Where Will They Rank?

Good morning everyone, and what a great day to be a Georgia Bulldog!  We’re currently in the limbo that exists between signing day and the next big event in the football world, the NFL Combine, and UGA has quite a few Dawgs preparing to take their talents to the next level.  Some of these Dawgs have solidified themselves in the program’s history, and their names will forever echo in Sanford Stadium with the greats.  And while we’re all excited to see how they’ll do in the pros, let’s take a moment to look back once more on their collegiate careers in Athens.  Just what kind of legacy will these guys leave in the halls of Georgia football lore?

JARVIS JONES

It’s safe to say that J.J. might just be the most physically gifted and athletic pass rusher the program has ever had.  And for a brief 2 year period, he was the best in all the land.  Jones was a force off the edge, a solid run-stopper, and a monster at making plays when they were needed.  You can also say that he was the sole reason for both of our wins against Florida the past couple of years (which doesn’t happen often enough).  8 sacks in 2 games along with a few crucial forced fumbles…yikes.   And then there are the overall stats for his career:  28 sacks, 43.5 tackles for loss, 155 total tackles, 9 forced fumbles, 1 interception (while he missed two games in 2012).  For his efforts, he was twice a consensus All-American and All-SEC selection, the 2012 SEC defensive player of the year, and probably a top 5 pick in the NFL Draft.  We’ve had some great outside backers (i.e. Mo Lewis, Tony Taylor, Richard Tardits, Mitch Davis, Boss Bailey), but I can’t think of a single one that meant more to the team, earned more accolades, and has been more sought after by the pros.

ALEC OGLETREE

“Tree” as he was simply known by, is the best middle linebacker my generation of Dawgs has seen, and he’s had some good company (Odell Thurman, Tony Gilbert, Will Witherspoon, Danelle Ellerbe).  In fact, I’ll go ahead and say that like Jones, he’s the most athletically gifted to ever play his position at Georgia.  Is he the best ever?  Well, that’s still debatable.  Had he played the position all 3 years of his career (remember he started as a safety) and not missed basically a season’s worth of games due to injury/suspension (drugs are bad kids), he might have been.  Still, pro scouts are drooling over scooping him up in the first round because of his raw sideline to sideline ability.  He only got to play 16 games as a linebacker, and he racked up over 150 tackles in that span.  He’s barely broken in.  That’s what makes him so scary!  Tree might not have even reached his full potential as a linebacker yet.  He’s just been so fast and strong that he’s made up for a lack of position skills.  Reminds me a lot of Thomas Davis who also rotated between safety and linebacker before settling down out OLB and having a tremendous NFL career.

SHAWN WILLIAMS AND BACARRI RAMBO

Ok, so these two have some stiff competition from the other dynamic safety duos throughout UGA football history.  There was Hoage and Sanchez, Sanchez and Little, Phillips and Bierra, Jones and Davis, Davis and Blue, the list goes on.  Safety is just one of those positions that Georgia has specialized in producing quality players at, along with Tight End, Runningback, and Defensive Linemen.  In fact, we had a different 1st Team All-American safety each year from 2003 to 2005 (Sean Jones, Thomas Davis, Greg Blue).  So where will the Rambo/Williams duo rank in program history?  Well, let’s break them down.  Rambo’s gotten more accolades in his career (All-American and All-SEC), has more highlight real plays, and racked up more interceptions and pass breakups.  Williams on the other hand, has been the vocal leader, the one who players and coaches alike have singled out for being the coach on the field.  He’s also led by example with all the tackles and big hits he’s made, some of which were at the most crucial times, and by being disciplined off the field (Rambo could’ve cut down on the suspensions).   So what did we end up with?  A thunder and lightning package if you will:  one’s the consistent physical presence who lays the wood always comes up with the play, and the other provides the dazzling and exciting play in coverage to empty the bench and get the crowd re-energized.  It’s hard to top the numbers and impact that Terry Hoage and Jeff Sanchez provided back in the early ’80s.  But for my generation of Bulldog fans, Williams and Rambo were the perfect tandem, the 1-2 punch, the Bash Brothers (Mighty Ducks reference) that will leave big holes to fill.

Of course, there are others departing this team who made an impact for us.  John Jenkins and Kwame Geathers pioneered the nosetackle position in Todd Grantham’s 3-4 defense, and Sanders Commings has had a solid career in the secondary.  Tavarres King left with a few school receiving records, and just missed out on that elusive 1,000 yard season (Terrance Edwards is getting lonely guys).  And hey, a team would be nothing if their long snapper couldn’t get the ball back effectively and consistently, so my hat’s off to unsung hero Ty Frix (who’s daddy also long snapped at Georgia).  These guys will be missed like the ones listed above.

