Thursday, January 26, 2012

Can Richt pull off Dream Team II?

With word coming down that immigration issues will cost Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs a potential offensive line recruit, the Dawgs, who already had extra spots to fill, have one more. Some recruiting services have Georgia projected as high as the top five, but the loss of Chester Brown certainly won’t help Richt down the stretch. Can Richt and Georgia finish as strongly as they did one year ago? What targets are out there that could put the Dawgs squarely in the top five?

Avery Young is a 6-foot-5 offensive tackle from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, that will decide between Auburn, Georgia and Florida on National Signing Day. Early on it seemed Will Muschamp had Young locked up, but now experts believe it will come down to Georgia and Auburn because of immediate playing time. If Richt can land the four-star prospect, it will more than make up for the loss of Brown. Odds: 60% chance of Georgia over Auburn

Josh Harvey-Clemons is a man with so many positions, you’d think he was his own Fortune 500 company. He has played linebacker, safety, defensive end, wide receiver, running back and quarterback at Lowndes (GA) High School, and Richt just spent time with Harvey-Clemons this week. Georgia was trying to bring him in on the defensive side of the ball while early on Alabama and Florida wanted him at wide receiver. Florida and Georgia made the final list but Florida State has emerged, not surprisingly. The Lowndes program routinely sends players to the Seminole program including Greg Reid and Telvin Smith over the last few seasons. Harvey-Clemons could be the next though the Bulldogs are still fighting hard. Odds: 25% for Georgia but likely Florida State

Cordarrelle Patterson could be the wide receiver that Georgia needs to officially claim the title of top receiving corps in the nation. Add 6-foot-4 Patterson out of Hutchinson Community College to Tavarres King, Malcolm Mitchell and Michael Bennett (plus everyone else), and Aaron Murray could win the Heisman Trophy. But will Patterson want to go and compete with all of those options for catches? Will he head to Tennessee where somehow Derek Dooley gets a top flight receiver each signing class? Will Auburn sneak away with Young? It comes down to Georgia and Tennessee. Odds: 45% chance for Georgia. I think Tennessee walks away with him.

If the Dawgs miss out on Patterson, perhaps JaQuay Williams could soften the blow. The Sandy Creek (GA) receiver is committed to Auburn but reportedly loved his visit to Athens recently. The Dawgs put a major push on Williams, and it could pay off on National Signing Day. Odds of a flip: 75%. Dawg fans will be happy on National Signing Day unless Trooper Taylor works some magic for Auburn.

Josh Dawson, a defensive end from Tucker (GA) has been a solid commitment to Vanderbilt for a while, but Georgia got him on campus recently. Now he is still “committed,” to Vanderbilt but will decide once and for all on National Signing Day. Sorry James Franklin but it looks like you lost this fight with Todd Grantham. Odds: 95% chance of a flip for Georgia.

If the Dawgs land two of these guys, expect a top ten class for Mark Richt. If either Young or Harvey-Clemons sign with Georgia, Richt could be looking at another top five class.

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