UGA recruiting class grade, overview
The bottom line
Instead of a pretty blue ribbon, the 2010 class was wrapped tightly Wednesday evening with adhesive bandages. The last month of recruiting was brutal to Georgia, and the spoils show it. While many schools would love to have a recruiting class like Georgia’s, it was not a great class, particularly by Georgia standards. In fact, this is not a consensus top-10 or even top-15 class.
“Recruiting is about relationships built, and we knew when we went through a process like we did with our coaching changes, that some relationships were broken,” coach Mark Richt said. “It put a strain on some young men, and we know that some of them changed their minds and didn’t stick with their commitment.”
Still, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham got some nice pieces to play with as he revamps the defense. Freakish athletes such as Jakar Hamilton and Alec Ogletree could contribute quickly and several defensive linemen were added. On offense, the list is short on superstar recruits after missing out on receivers Da’Rick Rogers and Christian Green.
“At the end of the day, it’s not about rankings, it’s about filling needs,” said recruiting expert Jamie Newberg. “Georgia has recruited as consistently as anyone in the country but every so often, you’re going to have a year like this, where things don’t go your way, for whatever reason. This year is a little different than what Georgia is used to. But I don’t think it is a sign of things to come.”
The best news of the day came in late, at least by signing standards. Stephenson defensive tackle Mike Thornton signed, amid rumors he might go to Penn State.
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Compared to the elite SEC schools, Georgia did not fare as well as it would have liked. Rivals.com has Georgia finishing behind Florida, Auburn, Alabama, LSU and Tennessee. Florida had its share of turnover in its coaching staff, and of course Tennessee had to withstand the turmoil of having its head coach fleeing two weeks ago. Florida’s class is considered one of the best in recruiting history, and Auburn’s might be the most impressive class it has ever put together.
The hits
Ogletree, Garrison Smith, T.J. Stripling, Brent Benedict and Thornton are all players with All-SEC potential. Ogletree and Hamilton could be the first ones to pay dividends, but the other big bodies should be good ones for the long haul. If Stripling stays at defensive end, he’s likely going to need to add some bulk. Benedict is coming of a leg injury last fall. Thornton or Smith also might be asked to contribute sooner rather than later. “We’re asking that they all be ready to contribute this year,” Richt said.
The misses
For weeks, it seemed as if Georgia was hemorrhaging prospects. Rogers’ change was the biggest, but losing out on players such as Jeff Whitaker and Green, who had Georgia in their final three, hurt as well. There is no way to minimize the significance of losing Rogers, one of the top prep playmakers in the country. He was a Georgia commitment for months. Signing Green would have taken a bit of the sting away, but he was never better than 50-50 on Georgia. “I’m not happy with the depth we have at receiver,” conceded Richt.
Filling holes
With the move to a 3-4 defense, Georgia was going to be in need of linebackers, even before Rennie Curran announced he would enter the NFL draft. While they missed out on some, the Dogs believe Demetre Baker could provide the speed they need from the outside linebacker position. Both Alexander and Alec Ogletree could end up playing linebacker as well. Hamilton could be the next big hitter at the safety position, where Georgia lost Reshad Jones to the NFL.
“It is a good haul on the defensive line, with guys like Stripling, Smith, Morant, Fields, Burrows,” Newberg said.
In-state success
Georgia is a fertile state, and it’s impossible to get all the good ones. And Georgia clearly scored big with players like Ogletree, Smith and Stripling. But as far as locking down the state’s top talent, Georgia had an off year. They wanted Ja’Waun James (Tennessee) Rogers (Tennessee), Mack Brown (Florida), Whitaker (Auburn) and Telvin Smith (FSU), just to name a few.
Out-of-state success
Georgia grabbed four players from Florida, including Benedict, a key offensive lineman. Benedict committed last year, but that shouldn’t minimize how much of a coup it was to get him out of the state of Florida. Dexter Morant chose to leave South Carolina for Georgia.
Did you know?
