THE BOTTOM LINE
Including his time as a graduate assistant at Florida State, coach Mark Richt has been through about 30 national signing days. And while he didn’t say the one he endured Wednesday was the most eventful, he did it say it was as drama-filled as he has endured in quite a while.
The Georgia coaches hadn’t even flipped on the lights in the Butts-Mehre Building before that had already fallen victim to a flip, and then a series of mini-dramas played out through the day, with the Bulldogs coming out as winners in some and losers in some others.
“Yeah, I think there’s been a lot of emotion in this one,” Richt said during a mid-afternoon media address. “And it’s a large class, too. The more people you sign in the class, at times, the more drama you have.”
The Bulldogs entered the day hoping to sign as many as 31 players. Georgia already had eight prospects come in as midyear enrollees, which it is able to count toward last year’s class totals. But between 11th-hour flips and a couple of signing-day losses, the Bulldogs came up short of their goal.
Which is not to say it has been a bad year. The 247Sports.com composite rankings listed Georgia in the top 10 nationally, with at least one prospect’s decision still outstanding.
“The reality is they needed help at defensive line, and they got it immediately,” said Rusty Mansell, a recruiting analyst for 247Sports.com. “They needed depth in the secondary and they got it immediately. They needed some offensive linemen and they got four guys in this group.
“I think it’s a very good class. If you look at it, they got bigger and longer, specifically on defense and in the secondary. They got different guys with different frames than what they’ve got on campus currently.”
THE HITS
The Bulldogs’ day ended on a high note as five-star wide receiver Terry Godwin of Callaway High announced during a live ceremony on Fox Sports South. Godwin had members of his family turn around with words written on the back of their T-shirt that spelled out “still 100 % UGA.” Godwin had flirted heavily with Auburn toward the end of the recruiting period and was Georgia’s most important target at one of its most-needed positions. His announcement capped a day in which there was a lot of good news, much of it hidden by all the late drama.
One of the mysteries heading into Wednesday was what offensive lineman Patrick Allen would do. The 6-foot-5, 286-pound tackle from Reisterstown, Md., had decommitted from the Bulldogs after Mike Bobo and Will Friend left for Colorado State and went into the day considering Georgia, Florida and Penn State. The Bulldogs also scored victories Wednesday with defensive backs Rico McGraw (over Alabama) and Deandre Baker (over Texas)
Many of the biggest stars of the class — including defensive lineman Trent Thompson of Albany, the nation’s No. 1-rated recruit — committed to the Bulldogs months ago.
THE MISSES
Darius Slayton, a four-star receiver from Greater Atlanta Christian School and a longtime UGA commitment, announced via Twitter shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday that he was going to Auburn instead. The Bulldogs also held out hope they would be able to sway Dunwoody offensive lineman Nick Buchanan to stay close to home. But the longtime Cal commitment chose Florida at his early-afternoon ceremony Wednesday.
Those were just a couple of the big names the Bulldogs missed out on in the 11th hour. As ever, the state produced its usual bountiful crop of blue-chippers and many of them that UGA coveted went in other directions, including offensive linemen Chuma Edoga (USC) and Mitch Hyatt (Clemson), running back Taj Griffin (Oregon) and wide receiver Preston Williams (Tennessee)
IN-STATE SUCCESS
The meme is going to be that Georgia didn’t do very well at home. But that would probably look different if the Bulldogs hadn’t gotten so much of their good work inside the state done ahead of national signing day.
At least from a mathematical standpoint, it doesn’t appear as though Georgia did as well as it normally does in its own state. The Bulldogs missed on some major prospects from inside the borders and overall, but they landed some of the best of the best, especially when it comes to filling areas of need.
“If Georgia got (defensive linemen) Trent Thompson and Jonathan Ledbetter and (linebacker) Natrez Patrick today, people would be chest-bumping up and down Milledge (Avenue),” Mansell said. “That’s just the way it is. Those guys were committed for a long time so, right or wrong, those guys are just taken for granted. It’s all about today in recruiting, but Georgia had some very, very high-profile recruits sign.”
OUT-OF-STATE SUCCESS
The class features more out-of-state players than usual. UGA had as many signees from out of state (14) as it had from in the state. The Bulldogs brought in players from 10 states and from as far away as Arizona, Maryland and New Jersey.
“Well, we just want the best players,” Richt said. “If we go out of state we’re looking for some special people. But we’re still probably 60 (percent in-state). We’re normally around two-thirds Georgia. That’s about where we’re at this time around.”
Chuks Amaechi, a 6-3, 220-pound linebacker from Arizona Western Junior College by way of Avondale, Ariz., came the farthest away. The Bulldogs also got a rare signee from Louisiana (Michael Chigbu), got one of the best DBs in Tennessee (Rico McGraw) and their usual bounty out of Florida (three players)
FILLING HOLES
Georgia wanted defensive backs first and foremost and got them with eight. But the real punch in the class is in the trenches. The Bulldogs signed 10 players who play on the offensive or defensive line. And there was quality among that group.
The D-line recruits stood out, but while none of their four offensive linemen light up the national individual rankings, new line coach Rob Sale raved about getting the number and body type that he wanted.
“Five would have been even better, but we got four good football players,” he said. “I was at Alabama for five years, and I know what them suckers look like. You look for guys with measurables and these guys have them.”
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