Seven walk-ons awarded scholarships; two of them may start
ATHENS – Georgia coach Mark Richt on Sunday awarded scholarships to seven walk-on players.
Two of them — tailback Brandon Harton and defensive back Blake Sailors — are former walk-ons who were placed on scholarship last year and were renewed for the coming year. The other five are all getting aid at UGA for the first time, including fullback Merritt Hall and safety Connor Norman, who figure to start or play significant roles early in the season. The other recipients are cornerback Luis Capella, receiver Rhett McGowan and linebacker Kosta Vavlas.
Georgia, of course, is infamously low on its scholarship numbers for the coming. It had 72 before Sunday’s actions by Richt. As it is, the Bulldogs remain six below the NCAA maximum allotment of 85.
Here’s a look at the seven recipients:
DB Luis Capella, junior, Augusta: Capella (5-10, 176) is third-string cornerback and special teams player. He graduated from Richmond Academy and has made the AD’s honor roll and the SEC academic honor the past two seasons.
FB Merritt Hall, redshirt freshman, Alpharetta: Hall (5-11, 238) earned the No. 1 spot on the depth chart during spring practice and was named “outstanding walk-on.” He remains Georgia’s starting fullback heading into the second week of preseason camp.
TB Brandon Harton, junior, Reidsville: Harton (5-6, 174) earned a scholarship last season and played in five games. He led the Bulldogs in rushing against Kentucky with 101 yards on 23 carries.
SE Rhett McGowan, junior, Calhoun: An all-state player and team captain at Calhoun High, McGowan (6-0, 190) has played in nine games the last two seasons. He finished with 7 catches for 84 yards last year and caught a touchdown pass against New Mexico State.
DB Connor Norman, redshirt sophomore, Duluth: Norman (5-10, 208), who attended Peachtree Ridge High, played in all 14 games for the Bulldogs last season, mainly on special teams, and recorded 13 tackles. He could start at free safety if Bacarri Rambo is sidelined as expected. Norman received a most improved award in 2011 and outstanding walk-on on defense this spring.
DB Blake Sailors, junior, Athens: Sailors (5-11, 186) is a cornerback and special teams stalwart who has played in every Georgia game the past two seasons. A 2009 graduate of Oconee High, this is the second year in a row Sailors earned a scholarship
LB Kosta Vavlas, redshirt sophomore, Tarpon Springs, Fla.: Vavlas (6-0, 219) is an inside linebacker who is currently listed as third-team “Mo” behind Alec Ogletree and Christian Robinson. He played in all 14 games last season, finished with 19 tackles and received a most valuable special teams award.
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220 comments Add your comment
Spanky
August 13th, 2012
9:56 am
Hold the f up!! Why do you nerds care who our coach gives schollies to?? Were you there at practice? What is your point?! The dawgs have knocked your “goldenrods” into the dirt, over and over again! Win something, THEN say something!….that’s how it works!
pike dawg
August 13th, 2012
10:03 am
tell me if I’m wrong but on each play it’s just 11 versus 11 right? Who cares who the last 10-15 players are on the roster? Whether they are scholly players or walkons they ain’t seeing the field unless your winning by 40 or losing by 40. Good grief I don’t want to here the “depth” argument…if you have just 66 scholarship players you are 3 deep at every position. You people need to calm down..the kids we are taling about here for the most part you will only know their name when they run out of the tunnel on Senior Day and get their picture with Richt and their parents. I appreciate their hard work and dedication to UGA as much as the next guy, congrats tpo the young men who earned their scholly. They were not given one only to throw it away by being an uneducated fool and doing something stupid.
DawginLex
August 13th, 2012
10:06 am
twinkie
Merrit Hall is the starting fullback. Ahead of Samuel. Ahead of Hicks. He is killing people in practice and will play more than 10 snaps per game
The Factor
August 13th, 2012
10:10 am
For those of you who think none of these guys got scholorships out of HS, you would be dead wrong on that count. They may not have gotten rides to UGA but they did elsewhere and WANTED to be Dawgs – not entitled dawgs. We have seen plenty of those over the years, right? I know for a fact one was heading to Auburn before Tuberville was let go.
The Factor
August 13th, 2012
10:11 am
sorry about “scholarships” above.
I dropped my fried twinkie
August 13th, 2012
10:12 am
DiLex I know a player or 2 are really PLAYING a lot of plays but many are still just Special Teams. I don’t think it is bad they got a Scholly.
They are STUDENTS as I posted their Academic Credentials.
Spanky
August 13th, 2012
10:13 am
Vince, you are no stranger to dumb comments, huh?? You should know! Stop being a douchey-clown!
The Factor
August 13th, 2012
10:13 am
@pike dawg
Do you actually watch UGA games? All of these guys contribute in a big way , some more than others EVERY game. Good grief…
PAUL SUCKS BIG JOHNSON
August 13th, 2012
10:17 am
what’s my record against teams that have a winning record?? damn i do suck johnson.
