Ten@10: Early kickoffs hinder Georgia’s recruiting efforts
THE TEN AT 10:
1. Georgia’s game against Tennessee on Saturday will kickoff a little after noon, same as the last home game against Arkansas and the next one against Vanderbilt. The early starts create more than a few logistical problems for recruiting. Some recruiting activities begin as early as 8:30 a.m. and it can be difficult for prospects from South Georgia and out of state who played Friday night games to get there in time.
“Honestly, it’s a hindrance,” recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner said. “But it’s still self-inflicted. If you don’t want to play at 12 o’clock you should be 4-1 and you’ll be on at 3:30 or 5 o’clock. It is what it is. We’re just glad to be on TV and to get some exposure. It definitely beats the alternative.”
2. While Georgia’s 1-4 start has not exactly bolstered recruiting, Garner does not believe it will derail it. “I still think people appreciate the body of work that has been done here,” he said. “Trust me, this thing is going to get corrected. Georgia’s still Georgia. It’s a great product. It is. Right now we’re having a little setback. We’ve had some recalls. We’ve got to go back to work and get people’s confidence back up in our product. But it’s still a great product. It’s still a great place to go to school and get a good education. It’s a great town. It has a great fan base. You’ve got great facilities. We’ve just got to build up consumer confidence again. You do that on the field.”
3. Georgia Tech is in the top five for Greenville, S.C., wide receiver Hakeem Flowers. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound athlete told Wolverine.com this week he likes the Yellow Jackets along with LSU, Michigan, Oregon and UCLA. Meanwhile, it appears that Flowers has developed a friendship with Eagles Landing Christian star Avery Walls, who is encouraging Flowers to go up to Ann Arbor to give Michigan a hard look. “The main one I have been talking to who has been up there is Avery Walls,” Flowers told Wolverine.com. “Me and him are really good friends. We actually met each other at the Army All-American Combine. Avery’s been up there and he likes it. He said if I go up there I’m going to fall in love, so I want to see it if that is the case. Now it’s just a matter of getting up there and seeing if I fall in love like he says I will.”
4. Alabama moved to the top of the list for another Georgia recruit this week. Dakota Ball, a junior defensive tackle from Pepperell High in Lindale, attended this past Saturday’s game in against Florida in Tuscaloosa told Andrew Bone of Scout.com he’s almost ready to commit to the Crimson Tide. “Alabama is my favorite school,” he said. “I like everything about them. I like the coaches. I like where the program is at. I really like Coach Saban a lot. I have thought about an early decision. My parents have said I need to go ahead and start thinking about it now. I may take a little bit of time though. It’s pretty much just Alabama though.”
5. It looks like Alabama will also land Orlando running back Dee Hart. The 2011 prospect was supposed to announce his decision between the Crimson Tide and Michigan at a press conference at his school on Friday. But he told the Orlando Sentinel in this story by Chris Hays he’s leaning heavily toward Alabama and thinking of scrapping the whole announcement deal. What’s unclear is how, if at all, Hart’s decision might affect Isaiah Crowell. The Carver-Columbus five-star tailback said earlier this week Alabama now leads Georgia in his recruitment.
6. According to TideSports.com, other UGA targets who attended the Alabama-Florida game included Troup RB Quan Bray, Jacksonville-Bolles OT John Theus, Griffin DE Xzavier Dickson, Colquitt County OT Xzavier Ward, Carver-Columbus DB Deion Bonner, Wayne County QB Greyson Lambert, Buford OT Vadal Alexander, Harris County DE Jordan Jenkins and Calhoun K Adam Griffith.
7. As Tennessee prepares to come to Sanford Stadium, it’s freshman receiver Justin Hunter — not Da’Rick Rogers — who is creating a buzz around Knoxville. Rogers is a five-star prospect from Calhoun who spurned his Georgia commitment to sign with Tennessee. He’s getting some playing time but has only two runs (for 13 yards) and three catches (for 25) to his credit. Hunter, from Virginia Beach, Va., has proven to be one of the Vols’ few offensive weapons. He’s averaging 21 yards on six catches and has developed a reputation for catching anything near him.