This is the first Georgia class to not be ranked in Rivals.com’s top 10 since its it began ranking classes 12 years ago. Previously, Georgia’s worst ranking by Rivals was 10th. This year, they are 16th.
Quotable
“There’s usually as not as much drama as we’ve had this year. Not everybody stuck to their commitment.” — Richt
–Bill Sanders, Special to the AJC
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335 comments Add your comment
first
February 3rd, 2010
6:53 pm
First
EC_Baseball
February 3rd, 2010
6:56 pm
Work with what you got, and lets see this defense improve! Good Luck to you this year…
VolNation
February 3rd, 2010
6:57 pm
Best of luck to all these young kids! I’d like to say all of them will enroll and get their degree, but we know that doesn’t happen. Lets hope they at least all have productive on the field careers and uneventful off the field careers.
Go Vols!
Chris
February 3rd, 2010
7:01 pm
Everyone seems to be upset about this class and i dont understand why, yes we missed out on some good players but lots of other teams wouldve loved to have this class, i think we got a lot of players that actually want to be Dawgs and are happy to be here, hopefully we can take the talented players in this class and the ones that are already at UGA and win the SEC next year!!
Elmer Fud
February 3rd, 2010
7:03 pm
On the positive side, the average rating of this small class is very good and we did not have near the number of graduating or departing players as some other teams, so in my mind the team is still very solid and we now have better coaching.
CMR and company need to review why Florida, FSU, Bama and the Vols are doing to land such good classes. Our story line looks like it will need some refreshing to be able to get our share of the top talent next year. A 12 win or better season would certainly help.
BDAWG
February 3rd, 2010
7:07 pm
Not everyone stuck to their commitment is correct, but at the same time we need to get it right next year. We need a lot of linebackers. Whatever needs to be done to keep Vaughters instate. If the team sputters within the first 4 games the recruiting wil be in trouble. UGA should be fine but we are going to have to play at a high level every game. A take no prisoner attitude. The offense looked pathetic in the bowl game and i hope Bobo gets this corrected, if he can’t, we need a new OC. The first two games will tell a lot. We should put up at least 60 points and give up 0 the 1st game. The same excuse as last year will not be accepted. “We weren’t ready. It’s my fault”. Quote Mike Bobo.
BDAWG
February 3rd, 2010
7:09 pm
We missed out on some great JC players also or did we even recruit any.
MadDawg
February 3rd, 2010
7:09 pm
We are subpar on the field and now subpar in recruiting. What is going on? UT had a better class than us, and didn’t have a coach 3 weeks ago. I’m not jumping off the ledge, but I’m tired of trying to put a positive spin on it as well. We have sunk to average at best.
coachgb
February 3rd, 2010
7:10 pm
That’s right, all those SEC schools belong in the top 10 classes. Penn State, Ohio State, Texas, Oklahoma, USC and the likes never get good players. I agree with Paul Johnson, the guys with the highest rankings are always the guys from the areas that have the highest subscriber numbers with those so called rankings groups. You just have to wait and see how each class pans out. Different schools have different needs. Kids mature at different rates. It makes for something to talk about this time of year anyway.
dadadadadumassss darick
February 3rd, 2010
7:14 pm
Kwame geathers is gonna be NT jeff houston on DE with deangelo tyson and we are gonna run a 3-3-5 and boykin and smith are gonna CB and the safties are ogeltree, hamilton, and rambo then make TJ stripling add like 50 daryl gamble and akeem dent and marcus dowtin.
DesertDawg!
February 3rd, 2010
7:14 pm
BDAWG – Jakar Hamilton was ranked the #2 JUCO kid in the nation and he already enrolled with us in Jan.
Scorpio Jones, III
February 3rd, 2010
7:17 pm
Typical AJC “the sky is falling” nonsense. To actually look at the quality of Georgia’s class would require someone at the paper to do some actual reporting rather than just parroting the “experts”.
