Georgia’s ‘Dream Team’ recruiting class goes for 22nd win in Capital One Bowl
ORLANDO – Because of what happened with Isaiah Crowell, there is a tendency to think Georgia’s recruiting class of 2011 – better known as the “Dream Team” – was anything but dreamy.
Crowell, the No. 1-rated running back in the nation coming out of high school, was the crown jewel of that class. But after earning SEC Freshman of the Year honors, Crowell was unable to make it to a second season with Georgia. He was dismissed this past summer after his arrest on felony weapons charges.
But there were a lot of other elite prospects who signed in that 2011 class, which was rated among the top five in the nation of that year, and most remain prominent members of the 2012 team. Together they’ve helped the Bulldogs win 21 games and two SEC Eastern Division championship the past two seasons.
“We’re still here; we’re still standing strong,” said Malcolm Mitchell, a wide receiver from Valdosta who has 1,237 yards receiving and 8 touchdowns since becoming a Bulldog. “A lot of us came in and did play early. A lot of us are playing now. A lot of us will be leaving next year as just juniors. I still believe that our recruiting class will be big, and we did make a difference in some areas.”
They’ve definitely won a lot of games. They’ll be going for win No. 22 against Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl on Tuesday. That would be the same number of games the 1980 and ’81 Georgia teams won. Only the 2002-03 Bulldogs won more games (24) in a two-year stretch.
But they have come up short – so far anyway — of what was the stated goal that signing class. The concept of coming to Athens together was to win a national championship. The Bulldogs were five yards shy of a chance to play for one with their 32-28 loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship.
“I still feel like we had a great class,” said tight end Jay Rome, who redshirted that first year but is playing as a regular now. “Even though we’re missing a few that came in with us, we still have a lot of people that are out there making plays on both sides of the ball that are making plays for this team. There are other guys that haven’t been able to show all that they can do yet, like Justin Scott-Wesley, who I think is going to be an outstanding player. I really think we’re strong class and we’re going to be the new leaders of this football team.”
Georgia coaches were the ones who came up with the “Dream Team” theme. The crop of elite football prospects in the state was particularly strong in 2011. Georgia’s coaches, armed with iPads featuring pictures of all the best recruits in a montage, pitched them to come come together and be part of the Dream Team.
“We had fun with that,” Richt said with a laugh.
The Bulldogs signed a full class of 26 players. Joining Crowell, Mitchell and Rome were top-rated prospects such as Chris Conley, Watts Dantzler, Ray Drew, John Jenkins, Christian LeMay, Nick Marshall, Damian Swann and Xzavier Ward.
“We kind of started that off saying, ‘hey we’re from Georgia; let’s go to Georgia; let’s build something special here,” Rome recalls. “I think has trickled down from our class to the next classes coming up. With all us getting together and coming in, it kind of inspired the next year’s class to do the same thing and keep up the tradition.”
Not all of them panned out and there was attrition. Like Crowell, Marshall, Chris Sanders and Sanford Seay were also dismissed for disciplinary infractions. And Lonnie Outlaw and Kent Turene never qualified.
But there were also some unexpected gems. Center David Andrews and linebacker Amarlo Herrera were relatively unsung compared to some of their more ballyhooed classmates but have become starters and captains on their respective units.
“A lot of guys have done well,” Richt said. “There were certainly some that fell by the wayside, which is pretty typical of just about any class you sign. You hope that everybody makes it from start to finish. But every year (new players come in) I always tell them, ‘look around; odds are not everybody is going to be here at the end.’ It’d be nice for everybody to be there but it usually doesn’t happen that way.”
But it worked out well for more than a few in that group. And, overall, it definitely worked out well for the Bulldogs.
‘I will always be honored to be a part of the Dream Team recruiting year,” said Mitchell, who has also played defense and special teams for Georgia. “Our class has already had some great success and I think there is much more to come. It was a special group and i think it helped build a strong foundation for Georgia in the future.”