8. There’s a possibility two true freshmen could get more than a little playing time for Georgia on Saturday. Offensive guard Kenarious Gates of Greenville has been getting work with the No. 1 offense in practice this week and defensive back Alec Ogletree of Newnan has been getting extra reps at strong safety.
9. Mark down Oct. 14 as a big date in the state for basketball. A week from today is when Milton’s Julian Royal will announce his choice between Georgia and Georgia Tech. The 6-foot-9 power forward, a four-star prospect, had dozens of offers but has narrowed his choices down to the two state schools. He’ll make his choice known during a ceremony at his school, according to AJC high schools reporter Michael Carvell.
10. THIS & THAT: East Hall DE Sterling Bailey was named lineman of the week by the Touchdown Club of Atlanta. The Georgia commitment and U.S. Army All-American had 14 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a pass deflection in a 41-26 win over Rabun County. . . . The TD Club’s Back of the Week is Brookwood linebacker Cameron Lynch, a Syracuse commitment. Lynch, who is averaging 14.3 tackles and has a 3.7 GPA, was a key player in the Bronco’s win over South Gwinnett. . . . Georgia is supposed to have a couple of dozen recruits in town for the Tennessee game. Headlining the group is five-star junior OT John Theus from Jacksonville. . . . South Carolina is thought to lead for Grady RB Marcus Caffey (6-0, 180), according to PalmettoSports.com. Caffey’s top five includes Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky and Purdue.
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145 comments Add your comment
dawgfan
October 7th, 2010
8:33 pm
Lowndes25-not sure Muschamp is the answer. Don’t know what the answer would be as to if Richt left or got fired. I think trying to get a proven HC would be better but who exactly? I still think try and talk to John Gruden and see if he bites. All he can say is no and you have your answer. I do feel Richt needs one more year albeit with some changes and make it known that his leash is very short(no pun intended). But the admin does need to be looking just in case he can’t turn this around so they will have some sort of idea as to which path to pursue. I enjoy your posts and info (Lowndes25) so keep it coming and any breaking news let us in on. Go DAWGS!!!!!!
Lowndes25
October 7th, 2010
8:37 pm
Tim, I most definitely think Kirby made the right decision for he and his family…you don’t make a lateral move like that especially coming off a National Championship. Most people at UGA didn’t have any misconceptions that Kirby would take the DC job here but Richt felt like he needed to offer it to him anyways. However, Kirby burned all of his bridges at UGA by signing an agreement to come to UGA and then backing out of that agreement (even though a press conference had already been called to introduce him as our new DC). If Kirby had just said no and went about his business then he definitely would be someone our AD considered as the next HC once Coach Richt either retired or was let go…but that is not an option at all anymore after Kirby did what he did. Is Kirby a good coach…absolutely. Will he make a good Head Coach? That is yet to be seen and I don’t think anyone. Can honestly answer that. I hope I answered your question in a satisfactory manner Tim.
Tim
October 7th, 2010
8:49 pm
You did and didnt know about an uga contract. Believe me I understand passion for your school. It sounds more similar to the Rich Rod thing than the Dabo deal. Personsally I hope he stays at UA but I really think he will move to a HC in a couple of years (obviously not to uga)
Thanks
Bear Bryant
October 7th, 2010
9:14 pm
Listen boys, don’t worry about Crowell. My guys took care of his family long ago so he’s been in the fold for a long, long time. UGA needs to look elsewhere. Have a nice day.
Wreckmaniac
October 7th, 2010
9:24 pm
So how did I get on the banned list ?
ryan
October 7th, 2010
9:29 pm
Hey Lowndes25 if Papa Joe retired at end of the season do you think Saban would take that job if he was offered a huge contract and heard about Dallas as well but i think he is going back to the NFL .
Bama Fan #2
October 7th, 2010
9:48 pm
Saban is staying and going to retire at Alabama. Saban is a very interesting fellow who hates
reporters but if you want to see want really he is like go to Roll Bama Roll.com and see for
your self. A very young child who does have much time left to live visited the Alabama football
team today and stayed for 5 hours and the picture of the child setting behind Saban’s desk
made be start crying like a baby. RTR
Terry
October 7th, 2010
10:39 pm
Chip-
Georgia’s ranked #7 on rivals and Scout.
