(Check out the video above. Bellamy talks about “Negative Recruiting” tactics that colleges used against UGA. And did UGA ever say any bad things about the competition to gain an advantage? Did it go both ways? We asked)
Dalvin Bellamy salvaged signing day for UGA.
After UGA watched every other one of its big-name targets put on baseball caps of competing schools, the Chamblee High School defensive end provided some good news by picking the Bulldogs over Tennessee.
Bellamy had lots of twists and turns in his recruiting process. He originally committed early to Florida State but backed off on the Seminoles after the two assistants that recruited him there took jobs at other schools.
After Garner was hired away by Auburn in mid-December, Bellamy decided to give UGA another chance, and the rest is history.
Bellamy talked about his recruiting to the AJC:
What’s the funniest thing that happened on a college visit? “When I went to Tennessee, they had this big rock, and kids had painted my name and Carl Lawson’s name and some of the other recruits on it. We’re all thinking ‘OK, this is a little gig y’all got at Tennessee.’ But the Tennessee coaches promised that they did not do this. They said, ‘We did not do this. This is crazy. No (recruits) have ever had the fans write their names on the rock.’ We thought it was kind of funny and were like, ‘Coach, why are you playing? We know you wrote it.’ I took a picture next to the rock, leaned on it, and my hand got wet. I was thinking ‘OK, you just did this before we came.’ The coaches denied it. So I go back to school on Monday, get on the Internet and read that some kids had been suspended for vandalism and writing on the rock. I guess that really showed the fans’ dedication for them to put their education on the line just to show how much they wanted (recruits).”
Funniest thing a coach said to you? “I was on the phone with Coach Jones two days before signing day. We had a great conversation for like 15 minutes. So I hang up, and then he calls me back 10 seconds late. He said ‘Hey, I forgot something.’ I said ‘What’s that, coach?’ He said ‘I love you.’ That was good story. That’s why I saw Tennessee was a hard organization to turn down. Those fans supported me, and Coach Jones is a great guy.”
Biggest recruiting rumor about you that was untrue? “The persona. I guess a lot of people thought I was this prima donna, which I wasn’t. They thought I was doing things for attention, especially when I went to Oregon. People thought I was a (bad kid), which I’m not. You can ask my teachers and everybody who knows me. Those two things are not part of my character at all. I always put my team first. I don’t want to be labeled as a (bad kid) because I’m not.”
Biggest secret? "I don't really have any secrets. The recruiting was done kind of openly. I tried to do every interview I could. I wouldn't say there were a lot of secrets, except on my Georgia visit I kind of committed to them once they promised me No. 17 and (defensive coordinator Todd Grantham) promised me he was going to be there -- I guess, it was two weeks before signing day. That's the biggest secret I can think of."
Which school finished runner-up to UGA? “It was definitely Tennessee. That was definitely an organization that was hard to say no to. Coach Butch Jones (and the assistants), they were great guys. Tennessee was one of my best official visits. I felt wanted there. I felt like that was a program where I could go into and help, and compete for early playing time. But I felt like I made the best decision for me with UGA.”
Which non-UGA coach was the nicest? “I’m going to give it to … it’s kind of tough. When I got it down the first time to FSU and Vanderbilt, (James Franklin) was my guy. We had a good relationship. After that, I would say Coach Butch Jones was by far the nicest guy. He came across as a people person. My mom loved him, everybody loved him. And he’s just a great guy. He really knows how to connect to his players.”
Which coach was not so nice? “Well, I never talked to the Clemson coach, Dabo Swinney – even though they were recruiting me hard after I opened it back up. But I wouldn’t say any of them are bad guys. I felt like the schools that really wanted me, the head coaches reached out to me more to develop a relationship. All the coaches I developed relationships with, they were pretty good. I can’t say bad things about them to this day. I still think Jimbo is a great guy, and look at what Coach Franklin is doing with that program. Coach Butch Jones, I just wish him the best of luck.”
What’s one NCAA rule you would change about recruiting? “I’d allow coaches to send text messages to recruits. I don’t want to say kids don’t like talking on the phone to coaches. But we’re just in an era where we’ve got so much going on. I would almost be getting phone calls in class and at church – just different odd parts of the day when text messaging would’ve been so much easier. I think unlimited text messaging would really help a lot of recruiters. Once a coach calls you, and you don’t pick up, they will call you three more times in the next four minutes. It can get a little annoying. I think text messaging would be pretty good.”
Which college would you have considered more if they had shown serious interest earlier? “Definitely I would say Oregon. I really liked Oregon. I think the thing was just the distance. Maybe if they would have come into contact a little earlier, we would’ve built the relationship where I would’ve trusted them enough to go across country from home. I would say that’s the only school.”
But even if you had built an early relationship with Oregon, its head coach ended up leaving? “True. Like I say, everything works in God’s favor, and I’m glad where I’m at right now (at UGA).”
In BYU, Georgia Tech will face a defense that is one of the toughest in the nation to score against and has a playmaking force in outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
Tailback J.J. Green said he can’t say for sure how many times he has heard “you’re one play away from playing” from Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and running backs coach Bryan McClendon.
Here is a clue that your trip to sunny south Florida may not be a carefree vacation: You’re a football team, and you lose one of your starters during warm-ups.
If nothing else, Georgia has ensured at least one thing about its season. Regardless of where the rest of the schedule takes them, whether its to an SEC championship, a BCS bowl bid or a national title, there will be no claims from outsiders that this team received too many breaks and escaped health issues, no suggestions that the road to success was lined with lollipops and unicorns.
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