yet ANOTHER day of the year that Florida kicks our tail.
I'll be checking back throughout the day as the Letters of Intent get sent in to Georgia as well as other schools across the country. I am also scheduled to appear on 790 The Zone later today to discuss Georgia's class. I feel I have a tad bit of credibility as I called games all season long for Georgia Public Broadcasting and I co-host a little show called Score Atlanta's Official Visit on Sports Radio 790 The Zone.
Let's take a quick look at the future Dawgs that have already sent in a fax.
PS this list reportedly will NOT include Da'Rick Rogers and I must say that I was wrong this past Monday. I thought the kid would honor his commitment to the University of Georgia, but he is going to follow his buddy and Seth Cohen-y half-brother to Tennessee. Hey, Kudos to new Vols head coach Derek Dooley. It took him two scholarships, but he got Rogers, the No.9 overall player in the country according to Scout.com and MaxPreps Small School player of the year. A Parade All-American as well. A good get for Tennessee. He will officially commit at 9:45 this morning.
Back to the players that WIL be coming to Georgia...
Alec and Zander Ogletree of Newnan. Alec is perhaps the top player from the state of Georgia and he is a physical safety with incredible athletic ability. I saw him play Northside and he was actually more impressive as a wide receiver. He can cover though I wonder if he has too much Thomas Davis in him in that his coverage needs to improve a bit, but BOY can he hit. If he turns out to be Thomas Davis part two, I'll be fine with that, aka a top 15 pick in the NFL draft in four years.
As for Zander, I like the idea of this guy coming to Georgia. Instead of one of the highly sought out players that rests on laurels, this guy will be in the shadow of his brother and the undersized LB will likely play his butt off to get people to talk about him on his own and not just as Alec's brother. If he's the second coming of Rennie or Tony Taylor, I'd be happy with that. I like the "Chip on my shoulder" players that have something to prove. Oh, and this guy hits too.
QB Hutson Mason, Lassiter. The Parade All-American has great height and broke all sorts of Georgia passing records. He'll likely redshirt behind Mett and Murray and while he may be the next Joe Cox, ie, one-year wonder, he is a great kid (we've had him on SA's OV maybe 6 times?) and in the right system he can clearly put up numbers. Both times we called his games, he was a machine, throwing for 4 and 5 TDs in each game. A nice get to keep the in-state kid at home and PS, my mom is a fan of his.
Marc Deas, DB from Florida. I haven't seen him play live but I like the height at 6'0 in the defensive secondary. He is listed as 3-stars in both Rivals and Scout and I cannot wait to see what Lakatos does when he gets his hands on him.
Kenarious Gates, OT, Greenville. I think Mark Richt just wanted to steal someone from somebody else, just like everyone had been doing to him. We stole him last night from Kentucky. They say he's raw but has the skills to be a fine tackle. Hey, I'll never say we cannot use offensive linemen. He can also play a little basketball, so you know the kid is athletic.
TJ Stripling DE/OLB SW-D. I was semi-worried about this guy after the announcement was made that we were switching to a 3-4 defense, even though I thought this guy would be PERFECT as an OLB in the 3-4. This kid has DeMarcus Ware-potential written all over him. I thought it might have been a stretch to make this kid add on enough weight to be a DE in the 4-3 but he's perfect for 3-4. Perfect size, speed, ability. Great signing for Georgia.
Brandon Burrows, DE, Walton. What a nice young man and it was a shame he missed his senior season with an injury. He had 10 sacks as a junior and could play LB in college or jump over and play a little FB at UGA. Look for him to redshirt though in 2010. PS, his mother is a very nice woman too.
Demetre Baker, LB from Florida. He played both RB and LB in high school but expect him to be a playmaking ILB in the 3-4. He can fly all over the field and he's a winner. I look for him to be a real leader on this team in two or three years.
