Another signing day in the books

And some random thoughts about it:

• It’s a very talented class, even if it may not wind up on quite as lofty a perch as its two predecessors.  (Clemson is going to be hard to catch at number one.)  That being said, according to the 247Sports Composite, Smart’s class is tied with Clemson for the top spot in average ranking.
• One thing to like a lot about Georgia’s class is that it’s loaded with top-flight receiving talent, a huge need, considering what we saw this season.  Three of the signees are ranked in the top 15 at the position and the fourth is 48th.  That’s a good haul.  Must have been a helluva sales pitch, is all I can say.
• On the o-line, Pittman’s departure didn’t hurt too much with this class.  The Dawgs signed four, with two more likely to come by February, assuming Auburn doesn’t sway Jones away.
• Five SEC teams are in the Composite top ten, two more cracked the top seventeen and two more finished in the top twenty five.  Everybody’s oohing and ahhing over Pruitt’s work at UT, although I tend to credit some of that to the low bar of overcoming a horrendous start the the Vols’ season, but I think the class that’s quietly impressive is Kentucky’s.
• It’s worth mentioning that the only SEC East team with a five-star commitment besides Georgia is South Carolina, but note I said commitment, not signee.  Jordan Burch, whom Georgia has been heatedly seeking, didn’t sign, but did offer his verbal to the ‘Cocks yesterday.  What that means I have no idea, other than I doubt Kirby’s gonna quit chasing him.
• By the way, probably need to hold off on that Nick Saban’s slipping talk for at least another year.

Add your thoughts in the comments.

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Fixin’ to fix

Sorry, but I can’t resist.  Here’s Smart’s answer to yesterday’s presser question about whether he’s considering taking any action to improve Georgia’s moribund offense:

“But we want to score points. I mean you guys want a simple answer like it’s just going to poof and happen. It’s all philosophy, it’s all the plays that are called and the play designs. It’s not everything. It’s a lot of things that go into having a successful offense and we need to be better. I think everybody acknowledges that. And that’s what we’re working on really hard.”

Maybe that just means they’re hard at work on improving the receivers’ downfield blocking.

I have not come to bury Geoff Collins…

Seriously, I’m somewhat surprised at how little credit Mr. 404 is getting for resurrecting Tech’s recruiting from the dead.  The Jackets currently stand 24th in the 247Sports Composite rankings, good for fifth in the ACC, and yet I find hardly any mention in the national media of what he’s done.

He may be running around like a crazed wombat, but he’s getting results at a place where results have been hard to come by since Chan Gailey.  I mean, even Mark Bradley (softly) criticizes the genius’ half-assed approach to recruiting.

We pause for the obligatory mention of Paul Johnson. Tech football was relevant for most of his tenure, but it was a footnote-y relevance. Tech football was a curio, almost a trick of the light. Johnson took not-very-good players and plugged them into his stylized offense and beat Georgia three times. Gailey took better players and never beat Georgia. Nobody else — well, nobody at a Power 5 outpost — played like Johnson’s Tech. Anybody else’s Tech will require much better players, scads of them, to think about beating Georgia again.

Wow, “beat Georgia three times”.  In eleven seasons.  Like that’s some sort of special accomplishment instead of the historical track record of the series since Dooley’s arrival.  But I digress.

Anyway, the man deserves a tip of the cap, if only to shut up every pissant Tech fan who’s moaned about how academics have been the school’s death knell on the recruiting trail all this time.  Amazing how far a little effort can take you.  If he can now manage to steal the occasional recruit from the likes of Auburn, all the better.  Kudos, Geoff.

Quarterback insurance

Is it just me, or does it seem obvious that, regardless of whether Jake Fromm stays or goes at season’s end (okay, particularly in the case of the latter), Georgia should have a healthy interest in this kid?

Source: Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello has entered his name into the transfer portal.

Listed as a graduate transfer.

Was a second-team all-conference selection last year.

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 19, 2019

Just wondering…

Manballin’ the media

Oy, Kirby.

Kirby Smart says media doesn’t have access prior to New Orleans because the players said it was a ‘burden’ with their class schedule and the same players coming up frequently.

“That’s just a choice I get to make,” he said. 🧐🤔😶🥴

— Brandon Sudge (@brandonsudge) December 19, 2019

Man, that’s a relief.  I mean, those players need to focus on a big bowl game without added distractions to their heavy academic schedu… oh.

Finals ended Dec. 12. #UGA spring semester starts Jan. 7 after the Sugar Bowl. I’ll stop now. I’m just tryna tell stories over here, y’all. Nobody is out for anybody.

— Brandon Sudge (@brandonsudge) December 19, 2019

Let’s face it — Smart knows that was easily checked bullshit.  He put it out there to let the media know he really doesn’t care what they think about his call.

I can only guess it’s because he doesn’t want his players answering questions about the constipated offense, who’s going pro early, who’s not playing in the bowl game, et cetera, et cetera…

You know, the same questions he doesn’t want to answer, either.

Go back to the drawing board

Seriously, if you’ve compiled a list of the top 25 bowl games of all time that doesn’t include the 2017 Rose Bowl, you’ve done it wrong.