Georgia had the fewest number of signees of any of the top tier SEC schools, yet if you add the number of “star” players, Georgia’s average is actually higher than all but Florida and Bama.
AJC your expertise is showing!
Blind Homers Club
February 3rd, 2010
7:17 pm
Mark Richt is officially on the hot seat….. Derek Dooley has already punched him in the mouth. go ahead blind homers and sugar coat all you want. I cant wait till this fall and tell you I told you so.
Dawgs2010
February 3rd, 2010
7:17 pm
I think it was a solid day. We got a few nasty linemen which are not the “sexy” picks. As I recall, our past few years were touted as great recruiting classes, but the choice in players didn’t work out. The sky is not falling.
We are better off without the DIVA. I am very thankful.
dadadadadumassss darick
February 3rd, 2010
7:18 pm
and i forgot F dadadarick man we dont need him we are so deep at WR its not even funny Green, charles, white, wooten, king. Caleb and Washaun are gonna beast like ronnie and caddy a stack a piece
Oh yea??
February 3rd, 2010
7:19 pm
As long as we are having kids arrested for riding scooters and paying 2k bails for breaking “scooter laws”, we are going to be out recruited by FL (1 game suspension for DUI -car in “drive” – passed out) and TN (2 game suspension for armed robbery). How can CMR honestly say he is going to take care of his players when his players are obviously being harassed by the local police. If you we a football star, 18, and black -would you go to UGA. No – I didn’t think so.
gatormeat
February 3rd, 2010
7:19 pm
dogs, you have been beat down by the Gators again. ga will never catch Fl, second tier program at best
MadDawg
February 3rd, 2010
7:19 pm
Scorpio…that’s what I’m talking about. We don’t need to spin this. The class wasn’t good. I hate to say it, but it’s not. We can slice up the numbers, and say “we actually had the best class if you look at Dback over 127 pounds.” We need to admit that we are where we are and get it fixed. I’m tired of making excuses.
rob
February 3rd, 2010
7:20 pm
It would be refreshing to see an honest appraisal instead of the ‘best case scenario’ version . . .
Georgia finished middle of the pack in the SEC. And how is that going to help with titles going forward?
dadadadadumassss darick
February 3rd, 2010
7:21 pm
they must have met those hostess’s ive been hearin about hahaha thats why lane dipped
disgruntled Dawg
February 3rd, 2010
7:22 pm
This is absolutely a tough day for dawgnation. Its comical to see some fans spinthis as we will be fine and did very well. Yes the dawgs did well if it was a WAC or an ACC team but pathetic for SEC standards. Lets face it Mark Richt has been here a while and its time for new ideas or UGA will never bring in the big prize while he is our coach.
FalconUGAFan
February 3rd, 2010
7:26 pm
Good luck to all the recruits. Its not the star by your name, its the heart and engine in the player. Coach em up and go DAWGS!
vol fan
February 3rd, 2010
7:27 pm
Ok team no mugging our students this year!
jack bull
February 3rd, 2010
7:28 pm
good class. kinda class that may want to prove something. (i hope)
Sad Richards
February 3rd, 2010
7:34 pm
Another sad sad disappointing day in recruiting while watching Tenn blow by the dawgs along with Auburn and LSU. Now even SC has jumped up right behind UGA. This it totally sickening is all I can say. Things seemed to look a little better with the promising recriuting class even through the hiring fiasco and now it has fallen apart. Now once again CMR has choked. Florida is now light years ahead of the dawgs. Folks something aint right in Athens. Sorry but a lot of fans now sense this too whether you want to believe it or not…
YellowJacket
February 3rd, 2010
7:34 pm
The parties over over for the pups.
1. Athens is a cess pool.
2. Michael Adams swims in it.
3. Dooley’s son prefers to coach the Vols.
4. The fans make minimum wage for a reason
Scooter
February 3rd, 2010
7:36 pm
I heard this on ESPN tonight and it is so true…. If you looked on the internet today and saw some high school kid that signed a scholly for your school and you went “yea” and did a fist pump… you are beyond being a fan, you are a LOSER…
UGA Rocks The House!!!