Up quite a bit form last year’s ranking.
It’s not hindering recuriting too much, beating out 113 other teams, as usual, Richt’s finished in the top 10 in recuriting 8 seasons in a row. Everybody loves to play for a guy that can get you to the NFL #1 in SEC there) and that wins (77%).
Rick
October 7th, 2010
10:41 pm
The early starting time is a huge advantage for Georgia, as guys might get to Georgia on Friday, instead of Saturday, so you get 2 days with recruits, instead of 1.
Rick
October 7th, 2010
10:42 pm
Players will likely stick around for a few hours after the game on Saturday too, as opposed to driving straight home after a late game.
This can be used as a huge advantage for Georgia.
Scott
October 7th, 2010
10:54 pm
When you have a coach with a great track record, like Richt or say a Meyer, negative stuff going on HELPS RECUTING IN A HUGE WAY, it makes the recruits more unified than ever.
Remember last season, when there was so much negativity around Meyer’s health and commitment to comeback? How did that work out for recruiting? Meyer’s class just finished 31, and had the highest ranked class in college football history.
So some criticism and negativity, when you have a great track record like Coach Richt does, it has a positive effect.
That’s another reaosn why Georgia’s so high in recuriting rankings this season. And it should go much higher, likely to end up #1.
MikeP
October 8th, 2010
12:17 am
Quote: “That’s another reaosn why Georgia’s so high in recuriting rankings this season. And it should go much higher, likely to end up #1.”
UGA is going to finish #1 in recruiting? Or even as high as #10? I’ve got a bridge in the desert that I’d like to sell to you..
TheTaxJacket
October 8th, 2010
1:20 am
**** “Well, they’re losing a lot of games and have a lot of people getting arrested,” Crowell said of Georgia. “There’s just a lot of things going wrong. I do want to play right away but I also want to be where it’s disciplined and they win championships.” ****
(((( 45 – 42 ))))
Grant
October 8th, 2010
5:20 am
gator (boy) bob , you really need a life , should you look towards the swamp you really might not approve of the scene/smell , let’s see your great low class coach , whom I might add nearly had a nervous breakdown , guess it is all the pressure from the other lowlife in T-town , wonder about his/your team , UGA could very well upset them , we have beat you guys so often when you were favored in past anyway !See , I know , been doing the cocktail party for 36 years strait , let me tell you , seeing those gator fans in stands even with a lead , they still are panic stricken of the BIG DAWG EATING ! All thru the spurrier/meyer years been the same , you might have won most games , BUT still you look in their faces if we’re close in 4th quarter ! BUDDY , YOUR DAY WILL COME AROUND AGAIN !
Grant
GO DAWGS !!!
UGA Friend
October 8th, 2010
5:22 am
Chip: I realize you make your living writing articles about recruting, etc.
So please do not take this as a personal comment against this one you wrote.
However, my feeling is that there is way too much written about these
high school kids “making their decisions and announcements” about which college they will sign with. It gives them an ego and hat size before they
even graduate that leads to problems down the road. Its like they are
being told by the media hype that they are celebraties because they get
a football scholarship.
murray county mystic
October 8th, 2010
5:44 am
what does it mater if Crowell chooses UGA or not; his talent will be wasted, just like all the other 5 star athletes that are reduced to mediocrity in Athens…
Lowndes25
October 8th, 2010
7:44 am
@naganole, yep, that is just Greg being Greg but you know that both Jacory Harris and Leanord Hankerson read the article and are going to attack Reid all game long. Hopefully he learned some valuable lessons from his horrible game against OU that will help him not make those same mistakes Saturday.
@Scott, there is very little chance that UGA will finish with the #1 class even if we get all of the big targets left on our board. Bama and Texas will be battling it out for the #1 spot in my opinion.
