College Football
I Will Take My Talents To…
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
With the Early Signing Period in the rearview mirror and bowl season over, the last big day for college football before spring practice is National Signing Day.
With many of the top recruits from the 2020 class already signed, who is left for the top programs to pick up on Wednesday, February 5th?
Five Star Running Back Zack Evans is the number 1 running back in the class of 2020.
By far the wildest recruitment of the 2020 cycle. Evans signed a LOI (Letter of Intent) with the Georgia Bulldogs back in December, got cold feet, and asked to be released from his LOI.
Georgia obliged and now Evans is back on the market as an extremely talented athlete with some off the field issues.
This recruitment still seems very cloudy through, as Evans has left a lot of coaches guessing. This is shaping up to be a Tennessee, Ole Miss and Georgia battle. Alabama, Florida and LSU have rescinded their offers over the past few weeks. My Pick: Georgia
Four Star Safety Avantae Williams backed off his early commitment to the Oregon Ducks back in December.
Williams is the 9th ranked safety in the 2020 class.
He is a hard-hitting safety that can cover a lot of ground. Williams’ recruitment is a battle between Miami, Florida and Georgia. My Pick: Florida
Four Star Offensive Lineman Sedrick Van Pran has been committed to Georgia since August.
Van Pran has taken official visits to Alabama and is scheduled to be at Florida this weekend.
With the departure of former Offensive Line coach San Pittman, Van Pran seems to have opened up his recruitment. It would be shocking if Van Pran is not a Bulldog come National Signing Day. My Pick: Georgia
Four Star Running Back Jahmyr Gibbs has been committed to Georgia Tech since May.
After a very strong senior season, Gibbs has received offers from Ohio State, LSU, Georgia and Florida.
While Florida and Ohio State have put on the full court press, Gibbs will stay firm to his commitment. My Pick: Georgia Tech
Four Star Athlete Damarcus Beckwood has hopes of playing college football and basketball.
The 6-foot-4, 220 pounder is a versatile weapon on offense playing both wide receiver and tight end in high school. This is a battle between Tennessee and Florida. My Pick: Florida
February 5th marks the final day of the 2020 recruiting cycle. National Signing Day will still be important as there are a couple highly touted 2020 high school prospects that remain uncommitted.
And there will always be the few flipped prospects that make headlines on National Signing Day.
Since Dan Mullen’s time at Florida, the Gators have used the transfer portal to pluck talented players. The Gators have landed four star Van Jefferson and Trevon Grimes in Mullen’s first year at Florida.
Last season, the Gators landed five-star defensive end, Brenton Cox.
This season is much different, the Gators signed a pair of five stars in running back Lorenzo Lingard and wide receiver Justin Shorter. Both players have applied for waivers with the NCAA.
Kirby Smart used the portal to add quarterback Jamie Newman. Newman has one season of eligibility and should be the front runner for QB1 for the Bulldogs.
Can Newman do what Joe Burrow did for LSU?
The Georgia QB Room
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I’ve always viewed Georgia’s football program as one that recruits elite talent on both the defensive side of the ball and at running back, while intermittently signing those types of players at the quarterback position.
I’m not trying to debate whether my observation is accurate, as much as my opinion has changed since Kirby Smart arrived.
I certainly don’t claim to be a Georgia Bulldog historian, but I doubt the program has had a run on quarterbacks as impressive as Smart’s since he arrived in Athens- Eason, Fromm, Fields, Newman, and now Vandagriff.
It seems fairly obvious that he is bringing in the best possible players he can recruit, even if he’s “recruiting over” someone, and letting the best win out.
Personally, if I were a Bulldogs fan, I would love the approach he’s taking, but it doesn’t come without pitfalls; mainly, as in the case with Eason and Fields, transfers.
Transfers are something college coaches have always dealt with, especially in basketball, and those numbers have started to increase significantly every year in football.
Even with restrictions on when a football player can declare for the NFL, recruits still arrive on campus with the mindset of how they can best position themselves to take that next step. I don’t blame them at all, but waiting a year behind someone to get your chance just doesn’t happen anymore.
