1. Bottom line – This was a successful recruiting year for Georgia. Never mind the late misses with some of the state's top prospects and elite out-of-state targets. The mere fact that the Bulldogs were able to replenish their roster with 32 football players – 13 of which are already enrolled and were participating in mat drills on Wednesday – makes it one of the better classes in America.
"You can't imagine how much work it takes to get that many guys to come in at the midyear," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "It starts with them, their families, their guidance counselors, the NCAA clearinghouse, our admissions staff. So many people have to jump in and do a great job to get that done and I thank everybody involved in that."
It could be argued that UGA's best overall prospects are among the midyear enrollees, including safety Tray Matthews, linebacker Reggie Carter and athlete Tramel Terry. It's the largest class signed in Richt's 13 years as Georgia's head coach, surpassing the 29-player class of 2002, and is thought to be the biggest in the 85-scholarship era.
But while it was large in quantity, it lacked some quality. The Bulldogs did not have a 5-star prospect among its new players. Georgia just two players among 247Sports.com’s Top 100 composite player rankings and they were Matthews at 79 and quarterback Brice Ramsey at 100. Georgia’s overall class earned a No. 10 national ranking from ESPN and Scout and No. 12 from 247Sports and Rivals.
“As far as I'm concerned, I think we got the No. 1 class in America,” Richt said.
--2. The hits: While Georgia whiffed on a lot of the most elite prospects, it did manage to land some very good football players. The Bulldogs corralled 14 recruits that garnered a 4-star ranking at their position from Rivals.com, many of whom could contribute as freshmen.
One of those is Tramel Terry of Goose Creek, S.C. The 5-11, 193-pounder is an early enrollee and signed with the Bulldogs as an “athlete.” But he said Wednesday he’ll be lining up as a wide receiver and getting a lot of work at tailback in what Georgia calls its “jet package.”
“I’m a hybrid; I can do both,” Terry said. “Georgia doesn’t have a player right now on offense where they can to the jet sweeps and things like that. I mean, they had that in Brandon Boykin and Branden Smith they used to take off defense. But we feel like I can do that on offense and they can move me around to do all kinds of things. I’m getting in the playbook now so I can be ready to do whatever I can.”
Terry had knee surgery on Jan. 4 after tearing his ACL in a high school all-star game. But he predicted he’ll be able to practice with his teammates by June has “no doubts” he’ll be ready to play the first game of the season.
--3. The misses: Georgia might have set an unofficial recruiting record for whiffs on elite recruits, especially in a year it had so many scholarships to offer. The Bulldogs' biggest miss was on 5-star offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil of Lake City, Fla. Georgia identified the 6-foot-6, 310-pounder as their No. 1 target at left tackle two years ago, told him as much and did not pursue any other prospects at the position. That came back to bite the Bulldogs at the end of the open recruiting period when Tunsil committed to Ole Miss the final week.
Georgia was further humiliated when it was jilted by Alpharetta tackle George Adeosun, its last-minute Plan B option. Adeosun, whose father attended UGA, chose Virginia over the Bulldogs.
--4. Among friends: It's notable that UGA never got a sniff from defensive linemen Robert Nkemdiche of Grayson, the state's consensus No. 1 prospect who went to Ole Miss, or Carl Lawson, who went to Auburn. Heralded defensive lineman Montravius Adams (Auburn), safety Vonn Bell (Ohio State) and tailback Alvin Kamara (Alabama) also went out of state. Georgia had a pretty good recruiting class, but it could have been great had it landed just a couple or few of those guys.
"I don't have any disappointment," Richt insisted. "We're going to be happy with whoever's here."
--5. Filling holes: Georgia brought in eight defensive backs and six linebackers, which was its two areas of greatest need. Georgia addressed its defensive line losses with four signees, including prep school transfer Johnathan Atkins and junior college transfer Chris Mayes, who will be counted on to competed.
The Bulldogs didn't secure the left tackle prospect they so desired but did land four other offensive linemen, led by Walton star Brandon Kublanow. Four wideouts, two running backs, two "athletes" and a quarterback round out the class.
--6. In-state success: The Bulldogs brought in 22 players from the state of Georgia, enough to fill an entire class in a normal recruiting year. There are many that figure to make early contributions. But some, such as quarterback Brice Ramsey, might not play for more than two years. Ramsey (6-3, 205) of Camden County, was rated the No. 37 prospect in the country, according to 247Sports.com. But he'll have to sit behind Aaron Murray and Hutson Mason for the next two seasons. Matthews, a safety out of Newnan, was the highest-rated prospect in the state the Dogs landed.
--7. Out-of-state success: UGA's philosophy under Richt has always been to recruit Georgia first, then try to pluck away some elite recruits from out-of-state. The Bulldogs signed 11 players from out of state this year, not including those with junior college or prep school addresses.
Six of those came from the state of Florida, including 4-star running back A.J. Turman of Orlando. Turman (6-foot, 198 pounds)ran for 1,245 yards and 15 touchdowns his senior season at Boone High Schoolut several analysts think the Bulldogs got "a steal" in Turman. Along with fellow signee Brendan Douglas, Georgia has only three scholarship tailbacks behind Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall, so there is a realistic possibility for playing time.
Wide receivers Jonathan Rumph (Cayce, S.C) and Reggie Davis (Tallahassee), cornerback Reggie Wilkinson (Citra, Fla.) and linebacker Tim Kimbrough (Indianapolis) could also get playing time.
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