Todd Gurley: Analysis of new UGA RB recruit and other notebook items

Follow-up on 4-star RB Todd Gurley committing to UGA and other random items:

• In case you missed it on late Friday night, another UGA RB target committed to South Carolina. Click here to read the full story. Did Gurley committing to UGA affect how RB Mike Davis was considering the Bulldogs? He said “no.” Maybe, maybe not, but I say likely.  Did UGA still want Davis after landing Gurley? On the surface, it seems like UGA only wanted to take two RBs in this class, and Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley filled that void. However, this is a very unusual year for UGA from the standpoint of having so many scholarships open (between 8-10) this late, around two weeks before National Signing Day. At this point, many colleges start simply taking the best overall athlete left on the board, Had Davis really wanted to go to UGA, my guess is that they would’ve found a spot for him.
• Does anybody remember another highly-touted RB that UGA signed out of North Carolina years ago? I think the guy’s name was … Tim Worley.


UGA RB recruit Todd Gurley (Photo courtesy of 247Sports.com)

• Who is better? Keith Marshall or Todd Gurley? That was an easy answer a couple of months ago, but not so much after Gurley’s stock skyrocketed after leading his team to the state championship while playing with a high-ankle sprain. Here’s what Mike Farrell of Rivals said on Twitter on Friday: “I’ll say it right here and now, Todd Gurley is better than Keith Marshall and both are very, very good.” Rusty Mansell of 247Sports on which RB is better. “I’ve seen Keith Marshall play, and Keith Marshall is faster. Todd Gurley is fast, too, but more of a guy who pounds it between the tackles. If they wind up being in the backfield at the same time next year, Georgia will have a guy that can get the edge and a guy who can run effectively between the tackles. At the end of the day, Georgia got immediate running back depth, and that’s what they were looking for.”
• How is Clemson feeling these days? They finished as a very close runner-up to UGA for both Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley. That’s not to say another RB who the Tigers sign won’t be better. You never know in recruiting. However, on the surface, those are some mighty big and highly-publicized recruiting battles won by the Bulldogs in the Carolinas. If you’re a Clemson fan, I guess you could spin it and say the Tigers fared better in the two sweepstakes than the home state schools – North Carolina, NC State, Duke and Wake Forest. That gang may need to hire Lane Kiffin for some fence-building skills. Back to Clemson: They also missed on Mike Davis, whose older brother played for the Tigers. Not to keep beating up on Clemson, but they are also pitching a shutout for the entire state of Georgia in recruiting this year. Remember when you could count on Clemson getting a couple of Georgia’s best each year?
  

  Vanderbilt DE commit Josh Dawson is visiting UGA this weekend

• What is UGA serving in the student cafeteria these days? Does anybody know what’s on the menu? Gurley cited on several occasions that the food at Georgia factored into this decision to go with Bulldogs. We think he was joking.
• UGA must certainly be hoping that this weekend’s recruits on official visits enjoy the food. The guests include two already pledged to the Bulldogs, Thomson DT John John Atkins and Colquitt County TE Ty Smith. There’s also Lowndes S-LB Josh Harvey-Clemons, who is favoring the Bulldogs and Florida, and Tucker DE Josh Dawson, who is committed to Vanderbilt.
• ESPN’s Kipp Adams on Gurley: “At 6-foot-1 and 215-pounds, Todd Gurley definitely has the size you look for in an SEC running back. People talk about how many running backs Georgia will have now, but when you look at what LSU did in the SEC Championship game with Alfred Blue, Kenny Hilliard and Michael Ford, you would like to have three 200+ pound tailbacks to be able to wear down these defenses in the second half … Gurley is not just some big plodder either. On film, he is surprisingly agile for his size, and if he gets a good angle has home-run threat potential because of his north-south speed. I was impressed with his durability this year, with him having over 200 carries and playing through an ankle injury in the state championship game. … Some people have looked at Musa Smith as a running back comparison, and while he was before my time as a prospect (actually only one year younger than I am), the size and speed combination appear very similar at the same stage.”
• Here’s video of Todd Gurley announcing UGA on Friday. Click here to see it.
  

  Mark Richt: Ask for it and you shall receive it ... UGA RB recruits Todd Gurley (No. 1) and Keith Marshall

• After landing Marshall and Gurley, I guess you can say that Mark Richt’s bold recruiting strategy worked. He was so desperate for running backs that he went public with his plea to reporters a couple of months ago (he avoided NCAA violations by not mentioning specific recruits): “There’s a tremendous opportunity at the University of Georgia for running backs in this class to come to Georgia and make a big impact,” Richt said. “I hope that’s not breaking a rule, but there’s tremendous opportunity, I can say that. If I was a running back, if I was a great running back, I would want to come to Georgia. I would be so excited about my opportunity at Georgia.” A risky tactic by the conservative Richt but it seemed to work to perfection.
• If you a Georgia fan, do you feel much better about this recruiting class than you did only a week ago? Most do. Gurley was more or less expected, while many are still shocked about 5-star DE Jordan Jenkins swinging to the Bulldogs over longtime leader Alabama last Monday. The 6-foot-3, 250-pounder is considered to be the state’s No. 1 overall prospect.
• Over at archrival Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets have their biggest recruiting weekend of the year, including 8 of 14 commits (click on story link).

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT OVER THE WEEKEND

• Nick Saban to Atlanta RB: You can’t sign with Alabama until … 2013
• Josh Harvey-Clemons’ grandpa predicts “photo finish” between UGA and SEC rival
• Will Vanderbilt DE recruit flip to UGA after visiting Bulldogs?
• OL commits to Georgia Tech; cancels official visit to Florida Gators
• Nephew of ex-NFL star Dexter Manley commits to new ACC member
• RB Mike Davis goes public with his “secret” commitments; Guess who??
• Todd Gurley: Analysis of UGA’s newest recruit and … remember Tim Worley?

– By Michael Carvell, AJC Recruiting Blog

Got an item? mcarvell@ajc.com

• So much is happening so fast. Have you missed anything over the last few days? Catch up with our feed by CLICKING HERE
• BOOKMARK the NEW AJC Recruiting homepage here
• Want to see a list of all the players in the state of Georgia who have either been offered by or are committed to D1 schools? It’s looong. Go here.

Note: Inappropriate BLOG comments and personal attacks will NOT be tolerated. We love the lively discussions but hate-filled, harassing and irresponsible comments are unacceptable.

Please Follow me on Twitter @RecruitingAJC + Please be my Facebook friend here