As frustrating as transfers can be, the issue down the road is at what point do the numbers of transfers your program has, particularly at a high-profile position like quarterback, start to prevent recruits from actually signing to begin with?
It’s not a problem that typically rears its head until a situation arises where there is a need to rely on depth. When you have a significant amount of high-level talent you were planning on using for that depth exit your program, it creates a larger gap between your first-string players and second string. This is typically where the trouble seeps in.
Take this past year for example, had Fromm went down with an injury was there really a viable backup, especially when you consider both Eason and Fields would’ve been on the roster, had they not transferred?
Georgia seems to have avoided an issue for this upcoming season, as long as Newman plays well. But, if he doesn’t and Carson Beck steps in and has the type of freshman season Fromm did, Georgia could be looking at a similar situation with Beck/Vandagriff that they had with Fromm/Fields.
I know a lot of this is hypothetical, but trust me, as a Duke basketball fan, who has seen a number of players transfer over the years, the lack of depth is where this way of recruiting catches up to you.
Again, I’m not saying I’d do anything different if I was Smart. In fact, I always find it funny that fanbases will bash other coaches for bringing in higher ranked recruits, as if they’re not supposed to sign the best talent they possibly can.
But, as Georgia continues to bring in not only 5-star recruits, but quarterbacks ranked number one in their class, fans will need to get used to seeing their quarterbacks in the transfer portal- they may not even get the recruits in the first place.
Of course, 99% of the other programs in college football would gladly switch places with you in an instant, so there are definitely bigger problems you could be having.
The Coaching Ranks
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Our greatest game is now in the off season.
You already see early 2020 predictions being made for the college football season.
The SEC has a few new head coaches who are ready to make their mark on the conference. Here are my head coach rankings heading into the 2020 season:
Nick Saban: The Alabama HC is the gold standard that all college football coaches are measured by.
The Tide just finished an 11-2 season with a win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl and you would think the Alabama football program is on life support if you listen to the experts around the country. Saban will be back in 2020 and the SEC West will feel the full wrath of Saban.
Ed Orgeron: Coach O can do just about anything he wants in the State of Louisiana right now after leading LSU to a Natty. It’s hard not to love the man and the kids really play hard for him. LSU is a blue blood again in college football because of Coach O. Go Tigahs!
Kirby Smart: Yeah Kirby seems to be the butt of jokes because UGA hasn’t won a national title since 1980, but the butt of those jokes should go towards Ray Goff, Jim Donnan, and Mark Richt correct?
Kirby is 44-12 at UGA in four years, and coming off three straight 11-1 regular seasons. Kirby retooled his offensive staff after the Sugar Bowl and Florida is already the trendy pick in the East, so Kirby can use that as a motivational tool this offseason.
Jimbo Fisher: The Aggie HC is starting to drop down this list after getting the big $75 million contract from A&M. It is time for Aggie fans to see a good ROI on their investment in 2020.
Dan Mullen: Back to Back top 10 finishes in Gainesville is what the Gator nation expects out of Big Game Dan. The Gators now are dealing with high expectations for the first time in a few years so let’s see how they respond to it. My guess is they will be just fine.
Gus Malzahn: Who does less with more than Gus? It is time for Auburn to get back in the playoff hunt in the SEC. Too much talent at Auburn to have another 9-4 type season.
Mark Stoops: While you have been napping Stoops has built Kentucky into a respectable football program. The Cats have as many as 19 starters coming back in 2020.
Sleep on Kentucky at your own risk.
Mike Leach: Joe Moorhead, we hardly knew you.
The Pirate has won at Texas Tech and Washington State. The Air Raid is coming to the SEC and Leach will have you busting a gut like you are at a Kevin Hart concert.
Leach will win SEC Media Days this summer and field a good football team to go along with it.
Jeremy Pruitt: Pruitt is hardcore and has Tennessee on the rebound.
Look out moving forward for the Vols. Those of you that have forgotten about Vol football don’t worry they will be back soon, and you will hear Rocky Top 736 times during a 60-minute football game.
Will Muschamp: Good coach coaching in a tough environment, while Dabo is rolling at Clemson.
Georgia found out the hard way in 2019 and missed the college football playoff because of the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Lane Kiffin: Great offensive mind, but last time he was in the SEC as a HC he left Tennessee in a total mess. I think he moves up this list but starts here in 2020.
