of a coin toss. He has no inner conviction and will most likely flunk out. You can’t worry about those people. Get the good athletes to come here that have fire in their bellies. There is a very good d-back playing now for the Falcons that went to S.Carolina because he was not thought good enough to be recruited by Ga. Remember the brothers that came in this year, one was not recruited by d-1 schools but is already playing at fullback. David Pollack was not a high recruit, I could go on all day but you get my point. Coach up the ones that want to wear the Ga. jersey with pride. I do believe something is wrong with the offencive line that needs attention and I knew this last year with the line we had then. By the third game of this year I was broken hearted and ready to fire Stacy Searels who should have been demoted last year.I am sure there is a good former pro offence line coach out there who would love some stability at a place that pays good like Georgia.
Buck Belue wears a toupee
January 6th, 2011
12:19 pm
HAPPY 31 year anniversary to the bulldog nation on our last chumpionship.
Lets hope for another great 31 years!
Dave
January 6th, 2011
12:20 pm
Mark-
ESPN has Georgia at #8 in recrutiing so far, that’s without a lot of big names coming down the pike. Pretty good, considering coming off a 6-7 season.
http://insider.espn.go.com/college-football/recruiting/classrankings?&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fcollege-football%2frecruiting%2fclassrankings
wreckmaniac
January 6th, 2011
12:21 pm
Just the kind of reaction one would expect. Dawg fans go beserk when they see their beloved 5 stars go elsewhere. The 5 stars you have haven’t accomplished anything for years. So what difference does it make ? And why didn’t Andy Dalton ( TCU) and Andrew Luck ( Stanford) come to UGA ? How did the dawgs miss those guys ?
Tater Tom
January 6th, 2011
12:21 pm
If Mark Richt were playing a game of HORSE he would have R and the guy he is playing just nailed a half court shot with his eyes closed.
Crumpy's dogs are a pain in the a$$ dudes
January 6th, 2011
12:21 pm
Our coach is a nice guy unlike Saban and Cheezdik. I rather have a nice christian coach instead of a good team.
GO DAWGS NEXT YEAR IS OUR YEAR!
Todd Grantham is a fat larva
January 6th, 2011
12:22 pm
He fits right in with the rest of the drunken, delusional loser fleabag nation.
YEA C’MON
Perspective
January 6th, 2011
12:25 pm
The only good news here is that Georgia is but a decision to stop accepting mediocrity from being one of the two elite schools in the SEC. It’s a bigger state than Alabama, it’s a better school than Auburn or Alabama, the state of Georgia has over three times the economic power of Alabama and there are far and away more division I talent in Georgia than in Alabama. 95% of those kids will want to go to Georgia if you give them a reason to. You have to be a pretty colossel screw up as a coach to be this bad. Why would they go to Georgia right now? The current managament is terrible and the fanbase is ill and disgusted with the whole process. It’s not suprising that these kids wouldn’t go to UGA. It has little to do with Auburn or Alabama. Get a top flight coach and it doesn’t matter what FL, AL, AU, TN, or LSU does.
All the rest of this stuff is just mouthbreathing.
wreckmaniac
January 6th, 2011
12:25 pm
UGA better get on the stick. Kirby Smart just signed an extension at $850 per year and the Miss State defensive coach is going to Texas to replace Muschamp. You guys better pay Grantham more !
In the know
January 6th, 2011
12:25 pm
Mark Richt is meeting with current Pitt AD Steve Pederson today in Atlanta. Steve Pederson is interviewing two candidates in the Peach City today.
Big time?? Not
January 6th, 2011
12:25 pm
I wonder how Paul Johnson aka Mark Bradleys “GENIUS” would do?
Four tickets, four hot dogs, four cokes
O-me
January 6th, 2011
12:27 pm
Curious….Sorry about that. I wish I had a good English and Reading Teacher when I was in school.(50’s &60’s)
We need more great Teacher. Bless you! One day they may pay teacher what they are worth and deserve. Sorry for being ugly!
