Georgia recruiting tidbits

The bottom line

Locally, Georgia’s 2012 recruiting will be perceived as a disappointment. That’s especially true considering the drama surrounding Josh Harvey-Clemons, who told a national TV audience he was headed to UGA, but at the end of the business day had not sent in his letter-of-intent. Yet Georgia’s class was included in the top 20 national rankings of the four major recruiting services, with a high of No. 5 from ESPN and a low of 19 from Rivals. That’s not bad considering the Bulldogs finished the day with only 18 signed letters-of-intent, or seven below the NCAA maximum.

“I think recruiting rankings are way overrated,” coach Mark Richt said. “I don’t get too caught up in that.”

Georgia signed four outside linebackers, three offensive linemen, two tailbacks, two defensive tackles, one defensive back, one wide receiver, one fullback, one tight end, one quarterback, one place-kicker and one punter.

“I feel like we were able to meet our leads,” recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner said. “I think we covered everything across the board. ... We’re really excited about where we’re at.”

The hits

Georgia landed two prospects who garnered five-star ratings from at least one of the national recruiting services — offensive tackle John Theus of Jacksonville and running back Keith Marshall of Raleigh. They also landed the top-rated players from four states, based on various rankings — Theus (Florida), Marshall (North Carolina), outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins (Georgia) and cornerback Sheldon Dawson (Tennessee).

The misses

The Bulldogs missed out on two of the uncommitted prospects they were waiting on — wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson of Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, who went to Tennessee, and offensive tackle Avery Young of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., who went to Auburn. That could go to three, depending on the ultimate outcome of the Harvey-Clemons saga, who may end up at Florida.

The Bulldogs failed on all but one of their attempts to get a committed recruit to change his mind. Tucker defensive end Josh Dawson signed with UGA after being committed to Vanderbilt for months. But Cedar Grove offensive lineman Brandon Greene (Alabama) and Sandy Creek wide receiver JaQuay Williams (Auburn) stuck with their original pledges.

Among friends

Georgia lost some other battles well before signing day. AJC Super 11 linebacker Dillon Lee, whose brother, Dallas Lee, plays offensive line for the Bulldogs, is an early enrollee at Alabama. Another linebacker target, Markuss Eligwe of Stone Mountain, signed with FSU. Georgia’s first commitment of the 2012 class, wide receiver C.J. Curry of Flowery Branch, signed with Oklahoma State.

Filling holes

In addition to aforementioned players who will make an immediate impact, such as Theus, Marshall and Jenkins, Georgia secured several other players who are expected to play right away. They include fullback Quayvon Hicks, wide receiver Blake Tibbs, kicker Marshall Morgan and punter Collin Barber.

The Bulldogs could have used at least two more offensive linemen and another wide receiver, and they did not sign an inside linebacker.

In-state success

Typically UGA’s recruiting classes consist of two-thirds to three-quarters Georgians. But only 10 of the Bulldogs’ 18 signees come from in-state. Depending on the outcome of the Harvey-Clemons, UGA managed to get the best of the best in most cases, including Jenkins, John Atkins, Leonard Floyd and Jonathan Taylor.

Out-of-state success

Conversely, Georgia racked up out of state this year, getting the top two running backs in the state of North Carolina (Marshall and Todd Gurley) and impact players from five other states.

“The bottom line is we’re trying to find the very best players, period,” Richt said. “We know we have one of the greatest states in the country to recruit football. ... Our philosophy is, if you go out of state, they better be special.

Did you know?

Marshall is a rare find in that his grade-point average is higher than his 40-yard dash time, a testament to his ability in both disciplines. He verified Wednesday that he graduated with a 4.31 GPA and has recorded times of 4.22 seconds and 4.25 seconds in the 40.