Derek Mason: Vandy is a tough place to build a resume. Mason’s teams play really hard, but are out-talented most weeks in the SEC.
Eli Drinkwitz: Yes, he looks like a CPA and did great things in Boone, NC, but we will see if that can carry over to Columbia, Missouri.
Sam Pittman: Arkansas is a raging dumpster fire that has some good tradition. We shall see if the Pit Boss can turn things around in NW Arkansas.
Hurry up SEC Media Days so I can tune into Mike Leach.
College Football Free Agency
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NCAA launched the transfer portal two years ago, and suddenly the transfer portal has made a major impact in the 2019 season. It’s paid off handsomely for three of the four teams in the College Football Playoffs.
Justin Fields (Ohio State), Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma) and Heisman Trophy winner and National Championship MVP Joe Burrow were all transfer quarterbacks. Many fans criticized these players decisions and made excuses for them leaving.
The most important offer a coach or program can make a player is an immediate chance to play.
Just look at Gardner Minshew after transferring from East Carolina, he was supposed to be a graduate assistant at Alabama before Coach Mike Leach offered him an opportunity to play at Washington State.
Not all transfers were as successful as Fields, Hurt or Burrow: just ask Tate Martell and Brandon Wimbush.
Has college football turned into a high stakes game of musical chairs?
So, who’s the next Joe Burrow or Garder Minshew?
Jamie Newman is a 6 foot 4, 230 pound quarterback who completed 60.9 percent of his passes for 2,869 yards and 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Newman made his decision to transfer to the University of Georgia. He provides the Bulldogs with a dual threat element after running for 574 yards and 6 touchdowns in 12 games in 2019.
Newman should have a chance to start next season. The Bulldogs currently have Stetson Bennett, D’Wan Mathis and 2020 signee Carson Beck to compete with Newman.
D’Eriq King is a 5 foot 11, 195 pound dual threat quarterback, who completed 52.7 percent of his passes for 663 yards and 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in four games with Houston in 2019.
King made his decision to transfer to the University of Miami as a graduate transfer, he is eligible to play in the 2020 season. King immediately becomes the favorite to start for the Hurricanes in new offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee’s offense.
The Hurricanes have a very crowded quarterback room. Last season, starter Jarren Williams was a redshirt sophomore, N’Kosi Perry, a redshirt junior, Tate Martell, redshirt junior (transfer last season from Ohio State), Peyton Matocha is a redshirt freshman and Tyler Van Dyke is a true freshman in the 2020 class.
Feleipe Franks is a 6 foot 6 quarterback, who completed 76.1 percent of his passes for 698 yards and 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in 2 and a half game in 2019.
Franks, who enrolled immediately and is going through spring drills with the Razorbacks.
Franks has had an inconsistent career at the University of Florida. I’m unsure if he will find stability in his new transfer.
Arkansas was one of the worst Power Five teams in all of football last season. Arkansas has a long way to go before they’ll be competitive, but adding Franks is certainly a step in the right direction.
Under new offensive coordinator Kendall Briles, Franks, KJ Jefferson, Jack Lindsey and John Stephen Jones will compete for the starting job.
Here is a list of other transfer quarterbacks to keep your eyes on: Jake Bentley (Utah), Phil Jurkovec (Boston College), Joey Gatewood (Kentucky), Chase Brice, KJ Costello and some others.
The exciting part of the college football offseason the past two seasons has been the movement among quarterbacks in the transfer portal: College Football’s new free agency.
The Best All-Time
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
LSU just finished one of the most dominant football seasons in recent memory with a 42-25 win over Clemson for the National Championship.
It was LSU’s third national championship this century to go along with titles in 2003, and 2007. I have been watching college football since the 1970’s and here are my top five college football teams in the window:
Honorable Mention: 1976 Pittsburgh 12-0: The Panthers with Heisman winner Tony Dorsett drilled SEC Champion and 4th ranked UGA in the Sugar Bowl 27-3 as Dorsett rushed for over 200 yards.
