Richt plans Dream Team II
ATHENS –- Georgia coach Mark Richt was asked who first came up with the idea of pitching a “Dream Team” in recruiting.
“I really don’t remember whose idea it was,” he said.
“It was actually yours,” recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner said.
“It was my idea?” Richt said. “I didn’t want to take credit [if] someone else thought of it first.”
Georgia built its 2011 recruiting efforts, which culminated with Signing Day on Wednesday, around the high-profile notion of assembling a Dream Team of in-state talent. The Bulldogs wound up signing the state’s top three prospects, four of the top five and eight of the top 12.
The concept of a Dream Team was born almost a year ago as Georgia coaches embarked on what they knew would be a crucial recruiting season in a talent-rich state.
His memory jogged, Richt said: “As you’re looking at the guys you really want the most, you kind of dream about that as a coach, and that’s where I just came up with the idea: ‘This is my Dream Team. This is our Dream Team at the University of Georgia.’ We literally had names and pictures targeted that we could look at and shoot for, and we actually nailed it pretty good. You never get them all, but we came pretty darn close. And I would certainly say the dream came true.”
Richt said the concept resonated with recruits, who “bought in and got excited about it . . . and wanted to be on the Dream Team. I think it was effective.”
He acknowledged there was a risk of the concept backfiring if Georgia had signed a less-than-stellar class. In that case, he said, people might have “called it a nightmare class or whatever.”
“But we just said, ‘You know what? Let’s go for the best and go with reckless abandon and not care what anybody says.’”
Richt plans a Dream Team encore next year.
“Quite frankly, we’re in the process of putting together the 2012 Dream Team,” he said. “We’re formulating ideas and looking at film and deciding who’s going to be on that team.
“I hope ninth graders right now are looking at this thing and saying, ‘I want to be on that Dream Team when my time comes.’”
*********
Garner gave a lot of credit for the success of the Dream Team concept to Ray Drew, a five-star outside linebacker from Thomas County Central who not only signed with Georgia but enthusiastically lobbied other players to do so as well.
“Even though [last season] sort of tarnished us,” Garner said, “he was able to recognize that the University of Georgia is still gold. We just need to shine it up. We just need to get the glitter back.”
**********
Speaking to fans at the Butts-Mehre building, Richt offered some insight into recruiting in this state:
“One of the hardest things for us to do is to evaluate and nail down who you’re going to go after, especially in our own state. A lot of the out-of-state teams will just come in and just offer like mad. They’ll come in and just offer like candy. Quite frankly, I’m not going to name names of schools, but a lot of them will do that just to get in the fight. And if the kid commits too soon and they’re not sure they want [him], they’ll just tell them, ‘That’s not a committable offer.’ Whatever the heck that means.
“If we offer a kid in our state and he says he’s coming, we want to take him, OK? Sometimes we’re a little bit slower to offer maybe than some out-of-state schools. Sometimes that might hurt a kid’s feelings. Sometimes that might hurt a coach’s feelings. That’s not our intention. Our intention is to have integrity when we offer a kid and be able to follow through.”
– Tim Tucker, UGA Blog
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305 comments Add your comment
DamntheButcher
February 3rd, 2011
4:47 pm
I think I have this Dream Team figured out. The guys will go to UGA and only dream of winning the SEC east must less a NC.
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
4:47 pm
“Bama brags on their recruiting. Look who they share their state with. A pay for play cow college.”
Speaking of cows, how many UGA sorority girls are gonna get arrested with their athletic director?
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
4:49 pm
Gator Man
I now totally understand why Florida fans look down on UGA fans. When you’re on top, UGA fans always find an excuse as to why their team sucks.
UGA=the Chicago Cubs of college football. NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Georgia fans Eats Idiots Sandwiches
February 3rd, 2011
4:51 pm
They do. Keep reading.
Trick Plays and No Defense minus QB
February 3rd, 2011
4:52 pm
On Monday February 7th at 10:30 CST, Mr. Massey, his attorneys and the media will be privy to the second round of evidence, including wire taps surrounding the boosters of Auburn and their vote buying scheme. Does anyone think the delay in the hearing had anything to do with NSD? A conspiarcy theory? Yes, but no one puts anything past Auburn.
The funny thing is the hearing in January produced this famous line. ” We are not ready to reveal our evidence your honor. The information the defendents attorneys are requesting is part of an ongoing second investigation and we are not prepared to share that evidence due to the charges yet to be filed in those cases.” Federal Prosecutors. Asked by the judge when the evidence would be ready to be released and the Prosecutors requested until mid February but the judge set January 31st as the date the Prosecutors should be able to turn over their evidence and all related tapes.
Mr. Massey suddenly became ill last week( Thursday) and requested an extension until the first full week of February.