2011 ‘DREAM TEAM’
David Andrews, OL, Norcross — Starter on offensive line
Sterling Bailey, DE Gainesville — Redshirted and still awaiting opportunities
Devin Bowman, DB, Rossville — Backup player will battle for starting job next season
Chris Conley, WR, Dallas — Regular in wide receiver rotation
Isaiah Crowell, RB, Columbus — Dismissed and transferred to Alabama State
Watts Dantzler, OL, Dalton — Backup on offensive line
Zach DeBell, OL, Tarpon Springs, Fla. — Backup on offensive line
Ray Drew, DE, Thomasville — Top backup at defensive end
Quintavious Harrow, DB, Columbus — Quit team
Amarlo Herrera, LB, College Park — Starter at inside linebacker
John Jenkins, DT Meriden, Conn. — All-star noseguard but ineligible for bowl
Christian LeMay, QB, Matthews, N.C. — Third-string quarterback
Hunter Long, OL, Eads, Tenn. — Backup on offensive line
Nick Marshall, ATH, Rochelle — Dismissed and starring as JUCO quarterback
Chris Mayes, DT, Griffin — Did not qualify by re-signed from JUCO this month
Malcolm Mitchell, DB/WR, Valdosta — Star wide receiver
Corey Moore, DB Griffin — Backup defensive back
Jay Rome, TE, Valdosta — No. 2 tight end after redshirt season
Chris Sanders, DB, Tucker — Dismissed and out of football
Justin Scott-Wesley, WR, Camilla — Still developing in backup role
Sanford Seay, WR Leesburg — Dismissed
Damian Swann DB Atlanta — Starting cornerback
Nathan Theus, OL, Jacksonville — Backup snapper
Kent Turene, LB, Lauderdale Lakes — Did not qualify
Xzavier Ward, OL, Moultrie — Backup on offensive line
Ramik Wilson, LB Tampa — Backup linebacker
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125 comments Add your comment
uncledaddy
December 27th, 2012
9:38 pm
@Rick James
Nebraska was hungry in the Big Ten title gave but they gave up 70 points.USC thinks so little of Tech that they’re not even playing Matt Barkley and skipped having dinner with them.The dream team will leave Georgia 4-0 against Georgia Tech.I dont agree with John Jenkins flunking out of school but this time next year he’ll be a millionaire,will you?
—————————————————————
If Nebraska was hungry, they wouldn’t have given up 70 points. They were embarrassed. Now they’re hungry.
Ptc dawg
December 27th, 2012
9:51 pm
Happy New Year to all you GT fans…
Etrain
December 27th, 2012
9:59 pm
Win a national championship? Might want to win the SEC first…..
Tmgotech
December 27th, 2012
10:04 pm
Tha’s some big deal class. I count fewer starters (3) than I do non-qualifiers. And more arrests/convictions as well.
Wow. You put it in numerical terms and I’m , uh, underwhelmed.
Truth
December 27th, 2012
10:56 pm
And while the dream team goes for win # 22. The 2011 Al class goes for win # 25 and a 2nd straight NC.
Rick James
December 27th, 2012
11:08 pm
@uncledaddy
If Nebraska was hungry, they wouldn’t have given up 70 points. They were embarrassed. Now they’re hungry.
————————————————————————————————————————–
They were hungry but they got embarrassed and gave up 70 points because they’re not a good team.They are playing a better team in Georgia than they played in the the Big Ten championship.Georgia’s offense was second in the nation with offensive plays of 40 plus yards.They will shred that non defense.
Smitty
December 27th, 2012
11:27 pm
Hey truth…it is not he 2011 class that has done that
Smitty
December 27th, 2012
11:30 pm
tmgotech….why don’t you just worry about your team getting a winning record….LOL
TIM BUCK
December 28th, 2012
12:09 am
CREAM MACHEEN=JOKE………….ROLLTIDE…BULLPUPS
dawgfan
December 28th, 2012
12:20 am
I need a big glass of Haterade. I can’t stand them Techies. They laugh at me and make fun of me and it makes my butt hurt. I swear, ever since Sasha got arrested and broke up with me my life is meaningless. Thank goodness I can still say Joke by Coke.
Thanks
dawgfan
December 28th, 2012
12:31 am
I hope my grandkids spell the damn sign right this year. It was so embarrassing being seen on national tv holding a sign saying Go Dwags. Hope those Husker fans ain’t mean to me like the Techies are. I have to troll the Techie blogs every day just to have some little iota of self-respect. Good thing Rick James and Headly Lamar and superdawg are around to help me out with that. I sure do miss Sasha.
umyboyBLUE17
December 28th, 2012
12:39 am
I hear the men of troy were a no show at the dinner outing tek will try to one up them by being a no show for the game
ChampagneJam
December 28th, 2012
1:58 am
Great recruiting class!
JamesJackson
December 28th, 2012
2:00 am
The quality of players keeps getting better in Athens.Go Dawgs!
