AJC > Sports > Football Recruiting > Blog > Archives > 2009 > January > 07 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USWith Rodney Garner staying at UGA, Indiana DE quickly commits to Bulldogs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Categories
Rodney Garner’s decision to remain as Georgia’s recruiting coordinator is benefitting the Bulldogs.
Defensive end Montez Robinson of Avon, Ind., called Garner on Tuesday to commit to Georgia over Auburn and Alabama. Robinson told the AJC he wouldn’t have made that same call if Garner had taken another job at Tennessee.
“I still might’ve picked Georgia in the end, but I wouldn’t have decided then [Tuesday], that’s for sure,” Robinson said. “Coach Garner has had a big influence on my recruiting, and it meant a lot to me when he said he was going to stay at Georgia.”
“That says a lot about [Garner], that other schools wanted him. That also says a lot for Georgia, that he decided to stay with a great program.”
What if Garner had left? “I’d still consider Georgia, but I would’ve wanted to know why [Garner] left. Then, like anyone else, I would’ve waited to see who they would’ve hired to replace him, and then make my decision from there.
“Fortunately [Garner] is staying and I don’t have to worry about it. It’s over, and I’m a Georgia Bulldog.” Garner also coaches UGA’s defensive linemen and will be Robinson’s position coach.
Ironically, Robinson has already taken an official visit to Georgia, but it was in late November when he was still committed to Auburn. Georgia coach Mark Richt didn’t put a lot of pressure on Robinson at the time, telling him “if you ever decide to change, we’ve got a place for you. And we’ll hold that scholarship until signing day for you.”
Robinson backed away from his Auburn commitment after the coaching change. Does he plan to visit Georgia again this month? “No, I saw all I needed to see when I was there last time. I’m going to stay here and focus on my grades.”
One final question: Why would an Indiana player be so interested in the SEC? It turns out that Robinson spent part of his childhood in Alabama. “I lived there for four years, but that was long enough to see that the SEC has the best college football in the world.”
Georgia also got some huge news on Monday when Lowndes two-way standout Greg Reid said he will take an official visit to Athens on Jan. 30.
Meanwhile, other Georgia recruits have been trying to recruit tight end Orson Charles.
Robinson is commitment No. 18 for Georgia, which is expected to sign no more than 20 players for its 2009 recruiting class. That number could change with attrition among Georgia players: Players leaving early for the NFL, players transferring to other schools, players quitting football because of medical reasons, etc.
Permalink | Comments (54) | Post your comment | Categories: Alabama, Auburn, UGA
Services »
Comments
By Joe Law
January 6, 2009 9:29 PM | Link to this
Great choice Montez! We can’t wait to get you to Athens. Good luck with your academics and Happy New Year my man!
By Guyana Dawg
January 6, 2009 9:48 PM | Link to this
Yo
By The Big Bug
January 6, 2009 9:49 PM | Link to this
Middle of the pack conference, middle of the conference football, bottom of the pack academics.
By BullDawg Rick
January 6, 2009 9:56 PM | Link to this
Montez.. Welcome to the BullDawg Nation!! Coach Garner & Coach Richt will lead you by good Christian example..
By DAP01
January 6, 2009 9:59 PM | Link to this
Hey, The Big Bug: Go to your own blog. Oh I am sorry, there is not a lot of recruiting new going on at Tech. Oh well, your break should be ending soon.
By The Big Dawg
January 6, 2009 10:00 PM | Link to this
To the big bug, I’d be jealous too if I were unfortunate enough to be a gtu fan.
By st simons
January 6, 2009 10:02 PM | Link to this
45 to 42 hahaha! go TECH
By VMIKeydet01
January 6, 2009 10:06 PM | Link to this
Former D1-AA player here, master at UGA now. Great school, academics and you are playing football for great men of faith..they will teach more about life than just football when you look back in 7 to 10 years.
By GATORBAIT
January 6, 2009 10:08 PM | Link to this
Montez enjoy watching the Gators on Thursday. You will always be looking up to the mighty gators- 2 national championships in the last 3 years?? I guess UGA is better than playing for IU but cmon Montez, going to the Capital One Bowl etc on a regular basis shouldn’t get you that excited.
By dandydawg
January 6, 2009 10:09 PM | Link to this
45 -42… wow! Try seven out of the last 8. I would rather be wearing the Red and Black!