@Tim, just to clarify, Kirby signed an agreement, not a contract with UGA. The agreement basically said that Kirby agreed to take the job, but it gave him the opportunity to review the contract one more time before he signed on the dotted line. Still, Kirby should have never signed the agreement and told Coach Richt “Thanks, but not thanks”…that is why he will never be offered another job with UGA…you don’t drag your alma mater through the mud like that.
Lowndes25
October 8th, 2010
8:01 am
@dawgfan, no one really knows for sure if Muschamp will make a great HC or not, but he has a proven track-record as a successful assistant coach/defensive coordinator at every place he has ever gone. I definitely think he would be worth interviewing if McGarity decided to let Richt go (which I don’t see happening). Honestly though, I don’t want to see John Gruden as the next coach at UGA for a myriad of reasons that are just to numerous to list right now. And to answer your last point, Richt is going to have to make some changes after the season to his coaching staff if he plans on staying at UGA…the question becomes is Richt willing to make those changes or is he going to try to stand his ground and live and die by his assistants? I personally think he knows that changes have to be made and will do so without McGarity having to prod him into them. Good questions/points though!
dawgster
October 8th, 2010
8:34 am
Morning Lowndes25…i agree that Coach Richt knows there are changes he needs to make and i believe he will do that…i’m with you if he doesn’t make a move with some of the coaches he is digging his own grave…i don’t know about you, but i’m concerned with receiving corp inuries this weekend…Brown out…Durham probably out…and of course AJ being hampered by the hamstring…I’ll be interested to see who steps up, the opportunity is there…i hope AJ can go full speed which should open things up for the other guys…Still would like to see more opportunities for O. Charles…I don’t think we are finding enough ways to get him the ball…Maybe a move to one of the receiver positions would be an option with him, i don’t know…
BUZZ ME
October 8th, 2010
8:47 am
Cry baby…arrests and poor coaching hurt me
Keyser Soze
October 8th, 2010
9:02 am
The real problem is that you have not had a permanent mascot for almost a year. Recruits are scared away by that kind of uncertainty in a program.
Mobile Dawg
October 8th, 2010
9:20 am
Garner Quote, “Right now we’re having a little setback. We’ve had some recalls. We’ve got to go back to work and get people’s confidence back up in our product.”
My question is why did we have the setback, his quote, although I’m sure we worked at recruiting, leads one to believe we may not have been putting our all into it.
ryan
October 8th, 2010
9:28 am
I don’t care what you Tech nerds say hey at least we didst loose to Kansas thats more embarrassing than are record .
Mobile Dawg
October 8th, 2010
9:29 am
Lowndes, when people start going for a name, especially one without any HC experience I think we’re taking a big risk.
To me, it doesn’t matter who the name is. Examine the candidates track record to see what you’re going to get. First find someone who’s been in the business for at least 10 years, first and foremost, examine their character. Then look at the body of work they have created. During the interview process they will be able to explain their philosophy for building a program, and point to their past products as evidence.
I keep bringing up the name of Joey Jones, HC at South Alabama. He’s started two programs from scratch. USA is on track to move to D1 within a couple of more years. He played @ Alabama for Bryant, High Character, and he’s building a formidable program at South. He may not be the guy for us, but my point is all the great coaches started out in not so great places. So I hope McGarity looks at the pedigree, the character, the previous results, not necessarily a recognizable name, when it comes time.
ryan
October 8th, 2010
9:33 am
Hey Lowndes25 what do know about Cross who plays with North Hall dawster said something about him do have any info on him .
"but it's a 1 and 4 SEC team"
October 8th, 2010
9:35 am
Think again ryan
ryan
October 8th, 2010
9:39 am
1and 4 SEC team we are in down year i get it but you don’t have to keep reminding us we know we have problems and are new AD is going to fix those problems .
Lowndes25
October 8th, 2010
9:50 am
Mobile Dawg, very good points. You definitely have to look at the whole body of work and how successful a coach has been at each one of his stints. Muschamp has done great things at each school he went to and is still doing great things at UT which is why I think he would most definitely be interviewed by McGarity if something were to happen to Richt. There is also another element to the equation and that is the fact that you have to somewhat appease the masses with your coaching hire, especially if you are a new AD. It is going to be tough for McGarity to convince the big money people at UGA to take a chance on a small-time coach considering our history as a very successful program. Does that mean Joey Jones is automatically disqualified? Not at all…it just means that McGarity would have to be sold on him 100% as the next coach and then he would have to convince the big-money people that he could do the job (no easy task).