1999 Florida State 12-0: The Seminoles beat a Michael Vick led Virginia Tech team in the Sugar Bowl to win Bobby Bowden’s second National Title in Tallahassee. Where have those days gone FSU fans?
2005 USC: 12-1: The Trojans were a great team that lost to Texas for the National Title. Reggie Bush and company were defending champions but this team was better than their 2004 title team.
1979 Alabama 12-0: This was Bear Bryant’s last National Title team at Alabama.
They won seven games by 20 or more points. The Tide led the nation in scoring defense and beat a very good Arkansas team 24-9 in the Sugar Bowl.
2018 Clemson 15-0: This team beat Alabama 44-16 to capture the National Title, and blew out Notre Dame in the semifinals 30-3. Dominant defense with four NFL players on the defensive line.
My Top Five College Football Teams of All-Time:
- 1996 Florida 12-1: This was great football team and Steve Spurrier’s only National Champion that blew out unbeaten FSU 52-20 in the Sugar Bowl to avenge a 24-21 regular season loss to the Seminoles.
Bob Stoops was the defensive coordinator and the team was led by Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel at QB and All-American receivers Ike Hilliard and Reidel Anthony.
The Gators outscored their opponents 612-228 during the season. The Ole Ball Coach put Florida football on the map when he took the job in 1990 and won 127 games in 12 years in Gainesville.
- 2005 Texas 13-0: Vince Young led the Longhorns to a classic 41-38 win over USC in the Rose Bowl.
Texas scored 652 points during the 2005 season while giving up only 213. The Rose Bowl that year may be the greatest college football game I have ever watched on television.
- 2001 Miami 12-0: The 2001 Canes only allowed 117 points all season, and hammered Nebraska 37-14 in the Rose Bowl for the title.
Many say this was the most talented team in the history of college football with players like Ed Reed, Jeremy Shockey, Clinton Portis, Andre Johnson, this roster was littered with future Pro-Bowlers.
- 2019 LSU 15-0: The first team in the history of the SEC to go 15-0. Led by Heisman winner Joe Burrow, who tossed for 60 TD’s to only 6 Int’s on the season.
This LSU team will go down as the best team in the history of the SEC. The Tigers beat Clemson for a National Title, while Clemson was riding a 29-game winning streak.
This team beat five teams ranked in the top 10 of the final rankings, and six of the top 15. This team will stand the test of time for greatness.
1.1995 Nebraska 13-0: The most dominant team in college football history. The 1995 Cornhuskers averaged 53 plus points a game and defeated four teams ranked in the Top 10.
No team all year came closer than 23 points to the Huskers, and this team beat a great undefeated Florida team 62-24 in the Fiesta Bowl and it looked like men playing middle schoolers.
27 players from this team played in the NFL. QB Tommie Frazier is one of my favorite college football players of all-time. He Led the Huskers to back to back National Championships in 1994 and 1995.
There you have it folks. College Football is our greatest game. Nothing really comes close.
Geaux Tigers
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The CFP National Championship game was a matchup of two great teams. No. 1 LSU (14-0) versus defending national champion No. 3 Clemson (14-0). Both sets of Tigers were trying to make history.
Louisiana State is led by Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow. Burrow broke the single-season passing touchdown record previously set by Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan in 2006 with 58. Burrow had 60 this season.
Before this game Trevor Lawrence was undefeated as a college player. Early on Clemson had the momentum. They scored first to take a 7-0 lead. LSU scored on their opening drive in the previous six games but got off to a slow start.
Clemson squandered opportunities on their first two drives. They got inside the LSU forty, but they did not score and they had to punt both times.
Clemson led 17 – 7 early in the second quarter before the Bayou Bengal offense started clicking. Burrow finished the game with 463 passing yards, 5 touchdowns through the air and 1 rushing TD.
Biletnikoff Award winning wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase finished with nine catches for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns. Justin Jefferson had 9 catches for 106 yards.
“He’s one of the greatest players in LSU history,” Tigers coach Ed Orgeron said. “He’s done so much for the state of Louisiana and LSU. We are so grateful to Joe Burrow.”
Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire had 16 carries for 110 yards. He also had 5 catches for 54 yards. LSU won the game 42 – 25.