VINCE
August 13th, 2012
10:20 am
The factor, thats why we cant beat a top team
I dropped my fried twinkie
August 13th, 2012
10:21 am
PAUL SUCKS BIG JOHNSON
August 13th, 2012
10:17 am
what’s my record against teams that have a winning record?
================================================
Paul your record against ALL teams is the same as RICHT’S 34-19
Ted Striker
August 13th, 2012
10:26 am
Congrats to all. You don’t earn a one-year walkon scholarship unless you EARN it.
And that’s true no matter what your team colors are.
10-4, Striker over and out.
UGA Insider
August 13th, 2012
10:29 am
“We’ve got a ways to go on special teams”.
CMR after special teams practice Saturday morning.
Walk-ons and freshman everywhere…This may be worse than last year and last year cost us 3 games.
pike dawg
August 13th, 2012
10:39 am
re..the facor..yes I wtch UGA games..170 of them and counting…and I’m not talkng about thes specific players..I know a couple of these guys will play some important snaps..I’m just talking in general the last 10-15 guys on a roster are there to stand around and simulate the other tams offense/defense in practice. The point is the majority of those guys you don’t count on to pla so who cares if they are on scholly or not.
AltamahaDawg
August 13th, 2012
10:40 am
And what about the many players over the years at UGA (and every other school) that WAS recruited, sign to a scholarship, and had thier smiling face in the newspaper that never cracked the second string? That would have made you feel better than these guys who had to prove they were worth a scholarship? I hate to break it to you’ll but not every guy we sign has 20 offers from every top school in the nation. We sign guys all the time deciding between UGA and NC State (as an example). Everybody does.
I would think these guys will contribute more to the effort than the bottom 7 guys in that category.
The fact that we still have 9 spots to give and certainly there are plenty of walk-ons tells you that theese guys didnt “get” anything. The ARE scholarship worthy players. As I said before, if fixing the numbers ( to stop the internet chatter on “numbers”) was the issue, they could have done that easy enough a long time ago.
nobody
August 13th, 2012
10:46 am
Just the Facts:
Your Comment: “Some of these guys are third string backups and special team players only. They are not realty beating out other players or turning away scholarships from other schools.”
My Response: I do not disagree; however, in all fairness, many of your scholarship players are also third string backups and special team players only. The difference is, these non-scholarship kids came in wanting to show they could play, and proved that they could…
Your Comment: “That being said, they want to be at Georgia. They are the quintessential
student-athletes that probably truly value their education…and values what it will mean outside of football playing days. Congrats to all of them.”
My Response: Absolutely….
AltamahaDawg
August 13th, 2012
10:48 am
Is special teams the reason that you keep predicting UGA to lose at least 5 games?
bitter
August 13th, 2012
10:51 am
Congrats to yaa—-play hard because the chance that you could be part of something special—————waiting with baited breath
————-for –Turd Roll——-so many _______faces
I dropped my fried twinkie
August 13th, 2012
10:52 am
1-0 Boston College 2008 (9-5)
4-1 Clemson 08 (7-6) 09(9-5) 10(6-7) 11(10-4)
2-0 FSU 08(9-4) 09(7-6)
1-3 UGA 08(10-3) 09(8-5) 10(6-7) 11(10-4)
1-3 Miami 08(7-6) 09(9-4) 10(7-6) 11(6-6)
3-1 UNC 08(8-5) 09(8-5) 10(8-5) 11(7-6)
1-1 NCSU 10(9-4) 11(8-5)
1-3 VPI 08(10-4) 09(10-3) 10(11-3) 11(11-3)
14-12 come back with Richts numbers.
The Tide is rolling and nothing can stop it
August 13th, 2012
10:56 am
You may not have a nationally relavant season in over 30 years, but at least you don’t oversign. UGA; the golden standard of morals in college football (just ask Isiah Crowell)
Kerryb
August 13th, 2012
11:02 am
Goldenrod
August 12th, 2012
11:11 pm
Coach Paul Johnson would NEVER stopp so low as to have to award schollies to walk-on’s.
LOL at the Mutts and Coach Helen Hunt! Shows the shape of their program after booting all those thugs.
___________________________________________________________
Goldenrod forgets that our walkon players are better than their scholarship players.
Kerryb
August 13th, 2012
11:05 am
These are only one year scholarships and since we got them to use for this year we might as well help some guys that work really hard for the team. It will also help their families with the cost of college. Why let several scholarships go to waste when they can be used. Good for them.
I dropped my fried twinkie
August 13th, 2012
11:06 am
Kerry B keep telling yourself that with NO proof. You can’t prove anything you said. STATS prove ability in the game. your players don’t have enough stats to even register.
Ace
August 13th, 2012
11:07 am
Should be more coming, as the arrests will continue as long as Richt is around.