By GATORBAIT
January 6, 2009 10:10 PM | Link to this
Montez enjoy watching the Gators on Thursday. You will always be looking up to the mighty gators- 2 national championships in the last 3 years?? I guess UGA is better than playing for IU but cmon Montez, going to the Capital One Bowl etc on a regular basis shouldn’t get you that excited.
By BravesAreDone
January 6, 2009 10:10 PM | Link to this
I’m changing my opinion on the Willie Martinez thing. The way Richt handles his coaching staff is fantastic for Georgia football.
By st simons is pathetic
January 6, 2009 10:12 PM | Link to this
st simons how do you like these numbers 31-17 51-7 34-17 19-13 14-7 37-15 31-17 You had to finally win one sometimes, we go back to handing you your yearly beatdowns in November.
It will always be 6:09 at gtu.
THWGT
By 89Eagle
January 6, 2009 10:15 PM | Link to this
Great choice Montez welcome to FSU oh I mean uga.
By Tim
January 6, 2009 10:40 PM | Link to this
You Tech guys crack me up. I thought y’all were good at Math. You guys think 3 wins in 17 years is something to cheer about.
I sure would love it if Reid committed to UGA.
By MoDawg (256-160)
January 6, 2009 10:49 PM | Link to this
The Big Bug The ACC had 10 chances in their bowls and came up with 4 wins and 6 losses, not to mention the head-to-head with the “middle of the pack conference” SEC. Ha, ha, ha!!
st simons Since you like posting scores, check this one out. 256-160. That’s the total points scored between UGA and GT since 2000. Advantage UGA. Here’s another score for ya’ - 38-3. Keep laughing, I am!!
By NATS
January 6, 2009 10:55 PM | Link to this
Only thing better than 67-62? 45-42.
Panties
By Larry
January 6, 2009 10:56 PM | Link to this
Big Bug,
The SEC is a “middle of the pack conference”? How many times has the SEC won the national championship this decade?
Middle of the conference football? UGA has won a conference championship this decade, unlike Tech
Bottom of the pack academics? You obviously have not done your research.
Keep showing the world why Tech fans are idiots.
By Halsey
January 6, 2009 11:02 PM | Link to this
Wow, UGA is having a really nice offseason so far. For a while it looked like a disappointing season might turn into a bad offseason.
By georgiagirl
January 6, 2009 11:05 PM | Link to this
So busy buying rings, forgot about the bowl game. LSU 38 GA TECH 3 Karma baby karma baby GO DAWGS LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Matt
January 6, 2009 11:12 PM | Link to this
Hey Big Bug, here’s something that will make you feel good…not. They just mentioned on ESPN that you have something in common with Ball State. The biggest lopsided losses this bowl season!!
By Yellow Jacket for Life
January 6, 2009 11:12 PM | Link to this
TO ALL YELLOW JACKET FANS: Don’t worry about what the racist “Walmart” Dawg fans are saying about the young men being recruited by that school in Athens. Let’s focus on our own team. We had a great season and we need to build on that! And who cares about the conference. True fans cheer for their team and their team only.
By 'ol dawg
January 6, 2009 11:13 PM | Link to this
Hey Gatorbait, What bowl did you play in last year and who was that team that beat your “arsses”? Oh yea, it was a Big Ten team, a conference that has yet to beat UGA in a bowl game. The big M handled you pretty well. We played in the SUGAR BOWL last year, if you recall. Won big, too. Or can you remember last year? Anyway, I will be pulling for you on Thursday, even if it is sour grapes. Don’t embarass the SEC! One bad sign is that you are counting a NC that you have yet to win, and once you do, you have to be voted NC. That is bad luck, so why don’t you print a retraction of that premature prediction. Be a man. Admit you are just stupid!
By Yellow Jacket for Life
January 6, 2009 11:14 PM | Link to this
TO ALL YELLOW JACKET FANS: Don’t worry about what the racist “Walmart” Dawg fans are saying about the young men being recruited by that school in Athens. Let’s focus on our own team. We had a great season and we need to build on that! And who cares about the conference. True fans cheer for their team and their team only.
By Nick
January 6, 2009 11:31 PM | Link to this
We need these athletes to step up big. Reports tonight out of Athens is Stafford and Moreno will be declaring for the draft tomorrow. They will be missed. It’s time for Joe Cox to step up and be the leader.
By The Big Bug
January 6, 2009 11:49 PM | Link to this
Larry,Why do you have to play the “decade” card to make the SEC and GA look decent? Why don’t we go back to 1900? You are not going to pretend GA academics are on par with Tech’s and make yourself look even more idiotic are you?