So I guess we will get a sneak peek very soon.
felixthecat
February 3rd, 2011
4:52 pm
Hope this dream team concept doesn’t follow the black jersey footsteps. Go Dawgs!
Tdawg
February 3rd, 2011
4:54 pm
Wow another english teacher. On this site I do not spell check and I don’t proof read. You are not a person that I need to impress. You are a dawg hater and you made that pretty plain from the get go. Your athletic program’s are a disgrace to the sporting world. It’s funny that whenever a player from Georgia gets into trouble, we dawg fans are the first on here raising he!! and telling our coach to kick his arse off the team, but the instant your team and many other’s player’s do something wrong, It’s oh, he didn’t do that, or the coach is going to make him sit on the bench for 5 minutes or like you guy’s are trying to do now with the whole Cam Newton fiasco. Throw dirt on it and hope no one steps in it. That reporter that was on ESPN a couple of weeks ago hit the nail on the head. When asked, What will the Auburn fans think if they are found guilty of cheating. If you seen the same interview that I saw then you know what he said. Just in case you didn’t though allow me to quote him. The Auburn fans will not care because even if the title is taken away from them, even in their eyes they had to cheat to get it, it doesn’t matter how they got it, it is the fact that they got it is all they care about. They will gladly accept the punishment if they win the title.
Trick Plays and No Defense minus QB
February 3rd, 2011
4:54 pm
Mike P/ HA HA, is back doing his famous cut and paste editorials, while having no original thoughts of his own.
Moreno Stafford
February 3rd, 2011
4:54 pm
Who the heck is going to coach these guys to a championship? Heck, to beat Florida! Dream Team=Black Out. Sorry.
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
4:55 pm
Trick Plays and No Defense minus QB
Post a link dude. If it’s tigerdroppings, I’m going to make fun of you like never before.
RammerJammer
February 3rd, 2011
4:55 pm
UGA=the Chicago Cubs of college football. NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THIS IS GOLD!
UGA is a special place, home of next year’s national champions for the last 30 years!
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
4:56 pm
Tdawg
Auburn isn’t going on probation because Auburn isn’t being investigated. Keep on dreaming though because that’s really all dawg fans can do.
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
4:57 pm
RammerJammer
I am laughing so hard at how hard UGA fans are wanting Auburn to go on probation.
TN is about to go on probation for one Lane Kiffin.
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
4:57 pm
“So I guess we will get a sneak peek very soon.’
POST A LINK! The last time someone copy and pasted crap like that, it came from tigerdroppings.
DONNAN OF A NEW ERA
February 3rd, 2011
4:58 pm
HEY WOOF WOOF DAWGS!!!!!!!!! WE’Z GONE WIND US THE 2008 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP CUZ WEZ PRESEASON NUMBER ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Trick Plays and No Defense minus QB
February 3rd, 2011
4:59 pm
War Eagle,
I know you are not up to par on the IQ level so if you really want to research it, the reporter with the Dothan Eagle has done a very fine job laying the story out for anyone who is not biased.
Go look it up. And no the Tiger Droppings is for those who are promoting an agenda.
The Dothan Eagle is just doing its part because a couple of the players owned businesses that are in the indictments.
Moreno Stafford
February 3rd, 2011
4:59 pm
Gimmicks always work for UGA!
Go Dawgs!
February 3rd, 2011
5:01 pm
schnellenberger
February 3rd, 2011
3:32 pm
Richt is a copy cat! I thought up the dream team concept when I went to Liberty City and talked all those boys in the hood into playing for Miami.
Considering Schnellenberger was Richt’s coach in Miami and one of his mentors I doubt Howard has a problem with CMR “copying” him.
Sheez get a life!
All you haters are just mad because what you thought would be a joke actually worked and we hauled in a stellar class.
Tdawg
February 3rd, 2011
5:01 pm
gator man I don’t know if they are bragging of not. I don’t go to their sites. They do have site’s to post on don’t they?
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
5:01 pm
“I know you are not up to par on the IQ level so if you really want to research it, the reporter with the Dothan Eagle has done a very fine job laying the story out for anyone who is not biased.”
So because I asked you to post a link to your copy and paste garbage, I have a low IQ??????
Dude, you have the IQ of a carrot. You’re about as smart as Al Gore’s dung.
“Go look it up.’
Nope, when you copy and paste something YOU should post a link.
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
5:02 pm
“All you haters are just mad because what you thought would be a joke actually worked and we hauled in a stellar class.”
Yeah, that must be it.(sarcasm) I’m sure Auburn and Alabama fans are just upset cause UGA signed a class that is behind Auburn and Alabama.