Kerryb
August 13th, 2012
11:23 am
Every player on UGA’s roster is better than Tech’s. Why do you think we’ve beaten them 10 out of the last 11 years?
buckhead benny
August 13th, 2012
11:23 am
Now you know where UGA’s football academic average comes from- They must be factoring in all players on the team rather than scholarship only- I would like to see the stats on scholarship only athletes academically- I imagine it’s not that great-
Kerryb
August 13th, 2012
11:26 am
The last I heard UGA athletes were near the top in graduation rate in the SEC where Tech was dead last in the ACC.
sapelodawg
August 13th, 2012
11:27 am
Bama & LSU ge
Kerryb
August 13th, 2012
11:27 am
Now I’ll get the stupid comment, “well, Tech is a lot harder than UGA”.
sapelodawg
August 13th, 2012
11:30 am
Bama, LSU et al get 5 star recruits. USC & Penn State have been punished by limiting their total # of scollies ………. Saint Mark has a self-limiting program ……….. he can’t recruit 85 young men …… what a dilbert.
Homepage | MrSEC
August 13th, 2012
11:34 am
[...] Seven Georgia walk-ons have been put on scholarship… and two may wind up [...]
Kerryb
August 13th, 2012
11:36 am
You know, even with 70 scholarship players we are still going to whip Tech’s behind.
zbulldawg
August 13th, 2012
11:36 am
Being a good student & hard work pays OFF ! Let this be a lesson to those who think they have it MADE ! Go Dawgs Contrals to all you young men, you make me proud to be a Dawg fan !!
Joey
August 13th, 2012
11:38 am
UGA just signed it’s 7th DB, this one a Juco player. Grantham’s getting a huge defensive class – maybe that will entice him to stay.
I dropped my fried twinkie
August 13th, 2012
11:44 am
Kerry B BAMA had more players on the Honor Roll so Bama is a better academic institution than Vandy, Forida & Georgia?
Tech is LOW in graduation because they don’t offer EZ classes and the Professors don’t pass a kid so he can play on Game Day. GET a CLUE. When UGa has 70+% Special Admits don’t tell me UGa has a difficult path to graduation/degree.
You are SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW how it really works.
DawginLex
August 13th, 2012
11:51 am
Joey
Paris Bostick is not JUCO. He is from Plant HS in Tampa
The Factor
August 13th, 2012
12:00 pm
@pike dawg
I stick to my original comment to you. Blake Sailors, for example, is one of the best special teams guys on kick-off and punt coverage we have had in 25 years. He is so disruptive because of his speed, he often gets double teamed and still helps with no run backs. But you should already know this …..right?
AltamahaDawg
August 13th, 2012
12:03 pm
Kerryb, what Goldenrod seems to forget is the names of the walk-ons that Johnson has given scholarship awards to. And plenty. Clearly he doesn’t know enough about tech’s roster OR his Coach to even offer up opinions.
AltamahaDawg
August 13th, 2012
12:04 pm
Judo, player he meant. For flexibility.
Wrecker
August 13th, 2012
12:17 pm
Congrats to these guys! Like someone said earlier, these guys were not handed anything. They earned their position with hard work and determination.
AltamahaDawg
August 13th, 2012
12:22 pm
Blake Sailors (as well as McGowen, Harton, Norman) can hardly be in this conversation at this point. Regular players since last year,Thier (former) status as a walk on is no more relavant now than stating how we just gave scholarship to a bunch of high school kids. CLEARLY these guys are more of an asset at this point as some of them will be.
Huh?
August 13th, 2012
12:26 pm
7 scholarships to walk-on players? Really?
I can understand giving out 1 or 2. Most teams do that to reward one or two kids, but UGA needs to stop filling up scholarship numbers by handing out scholarships to walk-ons…instead, how about getting more recruits to come to UGA?
DawginLex
August 13th, 2012
12:27 pm
goldenrod
These 7 kids would be the jewels of Tech’s recruiting class yet they walked on at UGA.
See the difference in the level of football?
Huh?
August 13th, 2012
12:29 pm
….and when you get the recruits to UGA, make sure they pass class and stay out of trouble. That way, we don’t have this problem in the future.
SEC FAN
August 13th, 2012
12:36 pm
@ConyersDawg – I’ll meet you down there you low down classless hillbilly and I’ll knock your tooth so far down your throat, well then you’ll just look like the rest of the Dawg Nation!!
VINCE
August 13th, 2012
12:53 pm
I dont really care to pay big bucks to watch walk-ons play. Guess ill stay at home and watch on TV
Moneyball
August 13th, 2012
12:53 pm
@ golden shower – UGA would beat beat tech with 85 walkons.
@ SEC FAN – nice of you to defend your boyfriend like that.
AltamahaDawg
August 13th, 2012
12:56 pm
Well it was 2 last year. Which is normal you say. Then 2 more this year. ALL of whom played extensively. So basically, you are hung up on all those 3 players, extra?
Abnerish
August 13th, 2012
12:58 pm
First Musketeer I’ve seen at UGA in a LONG, LONG time! Awesome! Congrats Capella!
Huh?
August 13th, 2012
1:00 pm
AltamahaDawg….Spin it however you want to…the4 bottom line is this…Those 7 players would not be getting scholarships if it weren’t for your lack of disclipine off the field….period.
I’m glad some fine guys are getting rewarded, but let’s not get carried away. Most schools don’t give 7 scholarships to walk-ons.