MoDawg, The ACC had 10 teams in bowls. Most in NCAA history. You are correct.
Montez, Don’t drop the soap.
By He Hate Gator
January 6, 2009 11:50 PM | Link to this
Gatorbait, what was the score in the previous Capital One Bowl? and what team was the loser?…hmmm
By P
January 7, 2009 12:18 AM | Link to this
Actually, the incoming freshmen classes at UGA have been very similar to GT in recent years in GPA and SAT scores… hard to cope with, I understand.
Anyway, I really hope we land Reid and help shore up the secondary for the next few years. Jawanza Starling from Tallahassee is a top 5 safety and will end up in Athens also.
Then maybe we can close with Marlon Brown and some small WR with good moves (Wooten, Carroll, Richardson) and have a FANTASTIC recruiting class.
Jarvis Jones and Orson Charles are LONG shots (Jarvis more so than Orson), but stranger things have happened!
By roswell dad
January 7, 2009 12:40 AM | Link to this
Another beat down like LSU laid on the bees and the man will come with the, “THANK GOD AND GREYHOUND” that the coach is gone again. The guy about wore that one out. Bees won’t be under the radar and slipping up on people next year. 7 out of 8 losers and the bees are talking crap. Florida State won’t fumble at the 2 next year going in for the winner, and the Dawgs won’t go to sleep in the 2nd half when they have the game well in hand. Happened once, won’t happen again.
By roswell dad
January 7, 2009 12:44 AM | Link to this
Another beat down like LSU laid on the bees and the man will come with the, “THANK GOD AND GREYHOUND” that the coach is gone again. The guy about wore that one out. Bees won’t be under the radar and slipping up on people next year. 7 out of 8 losers and the bees are talking crap. Florida State won’t fumble at the 2 next year going in for the winner, and the Dawgs won’t go to sleep in the 2nd half when they have the game well in hand. Happened once, won’t happen again.
By Sven Ottke
January 7, 2009 12:45 AM | Link to this
Uh actually P, they aren’t. Tech is head and shoulders over UGa. 75% of UGa’s athletic admits are special cases while it’s 6% at Tech. Truly pathetic. And your pie in the sky Terry School of Business……ranks behind Tech’s Management School now. Sweet victory! Football and now Hoops. Grovel Dogs, grovel!
By Please stop it.
January 7, 2009 1:22 AM | Link to this
GT fans just want to feel like they belong. A program that consistently wins 7 or 8 games. They had 9 wins this year and that’s great by their standards. A program that has not won 10 games in 10 years. A program that has not won the conference in recent memory. A program that has never sniffed a BCS bowl or a top 10 finish in recent memory. A program that is stoked about a 9 win season and a rare win over UGA. You can’t blame the Techsters for putting so much stock into this year’s win because they know that they’re hard to come by. It’s the little brother mentality. Tech won their bowl game versus UGA (LOL), went crazy, ordered rings and forgot to show up to play the LSU Tigers. 38-3
By pho
January 7, 2009 8:07 AM | Link to this
sven, u stupid there’s no program in country that admits 75% special cases, most are a handful every recruiting class
By Sautee Dawg
January 7, 2009 8:16 AM | Link to this
ACC don’t matter how many bowl games you play if you can’t win in them. If it weren’t for being put there by contract with the BCS ACC wouldn’t have even made it to a major bowl, VT played because of that contract. If not They would have been playing in the Chikin Biscuit bowl instead GA. Tech. And GA. Tech would have been back on the blue carpet. SEC wen’t to 10 bowls in 07 and won 7 out of those 10. Whenever your conference can compete at this level, then you can consider yourself a major conference. If you need more evidence just watch the game thursday night. SEC may win for the 3rd year in a row. Just some histiory for you last time that happened 78 Alabama, 79 Alabama, 80 UGA. BTW those 7 bowl wins in 2007 by SEC was the best in bowl history. Tech fans need to get out the history books and records before jumping on the conference bandwagon.
By st simons
January 7, 2009 9:23 AM | Link to this
67 to 62 hahhahaha! go TECH
By PBR=America in a can
January 7, 2009 9:26 AM | Link to this
Gaytorbait Didn’t Florida play in the Capital One bowl and lose to Michigan????
By mountain dawg
January 7, 2009 9:50 AM | Link to this
i would never pull for florida or ga.yuck even if they were playing a yeam from iraq.
