January 30, 2018 · 10:04 AM

Closing that gap

This year’s recruiting isn’t likely to help the rest of the SEC East gain ground on Georgia.

It’s gonna take some super genius Xs and Os to make up for that.

27 Comments

Filed under Recruiting, SEC Football

27 responses to “Closing that gap”

  1. 69Dawg
    January 30, 2018 at 10:24 AM

    I don’t follow recruiting closely. I don’t think that Mullen, Muschamp or Pruitt are bad coaches but they are going to have a hard time overcoming the UGA recruiting if it stays on top for multiple years. We are going to have to realize that when you get the kind of talent we are getting they are only going to be around for 3 years. I’m hoping Kirby can handle the added roster management problems. Should be a heck of a ride though.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Macallanlover
      January 30, 2018 at 2:19 PM

      I think the staying on top for multiple years is the key question for me. One of the biggest puzzles for me was how Bama continued to sign top talent to come in behind the top talent of the prior 2-3 years. What Kirby has done for the past two years has been startling, back to back years like these are a first for us. Can it be maintained? I am not sure that we have folks willing to stand in line behind established starters, perhaps because I never understood how Bama did that. I expect some fluctuation downward next year, even with the fast start we are off to for the 2019 class. Certainly getting the very best is what we all want but some of those ratings are off base, and I trust KS, and his staff, to pick and choose based on need and their evaluation, not necessarily how someone else sees them. If we continue winning and working this hard, we will stay near the top. And that is good enough.

      Liked by 1 person

      • PTC DAWG
        January 30, 2018 at 3:09 PM

        Winning big is the key…another SECCG appearance this year will help to cement that. Beating Bama in that game would seal the deal, IMHO.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Dawg1
        January 30, 2018 at 4:39 PM

        2019 is the absolute best in-state talent level we have ever seen. Recruiting may fall back, but not this year. If he ends up bringing in a number 1 class again, then the reputation solidifies and p[layers will not use that excuse again. Kirby is poised to join Saban and Urban for years to come. Sometimes it takes luck to build a reputation (i.e. Alabama — 2 time NATIONAL champion in last 6 years without winning their division!)

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  2. PTC DAWG
    January 30, 2018 at 10:25 AM

    Some mascots, most school names..very inconsistent..

    Like

  3. Hobnail_Boot
    January 30, 2018 at 10:53 AM

    It’s pretty incredible that Baylor is on there.

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    • Doyle Hargraves
      January 30, 2018 at 3:57 PM

      Religion is big on the recruiting trail. And in the south Baptist is king. These kids are easily conned. Exhibit A: Hugh Freeze. And they are still kids. Most are dying for a father figure that they can trust. You get that trust and they’ll follow you anywhere. CMR never would whore himself out that way, and I always respected him for that.

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  4. SlobberKnocker
    January 30, 2018 at 10:55 AM

    I think the two that really jump out at me are Texas in the top 5 and Baylor at 16. Texas should be in that top portion year in and year out but, have really underperformed during recent years. How and why Baylor can recruit at at top 20 level is simply beyond me.

    And yeah, the East is going to be chasing us for the forgeable future.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. DawgPhan
    January 30, 2018 at 11:08 AM

    UGA has the top 2 recruiters according to 247 and only one other east team has a coach in the top 25, Helton at UT.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. TnDawg
    January 30, 2018 at 11:18 AM

    Recruiting is getting the raw material. Now what is being done with it? The current staff can make something of it, as shown in the last year. Thank goodness for that.
    Not a big fan of kissing the rear end of teenagers, so don’t follow closely.

    Liked by 3 people

  7. W Cobb Dawg
    January 30, 2018 at 11:48 AM

    Kirby, with an emphasis on fighting tooth & nail for top in-state recruits, is cleaning up. I believe Kirby’s recruiting success is having some effect on bama too.

    The battle between the Florida schools is taking a toll on fu and moreso on fsu. CMR is helping us out quite nicely.

    Despite all his efforts, I’d say Harbaugh’s plan to raid the southeast for recruits isn’t shaping up the way he’d like. Sure, he nabbed a few. But you’ve got to weigh those mild results with the the effort required to keep it up 24/7/365.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Otto
      January 30, 2018 at 2:58 PM

      It is amusing to see how far down the rankings Harbaugh is for all his talk and media attempts to be in the center of the media.