22
December 28th, 2012
6:40 am
Interesting spin on story when 1/3 of the class isn’t with the team any more and only 1/3 of the class is getting any serious playing time. However “they” have 21 wins to date. After this large recruiting class this year, another 5-6 will leave the team bringing it down to only half the dream team still in Athens. However “they” will have 21 wins.
trueblueeagle
December 28th, 2012
7:04 am
UGA beats Nebraska by 21…..but it will and always be thug u as long as CMR is there….he can’t change his spots……next year back to 8 wins if that…..Go Eagles
ugab
December 28th, 2012
7:29 am
We were close to getting to the NC game. I don’t know if the Dawgs could of beat ND. ND has depth on the DL and OL. The dawgs need to take this season as a lesson learned. Win in the trenches. Our D did not get it done. I would rather have 4 shape hard nosed DL, than have a bunch of out of shape big boys to plug holes. LSU has physical, tough, mean, athletic DL. I just don’t see the NFL wanting Jenkins and Geathers. Not physical or tough enough.
ugab
December 28th, 2012
7:34 am
Everyone knows that Nebraska has one of the best rushing attacks in the nation. Nebraska had a bad game against Wisconson. I think Nebraska will be hungry. I sounds like we have to depend on the offense to score with the Huskers. Everyone knows we can’t stop the run.
zbulldawg
December 28th, 2012
7:35 am
Take your cheap shots Cuz that’s all you have !! UGA is standing strong on policies & performance !! So GETUSUM of that !! Let the Big DAWG Eat
ugab
December 28th, 2012
7:38 am
This will not look good on CMR’s track record to lose 3 straight bowl games. Who beat the dawgs a couple of years ago? Central Florida. ????? It was hard to lose to Michigan State. I thought we were in the mighty SEC.
ugab
December 28th, 2012
7:43 am
Georgia way is working. Playing the best players is working. Just get some depth on the LInes.
eyeswideopen
December 28th, 2012
7:52 am
typical uga drinking the champayne before winning the game……5 yards short my a$$
funny...
December 28th, 2012
8:06 am
Oh look, someone made a joke about dismissals and arrests….
Get some new material. It’s tired. Every college football program has the same problem.
Yeah, I guess that win against #2 Florida wasn’t worth anything. Ask the Gators what it was worth.
funny...
December 28th, 2012
8:08 am
Nebraska “just played a bad game”??
They gave up 70 points
to
WISCONSIN.
Yes it was five yards short. Alabama ran all up and down the field and Georgia was still one tipped pass from winning anyway.
DIT
December 28th, 2012
8:09 am
Wow, the tech trolls are out in full force this morning. Great way to start the morning. It’s been awhile since I have laughed so hard. Love the envy guys! Good luck against USC…….. You’ll need it!
test
December 28th, 2012
8:10 am
Enter your comments here
funny...
December 28th, 2012
8:11 am
“Champayne”
It’s obvious you went to college.
You sound scared and stupid
Rooney
December 28th, 2012
8:13 am
I thought Ray Drew was supposed to be an impact player as a freshman. Now he’s going to be at least a junior before he ever sees the field.
Fools Gold
December 28th, 2012
8:16 am
Who has this Dream Team beaten of significance other than Florida which is going to a BCS bowl? UGA still lacks big time in the trenches. Getting pummeled by South Carolina was also very embarrassing this year. Bright spot is that Gardner has left .
funny...
December 28th, 2012
8:50 am
118 teams out of 120 miss out on a shot to play for the National Title.
Some of you need to find the good in an 11-2 season. It’s super rare to be able to handle all the teams on your schedule. I hate to quote Cowherd but at least just give me a shot. There were 12 SEC teams this year that didn’t even have a shot. Alabama and Georgia. That’s it.
Georgia, though they’ve lost both, has at least been there the last two years. And that’s all you can ask for. Did anyone really think last years team would touch LSU? Did anyone think that Georgia would even match up against Alabama? Not really. Hell, CBS acted annoyed that they were even playing the game.
…and I still can’t get over the idiot that said “Champayne” LOL, and then proceeded with the a double money sign
DawgFan
December 28th, 2012
9:05 am
Is that Fools Gold or Golds Fool. Tech trolls here for their daily embarrassment. 11 of 12, 4 in a row. We play for the Sec Championship which even Tech trolls would have to admit is the 2nd most important game of the year if not the most important. Tech plays for unrealized pride. To hell with those losers
Go Dawgs. While the dream team may not wind being all they could be they have certainly contributed to Dawgs being relevant and thus are DGD. Looking forward to Capital One game and next season can be a good one as we reload on defense.
UGA = DUMB
December 28th, 2012
9:07 am
LSU’s 2010 recruiting class will be 24-3 after Clemson beatdown…won SECCG…remember???…dream team…what a joke…
jalex49
December 28th, 2012
9:12 am
Best of luck against Nebraska. Georgia better not take them lighly. They are very capable of defeating Georgia with their running QB and rushing attack. It would really suck if Georgia loses this bowl game!
