ATHENS -- It’s unusual for Georgia to flip a verbally committed recruit from Georgia Tech these days. Extremely rare, in fact.
By all accounts, Griffin Scroggs’ switching from the Yellow Jackets to UGA on Thursday represented the first time in coach Kirby Smart’s tenure that the Bulldogs have executed such a reversal. And, according to Scroggs, it might be a good thing that it doesn’t happen more often.
The reaction, he said, was intense.
“It was a pretty crazy reaction from a lot of people, a lot of hate when I switched,” said Scoggs, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound offensive lineman from Grayson. “I don’t really listen to that crap anyway. Everybody has their opinion, I guess. But while there was a lot of hate that into it, there was a lot more love that came in from the Georgia fans.”
They call the Tech-Georgia rivalry “Clean Old-Fashioned Hate” for a reason. In this case, Scroggs just found himself right in the middle of it the past 48 hours or so.
The truth is, Scroggs always has been in the middle of the Tech-Georgia thing. His father, Greg, graduated from Tech. So, naturally, Dad was happy when his son committed to his alma mater June 21.
Credit: Courtesy of Griffin Scroggs
Credit: Courtesy of Griffin Scroggs
But Scroggs also is a fast-growing, rising football star who wants to major in finance while competing at the highest possible level. Georgia, he said, checked more boxes for him. So, when UGA came forward with a scholarship offer Aug. 1, Scroggs decommitted from Tech the next day and committed to the Bulldogs the day after that.
“I definitely wanted to stay in the state, and Georgia has as good of a business school as there is,” Scroggs said. “I want to do financial business, so that was huge. I also want to play SEC ball. So, I think that’s great that I’ll get to do that, and I’m very excited about it.”
The tipping point for the Scroggs family -- which includes his mother, Jackie Scroggs, a Florida alumna -- was attending the Bulldogs’ cookout recruiting event last weekend.
“That was fun,” Scroggs said. “I had a very good time and so did my family. We had a big conversation about it afterward, and we all agreed that Georgia was the best place for me.”
While Scroggs’ decision turned a lot of heads in state, it didn’t garner a lot of attention nationally. He is rated a 3-star recruit in the 247Sports Composite and ranks just 1,007th as a national prospect. A year ago, his scholarship offers included Wofford and Buffalo.
But recruiting analysts see Scroggs as a rapid riser. He has undergone significant physical growth and reshaped his body in the past two years under the guidance of trainers Willie Anderson and Boo Mitchell. He has done that while also anchoring the offensive line of back-to-back state champions in Buford and Grayson.
Scroggs is only the second 3-star prospect – and only offensive lineman -- to commit to the Bulldogs so far. They landed a pledge from Houston wide receiver Dillon Bell earlier this week. The 6-2, 205-pound Bell also earned an offer after recently displaying his skills for the Georgia staff. Those two recruits are 13th and 14th commitments for the Bulldogs’ class of 2022, which currently ranks No. 6 nationally in the 247Sports Composite. Campus visits ended with the calendar’s turn to August.
As for the new wrinkle of having a “Dawg” in the family, Scroggs said his father is adjusting quite well.
“He’s ecstatic,” Scroggs said.
