You gotta start somewhere.

All the usual caveats (it’s only one year, it’s not signing day yet, you still have to coach ’em up, etc.) apply, but, still, this is damned impressive to consider:

https://twitter.com/SBNRecruiting/status/809811116796870657

In particular, so is this.

Size on the o-line is what Kirby and Pittman wanted coming in and size on the o-line is what they’re getting.  Say what you will, but it’s been a long time since we’ve seen Georgia devote this kind of attention to recruiting offensive linemen.  Sure hope it pays off.

85 Comments

Filed under Georgia Football, Recruiting

85 responses to “You gotta start somewhere.

  1. Will (The Other One)

    Going from natural guards playing tackle to having multiple highly-rated tackles on the roster is a big change. But I’m having happy day dreams of Wynn moving back to guard next season…

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    • Athens Townie

      I agree. OL recruiting was one of Kirby’s main talking points after last signing day. This is becoming a statement haul on the OL.

      For all the good things he did, Richt never achieved great recruiting (averaging at the edge of top 10 is good; averaging within the top 5 is great). And his roster management was way behind.

      Really interested to see if/how this translates to the field…

      Like

  2. TMC DAWG

    All that I have heard and read about Isiah Wilsonis that he is not a game changer but a program changer. Along the lines of. Trenton Sturdivant, Trento had bad luck with injuries, hopefully Wilson wont

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  3. Dylan Dreyer's Booty

    You know, I have to believe that the incoming O-line, coupled with Wynn and some of our redshirt O-line is a major reason that we are seeing Chubb and Sony stay. Lorenzo, too, for that natter, but for different reasons. Regardless of what Mel Kiper says they were all going to play, and running backs in particular need to make their dough where they can. But this could be a good situation for next year and beyond, and it might be really fun to run behind whatever Sam can put together from this. It’s not like he won’t have pieces to work with. Might be worth the risk for Chubb and Sony. Might make Chaney look smart, too.

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  4. Granthams replacement

    Nice to see road graders being recruited. Even better to see Kirby is getting most of the top shelf targets he goes after.

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  5. Sh3rl0ck

    Who is that scrawny 6’5″ 285 lb guy?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Turd Ferguson

      Ha! And for what it’s worth, I’ve heard him described as the “meanest” of the bunch. Pretty excited about this group.

      Like

      • I saw Thomas (Pace), Shaffer (Cedar Grove), and Johnson (Cedar Grove) in the state playoffs live this year in their games against GAC. Thomas is a really good player, but since Pace isn’t deep, he was exhausted at the end of the game after playing both ways. As I said below, Shaffer and Johnson are good as well. They were pretty dominant against what was a really good team defense for GAC this year.

        My only concern about high school offensive linemen is whether they are dominant because of their size and athletic ability rather than because they also have good technique and practice habits.

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  6. It’s interesting and refreshing that people aren’t jumping off ledges because Trevor Lawrence committed to Clemson.

    Love this group of offensive line recruits. They look big and athletic. The two from Cedar Grove are really good football players.

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    • I didn’t think the Lawrence kid was ever coming. With Eason and Fromm already here/committed…that’s a logjam. Honestly I was surprised that Fromm committed. I figured it would be 2018 before another stud qb would consider UGA.

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      • Good point … Fromm changed his commitment soon after Kirby got hired. I believe Kirby was responsible for his recruiting at Bama, his parents are UGA alumni, and Fromm grew up a Georgia fan. I think Nick knew the writing was on the wall.

        It sounds like Fromm is going to wear #11. My daughter said with Murray, Lambert and now Fromm, you must have to be an 11 to wear #11 at UGA.

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      • Dylan Dreyer's Booty

        Completely agree. He had to keep UGA in his ‘possibles’ because he comes from Cartersville, but there’s just too many studs already there. 1 red shirt year is okay (I think Eason would have benefited from one, but sometimes you don’t get what you want), but 2 years is a bit much for someone like him.

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    • Macallanlover

      KS and staff are killing it in recruiting, just hope we can hang on until early February. Lawrence is talented no doubt, but I am excited to have Fromm coming in next month. He is a true stud, best of the bunch to me, and he is a 2017 player while Lawrence has another year of HS to go, lots can happen before he can sign. I couldn’t imagine getting all three on one sideline anyway so I will take the one that can begin helping right away.

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    • PTC DAWG

      I think it’s cool that Clempson wants a female QB.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. 3rdandGrantham

    The Wilson verbal today was unreal…less than a week ago nobody gave UGA a chance at landing him.

    Don’t know about the rest of you, but OL recruiting is the position I’m most interested in yearly, and for far too many years we’ve been mediocre at best in recruiting for that critical spot (with some years being embarrassingly pathetic.)

    This haul, if it stands, will easily go down as the best in UGA history.

    War daddies are on the way folks — It’s about damn time.

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  8. Herculean

    It always pays off with National Championships if you recruit top classes consistently, unless you’re Mark Richt of course (the only exception). Seriously, never found another exception.

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    • 3rdandGrantham

      If you look back at the numbers, CMR rarely if ever signed top classes. His average over his final 10 years was something like 9th nationally and 3-4th in the SEC. Moreso, he never signed a top 3 class during that time. And on top of that, we suffered more attrition than other schools, thus reducing that ranking even further. Heck, on paper the ’13 class was one of his better ones, yet as we know that class now is pretty much up in smoke.

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      • Herculean

        top 10 recruiting classes is what I meant. maybe you’re right, can you seem to be pretty confident, can you list all the coaches who recruited a top 10 class for 5 years yet did not win a National Championship (besides Richt of course, as we all know).