“This is what I wanted to do from the time I was 5 years old, was hoist this trophy, and bringing it back to Louisiana,” Burrow said, then caught himself. “I guess we’re in Louisiana, but staying in Louisiana, we weren’t going to let someone come in here and steal this from us in our home state. We have a great fan base that came out and supported us. We were going to keep this thing right here.”
Lawrence had 234 passing yards with no touchdown or interception. He also rushed for 49 yards and a touchdown. Travis Etienne had 15 carries for 78 yards and a TD.
“This team is going to be mentioned as one of the greatest teams in college football history,” Orgeron said, “15-0, as one of the greatest teams in LSU history. But that’s for you guys to decide.”
This team might be on the short list with teams like 1995 Nebraska and 2001 Miami. This is LSU’s first national title since 2007 and fourth overall.
This has been a very impressive year because LSU has struggled on offense for the last decade. They typically have great skill position players but poor quarterback play. Now they have a QB that probably had the best season ever at the position.
“What this offense has done, I’m amazed. I really am,” co-offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger said. “We changed the whole durn thing in one year, you know what I’m saying? We changed everything in one year. And these guys bought into it. They worked their ass off to get where they’re supposed to be, to get where they want to be, and they did it.”
The Fromm Factor
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When I heard Jake Fromm was entering the NFL Draft I started to think about where he ranks among Georgia’s quarterbacks, which naturally led me to Phil Simms. Let me explain.
Years ago, I got into a debate with an uncle of mine about who the better quarterback was, Dan Marino or Phil Simms.
Like any reasonable fan that doesn’t root for the New York Giants, I was on the side of Marino. My uncle argued Simms was better because one, he had won a Super Bowl and that automatically placed him above any player who hadn’t- in which case please help me welcome Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson to the NFL Elite.
The other reason was because Marino yelled at his teammates and Simms didn’t. I guess that means Robert Horry was better than Michael Jordan because he was nicer? Doesn’t make sense to me, but whatever.
Anyways, it was a great reminder that people’s criteria for what makes a team or player great differs from person to person, and in some cases, doesn’t make a damn bit of sense.
If you were to poll the Georgia fanbase on where Fromm does rank among his fellow quarterbacks, I imagine the results would be all over the place.
If you put a lot of weight into statistics, then you probably have Fromm ranked towards the top. As Fromm takes his talents to the NFL, he will leave Georgia as one of the winningest quarterbacks in school history, 2nd overall in passing touchdowns, and 4th in passing yards. It’s worth noting, too, that all the quarterbacks he trails in those categories were four-year starters, as opposed to his three.
If you’re someone who puts team accomplishments ahead of individual stats, you’ve also got a good argument in favor of Fromm. Three SEC Championship games, one SEC title, and a National Championship appearance in a three span looks pretty good on a resumé and stacks up well with just about any other Georgia quarterback.
Plus, he never lost to Florida, something you must go all the way back to the days of Buck Belue and John Lastinger to find.
Where it gets tricky is for those fans who go by the eye test. Let’s pretend for a second that you are about to enter your senior year as a Georgia football player. You have no aspirations of playing in the NFL, so your answer to the question I’m about to ask won’t be swayed by who can assist you the most in your quest to make it to the league.
If you could choose one Georgia quarterback, in their prime, to lead your final college season, how many other quarterbacks would you choose before you landed on Fromm?
Off the bat I imagine Fran Tarkenton, Belue, and probably Matt Stafford would be the first three.
How about players like David Greene, Quincy Carter, Aaron Murray, Ray Goff, Lastinger; would you choose any of them to lead your squad, over Fromm?
There’s no right or wrong answer- unless you choose Joe Tereshinksi and are not somehow related to him, then you’re just wrong. (Sorry, Joe).
You could certainly dive deeper into this discussion, but personally, I think Fromm departs Athens as one of the more accomplished quarterbacks to have played at Georgia, even if he wasn’t necessarily one of the best; and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Then again, he does come across as an extremely likeable guy who didn’t yell at his teammates a lot, and we all know that’s what really matters.
Eagle Departure
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Most Georgia Southern fans still hadn’t shaken off the haze of the always-blurry week between Christmas and New Year’s when they were surprised to hear that the Eagles will have a new person heading up the athletics department in the coming weeks.