So my challenge for the incoming crop of pups is:  can you step up and etch your name into the history of Georgia Football?  Can you be the next generation to bring glory to this program?  Can you be a damn good Dawg?

“If we score, we may win.  If they never score, we can’t lose.” – Erk Russell

Signing Day Recap

Ah another signing day has come and gone, and we’re now gripped in the clutches of boredom until spring practice rolls around.  But while we’re on the topic, let’s take a look at the 2013 crop of signees, and see what these new pups have to offer.  For the full list of all 32 signees (Richt’s largest class ever), I’d suggest the official UGA Athletics website here http://www.georgiadogs.com/widecontent/signingday13.html.  For this blog post, I’m going to specifically look at some of the big hits, misses, immediate impact players, and future projects out of this group of young men.  I’ll go ahead and say that I didn’t really see any head-scratchers from the guys we got as I think they form a solid class.  I feel that all of our needs were met, and that we might have even ensured our depth.

HITS 

Shaq Wiggins – CB – Tyrone, GA – Sandy Creek:  No real surprise here since he’s been committed to the G for a while.  However, there were reports that he’d shown some interest elsewhere.  Let’s just say that I breathed a huge sigh of relief when our top rated signee (4-Star and #39 in the ESPN 150)  put pen to paper.

DeVondre Seymour – OL – Suwanee, GA – North Gwinnett:  The son of Bulldog/NFL great Richard Seymour, he’ll follow in his dad’s footsteps to Athens.  We had to really fight off a couple of schools with blue and orange logos to land him for sure, and we need some depth on the O-Line.  4-Star and #259 in the ESPN 300.

Davin Bellamy – DE/OLB – Chamblee, GA – Chamblee:  Nobody really knows why he is only #299 in the ESPN 300.  But hey, he’s a 4-star, and we’ll take him!  This was the guy we knew we actually had a chance of stealing from another big name program (originally committed to Florida St.) and he came through for us.  It’s no secret that he was also Grantham’s prize recruit, and he obviously sees something special in this kid.

MISSES

Alvin Kamara – RB – Norcross, GA – Norcross:  I was really optimistic that he might realize that he’ll spend his career buried on the depth chart at already stacked Bama, but alas, he went anyway.  Most sources said that he was going there anyways simply because he hadn’t shown a whole lot of interest in Georgia besides naming us a finalists.  It’s a shame really.  He could come here, redshirt a year, seriously be contending for the starting role assuming Gurley or Marshall goes pro.  And even if they don’t, Kamara could work his way into some serious playing time, and be a starter by he junior year at the latest.  Bama signed 3 other highly touted backs this year alone, and they still have 2 or 3 from the last couple of years!

Montravius Adams – DT – Vienna, GA – Dooly County:  We had him locked up until Garner left for Auburn, and apparently Adams went right with him.  I had hoped at the last second he might surprise everyone and put on the Georgia cap, but again, wishful hoping.  Still, I’m with the opinion of several scouts that he might be just a tad overrated.  Is he one of the best defensive linemen in the country?  Probably.  Is he the 13th best overall player?  Maybe not.  Most who agreed that he might be overhyped pointed to a lackluster performance in the states championship game when Dooly County got throttled and he wound up limping all over the field.  So Dawg fans, my final verdict is that he’ll either come back to hurt us, or he’ll fade away.

Laremy Tunsil – OT – Lake City, FLA – Columbia:  I’ll be honest, something still doesn’t sit right about this one.  He already had a foot in Athens when all of a sudden, a quick trip to Oxford had him begging to go ahead and sign with the Rebs.  Apparently I wasn’t the only one to think it was weird.  I’m not going to make bad assumptions right away.  Every school is due for a good class at some point, and Ole Miss is a team slowly on the rise.  But to land the best overall prospect, the best lineman, and the best receiver after never having recruited this good….well….ever, just sounds fishy to me.  Again, I have no official sources telling me this, but rumors have led me to believe that some scholarships were thrown around to some people he cares about, and that there was some dealing going on.  Something must be in the water in Mississippi, and it must be either gold-plated or contain powerful hallucinogens because Oxford’s never been such a popular destination before.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT

Wiggins – CB – Damian Swann is the only returning starter in the secondary, so we need a new corner to step up.  While he might be undersized and carry a little swagger, Shaq could be that next star.  His speed, compact strength, and athletic ability remind me a lot of Tim Jennings or Asher Allen.  If he can catch on to zone assignments, he could easily play bigger than his size, and compete for said starting role right away.

