By: Drayton Hogarth

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Even when it is not football season, it is still football season.

In addition to spring camps, summer workouts, and fall camps leading up to the regular season for colleges all over the country, recruiting is a vital aspect of the offseason as well.

Recruiting is the lifeblood for any good college football program, and the summer is often when recruits will make their decisions public, or the ground work is laid by the coaching staffs to the recruits, their families, and advisors, in order to help the young men decide which school feels like “home.”

Here in our area, we have well documented the extraordinarily talented football class of 2017. DeeJay Dallas, Shawn Smith, and D’Antne Demery immediately come to mind in Glynn County alone.

All three of these young men have already made their decisions as to where they will continue their education and football career. Let’s take a look at each and the decisions that they have made.

Dee Jay Dallas of Glynn Academy is the do-everything player in the Red Terrors offense, and even takes several snaps on defense as well.

Dallas previously committed to Coach Richt while Richt was still at the University of Georgia. When Richt moved to the Miami Hurricanes, that familiarity was enough for Dallas to feel comfortable enough to make the move to become a Hurricane.

While Dee Jay is listed as an athlete, it is assumed that the speedy playmaker will begin his Miami career on the offensive side of the ball. However, do not be surprised when Dallas shows out in the secondary.

While anything is possible in the world of recruiting, look for Dee Jay to remain a Hurricane and sign with Coach Richt and Miami on National Signing Day.

Shawn Smith was the first of the big time players here in Glynn County to commit, as the Brunswick High Pirate gave his commitment to the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The Gamecocks are also under a new coaching regime in, Coach Will Muschamp. Muschamp is in dire need of playmakers like Shawn Smith. Smith was forced to play out of position last season for the Pirates, but the coaching staff will have him in prime position to utilize his speed and explosiveness this year.

In fact, I believe that Smith will outperform his commitment to South Carolina, and will be a highly sought after player and will be a big time target for other schools to try and flip his commitment.

Look for Smith to possibly take his talents to another program; the Gamecocks will be fortunate to hang on to a player the caliber of Smith.

D’Antne Demery recently gave his commitment to the home state Georgia Bulldogs. The 6’5” 319 pound offensive lineman seemed to really bond with the new Bulldog offensive line coach Sam Pittman, and of course head coach Kirby Smart.

Demery will look to have an even better year this year, main reason being he will be healthier and show that he has worked extremely hard to transform his body.

Demery has added much more muscle and is leaner. The big man has shown good footwork and mobility for his size, but Georgia’s coaching staff and fans will love to see how well Demery can move and utilize his size by plowing over opposing defenses.

Coach Smart has stated that the Bulldogs need to get bigger and add more talent to the roster; Demery fits that bill in both aspects. Both Georgia and Demery should stay true to each other and be a great fit for each other the next four plus years.

We are truly in a golden era of high school football talent, both on the field and the sidelines here in the Golden Isles. Make sure you get out there each Friday night and watch these kids give their all for our high schools.