@dawgster, I am a little concerned about missing Marlon Brown if in fact Kris Durham does not play this weekend. Marlon is our best blocking WR which definitely helps in establishing the running game. If both Durham and Brown can’t go then it will definitely make things interesting. I personally think that the doctors will give Durham the ok to play this weekend which is going to be huge for us. T. King needs to step up his game this weekend.
@ryan, Imani Cross’ brother already plays for GT, so you would have to think that gives them somewhat of an edge in gaining his services.
Randall
October 8th, 2010
9:58 am
Which College Football Program made more profit in 2009?
A- Alabama?
B- Florida?
C- LSU?
D- Georgia?
D- Georgia. $45 million profit.
Congrats coach on another impressive season.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/22/most-vaulable-college-football-teams-business-sports-college-football_slide_10.html
Mobile Dawg
October 8th, 2010
10:00 am
I agree on the appeasement issue as far as the masses go. However in todays Dawg eat Dawg world McGarity is in the position to take a risk if he’s convinced it’s the right thing to do. Sometime taking a chance leads to a great legacy. Other times to failure. I guess it like the old adage, somedays chicken, somedays feathers. Have a great weekend Dawgs. Hammer the Vols….
Delbert D.
October 8th, 2010
10:34 am
9:28 post – “I don’t care what you Tech nerds say hey at least we didst loose to Kansas thats more embarrassing than are record .”
That is one of the all-time classic posts.
Delbert D.
October 8th, 2010
10:37 am
“Georgia. $45 million profit.”
That’s more than enough for contract buyouts on both ends.
Lowndes25
October 8th, 2010
12:30 pm
Hey guys, check out these numbers comparing our defense under first year coordinator Todd Grantham and Bama’s defense under first year Head Coach Nick Saban…pretty interesting if you ask me. The third set of numbers shows our end of the year projections as everything stands right now.
Points/game:
Bama 2007 – 22.0
UGA Currently – 21.6
UGA Projected EOY – 21.6
First Downs:
Bama 2007 – 235
UGA Currently – 82
UGA Projected EOY – 213
Rushing Yards/Play:
Bama 2007 – 3.43
UGA Currently – 3.44
UGA Projected EOY – 3.44
Total Rushing Yards:
Bama 2007 – 1614
UGA Currently – 670
UGA Projected EOY – 1742
Passing Yards:
Bama 2007 – 2877
UGA Currently – 952
UGA Projected EOY – 2475
Total Offense:
Bama 2007 – 5.0
UGA Currently – 5.4
UGA Projected EOY – 5.4
Interceptions/Yards/TD:
Bama 2007 – 19/235/0
UGA Currently – 5/44/1
UGA Projected EOY – 13/114/3
Fumbles/Recovered:
Bama 2007 – 15/5
UGA Currently – 6/1
UGA Projected EOY – 16/3
Opp. 3′rd Down Conv. %
Bama 2007 – 40.39%
UGA Currently – 42.86%
UGA Projected EOY – 42.86%
Opp. 4′th Down Conv. %:
Bama 2007 – 61%
UGA Currently – 75%
UGA Projected EOY – 75%
Opp. Red Zone Conv. %:
Bama 2007 – 89.47%
UGA Currently – 90.91%
UGA Projected EOY – 90.91%
76-DAWG
October 8th, 2010
2:58 pm
Lowndes25
Interesting stats. When I went to school at UGA in the early to mid 70’s we were happy to have more wins than losses, so the Richt era has been great as far as I am concerned and I don’t want him to go anywhere .But Saban didn’t create Alabama’s problems and CMR is the one that, through inactivity , allowed it to happen at Georgia.
With the changes that CMR was forced to do on defense along with the changes that he will be strongly encouraged to do on offense at the end of the year CMR and UGA will be back in the top 10 within a few years.