Bellamy/Leonard Floyd – DE/OLB – We already have a star in the making and returning starter at outside backer in Jordan Jenkins.  The problem is who will start opposite of them.  Ramik Wilson is a possibility, but I think one of these kids will step in by the end of Fall Camp.  Both are  big and rangy (6’4 and taller, around 230 lbs.), and have the speed to come hard off the end. Floyd, who is signing once again with the Dawgs (failed to meet academic standards last year), might have the edge having spent a year preparing at Hargrave.  He was also a higher rated recruit.  Bellamy is bigger, and maybe more athletic (great basketball player), but was hurt for a lot of his senior year, therefore hurting his recruitment.

Johnny O’ Neal and Tim Kimbrough – ILB/OLB – These two are almost mirror images of each other.  They’re almost exactly the same size, speed, and weight, and neither were ranked very high.  However, they were both ranked close together in the ESPN 300, and are described to  have a natural knack for getting to the ball and racking up tackles.  And aside from the secondary, our biggest weakness on defense to me is our linebacker corps, specifically the inside backers.  Losing Ogletree is going to hurt us, but I’m hoping one of these guys can team up with Armarlo Herrera (all 3 could use some speed work), and fill that gap.  Word on the street is that O’ Neal might be better suited for outside duty since he struggled with pass coverage at the Army All-American game, but we’ll see.

John Atkins- DT – Thompson/Hargrave:  Another recruit from last year who had to go through Hargrave, he’s supposed to be the next John Jenkins.  He’s big, tall, hard to move, and supposedly very athletic.  Lord knows we’ll need him too after losing Jenkins and Kwame Geathers.  Atkins will have tough competition from Jonathan Taylor and incoming JUCO transfer Chris Mayes, but at the very worst, we’ll have a good rotation to keep them all fresh.

FUTURE PROJECTS

Brice Ramsey – QB – Camden County:  We got him early to be our quarterback of the future, but I’m still trying to decide if he’s worth the hype.  He played in a primarily run-oriented offense, and didn’t put up eye-popping numbers.  Yet, everybody wanted him, even Bama,   Auburn, Florida, and Clemson.  The fact that he enrolled early with us was a big deal, and he’ll definitely get his chance to prove himself once Murray and Mason are gone in the next couple of years.  The plan is to match him up against Christian Lemay and see who wins.

Uriah Lemay – WR- Matthews, NC:  Speaking of Lemay, his little brother might just be one to keep an eye on.  He wasn’t the biggest recruit at receiver, but I kept hearing about him up here in North Carolina.  He’s got a solid build already at 200 lbs, decent speed, could be a little taller, but apparently has great hands.  I feel pretty good about our group of receivers, so he might redshirt this year.  However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him evolve into a good possession receiver for a lot of short, quick routes down the road.

A.J. Turman – RB – Orlando, FLA:  What do you do when Ken Malcome transfers?  Sign someone of the exact same mold.  This guy’s a bruiser who burst onto the recruiting scene late.  He played on a not so impressive team, and was their lone star.  Like Gurley last year, Turman was somewhat overlooked until his final tapes were sent out in December, and then he was suddenly a 4-Star recruit.  Georgia was the first school to show him any real love, so he committed right away.  He should be a good fit too.  He’s a downhill, one cut and go, hard-nosed runner who can move the pile while at the same time accelerating through a small seam.  Is he an immediate star? No.  Is he a home run threat every time he touches the ball?  No.  But aside from Gurley and Marshall, we really don’t have a lot of depth at runningback, and that’s what he provides.  I have no doubt that Gurshall will carry the load the next couple of years while this kid probably takes a redhirt.  But I wouldn’t be surprised to see his name called more after he’s had time to develop and observe those ahead of him.

That about wraps it up here.  Overall, a good class that fits what we needed.  Nothing to flashy or spectacular, but I don’t see many of these guys dropping off either.  Thoughts?

Go Dawgs!

Signing Day in Athens Part 3: Everyone Likes an Underdawg

Howdy all, and what a great day it is to be a Georgia Bulldog!  This is the third and final installment of my pre-signing day notes.  So far, we’ve covered the biggest booms and busts in the past decade of Georgia football (the signing classes from 2003 to the present), and today, we’re going to look at signing day surprises.  These guys weren’t the most coveted recruits coming out of high school, but ended up having stellar careers donning the red and black. Again, I’ll be going by position on offense and defense.  Feel free to let me know if I’ve missed anyone.