Trick Plays and No Defense minus QB
February 3rd, 2011
5:03 pm
I am sure WAR Eagle, Mike P, ha ha, Mindy, or whatever handle you are using today that you are just that biased to even put forth the effort to look but the same information has been readily available for over 4 weeks now to anyone wanting to read it. I guess you will also dispute the fact the key witness was moved to Virginia where the case is being handled because the parties involved have tried to bribe him to keep his mouth shut so he pled guilty and requested to be taken into custody.
But I am sure you and your Auburn brothers are really enjoying this championship with all the specluation and innuendos surrounding Auburn and your illustrious leadership.
Moreno Stafford
February 3rd, 2011
5:04 pm
Why don’t the great teams need slogans and cheap gimmicks?
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
5:05 pm
Trick Plays and No Defense minus QB
Ok, so you just proved yourself to be a bigger idiot than I thought. You can’t even post a simple link to the crap that you posted which proves my point. YOU ARE DUMB!
“But I am sure you and your Auburn brothers are really enjoying this championship with all the specluation and innuendos surrounding Auburn and your illustrious leadership.”
Yep, I am enjoying it because Auburn has a better football program than UGA. Oh, and we’re not going on probation.
Suck it, loser.
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
5:06 pm
“I am sure WAR Eagle, Mike P, ha ha, Mindy”
And you’re paranoid as well. Sucks to be you.
Trick Plays and No Defense minus QB
February 3rd, 2011
5:06 pm
Do your homework or keep your head buried in the sand, it does not matter to me, because I do not have to defend my program for anything. Our scars, injuries and bad blood are spilled across the AJC anytime one of our folks do anything wrong, unlike Auburn where the GM tells everyone in the “ALL IN” Family to keep their mouth shut and all comments are “No comment” I guess Bobby Lowder has all you folks beat down so bad that you are still afraid he may call in the mortgage on your house, stadium, and new indoor practice facility.
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
5:09 pm
“Do your homework’
What homework? I finished grad school years ago.
“because I do not have to defend my program for anything. ”
That’s because there isn’t anything to defend. UGA sucks.
“I guess Bobby Lowder has all you folks beat down”
That makes about as much sense as your fictional copy and paste garbage.
“he may call in the mortgage on your house, stadium, and new indoor practice facility.”
Like I said, you’re not smart.
I wonder if the BCS money we won will trickle down to help bail out your incoming players.
Trick Plays and No Defense minus QB
February 3rd, 2011
5:09 pm
War Eagle, you come on these blogs, change your names and have to resort to using junior high school comebacks because you have no original thoughts. Why didn’t you use the “YO MAMA” while you are at it.
CUT AND PASTE, That is what folks do who have no job, no skills and use their cars dipstick to comb their hair with.
Tired of wasting my time on someone who needs a diaper and a bottle to go to sleep every night.
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
5:10 pm
Trick Plays and No Defense minus QB = 6-7 UGA football.
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
5:11 pm
“you come on these blogs, change your names”
Prove it.
“Why didn’t you use the “YO MAMA” while you are at it.”
Because I’m not you.
“CUT AND PASTE, That is what folks do who have no job, no skills and use their cars dipstick to comb their hair with.’
That describes you.
“Tired of wasting my time on someone who needs a diaper and a bottle to go to sleep every night.”
Well, maybe you should of thought of that before you got pregnant.
trupert
February 3rd, 2011
5:11 pm
Fact of the matter is that Mark Richt scares the crap out of most fans of the Alabama teams.
About five months ago it was said by the Barners and the oversigners that UGA was done and it would come down to Aubie and Bamer for all the best players in Ga. Where did that get you?
Funny how all these fans from the West spend so much time and energy trying to bring Mark Richt down. If my school had a losing record to Mark Richt , I would fear him to.
I’ll take this UGA class over the bought and paid for class and the oversigned class which will be culled by anywhere from 8 to 12 players within two years. Where will Bamas class rank after he shamefuly culls those 8-12 players, nowhere close to UGA’s and it took a mythical national championship and alot of lying for Auburn to equal UGA’s class and after CMR’s worst season in 10 years.
Pacific Dawg
February 3rd, 2011
5:11 pm
War Eagle
Why don’t you get off this blog and go watch cartoons. You can sit around in your Scooby Doo drawers, watch Yogi Bear and eat some Fruit Loops.
Trick Plays and No Defense minus QB
February 3rd, 2011
5:14 pm
This is the same clown Chip Towers busted last week for changing his name over and over all day.
He has no real life. Ignore him. He resorts to cutting and pasting and calling names when you prove him wrong over and over again. A respected newspaper has all the information he needs but that might upset his apple cart too much and he would have no way to fight back.
IGNORE THIS LOSER….he said he went to grad school,,,now that is a bold face lie and he knows it.
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
5:14 pm
“Fact of the matter is that Mark Richt scares the crap out of most fans of the Alabama teams. ”
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Especially since both major Bama schools won back to back titles.