JB
January 6th, 2011
12:29 pm
Things are never as good or bad as they seem. Bama is not a good as people want you to believe, I think they got beat 3 times this year….and Florida lost 5 games I believe. The Bowl game left most on this board in shock, coming off our season. There is no doubt the program is in decline, coaching suspect and talent also. My fear, And everyone else, is that there is not the talent, depth or coaching talent to fix this NEXT YEAR. Therefore, The clock has run out and for fear of a pure revolt worse than now, They ( Adams/McGarity) will have no choice put to remove him, and I think so even if he wins 8 games with losses to Boise,SC,AU and probably MSU. I think 9 wins buys him another year.
still@the bar
January 6th, 2011
12:29 pm
Big time
I think in the last 3 years CPJ has done better than Richt for sure. You think what you need to get you through the day BIG TIME.
Thanks Andy
January 6th, 2011
12:32 pm
The only term over used more than ‘Epic Fail’ is ‘Fail’…way to fall in-line with the rest of the idiots.
Your point is as dull as your attempt at humor. Kudos.
The fact is there are only 8 or 9 better jobs out there…in the 4th best state for recruiting football players. We pay well and the fanbase is supportive, so long as there is a good product on the field.
What we need is a bunch of kids that want to work hard and get better. Our secondary coach came from Conneticut and coached a couple players into the NFL draft. I think Grantham can do the same. That is what VanGorder brought to the table.
We need a ‘Rudy’ type kid or two. Our whole team is made up of ‘Jamie O’hara’s’ to keep the ‘Rudy’ analogy going. (And Yes Andy…the dumbed down ‘Rudy’ analogy was in deference to you.)
Good day.
hmmmm
January 6th, 2011
12:37 pm
Well, UGA used to get the big names and GT sometimes did. I believe CPJ has done more with less then Richt who has done less with more. Does anyone disagree with that point?
So is it safe to say GT may be more appealing to in-state talent now?
300dawg
January 6th, 2011
12:39 pm
did you really think Bray would choose the same scholl as Isaiah Crowell? Who wants to compete with the number one back in the country?
No class should be jusged until after signing day – you know better.
KV
January 6th, 2011
12:40 pm
This article is ridiculous, and to emphasize another blogger’s post…what is the point?
Okay, so these two athletes chose not to sign with UGA….and? They also chose not to sign with GT, but I do not see that making the headline.
SGD
January 6th, 2011
12:41 pm
Another negative article by Bradley. What a surprise.
Recruits Needed, No Stars Required
January 6th, 2011
12:43 pm
News reports say UGA has offered 2 star (and 0 star) WR Sanford Seay. He want bail on us. He doesn’t have another legitimate offer. Hope he is better than the recruiting services think. But, I’m sure our GREAT offensive coaches can recognize talent and what it takes to get back to respectability. If the reports are true, I wish Seay great success.
Bud From Tucker
January 6th, 2011
12:43 pm
Last time I checked Georgia and Georgia Tech both finished with 6-7 records. Georgia was coming off a rough 8-5 year, while Georgia Tech went 8-3, won the ACC championship and played in the Orange Bowl. Why is it that Mark Richt now is such a horrible coach and Paul “The Greatest Coach Who Ever Lived” Johnson has no coaching peers? The answer is Mark Bradley, Furman “Mr. Georgia Tech” and other moronic writers continue to praise a guy who has never consistently won above the Division I-AA or service academy levels. Bradley should really stick to college basketball. Being from Kentucky, that’s the only sporting topic he knows even the slightest about.
As a UGA graduate, I am in utter dispair about the state of the football program. The sliding records are bad enough. Throw in the Florida State off the field antics, and it’s not a good time to be a Bulldog.