It is my opinion that McGarity’s hiring was one of the best things that has ever happened at UGA.. He is result oriented and want mind letting CMR know if his program is slipping in the future. Also ,hopefully CMR has learned that to be in the upper echelon of the SEC it is all about being result oriented and not a place for you buddy’s to hang out. CMR is going to have to make a decision as to where he can live with the new arrangements because I think as long as McGarity is AD that the way it is going to be at Georgia.
Delbert D.
October 8th, 2010
5:46 pm
Lowndes25 – Thanks for the info. What was the talent situation at Alabama in 2006? Did they switch to a new system on defense? I don’t recall much about the circumstances for that coaching transition.
Lowndes25
October 8th, 2010
6:08 pm
Delbert D., one thing Mike Shula could do pretty well was recruit (nothing in the realm of what Saban has done but he didn’t have horrible recruiting classes at all). They ran a very similar defense to what we used to run under Martinez before Saban and company showed up and switched them to the 3-4. I posted those stats so that people can see that anytime you make wholesale changes to a defense there are going to be growing pains, but if you have any type of defensive coaches whatsoever that they will be able to eventually get the right guys in to turn things around. Be patient with our coaches and I promise you we will see some good results on that side of the ball.
bigtime
October 8th, 2010
8:30 pm
The year that Nick Saban took over at Bama there was not a single player drafted into the NFL. There wasnt a whole lot of talent to work with there. Georgia has way better players to work with this year and its not even close. The only similarities between the two is that neither group of players were recruited for this system and there is an adjustment period. But as far as comparing talent on the two teams, apples and oranges my friend. Lets not forget that Bama was just coming off of NCAA penalties and was a full signing class short of scholarship players.
Franklin
October 8th, 2010
9:36 pm
Yes Lowndes25, your team is just as good as Bamas.
Lowndes25
October 8th, 2010
11:06 pm
Glad you agree Franklin
Damn
October 9th, 2010
5:06 am
It is going to suck when Isaiah Crowell goes to Bama & Ray Drew goes to FSU.
Jim
October 9th, 2010
6:11 am
UGA HAS THE BEST NEW AD IN THE COUNTRY, HE WILL MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.
Lowndes25
October 9th, 2010
8:02 am
bigtime, that 2007 Bama defense had future NFL Draft picks Javier Arenas, Kareem Jackson, Rashad Johnson and Rolando McClain (who was a FR) on it as well as LB Jimmy Johns who would have gotten drafted as well had he not gotten caught selling cocaine. You guys weren’t totally depleted of talent. Now granted, I think we are a little more talented of a D than what Saban inherited, but the point of my post was to show that there are always growing pains from switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense no matter how good of a coach you are.
bigtime
October 9th, 2010
12:05 pm
Lowndes25, Jimmy Johns was a running back when Saban got to Bama and was moved to LB. Rashad Johnson was a walk on , Javier Arenas was only a punt and kickoff return man (that had never played on snap on Bama’s D), and Kareem Jackson and Rolando McClain were part of CNS first signing class at Bama. There is an adjustment period(as i stated in my previous comment) and it’s going to take UGA time to get the right players for this system in place. Tackling is as much of an issue as anything else to why UGA’s defense is struggling. That being said i hope that the DAWGS beat the s–t out of UT today and i think that we both agree on that. RTR
Lowndes25
October 9th, 2010
5:00 pm
bigtime, which reiterates even more how great of a defensive mind Coach Saban is…the guy is unbelievably good.
Are the early kickoffs affecting recruiting? « The Grit Tree
October 13th, 2010
10:42 am
[...] I just finished listening to a Chip Towers interview on 960 the Ref and he brought up some great points I had not considered. UGA has yet to have their number one recruit Isaiah Crowell or Five-Star defensive end Ray Drew make an official visit due to conflicts with their schedules. This week they both have games Friday night and stated that due to the early kickoff they probably will not be able to make it into town. Drew hopes to make it to the Idaho State or Georgia Tech game and will be in the stands for the Florida Game. Last week Rodney Gardner touched on this subject and thankfully didn’t sugarcoat his reaction. [...]