February 3rd, 2010
7:36 pm
Rivals REALLY liked the defensive recruits by position:
#5 DE’s
#4 DB’S
#11 DL’S
Scout loved Georgia’s:
1- #6 ranking on number of Top 100 players
2- #7 ranking on overall quality of player
ESPN loved the class overall from # of ESPN 150 recuits and ranked UGA #9
dadadadadumassss darick
February 3rd, 2010
7:37 pm
gatormeat
you beat your gatormeat
yall are gonna blow tebow one last time before he fails in the NFL and becomes a missionary.
yalls coach is gonna have a heart attack before the season
Sad Richards
February 3rd, 2010
7:39 pm
UGA Rocks…. UGA fell to #12 0n ESPN. Tenn jumped to # 9. Sorry pal
kd4uga
February 3rd, 2010
7:40 pm
Does anybody know why UGA signs so few players relative to other schools? I thought the limit was 25 per year and 85 at any given time. I guess the per year number can vary a bit depending on attrition, etc. So here are some numbers for this year:
UGA=19
FL=28
Au=32
Al=26
LSU=29
TN=25
Ole Miss=25
SC=23
Why is there such a disparity in numbers? How can Auburn sign 32 players? Here are the UGA totals for the last five years:
2010=19
2009=18
2008=24
2007=23
2006=27
That gives UGA a total of 84 players for 2007-2010 not accounting for attrition. I haven’t looked at all the other team totals but here are a few.
Al 2008=32, 2009=27
AU 2008=29, 2009=28
Ole Miss 2008=31, 2009=37
I’m sure these teams are within the rules. Why doesn’t UGA have bigger recruiting classes? I think this issue would make a good article for one of the ajc writers. I would like to better understand the rules and the UGA strategy for signing recruits as compared to other SEC schools. Seems to me you are more likely to find an All-SEC player when you start with 25 or 30 players as compared to fewer than 20.
MadDawg
February 3rd, 2010
7:41 pm
UGA rocks please. This is exactly what I’m talking about. Spin it however, but it’s not true. This class isn’t good. I’m tired of making excuses. I’ve done it for too long…”we would have won the game if……..” We need to fix wha’t wrong instead of trying to figure out how we are really the best.
dadadadadumassss darick
February 3rd, 2010
7:41 pm
YellowJacket
when yall give us our 9th out of 10th blowjob in 10 years it will be niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 60-39 YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Mark Richt
February 3rd, 2010
7:42 pm
Answer this.
Which coach in Division 1 smiirks the best.
That’s what I thought.
gatormeat
February 3rd, 2010
7:43 pm
It does not matter who the coach is, the Mighty Gators will thump the dogs over and over again. Even your legend’s son will beat you down regular. Speaking of your legend, vince retired because he knew Spurrier was coming and he was scared to face him. Spurrier would have humiliated the fool. It must suck knowing your only legend is a simple coward. But hey, thats ga football for you
YellowJacket
February 3rd, 2010
7:43 pm
Dumass your name speaks for itself and all of your inbred relatives.
jdawg
February 3rd, 2010
7:45 pm
MadDawg,
You are right, the Dawgs that you have come to know and hate suck. Before you show up at your ex-workplace or your ex-wifes house and kill every one you can get into your sights, change teams. It will do you good. It will do all of the less angry, appreciative dog fans good. It never ceases to amaze me that people like you are not only given a venue for expressing their stupid opinions, but you actually have peers, that can read, who agree with you. Let me guess your life. You didn’t actually go to Georgia. You were laid off last year from your hourly job due to the “economy”, and you have at least 3 road rage encounters per week. Take my advice, GET A LIFE before it’s too late. And please find another team you can be angry at ALL the time. God!!!!!
YellowJacket
February 3rd, 2010
7:47 pm
To any first time readers, if you’re thinking about going to UGA, don’t.
