Green at the top of Richt's List

With the NFL draft just hours away, three Georgia Bulldogs Cordy Glenn, Brandon Boykin and Orson Charles must be nervously tapping their toes, wondering if/when they will be taken in Round One. Glenn is nearly a lock to go Thursday while Charles and/or Boykin could sneak into the first round or go early on Day Two. How will these three stack up on the list of Georgia players recruited by Mark Richt, developed by Mark Richt and sent to the NFL by Mark Richt? That is likely a question that won’t be answered until several years from now. One can look back at Richt’s tenure and see a host of first round picks, but who are Richt’s crown jewels when it comes to the NFL Draft? I am glad you asked. It would be hard to make this list without mentioning the player that went No. 1 overall in 2009 Matthew Stafford. The gunslinger from Highland Park, TX, was selected as the top player by the Detroit Lions in 2009 after three years in Athens. His explosive teammate Knowshon Moreno was taken 11 picks later by the Denver Broncos. While Moreno has been a disappointment in the NFL, Stafford stayed healthy last year and is being looked at as one of the top young guns in the league. Before those two, you’d need to go back to Thomas Davis in 2005 for another first round selection brought in by Richt and company to Athens. David Pollack was ushered in to Athens by Jim Donnan whose NFL career was cut short by injury. Davis, however, has been a key player on recent Panthers defenses. The team brought him back, just as it brought back Charles Johnson, a third rounder in 2007. Johnson’s big contract before last season raised eyebrows nationally even though many from the southeast knew of his potential. Mohamed Massaquoi was selected by Cleveland in 2009 with a second round pick, and the wide receiver has been serviceable for the Browns, just as Asher Allen has been during his NFL days. But the player that Richt should be most proud of is last year’s No. 4 overall selection A.J. Green. The Bengals wide receiver likely would have been the rookie of the year had a gentleman named Cam Newton not torn up the NFL rookie QB record books in Carolina last year. Green has a chance to be a Pro Bowler for years to come and will go down as Richt’s No. 1 NFL draft choice of all time. Stafford could eventually come around, but for now, Green has to receive the nod as best ever under Richt.

For twenty seasons the Atlanta Braves seemingly could always turn to John Smoltz for a crucial playoff start or to close out an elimination game. “I always wanted to be clutch,” said Smoltz in a conference call earlier this week. On Monday Braves president John Schuerholz announced that the team will retire Smoltz’s No. 29 in a ceremony on June 8, when he will also be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame. Smoltz addressed the media after Schuerholz’s announcement, taking time to give plenty of credit to his former teammates and managers. “I’m truly honored to be with the likes of some of those numbers on the wall (out in left field).” Smoltz spent 21 years with Atlanta, going 210-147 over 20 seasons while also racking up 154 saves with the team. The 1996 Cy Young award winner represented the Braves in eight trips to the All-Star game. He rang up 3011 strikeouts with Atlanta while posting a 3.26 ERA. After returning from an injury during the latter part of the 2001 season, Smoltz would go on to become of the game’s most dominant closers, a position he would hold for three more seasons. He recorded a league-high 55 saves in 2002. For his career he twice led the NL in wins (1996, 2006), strikeouts (1992, 1996), innings pitched (1996, 1997) and three times led the league in starts made (1992, 1997, 2006). “John has contributed so much to Atlanta Braves history. Inducting him into our Hall of Fame and making sure no one else will ever wear his No. 29 are the most meaningful and significant ways we can honor John,” Schuerholz said in a release of the second-winningest pitcher in postseason history. HISTORY OF 29 After June 8, no one will ever wear No. 29 again for the Braves, but originally Smoltz wasn’t even donning that number himself. When he first came to the Braves, he sported No. 57 under Chuck Tanner. Later it was switched out to the iconic 29. “I was just given No. 29. It wasn’t a superstitious thing.” Smoltz admitted that he tried to switch several times, trying to get a number that he could achieve in number of wins. “I had (29) forever, and it stuck.” Early on in 29’s career he struggled some, especially the first half of 1991. “Struggle is not new to me. I used it as a stepping stool to the next level.” After a 2-11 start to the year, Smoltz caught fire, as did the Braves. Smoltz won 12 of his next 14 decisions as Atlanta eventually made the World Series. “The poor start was one of the few times in life where I lost focus on what to do.” Smoltz credited Bobby Cox for sticking with him in the rotation and leaning on him, just a 24-year-old at the time. “Bobby was the reason I made the choice to stay with Atlanta every time.” The right-hander said that every time his contract came up, he thought about playing for Cox and with the Braves, and he tried to work out a way to stay with the team. FULL CIRCLE “So many things happened to me and for the best,” said Smoltz when looking back over his career. Smoltz is the only pitcher in Major League history that can boast 200-plus wins and 150-plus saves. He accomplished nearly all of those numbers with Atlanta, many of the wins coming along side friends Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux. “I’ve had some of the greatest teammates and the greatest manager in the game. I can’t think of what life would have been like without those guys.” From 1991-1998 either Glavine, Smoltz or Maddux captured all of the Cy Young awards save for 1997. Those three helped Atlanta to five World Series appearances and the 1995 title. With all of those memories, how will Smoltz approach June 8? “I won’t know if it will be emotional until that day,” said Smoltz. “I never really thought about big games until on the mound. Probably (it will be emotional), but it will be a lot of fun too.” The ceremony will take place in June as the Braves wanted as many alumni as possible to attend and Smoltz had to find a weekend he could make it when he didn’t have a TBS game to call. Since his retirement, Smoltz has become one of the best color commentators and analysts in the business, working with Peachtree TV, TBS and MLB Network. He is also writing a book entitled “Starting and Closing: Perseverance, Faith and One More Year,” which is due out this spring. Recently Smoltz was inducted into the Georgia Hall of Fame, a real honor he said as he knows he will spend his life in the state of Georgia. Smoltz said that throughout his career he never took time to ponder the Hall of Fame, leaving that for teammates and fans. He will join several of those teammates in Glavine and Maddux on the number wall and in the Braves Hall of Fame. Perhaps another former teammate, Chipper Jones, too, will have his number up there in the near future. For the time being, Smoltz will be the ninth Brave to have his number retired, joining Glavine (47), Maddux (31), Cox (6), Hank Aaron (44), Eddie Mathews (41), Dale Murphy (3) Phil Niekro (35) and Warren Spahn (21). The team also retired Jackie Robinson (42) as did all of Major League Baseball. Perhaps another party will be in order for Smoltz in 2014. Braves fans are keenly aware that in two years, he will be eligible for Major League Baseball’s prestigious Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. For now, though, Braves fans will have the chance to head out to Turner Field June 8 to honor a man who took the ball anytime it was handed to him, regardless of the situation, and gave it his all. “That is what this is all about,” said Smoltz of the chance for a proper sendoff. “I had such respect for all of (the Braves employees and fans). I have so many friends.”