With Tom Kleinlein’s announcement that he’s off to Ole Miss, Georgia Southern finds itself looking for an athletics director for the first time since it was an FCS school. While the university is roughly the same in terms of students, it will be a whole new ballgame for the next person to take the reins.
For starters, Georgia Southern Athletics is a much larger operation nowadays. The budget is now well over $20 million, where it hovered around half that mark before Kleinlein took over.
There are also more sports to oversee as women’s golf and women’s rifle began play in conjunction with the school’s move to FBS.
There is also the pressure to keep up with the Jones’ as the Sun Belt features large public schools that are continually growing as opposed to the Eagles’ former home in the private school-dominated Southern Conference.
So, with all the changes that have taken place since the school’s last athletic director hire, I think it’s time to keep that trend going.
It’s likely that – following Kleinlein’s final day on the job and during the school’s national search for his replacement – a member of the current athletics administration staff will be named the interim athletic director.
The Eagles definitely have an ideal candidate in current Deputy AD Lisa Sweany, who served as the athletic director at Armstrong Atlantic before the school was absorbed by Georgia Southern.
By all accounts, Sweany did a good job at Armstrong and has continued the good work in Statesboro. But the athletic program, in its current state, is in need of a shove forward and keeping the administration in roughly the same order isn’t the best way to accomplish that.
Five years ago, the school boasted a skyrocketing football team, a men’s basketball squad on the verge of making the NCAA tournament and a baseball and men’s golf team that were postseason regulars. Nothing has fallen off a cliff since then, but nothing has gotten significantly better either.
More importantly, the surge of money and fans that ushered in the FBS era has slowed. The stands haven’t been as crowded at any GS venues in recent seasons and balancing the budget is becoming a tougher task with each season.
It’s time for Georgia Southern to think outside the box.
The school and its athletic programs are too big and too notable to not transform into something bigger than they currently are.
Maybe that needs the touch of a business-savvy director, who can bring more donors and partnerships into the fold? Maybe it will take an aggressive and visible athletic director that will challenge the bubble immediately outside of Statesboro that is full of potential fans that don’t always fall on the Eagles’ side of the fence.
Kleinlein’s efforts were much-needed and he was the right guy at the right time for what had to be accomplished half a decade ago.
Now it’s time for Georgia Southern to find the right person once again. And if the athletic program wants to be more of a national presence, then it would do well to make sure it covers every corner of the map to find that person.
Building the Hive
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The college football season is almost over but one aspect never ends, recruiting. The early signing period was last month and signing day is in February. I want to look at a team that is making a splash in recruiting in 2020, Georgia Tech.
So far, the Yellow Jackets have the 26th ranked recruiting class in 2020. Under Paul Johnson, they routinely finished almost last in the ACC. This is a major improvement by them after head coach Geoff Collins’ first season. They had a rough year finishing 3-9 but they are attracting better talent.
The first player I have to mention is four-star wide receiver Bryce Gowdy. By now, I am sure you heard his tragic story. The talented Deerfield Beach, Florida native took his own life and was hit by a freight train December 30.
He was supposed to start classes at Tech this week. He was an honors student that graduated early but suffered from mental-health issues and homelessness. This was a big loss for the program and I’m not referring to on the field.
One of the best running backs in the state of Georgia, Jahmyr Gibbs is a hard commit. Gibbs played for Dalton High School and in 11 games this past season he rushed for 2,554 yards, 40 touchdowns and averaged 11 yards per carry. The four-star recruit played in the All-American Bowl last week.
Four-star dual threat quarterback Jeff Sims from Jacksonville, Fl played in the Under Armour All-America Game. Sims is 6’3, 205 pounds and very athletic. He was initially committed to Florida State before he signed with Tech.
There is another QB from Florida that signed with GT, three-star recruit Tucker Gleason. Gleason played for Plant High, which is a very good program. He 6’3, 220 lb. pro style quarterback.
Collins is recruiting the state of Florida very well and more specifically the Jacksonville area. Four-star cornerback Miles Brooks played at Trinity Christian Academy. Brooks is 6’2 so he has great size for the position. He also had offers from Alabama, Auburn, Virginia Tech and Ohio State.