      Like

      • DoubleDawg1318
        January 30, 2018 at 3:05 PM

        It’s very amusing. If Harbaugh doesn’t get rolling next year, I could see his seat being very warm going into 2019. And Michigan fans were so excited to get him…very amusing.

        Like

  8. Go Dawgs!
    January 30, 2018 at 2:16 PM

    Recruiting rankings obviously aren’t an exact science (one of the players who put Kirby’s first class near the top of them is on his way to Washington, after all). But I find it interesting that the closest Eastern Division team on the list thus far is South Carolina. Florida with Mullen worries me the most long term in the East, but SC under Muschamp is close. I think they’re going to be tough for us in the next few seasons. Notre Dame, Alabama, Auburn, and, yes, South Carolina gave Georgia their toughest tests this year… and I believe if Notre Dame had faced a Jake Fromm who was fully used to the college game they wouldn’t have been as much of a problem.

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    • Erk's Forehead
      January 30, 2018 at 3:20 PM

      “Recruiting rankings obviously aren’t an exact science (one of the players who put Kirby’s first class near the top of them is on his way to Washington, after all)”

      While I agree rankings aren’t an exact science, your choice of example is poor. Eason was a 5 Star and didn’t wash out. Simply the victim of circumstance. He is a 5* and will make a fine NFL QB.

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      • Otto
        January 30, 2018 at 4:01 PM

        One of the bigger flaws with basing future expectations off of recruiting ratings, is that ratings do not to take into account team needs and roster management.

        Agreed, Eason didn’t wash out.

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        • Argondawg
          January 30, 2018 at 4:37 PM

          I’m guessing Kirby spends the allotted 4 minutes daily discussing roster management whether they need to or not. I don’t feel like much is getting by him. Can you imagine if South Carolina had gotten him how pissed we would be right now?

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      • Go Dawgs!
        January 30, 2018 at 4:04 PM

        Definitely didn’t mean to imply that he washed out. He got blocked on the depth chart and transferred out. Either through attrition or players not living up to their expected potential, though, the result is the same. Georgia doesn’t have that five star player in our quarterback room and it would probably affect our position in those recruiting rankings if he wasn’t there.

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  9. Uglydawg
    January 30, 2018 at 2:59 PM

    I get a lot of disagreement on this, but Sacerlina is going to be our biggest competition in the East for a while. UT is a mess and it’s going to take CJP a couple of years at least to clean the slate and get things rolling…if he can..we still don’t know if he’s going to perform well as a HC. Florida is breaking in a new coaching staff too, we know DM can coach some, but how much? Boom is settled in at USCE and, while he might not have a top ten class, he probably filled the gaps enough to make USCe a solid favorite for the #2 SECE spot. SC may have a looming ceiling but they’re not quite up against it yet…hoping it’s close, though.
    In the longer run, Florida probably has a higher ceiling that UT or SC…but lower than Georgia’s. For Georgia, right now, there is no ceiling.

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  10. Cojones
    January 30, 2018 at 3:11 PM

    What amazed me most was last year’s class. Then came the Dec signing for this year and the kids were practically falling all over themselves to sign their LOI.

    Most of the recruiting forums don’t give you any exciting info, but 247 gives an indication of where they may be leaning with about a 70 – 80% chance of being correct. If the lean is to UGA, I don’t wish for or fawn over any talent and don’t review video of any of them unless posted here at gtp for being exceptional. I’m always interested in how many Ga boys are in the class as it builds and am glad to see Kirby getting the pick of the crop. Knowing the Ole Miss story after we lost two top candidates from our state after they were committed to UGA cured me of worrying about what kind of class we may or may not get. Earlier last mid-year I was alarmed that nothing was happening in recruiting and thought it was related to the 8-5 season. Glad to see that became “mox nix” (macht nichts).

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    • Cojones
      January 30, 2018 at 3:18 PM

      Btw, Rivals gives us seven 5-stars and 247 posts six, the diff being our highly-rated RB, Cook. The chance that we pick up at least one and possibly two more is high. That salves over my feelings of recruiting inadequacy vs ‘Bama. What we do with them will be the new pattern for “The Georgia Way” going forward.

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  11. The other Doug
    January 30, 2018 at 6:44 PM

    In case anyone is wondering…

    Rivals currently has GT’s class ranked 52nd.

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