What's left to work on?

With one week to go before the annual G-Day game which wraps up Georgia’s spring practice, what do the Bulldogs need to figure out for the upcoming season? One important issue that must be resolved is the defensive secondary. Brandon Boykin has graduated while Bacarri Rambo, Sanders Commings and Branden Smith are all not available for at least the season opener. Georgia’s best bet for a pair of starting corners are Malcolm Mitchell, who played wide receiver one year ago and Damian Swann, an incredible athlete that just made the switch to corner before his senior year of high school. The return of Shawn Williams at safety should help but he will be the lone returning starter from one year ago early on in the season. Corey Moore will be needed to make a play or two this season. The next week could also be telling as perhaps Devin Bowman gets some time out there as a player in the secondary. He could earn some playing time with a strong spring game as he certainly has the bloodlines to be successful.

While the running back situation and offensive line question will likely get resolved after the summer, backup quarterback is an issue that could be addressed in the next few days. The coaching staff and Hutson Mason would like to give the sophomore a redshirt season in 2012 to put one year in between Mason and starter Aaron Murray, but would the coaches really feel comfortable if Murray were to go down? Faton Bauta has been impressive during his short time on campus, impressing coaches and those familiar with the program with his work ethic. Christian LeMay will wrap up his second spring practice next Saturday after enrolling early in 2011 and taking a redshirt last year. Coaches are likely hoping that they can get by this year with Murray taking 99% of the snaps and LeMay, Parker Welch and Michael Tamburo taking the other 1% with Mason and Bauta redshirting. Bauta does have some potential as a Tebow-like wildcard which could lead to his finding some playing time.

There are plenty of other areas that need addressing, but those issues likely won’t be solved in the next week. The backup quarterback position and the defensive secondary are two problems that can be fixed.

Vandy making inroads in Georgia...

The Vanderbilt Commodores have done a bang-up job so far this season to secure inroads in the state of Georgia, and James Franklin thus far has snagged four prized recruits for the 2013 class. Jonesboro cornerback Tauren Ferguson is the latest Peach State native to jump aboard the Vandy train, picking the Commodores over offers from Ole Miss, Wake Forest and Cincinnati. He will join Stephenson DE Jonathan Wynn and a pair of four-star recruits in Central-Macon LB Nigel Bowden and Cedar Grove QB Johnathan McCrary. Last year the Commodores landed five Georgia prospects including Buford’s Paris Head.

Georgia Tech is finally on the board for the Class of 2013 as four-star running back Travis Custis pledged to sign with Paul Johnson next February. The Lovejoy star reportedly had offers from Clemson, Miami, Boston College, Mississippi State, Michigan State and South Florida according to Scout.com.

While his coach says the opposite is true, two schools may have been ruled out in the Tony Parker sweepstakes. Last week Score Atlanta secured an exclusive with Miller Grove head coach Sharman White following the McDonald’s All-American game and asked about Parker’s recruiting process. When asked if Parker had eliminated any schools from his top five of Kansas, Duke, Ohio State, UCLA and UGA, White said “No one has been ruled out.” Rumors had been circulating the web that Kansas and Ohio State had taken hits with various assistants interviewing for head coaching jobs. Kansas assistant Danny Manning will leave the Jayhawks to take over as head coach of Tulsa, but Ohio State’s staff appears to be sticking together. Parker will announce his decision April 11 and sign his letter of intent during the late signing period. As for the in-state Bulldogs, fans will like to hear that White confirmed “Georgia is definitely still in it.”