Georgia would be much better off signing the high character players of the past such as Pollack, Greene, D.J. Shockley. Shockley was highly rated and turned out to be a shining star on and off the field. Pollack and Greene were barely on the radar screen as far as national recruits but proved to be among the 10 greatest Bulldogs ever on the field and never caused problems off it.
Bradley do me a favor. Please just once write about how Paul Johnson has dropped the Georgia Tech program down a notch in only three years. At least Chan Gailey never had a losing season.
Mark Richt is a class act as a person and always friendly and upbeat. Signing the wrong type kid and loyalty to underachieving assistants are two major flaws that he needs to work on.
Paul Johnson is a sour individual who has a problem with anybody who correctly doubts his flawed offense and increasingly obvious lack of coaching ability.
Bottom line is Richt may not be a great coach according to Bradley but he is 9-1 against Georgia Tech and 2-1 (should be 3-0 if not for blowing the 2008 game) against the great Johnson. Tech will never consistently beat Georiga – they haven’t done it since the 50s – as long as Johnson is coach. Hopefully they’ll keep him there for a long time to come. What else would Bradley have to write about if he ever left?
george
January 6th, 2011
12:44 pm
Maybe UGA doesn’t need “stars” They have often underperformed. The “Junkyard Dogs” didn’t begin as top recruits. We need to get back to a junkyard dawg mentality!
Being a writer is a vacation!
January 6th, 2011
12:47 pm
Mark – interesting blog today. It does send a clear signal when top recruits move out of state.
I did see Bray play in person this year against Carrollton. He was not spectacular at all against a team that is not sending a single defensive player to a top tier Division I recruit. I had the same impression of Richard Samuals a couple of years ago and wasn’t surprised that he was not a top running back. He was an excellent, excellent linebacker so I hope he excels there next year.
On a positive note, folks won’t be able to claim that Georgia gets the top recruits and doesn’t coach them up anymore which has been a knock on CMR for years!
DawginOH
January 6th, 2011
12:48 pm
Well said, Tallcarl! It’d be nice to have a talented player like Dickson on D, but Georgia needs to focus on bringing in players who can commit without having to flip a coin. How ridiculous… Good luck to him at Bama, I guess.
Ted M
January 6th, 2011
12:49 pm
I just read Tim Tuckers piece on Richt’s news conference. It sounded as if Richt had simple taken winning for granted it at UGA.
Navigator
January 6th, 2011
12:51 pm
I’m sad that a bunch of star gazed kids hold the career of a fine coach like Mark Richt in their hands. I guess that’s the game that coaches must play.
Ted M
January 6th, 2011
12:53 pm
simply
Dawgsdawg
January 6th, 2011
12:53 pm
Mark, Why the negative headline , these kids had multiple offers from other schools, including Georgia Tech.
Va'jayjay Jackson
January 6th, 2011
12:53 pm
Was anyone really impressed with Quan Bray? I know I wasn’t. Does anyone think Xzavier Dickson is headed for anything other than a red shirt next year? I know I don’t.
The Dawgs have two silent commits right now that are going to make the BulldogNation very happy. One is an absolute coup de gras and exactly what we need.
Alert the media… the sky is not falling… yet.
Worst of Luck Traitors
January 6th, 2011
12:53 pm
351 days to a new coach
and counting
dogcrap
January 6th, 2011
12:56 pm
Screw ugag!! They haven’t sank low enough for me yet.
Worst of Luck Traitors
January 6th, 2011
12:58 pm
No kidding dogcrap, since you spend your time on your knees behing the 7-11 dumpster on North Avenue
Dawglasville
January 6th, 2011
1:02 pm
Dawgsdawg You know the answer to the question. A mediocre Tech team is not news and the Tech fan base is no where near as crazy. Yesterday the AJC had breaking news about a school bus hit by a tractor trailer. If you read the story you found out that there was only 6 kids on the bus and only a couple of them had minor injuries. That was “Breaking News!!!!!!!”. Selling papers on a slow sports day. That is it.