UNDERDOGS

Offense

WR – Michael Bennett –  Tall, lanky, and with apparently adhesive hands, Bennett has turned into a go-to possession receiver when it’s time for a big play to be made.  If it’s 3rd down and 5 or 1st and goal, the Dawgs need a solid catch for just enough yards, and I’m the QB in the huddle, I know exactly which pair of hands I’m going to.  The beauty with Bennett is that not only does he have those hands, but you don’t even have to necessarily throw right to them.  If the QB puts the ball anywhere within a 5 yard radius, it’s an automatic catch with this guy (i.e. – his TD against Florida in 2011).  A 3-Star recruit out of Alpharetta, he’s proven his worth several times in a short career with the Dawgs, and still has two more years to get even better.  And with Tavarres King and Marlon Brown graduating, I expect to see him go the distance in 2013.

Honorable Mention:  Bryan McClendon

OL – Ben Jones – Arguably one of the best linemen in UGA history, Jones ended his career with 49 career starts at center (4 year starter) after being a 3-Star recruit in the class of ’08.  His intelligence and leadership were something you don’t really hear a lot about from the offensive line, but towards the end of his career, people couldn’t stop talking about it.  Even today in Houston, where he’s starting with the Texans, coaches and players are gushing about how smart he is, and the type of leader he’s turning into.

Honorable Mention:  Kenarious Gates, Fernando Velasco

TE – Martrez Milner- I know a lot of fans are scratching their heads after I put this guy here, but come on.  He wasn’t that bad.  Sure, he only started one year.  And yes, throughout that year, he was renowned for making the unbelievably difficult jump ball catch while spinning around with a defender on his back, then dropping one that hit him in his hands when he was wide open the next play.  But give credit where credit is due.  He wasn’t highly recruited, managed to start, ended up leading the team in receiving in ’06, and wound up playing in the pros.  Certainly not the most glamorous TE in UGA history, but not too bad either.

FB – Brannen Southerland – I included this position on this list specifically because our fullbacks have always been the epitome of the underdog.  Honestly, I could have gone with any of our fullbacks here.  From Veron Haynes to Zander Ogletree, coach Richt has always remembered to use the fullback in his offense, and he has done so effectively.  Southerland was the real deal.  He was a bulldozer on the goal line, a threat out of the backfield, and man did he make linebackers going running scared.  And what makes fullbacks such underdogs?  They’re never highly recruited.  In fact, I think their some of the best pure football players because of that.  They’re the guys who played multiple positions on offense and defense, and were just athletic enough to get the nod at the position in college, so they have a great understanding of the game.  Most start as walk-ons too, so their determination and work ethic are unwavering.

Honorable Mention:  Shaun Chapas

RB – Todd Gurley – Having spent the last year in eastern North Carolina, about 30 min from his hometown, I’ve known for a while just how special this kid is.  However, did I think he’d run away with the starting job and be the best runningback in the SEC as a true freshman?  Absolutely not!! I was just as surprised as everyone when big #3 surpassed all expectations and defied the recruiters who ignored him.  It seems ludicrous today to think that he came to Georgia because we were the first big time program to make him an offer.  Granted, by the end of his senior season, he was a 4 Star recruit.  But still, just think if Bryan McClendon had not thought twice about watching his film and gone straight to Tarboro to meet him.  We might not have seen this team come within a pass of the national championship game.

Honorable Mention: Danny Ware

QB – TBD – Once more, UGA has been blessed with pretty solid quarterback play over the last decade.  All of our starters have been highly sought after recruits, and all have done well for the most part.  However, the 2014 season might just see Hutson Mason fit this bill.  After shattering several Georgia high school passing records, he really wasn’t that highly ranked of a recruit (I believe the 40th best QB in the signing class of 2010).  We were one of the only major programs to offer him a scholarship, and I believe he came knowing that he probably wouldn’t get to change much.  It’s funny considering that he’s now often considered the best backup in the SEC, and there’s actually quite a large contingent of Georgia fans that think he should be the starter.  Who knows, maybe he’ll stick around and be that underdog.

Defense

DE – Justin Houston – A Statesboro native like myself, Houston was a good in-state prospect, but never showed up on anyone’s board among the best in the country (maybe a 3-Star).  But once he got on the field, you could tell he had a knack to make something happen.  He got better and better each year until finally, his junior season, he was moved to OLB from defensive end so that he could be fully unleashed.  He didn’t disappoint as he was named All-SEC, All-American, and just recently made the Pro Bowl in just his second NFL season.

