A 15-year-old high school freshman from Griffin is waiting to hear back from Georgia about an unusually early scholarship offer in football.
Broadarius Hamm, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive lineman from Spalding High School who wears a size-18 shoe, made national headlines this week when it was reported that he got an early offer from UGA. Hamm’s story was featured by ESPN and on local TV stations because it’s rare when a college offers a freshman. He played both junior varsity and varsity as a freshman.
Spalding County coach Nick Davis told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that UGA defensive line coach Chris Wilson stopped by his school Monday and “informed me that ‘we’re going to offer (Hamm).’”
However, Davis and his prized prospect have yet to hear from UGA coach Mark Richt, who has a policy of being the person who officially offers a scholarship to recruits on behalf of the Bulldogs.
“We haven’t heard from coach Richt at this time,” Davis said. “The offer was given to (Hamm) via coach Wilson. It was a verbal offer, and not an official offer. He can’t get an official offer until coach Richt calls or he gets a letter.”
Richt could call Hamm or his coach at any time. Georgia can’t comment on prospective student-athletes because of NCAA rules.
“Everybody is putting it out there (as an official offer) from Georgia,” Davis said. “But we’ve only spoken with coach Wilson. I don’t know when we’ll hear from coach Richt. They are supposed to come back to our practice within the next week, and I guess we’ll know something more firm then.”
Early scholarship offers are the grayest of gray areas in recruiting. Written scholarship offers can’t be sent out until Aug. 1 before a prospect’s senior year, but every college football program that wants to be relevant makes early offers — which are both oral and non-binding.
Last summer, LSU made headlines by offering an early scholarship to Dylan Moses, who had yet to begin the eighth grade. The offer was based on Moses’ performance at LSU prospect camp.
Georgia is the first school to show serious interest in Hamm, and his coach says it won’t be the last. Hamm told ESPN that he wanted to hear from LSU and Georgia Tech.
“He’s a big kid who is physical and can really move,” Davis said. “He has really had a great offseason and gotten stronger. He’s going to continue to grow.
“We’re in the middle of spring practice right, and he’s showing every sign that he’s going to be a dominant player in the future. I see him as one of the top linemen in the state, and maybe even the country, when he’s a senior.”
Davis said Hamm’s talent is comparable with Cordy Glenn, the former Georgia offensive lineman who started as a rookie for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills last season. Davis coached Glenn while he was at Riverdale High School.
About the Author