By snellville_dawg
January 7, 2009 10:00 AM | Link to this
Hey Tech Geeks,
This is a football blog. If you f* want to talk about academics, go over to ImAVirginGeek.com with the rest of your boys.
By DDT
January 7, 2009 10:11 AM | Link to this
By The Big Bug
January 6, 2009 9:49 PM | Link to this
Middle of the pack conference, middle of the conference football, bottom of the pack academics.
You gotta hand it to The Big Bug. He takes his responsibility as the blog village idiot seriously.
By Sam
January 7, 2009 10:14 AM | Link to this
By Please stop it.
January 7, 2009 1:22 AM | Link to this
GT fans just want to feel like they belong. A program that consistently wins 7 or 8 games. They had 9 wins this year and that’s great by their standards. A program that has not won 10 games in 10 years. A program that has not won the conference in recent memory. A program that has never sniffed a BCS bowl or a top 10 finish in recent memory. A program that is stoked about a 9 win season and a rare win over UGA. You can’t blame the Techsters for putting so much stock into this year’s win because they know that they’re hard to come by. It’s the little brother mentality. Tech won their bowl game versus UGA (LOL), went crazy, ordered rings and forgot to show up to play the LSU Tigers. 38-3
That’s Tech in a nutshell. Great synopsis.
By st simons
January 7, 2009 10:39 AM | Link to this
maybe ga can beat Tech in gymnastics!! hahahaha
By Graham
January 7, 2009 10:47 AM | Link to this
Big Bug,
Do you have anything to back up your middle of the pack conference, academics and team?
This year the SEC has the 2nd highest winning percentage of 11 conferences (ACC was 9th). Last year SEC was 3rd of 11 (ACC was 9th) and has the highest average over the last two years of all conferences - hardly middle of the pack.
Academics. In the SEC, I would rank Georgia’s academics third out of 12 schools. That would be in the top 25% and of our conference and not middle of the pack.
And, Georgia’s win percentage was 3rd among SEC teams. Could have been better, but certainly not middle of the pack.
By MoDawg (a.k.a. 256-160)
January 7, 2009 12:12 PM | Link to this
st simons
256-160. Glad you’re still laughing, because I am too.
By st simons
January 7, 2009 12:37 PM | Link to this
i hope moreno and stafford don’t go pro so Tech can kick their butts again!! hahahahahahaha
By Okefenokee Dawgs
January 7, 2009 12:56 PM | Link to this
I just don’t believe that they would let a Tech fan on St Simons. If so, someone must have been asleep at the switch.
By MoDawg (a.k.a. 256-160)
January 7, 2009 1:01 PM | Link to this
Stafford is 2-1 against the gnats and Moreno is 1-1.
You won by 3 for the first time in 8 years. How is that kicking anyone’s butt?
256-160, 7-1, 38-3, now that’s funny. Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha!!!!
By st simons
January 7, 2009 1:10 PM | Link to this
GO gym Dawgs!!! hahahahahahahahahahaha 45 to 42
By jjjj
January 7, 2009 2:03 PM | Link to this
yea, right, coach Gardner is all it took. When is the tooth fairy visting.
By baddog
January 7, 2009 4:04 PM | Link to this
preseason #1 in the nation end of the year #2 in the state so far to fall.I do think uga led the nation in arrest again this year.Too bad Stafford & Moreno will be remembered for loosing to GT.
By P
January 7, 2009 10:13 PM | Link to this
yes they will be known for “loosing”… nice work, genius.
By Paul The Vol
January 8, 2009 12:51 PM | Link to this
Hey Garner - good call about staying at UGA. With so many of Willie Martinez’s coaches get promoted to other jobs you should be the D-coordinator at a major school any time now. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
By BIGBEE
January 8, 2009 3:24 PM | Link to this
Hey BIGBUG, don’t pee in their cornflakes anymore. They just cannot get over the last game. Now they are the ones living in the past.
By Burning Red
January 8, 2009 4:39 PM | Link to this
tech sucks so bad you guys won one game in the last 8 years 3 out of the last whatever it is, st simons i dominated by dawg fans most tech fans i see over there are at least 60 they suck too because they drive so slow, go wear some socks with your sandals geeks
By drinkinhaterade
January 10, 2009 10:08 PM | Link to this
Bigbug, dont make another name and then refer to yourself. It’s really sad. Go Dawgs!!