Brooks has an official forty time of 4.52 and a 35.3-inch vertical.
It is interesting to see players come to Tech that were also recruited by major programs. Under CPJ you would see guys and the other teams recruiting them would be Wofford and Middle Tennessee State. The best offer they had was from GT so that is why they committed.
Defensive End Jared Ivey from North Gwinnett High School is another four-star. He’s 6’6, 225 pounds so he has prototypical body for the position. In the 2019 season, he wreaked havoc with 80 tackles, 32.5 tackles for loss and 20 sacks. He also broke up four passes and has a forced fumble.
Wide receiver Nate McCollum is also a Georgia native from Dutchtown High (Hampton). He’s a small receiver (5’11) but he is very fast, running the forty in 4.41 seconds. He’s also a stand out in baseball and we will see him on the diamond at Georgia Tech.
There are seventeen more three-star commits in this class. They are getting faster and more athletic at every position. We will see if these players can turn the program around in year two under Collins.
You Can’t Spell Sugar Without UGA
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 5th ranked Georgia Bulldogs playing shorthanded at key positions and out hustled, out hit, out coached and out played the 7th ranked Baylor Bears in a 26-14 victory in the 86th annual Allstate Sugar Bowl.
The Dawgs led 19-0 at the half, but Baylor came out and scored a couple of second half TD’s. However, as they have most of the season, the UGA defense took over the contest in the 4th quarter and Georgia finished off the Bears to finish 12-2 on the season.
The UGA senior class finishes their career with a 44-12 record which ties for most wins in school history with an SEC Championship, 3 straight SEC East Titles, wins in the Liberty, Rose, and Sugar Bowl, a college football playoff appearance, and a national title game appearance.
Observations from the Sugar Bowl win over Baylor:
1.George Pickens is a superstar in the making.
The freshman WR tied a Georgia record for receptions in a bowl game with 12 for 175 yards and a TD.
Pickens gave the Baylor secondary fits all night long pumped some much needed life into the UGA passing game.
Pickens now will be the leader of a talented wide receiver group going into 2020 that goes from a weakness in 2019 to a team strength in 2020.
Remember this point next fall when you hear teams like Florida making excuses because they lost their top 4 wide receivers from 2019.
2.The UGA coaching staff out-coached the Baylor staff.
The naysayers criticize Kirby Smart’s coaching abilities, by hurling veiled back handed compliments lauding Smart’s recruiting abilities, but saying he is not a good game day coach.
Georgia was better prepared and better motivated than a Baylor squad that has a head coach linked to current NFL openings.
Kirby Smart is now 8-4 against top 10 teams in his 4 years at UGA.
You don’t just throw 4-5 star recruits on the field and say just freelance and conquer. You have to coach them up. Give Kirby Smart some credit for being an all-around pretty good football coach.
3.The 2019 UGA football team became the fifth team in school history to win 12 games or more in a season.
Kirby Smart has coached two of those five teams in four years. Never let facts stand in your way on a good internet troll attempt, right?
4.You got a pretty good sneak peek at the 2020 defense in the Sugar Bowl. Did you like what you saw? The rest of the SEC did not, and trust me they were watching.
5.Zamir White, once fully recovered from back to back ACL injuries, will be in beast mode in 2020.
6.Georgia arrived in New Orleans missing 12 players that started a game at one time or another in 2019. Including three starting offensive lineman, two All-SEC players on defense and did not seem to miss a beat against an 11-win Baylor team.
Recruiting and roster management is an essential component in being a quality football coach.
UGA is now, annually, a legitimate contender for a spot in the college football playoff.
The 2019 Georgia Bulldogs won’t be remembered for style points during this 12-2 season. They will be remembered as a tough, physical football team that beat Notre Dame at Sanford Stadium, got upset at home by South Carolina, lost the SEC title game to a generational QB in Joe Burrow and LSU, won the SEC East and beat Florida for the third straight year, while holding them to 21 yards rushing, and last but not least the 2019 Dawgs will be remembered as your 2020 Sugar Bowl Champions.
Always remember you can’t spell sugar without UGA.