ESPN Kiss of Death
February 3rd, 2010
7:47 pm
The class that finishes #1 on espn has NEVER won the National Championship the next season.
ESPN Kiss of Death 2009 award goes to:
Florida Gators–the team that will NOT win a National Championship in 2010
Congrats for your special ESPN Kiss of Death Award.
No Name Dog
February 3rd, 2010
7:48 pm
As pointed out by Scouts.com, Georgia has had a top 10 recruiting class for the last 11 years. Several of those in the so called Top 3. As of late, that ain’t meant crap. So let’s see what Richt can do with a bunch of young men with something to prove rather than something to gloat about.
dawgy
February 3rd, 2010
7:49 pm
gatormeat I bet you have a couple pairs of bluejean shorts and rock a mullet
Sad Richards
February 3rd, 2010
7:49 pm
maddawg…. Im on board with you… these are the same people who refused for CMR to make a change when it came to willie but were absolutely elated when CMR fired him. They cannot simply put down the kool aid and rose colored glasses. Its always excuses. The only thing they have to say when you question the football program is for you to pull for some other team.
gatormeat
February 3rd, 2010
7:49 pm
Gators will win SEC East again. dogs not even relevant
MadDawg
February 3rd, 2010
7:49 pm
jdawg…you couldn’t be more wrong. I attend UGA from 87-92. Graduated, and now work in Gainesville as a junior partner at a law firm. Sorry you are mad that I refuse to drink the Kool-Aid any longer. I love the Dawgs more than you know, but I’m tired of all of us getting together and trying to make each other feel better by saying things that aren’t true. We are average, and we need to get it fixed.
dadadadadumassss darick
February 3rd, 2010
7:49 pm
gatormeat
if we are gonna be lame and say who beat who when why where
then im gonna ask why we own yall 46-39
you douche
CHARLOTTE DAWG
February 3rd, 2010
7:50 pm
Richt should be ashamed. He was outrecruited by a waffling coach(Meyer),a second year coach from Iowa State(Cheznick), and a coach that has been on the job for 3 weeks. 3 F’ING WEEKS. 3 Weeks ago, the hillbilly nation was in shambles and the sky was falling on them.
My god almighty, what is happening in Athens? Seriously guys….the only way Georgia is going to be king of the hill is when the traditional kings are down. So basically, we have to hope and pray for the NCAA to smack one of our foes or for a Jan Kemp-like scandal.
Florida and Bama are still the gold standard, UT and Auburn are now on the up, and SC is looking pretty darn good and might have the best QB in the SEC this year.
And we have the SEC dean of coaches……doesn’t seem to be working out though.
This blows! We can’t even coach up great talent and now we are starting to get average talent.
Just really pi$$ed off right now. I think we should beat UT this year b/c they’ll have a revamped line but they’ll be back and the 1 win in 10 years trend might continue with us against them. UT used to rape N.GA with our top talent and THEY ARE DOING IT AGAIN! Once they get an O-line they have top 5 offense talent at the RB and WR positions. If they can get someone to throw the ball, they are going to be scary good.
Every year, we are going to have to beat UT with a stick for our recruits and just pray we win 50% of the time.
Jeff
February 3rd, 2010
7:51 pm
The quality of UGA’s 18 recruits was as high as anyone in the SEC except Fla and Bama. Funny how Techs lower ranking was somewhat explained by the ajc writer mentioning they only signed 18 but nothing is said about UGA’s low signee count. UGA has 85 now on scholarship with the 18 signees. But they would have liked to have signed a few more.
YellowJacket
February 3rd, 2010
7:51 pm
Unless you’re a female five foot nothing muscular freak.
dadadadadumassss darick
February 3rd, 2010
7:52 pm
YellowJacket
hahaha you didnt like that did you
you sir might be a douche also
gatormeat
February 3rd, 2010
7:52 pm
I do have blue jean shorts and support a winning football team. dogs will not understand what I mean by winning, it is about championships. Something ga will not be seeing for a long while. Independence bowl program for sure