Honorable Mention:  Marcus Howard, Quentin Moses

DT – Geno Atkins – Considering he was a 4-star defensive end recruit, I’d say making the Pro Bowl as an undersized tackle in his second NFL season is pretty impressive.  Like Houston, Atkins had just a knack for getting to the ball, and making plays when he wasn’t expected to.  He slowly worked his way into the lineup, and soon enough, had passed Kade Weston on the depth chart (I mentioned the other day how Weston was a huge recruit at DT).  He made the All-SEC 1st team as a sophomore, and had two more great seasons with the Dawgs.

Honorable Mention:  Kwame Geathers, Corvey Irvin

LB – Jarvis Jackson – I know for sure that some people who read this will scratch their heads, but I firmly stand behind this pick.  This is one of the few Dawgs that I never saw have a bad game, and he went entirely under-appreciated throughout his career.  Jackson was barely a 3-Star recruit out of Atlanta who just wanted to play football.  And did he ever!  He must have shifted through each linebacker position a dozen times, and he just kept producing.  I remember the panic before the start of the ’04 season (Jackson’s sophomore year) when pre-season SEC Odell Thurman was suspended for 3 games.  Who did the coaching staff turn to?  This little number #45 who just kept making the tackle in practice, and he didn’t disappoint.  Jackson played sparingly after Thurman returned, but started in ’05 and ’06, when he finally returned to the middle spot.  While Tony Taylor was great, Dawg fans will remember that he struggled in the middle for the most part, and that he was better suited for the outside.  Jackson was small but fast, and very “sideline to sideline.”  He also made sure to add some extra pop each time he made the tackle.  Sadly, he was always shunned when it came to post-season awards, and never got a real shot at the pros.

Honorable Mention:  Dannell Ellerbe (tough to not put him here but Jackson had a great 4 years where as Ellerbe really only had 1 entirely solid year; he’s starting for the Ravens though so kudos Ellerbe!), Danny Verdun Wheeler

CB – Brandon Boykin – Man, what a signing day home run!!!  He might not be the best pure corner in the history of the program, but he’s definitely up there as one of the best pure athletes.  Solid cover skills, decent build, and sprinter speed made him a perfect fit for us on defense.  He ended his career with 9 interceptions, and by the end his senior year, was one about as good a DB as you could be.  Boykin’s return game prowess is probably what he’s more celebrated for.  From his sophomore season in ’09 on, he was one of the best in the business.  His can vouch for that:  4 kick returns for TDs, 2 receiving, 1 rushing, a safety, and the best punt return for a TD I’ve ever seen.  In fact, here’s a link to that video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg5umiASHXw.   He scored 3 different ways in the 2012 Outback Bowl (some kind of record) on a safety, punt return, and reception.  Awesomeness.  Wouldn’t believe he was just a 3 or 4 Star recruit (depending on which source you were reading) would you?

Honorable Mention:  Sanders Commings

S – Bacarri Rambo/Shawn Williams – It’s fitting that both of these guys were 3 Star recruits, both of them ended up playing and starting for a major program, and both of them will be pretty high draft picks come April.  These two formed the best safety duo in the country in ’11 and ’12, and will be sorely missed.  That’s why I couldn’t decide on which one was better than the other.  Rambo finished his career with more accolades and better stats, but Williams was perhaps the better leader and maybe the more sound overall.  I can’t wait to see both of these damn good Dawgs start on Sundays!

Honorable Mention:  Kelin Johnson, Tra Battle

Special Teams:  Brandon Coutu/Mikey Henderson – From walk-on kicker, to All-SEC, to draft pick, they don’t come much better than this guy.  Of course, it helps when our scholarship kicker Andy Bailey missed enough to make the coaches give him a shot.  It showed just a badly we need him too when he got hurt mid-season in ’06.  As for Henderson, I like him more here because special teams are what really defined his career (minus the game winning catch at Bama).  Boykin might’ve had more eye gouging numbers, and honestly could’ve gone here too.  But I wanted to give someone else some love.  Henderson, like his older brother Jamie who also played for the Dawgs, might be the fastest person to ever don the red and black.  He punt returns were a wonder to behold as you could always see the seam that he was creating.  He would’ve tied an NCAA record when he took two back against Western Kentucky in ’06 (his first game as a returnman) but one was called back.  Then there was the Tennessee game that year, where he had an 86 yarder by himself basically (we attempted to block the punt and left few people to block for him).  He had his moments on offense too, like the game winning catch in overtime at Tuscaloosa and the long one against the Gators in Jacksonville.   His story his particularly good when you remember that he was only a 2-Star recruit.