I really believe that Georgia can win but they must be focused, play their hearts out and not let Nebraska run as Alabama did on them.
Thanks to all the recruits that signed with Georgia and your contributions have been outstanding.
To the recruits considering Georgia, you have a place at Georgia and remember, god forbid an inury is substained you will not have too worry about losing your scholarship.
I hope more Georgia players will begin to sign with Georgia and Georgia colleges. It amazing how some of the top teams would not be where they are without players from Georgia ?
DawgFan
December 28th, 2012
9:14 am
Hey UGAY what team do you pull for (or on if you prefer)? I’m sure it’s one with pretty uniforms and that has a top notch Interior Decorating degree. You dumbass trolls aren’t going to ruin this great season the Dawgs have had. We play relevant games that effect National Rankings and we play in the best by far conference in the country so it is real tough to even win the division. Keep the great articles about our team coming.
UGA = DUMB
December 28th, 2012
9:19 am
Gotta admit…it takes a committed loser to celebrate a loss the way Georgia has…just 5 yards short!!!…thank goodness it wasn’t less than a yard short, you losers would have had a parade…pathetic….
UGA = DUMB
December 28th, 2012
9:22 am
We play relevant games that effect National Rankings
+++++++++++++++++++++
substitute the word “play” for “lose” and that statement would be more accurate…
LogicalUS
December 28th, 2012
9:28 am
“Interesting spin on story when 1/3 of the class has left the team”
This is disney dawgland where everything is ALWAYS a “Dream”.
Reality is that class has had NOTHING to do with the UGA wins for the last two seasons…it is lucky to have coincided with two of the weakest SEC conference schedules for UGA in over three decades.
Any number of teams over the past three years have had much more impressive “Dream Teams” including in the SEC like Bama, LSU, and hades even SC.
DawgFan
December 28th, 2012
9:28 am
How bout you DUMB, you got a team? If you are not a Bama fan or Irish the shut your nerdy trap and go pound sand. Taking crap from other teams loser fans doesn’t bother us.
UGA = DUMB
December 28th, 2012
9:38 am
hey dawgfan, the article is about the “dream team”, not my team…
WDE
December 28th, 2012
9:38 am
Any team that can say they have only 3 regular season losses in two years is doing just fine throw in back to back SEC East titles and there is really only one team in the nation that can top that and that is Bama and hey even they didn’t win back to back SEC West titles. And beating UF,the Barn , UT and Bug U two years running is a HOOT ! Keep up the good work !
DawgFan
December 28th, 2012
9:41 am
UGAY may be right about Dawg fans having a false sense of superiority. You would too if you spend much time around Tech fans. Every time I’m around a tech mite my self esteem skyrockets and I steal his date, much to her relief.
Buckeye David
December 28th, 2012
9:48 am
It never ceases to amaze me reading the vitriolic garbage that idiots post on these boards. I am not even a Georgia fan, but they are very good program that came just short of playing for (and probably winning) a national championship. Lots of anonymous trolls out there who have severe problems.
UGA = DUMB
December 28th, 2012
9:53 am
Hey Buckeye David…take a hike…
DawgFan
December 28th, 2012
9:54 am
Just curious DUMB. Guess you aren’t too proud of your team.
As for the Dream Team I count 9 so far who have contributed to wins and another 10 who still have a good shot to be great players, most of these with still 3 yrs to play. Far from a flop recruiting class. 5 are already stars in the top conference in the country. As I said maybe they don’t live up to all the hype but they are really good players. Would have been even better if it had been knucklehead free but the ones who are gone probably watched the Sec Championship game with lots of regret they weren’t there.
DawgFan
December 28th, 2012
9:57 am
Buckeye David is welcome to our site
UGA = DUMB
December 28th, 2012
10:02 am
who are the 5 stars???
WDE
December 28th, 2012
10:10 am
Buckeye David thanks for the classy comments !
DP
December 28th, 2012
10:39 am
It appears to me that the UGA boosters on the AJC staff (CT and MC) are the ones who won’t let this silly “Dream Team” label die. It’s a meaningless marketing slogan by UGA that asks for loyalty from the top in state recruits that Georgia wants. But if there are out of state players at a position that Georgia likes better than the top in state kids, like Gurley and Marshall at running back last year, then the in state kids can find somewhere else to go.
23 SEC Titles
December 28th, 2012
10:43 am
Wear those SEC (L)East rings with pride……
DawgFan
December 28th, 2012
10:47 am
Think the midget QB will start to throw the ball to Rome….just a little?
Geez.