“Funny how all these fans from the West spend so much time and energy trying to bring Mark Richt down. ‘
UGA tears itself down. Just ask their jailbird players.
“I’ll take this UGA class over the bought and paid for class’
Where’s the proof? Oh, there isn’t any.
“it took a mythical national championship and alot of lying for Auburn to equal UGA’s class”
Auburn had the number 4 class last year, Gump. BEFORE they won the NT.
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
5:16 pm
“This is the same clown Chip Towers busted last week for changing his name over and over all day.”
Prove it.
“He has no real life.’
Pot meet kettle.
“A respected newspaper has all the information he needs ‘
Post the link, Gump.
“he said he went to grad school,,,now that is a bold face lie and he knows it.”
Awe, poor little high school drop out.
Hey, didn’t you just write about having to leave? I doubt your boss would want you to be late for your pizza delivery.
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
5:17 pm
“Why don’t you get off this blog and go watch cartoons. You can sit around in your Scooby Doo drawers, watch Yogi Bear and eat some Fruit Loops.”
Is that the best insult you can come up with, Gump?
woodie
February 3rd, 2011
5:19 pm
Always a gimmick with Richt. How about good ol fashioned coaching for a change ?
Tdawg
February 3rd, 2011
5:23 pm
Heck no War Eagle, I do not want Auburn to get the death penalty. With all due respect to GT, outside of Florida, Auburn is our biggest rivalry. We just wish that you tiger fan’s would get those bag’s off your head’s and take a good look at what is going on at your school. Won’t happen though. That reporter on ESPN made that plain. Don’t worry my man, Georgia will even that record next year. Gators, the record for the past 30 year’s does not matter. Fact remains, we embaressed that arse with those black jersey’s.
So Alburn is not being investigated? Really? yea right! Keep on thinking that. Geese, what a maroon.
Pacific Dawg
February 3rd, 2011
5:23 pm
I can’t think of anything more insulting than being an Awbarn fan. A turd is a turd.
Dawg House
February 3rd, 2011
5:23 pm
Since this moron from Auburn cannot take a hint and move along, I took the advice of “Trick Plays” and went to the Dothan paper and typed in the Gilley hearing and everything came up just like he said. Since this guys seems to want a link here you go: Go away and read and leave everyone alone with your same responses all day. By the way no one has a job that can stay on a blog all day long.
http://www2.dothaneagle.com/search/?source=all&query=Gilley+Hearing
Pacific Dawg
February 3rd, 2011
5:26 pm
War Eagle
Why aren’t you on an Awbarn blog. Run out of crayons?
Garner said
February 3rd, 2011
5:26 pm
Actually, UGA is not Gold…GT is. He must have gotten confused what school he is at.
Trick Plays and No Defense minus QB
February 3rd, 2011
5:27 pm
Dawg House,
I wanted him to do his own homework and use it supposedly grad school education. But he knows what is going on and yet he wants to name call. Just ignore this guy, anytime you see Mike P, or Ha Ha, or anytime he takes your handle and uses with some middle school adverb and adjective attached to it, you can say for sure it is this same guy.
Classic Jerseys
February 3rd, 2011
5:27 pm
Dawgs need to get back to their roots and break out the “classic jerseys” from the 80’s. You know the ones that had the stripes on the sleeves from the Dooley Days? Be a perfect time to shake things up and get back to that look. Best looking uniform in football and not sure why we ever got way from them.
Trick Plays and No Defense minus QB
February 3rd, 2011
5:29 pm
My advice to anyone who sees this guy cut and pasting your comments over and over again, just click on the “report this comment” and fill out the form. He will get his fair due. He does not deserve any further responses.
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
5:29 pm
“So Alburn is not being investigated? ‘
Nope.
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
5:30 pm
“He will get his fair due. He does not deserve any further responses.”
LOL!!!!!!! Whatever you say.
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
5:31 pm
Dawg House
There is NOTHING there that puts Auburn in a bad light. NOTHING about Auburn being investigated. Geez, UGA fans are dumb as rocks.
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
5:32 pm
Trick Plays and No Defense minus QB = WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I WANT MY MOMMY!!!!!!! AN AUBURN FAN MADE FUN OF ME WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA NICK FAIRLEY BEAT UP MY MAN-CHILD QUARTERBACK WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA UGA HASN’T WON A TITLE SINCE JIMMY CARTER LEFT OFFICE WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
WAR EAGLE
February 3rd, 2011
5:34 pm
“I wanted him to do his own homework and use it supposedly grad school education. ”
There isn’t anything to do homework on, Gump. Auburn isn’t being investigated by the NCAA. You can wish it, hope it, dream and say it but it doesn’t mean it’s true.