National signing day 2012 is 11 months away, but Georgia and Georgia Tech are deep into evaluating and offering prospects for next year.
According to the prospect databases maintained by Scout.com, the Bulldogs have offered scholarships to 48 juniors. The Yellow Jackets have distributed 46 offers.
“That’s right about on par with what they’ve done at Georgia Tech under Paul Johnson,” said Chad Simmons, Southeast recruiting manager for FoxSports and Scout.com. “Georgia’s a little high. That’s a little bit ahead of where they usually are at this stage of the game.”
NCAA rules stipulate that schools can sign no more than 25 recruits in a given year and Georgia likely won’t sign more than 20 next year. But the number of offers probably will continue to rise.
“More are going to come during the spring evaluation period and more at summer camp time,” Simmons said. “They may end up offering more kids than they have in recent years.”
In recent weeks, Georgia has offered Chaz Elder and Larry Jefferson of Banneker, James Deloach and Jonathan Taylor of Jenkins County, Jhaustin Thomas of Columbia, Jason Croom of Norcross, and Raphael Kirby and Jafar Mann of Stephenson, among others.
Tech has recently extended invitations to Milton’s Josh Manley, Roderick Chungong and Mike Madaras of Olney, Md., quarterback Dennis Andrews of Tallahassee and Columbia running back Kenno Loyal.
Simmons does not think all the early offers are a response to the onslaught of out-of-state offers to Georgia kids.
“I don’t think so, because they’re going to compete with anybody in the South for these kids,” he said. “It’s just a very deep year in Georgia, maybe not for the very top guys like Isaiah Crowell and Jay Rome. But a lot of very good football players.”
Cross to Vols
North Hall’s Imani Cross, one of the top running back prospects in the state, committed to Tennessee last weekend. Cross (6-foot-1, 220 pounds) rushed for 586 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior last season despite missing the first five games to injury.
Cross, who also had offers from Arkansas and South Carolina, said he simply felt wanted by the Vols from the outset. He also said he’s unconcerned about impending infractions from the NCAA’s investigation of the football program.
“It wasn’t them; it was the previous coach, Lane Kiffin,” Cross said. “They made that clear. The program was in other hands at the time and that’s why the investigation is going on.”
