Talk about killing your two birds with one stone:
HOW IT HELPS GEORGIA: Wow. How do you think Kirby Smart looks and feels right now? Probably has a half smile on his face. Georgia lost Jadon Haselwood late to Oklahoma and they went all in for Pickens, and it paid off. It was a debate on who the better receiver was, but either way, the Bulldogs have pulled off a huge surprise and landed one of the top playmakers in the country.
As player, not many are better this cycle. Pickens is the king of jump-balls, he plays the game hard, he is a tough match-up one-on-one and he is one who can make an immediate impact. What is scary about Pickens is that he still has plenty of room to grow. He is a lean 195 pounds and will easily add another 20 pounds or muscle to his frame. He has the ability to stretch the field and he gives quarterbacks a big window to throw to.
HOW IT HURTS AUBURN: Pickens was the first 2019 prospect to commit to Auburn. He stayed with them until the morning of National Signing Day, so this one really stings on the Plains. Auburn had to work overtime and grind it out to keep him committed, only to lose him to a rival late. Pickens committed early, but was he ever solid? He did not make it easy for the Auburn staff, but they stayed with it and deserve a lot of credit here for staying with him. There is no doubt this one really hurts at Auburn.
Hate it for them, I really do. (Okay, not so much.)
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UPDATE: This is rich. (In more ways that one.)
Awesome! I would have loved to have either, or both, but Pickens seems like the ideal WR ready to contribute. At least physically. This will probably be one of the program’s best signing day flips. We got 2 badass WRs in this class and that really hasn’t happened too often.
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I heard there were question about him qualifying but just heard from a buddy who works in the athletic department they fully expect him to qualify and he won’t be placed. So we sign the top 2 players this year out of Alabama? what a weird year.
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Hope your buddy is right! If all the big boys in the SEC were still after him, they probably had similar thinking about his chances of qualifying.
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I didn’t realize he was their first commit. That’s rough as hell to be their very first commit and flip at the last possible second, without notice. Accusations will fly! *bag man
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Can he and Blaylock block?
Frivolity aside … way to go, Kirby and Hankton.
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Read the comments in that link. It’s already begun.
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Auburn fans accusing Georgia of cheating? Absolutely mind-bending irony…
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More like an Auburn player admitting Auburn didn’t cheat well enough.
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He doesn’t care for Auburn.
Good on him.
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I think he drives a truck.
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I bet he likes driving in his truck.
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Auburn sux.
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Hey while y’all are celebrating, don’t forget to keep an eye out for that cannon shot from South Carolina’s #21-ranked recruiting class.
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We got the top two players from Alabama in this class!!!
WE DRINK THIER MILKSHAKE!!!
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I feel so bad for Auburn that I might hate UTK more… for a while.
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Nevah!!!!!
Auburn is always no. 1 on the hate list.
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Agreed, ALWAYS.
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Dammit Derek, stop saying shit I agree with!
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Why fret? There is plenty of hate to go around for each and everyone of them.
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You damn right about that!!
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Nah man. It’s the gaters. We kick Auburn’s ass but with the gators not so much.
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Two 5* receivers this cycle. I like it!
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My bad. I thought Blaylock was a 5*. Still looking forward to seeing him play. Receiver position just became a strength.
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He was on some services.
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Not sure why he dropped on a couple, he had a very good year.
He’s legit.
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If they can keep Elam from Florida, that would be about all they could have done with the limited spots left today.
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Yeah, haven’t heard much about him lately. That would also be a double win, good for us, bad for Gators.
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Guess we’ll have to fire that secondary coach we just hired from Florida.
🙂
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Heh. Florida did close fairly strong, so they can continue their chest beating for the rest of the offseason.
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Fence around the state my ass…
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No doubt but I’d be lying if I said I don’t often “wonder” about these situations.
I can see why one would prefer Georgia over Auburn- compare QBs, QB development, OL and over offensive success. Why wait until the last possible second, though? Doesn’t really matter. We got him and hopefully legitimately.
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If he’s like me, I have trouble deciding on where to go eat lunch. I don’t decide until it’s time to eat. I don’t think this situation is much different, and the stakes are just a tad higher for him.
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Ugh! If anything breaks up my marriage it’ll probably be fallout over deciding on food. We’re both pretty good about knowing what we want when it comes to most anything else but bring on “I’m tired and just want to grab something” night. No fights over it but we become completely inept and it’s so frustrating. It’s both hilarious and maddening. It usually turns into a “tell me what you DON’T want” game. Then there are the kids. One is so picky and the other just wants chicken fingers.
You’re probably right about Pickens, though. 🤣
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us too.
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Kids are picky eaters because parents allow it…YMMV, but I doubt it. They won’t stay hungry long..
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Or your kids has Asperger’s and is picky about everything because that’s how they are. Thanks for the parenting lesson, though.
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It makes sense. Keep your leverage until most of the player and coaching moves have taken place.
Georgia had four receivers leave early (including TE’s) and made a change at OC. Auburn lost Stidham, OC Chip Lindsey, and didn’t get Kelly Bryant or any other QB in the portal. Then they hired a 29 year-old OC to be Gus’ errand boy.
Good move.
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Dang Senator, when you say, “Kirby’s on the mother,” he REALLY is on the mother!
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I been telling y’all.
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Owen PappWho? #ilikedrivininmytruck
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Suck it Gus..
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For fuck’s sake… Auburn accusing UGA of cheating??
Seriously??
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Auburn has forgotten more about cheating than most have even heard about.
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Incredible! I can’t believe we landed the top 2 players in bama. Not to mention 3 defensive linemen from Tennessee already signed in December. Fourteen (14!) recruits already have a month of classes in the rearview mirror. Just. Fricken. Incredible!
Another 6’4″ stud receiver. Hey Jadon, when you remove your finger from a bowl of water how big a hole is left behind?
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Oh but we didn’t get EVERYONE in Georgia and we didn’t WIN IT ALL, so none of this means shit.
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As an armchair geography expert (self-proclaimed, of course), it’s my understanding Georgia’s boundary once stretched from the Savannah River to the Mississippi River. I think Kirby stumbled upon that old map and decided that’s where he’d build his fence. Seems to be a some fence stretching into Florida too.
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Hmmm, the tweet in the update about Auburn’s bagman activity seems to have been taken down. I wonder why? 🙂
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Spent all their money on Gus.
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Gotta love the permanent URL to the Senator’s link.
https://n.rivals.com/news/commitment-analysis-it-s-over-5-star-wr-george-pickens-stays-with-auburn
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Good get for the DAWGS. Just as good as Haselwood but no drama with this kid.
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I used the class calculator thing on 247. Trey Sanders was the difference between the number 1 class and number 2. If we’d have gotten him, we’d have flipped spots with Bama. And from all reports his decision came down to the wire.
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