Michael Bennett, WR Alpharetta. Good size (but not much speed) at 6'3, could take Kris Durham's place as token white receiver and personal fave of one Josh Cole. ESPN has his as the No.55 receiver in the country and while he won't make Georgia fans miss Da'Rick Rogers or Chris Green, he can be a program guy like MoMass. Just get open young man and learn what you can from AJ Green.
Jakar Hamilton, Safety from JC. The Hitman is already enrolled and he has openly said he wants to be the next Greg Blue and Thomas Davis. I like the idea of a hard hitter, but let's make certain you can play a little coverage too. He's already on campus though and expect him to make a REAL push for starting time by fall.
Kolton Houston, OG Buford. He's enrolled and while he'll probably redshirt like Dallas Lee did last season, he doesn't try to be anything he isn't. He just opened up holes all season long for Buford en route to yet another state title. Just come in an be a solid guy and Sean will draft you in the GEORGIA BOY DRAFT and promise to hear things from you.
Jalen Fields, DE Dalton. Perhaps the second best Dalton Catamount ever, he was the first to pledge to the Dawgs and now it is official. He has been a DE for just two seasons after moving to the "darkside" from TE. He certainly has a chance to excel at DE, especially in the 3-4. Rodney Gardner will get his hands on him and mold him, perhaps into another QMo. That would be nice. He has that sort of potential, at least on the college level.
Ken Malcome RB Southwest DeKalb. When his teammate TJ Stripling joined The Official Visit, he said that Ken could be better than Herschel Walker, which is a stretch, but from what I've seen, he has surprising speed for being as big as he is. I watched him practice (he was suspended for the game we did at GPB with SWD v Tucker) and he will be an every-down back in college, if he avoids injury. It would make sense to redshirt him with Wayshaun and Caleb there this year and turn him loose with Ealy the following year.
Michael Thornton, DT Stephenson. While not as big as Jeff Whitaker, he will still be the starting DT in the 3-4 by 2012. He has more speed than Whitaker did and this was a MAJOR coupe for Georgia to get this guy, who many had considered an Auburn lean. I saw him go straight at Colquitt's line and have some success stopping the Packers. A great get to "stop the bleeding" for Georgia. What the team needed.
Derek Owens, CB from Florida. Plays with an attitude which is good if he can control it. He set his school's INT record and while he needs a tweak of proper technique from Lakatos, his head is already in being a cornerback. You cannot teach the mental game and he seems like he is ready to play. 5'11 180 is decent size for a corner as well. I like that.
Garrison Smith, DL Douglass. 6'3, 255 means he has good size and he was one of the top players in Georgia coming into his senior season. That said, his team was just 1-9 this year, but really, he cannot score points while playing DLine. I hope he hits the training table and the food line and becomes that NT the Dawgs need up front. If he can bulk up and become a Stroud-like player for the Dawgs (I know, he played in a 4-3, but you get my point) he will be a huge part of the DLine's future. He already has a little edge on Thornton in terms of weight. Hopefully the coaches will keep him focused because when he is, he can do some damage. Just keep him motivated and he's good to go. I'm really excited about this cat coming aboard.
Brent Benedict, OT Boles School in JVille. He comes to Georgia via the same path William Ry Patrick took and if he had not torn his knee up, I'd say he's a threat to play RT this year before moving to LT next season. Oh well. He will probably sit this year out before coming in strong to replace Clint Boling next year. As lame as it sounds, this might be the Dawgs best signing. Pair him with Austin Long and Chris Burnette from last year and the line will be just fine over the next few seasons.
Dexter Morant, DL from South Carolina. Yeah, Spurrier, you got Marcus Lattimore, but you probably needed this guy a little bit more. At 6'6 he'll be one heck of a DE in the 3-4 in about two or three seasons. Just wait for him to put a little muscle on and by the time he's a third year (either Junior or redshirt soph) he'll be a beast out there for Grantham. That has to make you excited, a 6'6 beast coming off of the side. WOW. Hello Seymour!
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