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        • Sh3rl0ck

          I checked back through 2001 (247Sports). Gus will also achieve this honor if recruiting rankings hold. He would have a top 10 class in all 5 of his seasons. There are several coaches that had 5 or more consecutive top 10 classes after winning National Championships and not repeating (Loyd Carr, Mack Brown, Bob Stoops). Lane Kiffin had 3 top 10 classes following Pete Carrol’s run of 8 top 10 calsses, so, technically, Kiffin had 3 years where every player on the roster was from a top 10 class.

          Liked by 1 person

        • Gaskilldawg

          The challenge for a SEC coach during the period of December 2007 to date is even if said SEC coach hauls in a number 3 rated recruiting class said coach has to beat Alabama and its yearly top 2 recruiting class in order to win a national championship.

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    • lakedawg

      Mark Richt coaches at Miami, why you still fantasizing about him?

      Liked by 1 person

      • snakehandler

        you have to be inept to not win a trophy with all those top recruiting classes Coach Mark Richt had. What a waste of talent. Unreal. Good riddance.

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        • Rocket Dawg

          Seriously tired of shitheads like you showing up every damn day to dump on Richt or anything Richt related. The man presided over the most successful 15 years in program history and won 2 SEC Championships. Was it time for a change, yes but don’t act like the man was the second coming of Ray Goff.

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          • Mayor

            I agree we should leave CMR alone now that he is gone. I actually liked the guy but he built up so much bad will with the fanbase his last few years in Athens it was better for him and the school that he left. The Senator thought CMR’s biggest flaw was roster management and I don’t disagree–the Senator is probably right. But personally I thought CMR’s fan problems came from the repetitive end-of-game screw-ups that snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Bad clock management, pooch kick-offs when kicking it deep wins the game, calling a time-out to aid the other team getting its FG team on the field, having your QB run backwards to set up a FG and getting out of your kicker’s effective range, etc. time after time in big games that caused the game to be lost eventually took their toll. The worst one was the 2012 SECCG when he didn’t spike the ball and the clock ended up running out with the Dawgs on the Bama 5 yard line. The way he played it is the correct way to do it if you have a TO left–but if you are out of TOs you HAVE to spike it. I, myself, will never forgive him for that. That was going to be Georgia’s BCSNC year and he blew it. Hopefully CMR has learned from his mistakes and will be a better HC at Miami. I wish him well there but I am happy that he is gone.

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            • Stateline Dawg

              The play at the end of the seccg was not a bad call. If the pass had not been tipped, Chris Conley would not have been the receiver and he wouldn’t have fallen at the 5 yard line. The play was designed to be either a touchdown or an incomplete pass that would have stopped the clock with another chance to win. CMR bad decision could have been having a 5’11” quarterback starting in the sec.

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              • Gaskilldawg

                Agree, and also we had Alabama in the personnel grouping we wanted and on top of that those defenders had to play “hurry up” over 75 yards. We did not allow Alabama to substitute whereas spiking the ball would have allowed Saban to switch personnel grouping. You are exactly right, had the ball not been tipped there would still have been time for one more play, either our kickoff after the TD or a second and goal.

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              • Macallanlover

                Mayor will never understand this, he has been blind to this ever since that night. Just pat him on the head and say “bless your heart”. But he has added to his fib list now. Think most of this is age related, he has to be slipping to rant like this.

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              • Are you taking a shot at Aaron Murray? The guy was a warrior, and we aren’t even in the building that night without him.

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          • DoubleDawg1318

            +1000

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      • 3rdandGrantham

        I never once mentioned him by name, and only stated that previous OL classes were mediocre at best (which is 100% correct).

        If I was still fantasizing about CMR, wouldn’t I have at least mentioned his actual name?

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  9. Got Cowdog

    Imagine if you can, #27 and #1 running behind the Alabama OL. Imagine a Jacob Eason Cannon with a TE not required to stay home and help the tackle block? Oh my. I’m already half in the bag from next year”s Kool Aid and we ain’t even played the bowl game yet.

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  10. snakehandler

    If anyone cares to look, UGA just moved up to No 2 in Scout’s rankings over Ohio State.

    ESPN has not added the nation’s No 2 recruit yet to UGA’s class, but sure to make a similar move on ESPN.

    Only behind Alabama now.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Am I the only one who thinks we also have better bag men now. That really helps recruiting too. Combine that with new staff(with Bama experience) equals quality recruits

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  12. Russ

    Add 4* Ben Cleveland (6’6″ 341) to that list as well. A RS year is going to turn him into a monster. I don’t think even Chaney can screw up this line.

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    • 3rdandGrantham

      Hate to say it Russ, but from what I’ve heard, Cleveland will never be a major contributor on the OL for us.

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      • Gaskilldawg

        I do not doubt you, and my question is inquisitive and not rhetorical. What does your source say is the reason he will not be a major contributor?

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        • 3rdandGrantham

          Just that he’s not fully committed and hasn’t really improved since joining the team. Great kid — but his heart seems to be elsewhere. Again this is what I’ve heard so take with a grain of salt.

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  13. hooper

    The way CKS can recruit makes me wonder what might have been if willie hadn’t given a thumbs down when CMR hired him. Making CKS the running backs coach, and letting willie have his way changed the course of CMR’s career at UGA, IMO. This man is gold on the recruiting trail!!! Now just bring it to game day, and we can all be happy!!

    Like