Andy In Blairsville
January 6th, 2011
1:04 pm
It seems like just yesterday Bradley wrote that the Dawgs had a cupcake schedule for 2010 and would win 10 games.
Lindsey
January 6th, 2011
1:06 pm
Wasn’t Caleb King a highly recruted player coming out of high school..look how that has worked out for us. All that matters are the results on the field, GO DAWGS!!
gabugman
January 6th, 2011
1:06 pm
The simple fact of the matter is this:
Regardless of past recruiting wins or current failures, Mark Richt and staff can not get the job done. I could give a ratz azz if UGA is ranked 1 in the nation in recruiting! He has always and will continue (till he’s put out to pasture) to do so little with so much.
End of story!
The Ghost of Wally Butts
January 6th, 2011
1:08 pm
Aw, who cares how the recruits “rank”?
What’s really important is whether or not we can count on them to break laws, sell jerseys, treat women like objects, and drive while intoxicated.
We need to defend our coveted FULMER CUP championship.
CTBULLDAWG
January 6th, 2011
1:10 pm
We are wasting time giving Richt another year to prove he is useless. The Preacher is lazy,non-emotional and a total non-motavator. He should be ashamed to cash his paychecks. There will be NO DREAM TEAM. It will be another NIGHTMARE.
Buck N. Kincaid
January 6th, 2011
1:11 pm
ONE MORE TIME – and please pay attention….
People, we are contractually obligated to run those non-stop 90 second commercials about ice hockey and basketball because we are the voice of ice hockey and basketball.
If you don’t like the fact that we are not allowed to devote more time to football during football season, then change the dial.
Barking Dawg
January 6th, 2011
1:12 pm
Every UGA fan should cancel their AJC. With a sports department like this one the it sure doesn’t help the local schools.
CTBULLDAWG
January 6th, 2011
1:12 pm
It will be Richt’s Nightmare Team, not Dream Team
12 CRIMINAL CHARGES 7--er--6 wins 6 --NO--7 LOSSES
January 6th, 2011
1:13 pm
zZZZZZzzZZZZZZZZZ……zzzZZZzzzzzz……
Spurrier
January 6th, 2011
1:13 pm
It tickles me to death to know that I have driven the final nail in Richt’s coffin. After next years ass whipping, that will be all she wrote. UGA cannot compete with superior intellect and athleticism that is present on every other team in the SEC outside of Vandy and Ole Miss. UGA is a has been, and will never recover. When the nerds start beating you, then it will really be rock bottom. Just concede UGA, or the beatings will intensify. I am warning you. I talk, you listen.
Thuga
January 6th, 2011
1:15 pm
These kids want to leave the educational cess pool that GA is. Alabama kids rank well ahead of GA kids SAT scores. Google it. How many pts is 3 pt shot worth? Stupid GA kids!
WDE
January 6th, 2011
1:20 pm
The mighty ship UGA TITANIC is dipping beneath the waves as Richt leads the band, reassuring the pup faithful that all is well, the ship is intact, and the water isn’t “that” cold. Too much and too funny!!! Can you blame these recruits for hoping on the life boats now?
Dawglasville
January 6th, 2011
1:20 pm
Thuga There are a lot of students leaving Georgia because they can’t get into UGA. A lot end up going to Alabama. Google that.
James Adams
January 6th, 2011
1:21 pm
I am a HUGE Georgia fan. I understand that people get worked up needlessly over recruiting around these parts. I am just curious why we aren’t having anymore Hawks Columns from Mark or Jeff. I think last night’s win warrants one. Ever since Jason Collins has been a starter they have been tearing it up. Oh wait, Al Horford is a real center in Mark’s eyes, and doesn’t want to write about how him playing the 4 has made him better. Oops.
Dawglasville
January 6th, 2011
1:24 pm
WDE Lose to UGA and your bowl game again next year then read the love letters Johnson is getting. I think your SS Minow is taking on water too.