UGA has more one spot left for an offensive lineman in this year’s recruiting class.
And Nick Buchanan, a 3-star from Dunwoody High School, hasn't decided yet whether or not if he will take the final scholarship.
Buchanan, who is committed to Cal, took an official visit to UGA this weekend. And before he left campus on Sunday, Buchanan had a candid conversation with Mark Richt about his situation.
“He (Richt) didn’t put pressure on me to commit, but he let me know exactly what was going on,” Buchanan told the AJC.
“He said they have a guy coming in for a midweek visit. He said there is one more spot left because Sam Madden (an offensive lineman from New Jersey) has committed. He said they’re trying to take five, and they already have four. He said because Sam committed, there’s one spot left and they have a midweek guy coming in.
“Coach Richt told me that so I could be aware of the situation. He said if I take another visit next weekend and the midweek guy commits to UGA, then I wouldn’t have a spot there.
“I mean, if that’s what happens, then that’s what happens.”
OL Nick Buchanan
Officially, Buchanan says he is still “100-percent committed” to Cal, and he talked to the Cal coaches on Sunday after returning from UGA.
What’s next for Buchanan? He will take an official visit to either South Carolina, Florida and Penn State next weekend. “It’s going to be one of those schools. I’m going to think about it until Tuesday or Wednesday, and then decide.”
Buchanan, who got a late offer from UGA two weeks ago, enjoyed his visit with the Bulldogs and ranked it as a “eight or nine” on a scale of 1-10.
“Coach Richt, he didn’t really say anything that I haven’t heard him say before,” Buchanan said. “My favorite part was probably the weight-room presentation that (strength coach Mark Hocke) did.
“That was pretty nice. He came in and he had a whole bunch of energy. He really gets you amped up to work out. With Coach Hocke, every thing is a competition. It’s going to be hard work, but he really brings out the best in you.”
Dunwoody is a hotbed for UGA fans, and there was speculation that Buchanan would commit by the end of his visit. He admitted that he thought about it.
“Yes, I did,” Buchanan said. “I came into the weekend knowing what was going to happen because I’ve been on an official visit to a college before. I know how it works. So I knew it was going to happen. Of course, you’re going to think about committing.
“Everything that happens on the official visit builds up to trying to get you to commit. So I mean, I kind of knew going in what was going to happen so nothing was a shock.”
Buchanan, who is rated as the state’s No. 213 overall prospect, was appreciative of Richt’s candor on his status at UGA. He’s still processing everything less than 10 days for signing day.
“It’s a just a business. I don’t take it to heart. They’ve got a job to do. They are protecting their future, just like I am protecting mine. So if the other guy commits in the middle of this week, then that means it wasn’t meant to be for me at Georgia. So I would just move on if that happened.”
Note: UGA has 26 commitments, including three listed as offensive linemen: Madden, Marist's Sage Hardin and DeVondre Seymour of Hinds junior college. What about the four that Buchanan mentioned? That's unclear. Either UGA has a current commitment at another position that will shift to another position in college, a "secret" commitment that only UGA knows about (Patrick Allen?) or Buchanan simply heard it wrong. Whatever the case, the most important thing to know out of all of that is that Buchanan has first-refusal on the UGA offer until another OL target arrives in the middle of this week. And who is the midweek visitor? Buchanan said he did not know.
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