The Big Boys Play Here
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2018 National Signing Day was earlier in the month. Now we know how each of your favorite teams did. Let’s look at the SEC recruiting classes. There are 9 SEC Schools with top 20 recruiting classes.
Surprisingly, Georgia tops the list. The Bulldogs almost won their first national title since 1980 and that success on the field is translating in recruiting. Out of the 26 recruits signed there are seven 5 stars and fifteen 4 stars.
Quarterback Justin Fields headlines the class. He was the #2 overall recruit in the nation and he’s a dynamic dual threat.
Fields is 6’3, 221 pounds and I expect him to gain another 10 pounds once he arrives in Athens. He will be sitting behind Jake Fromm for at least the next two years but we will see how that plays out.
UGA is becoming Running Back U over the past decade, so of course they signed another stud in Zamir White. He was the top ranked RB in the country and #9 national recruit. I expect him to step on campus and rush for a thousand yards immediately.
Alabama’s class was ranked 6th which is the worst it’s been since Nick Saban’s first year in 2007. The Crimson Tide are coming off of another national championship but I think their nervous about Georgia’s success. Bama only signed 19 recruits, two 5 stars, twelve 4 stars and five 3 stars.
They struggled on defense the last two years and they heavily addressed the defensive line. Eyabi Anoma is the 4th ranked national recruit and #1 defensive end.
Stephon Wynn also signed and he’s the 3rd ranked defensive end. The pass rush should be lethal in Tuscaloosa for the next few years.
The other five-star recruit is the best cornerback, Patrick Surtain Jr. If you recall his father played in the NFL, most notably for the Miami Dolphins. Clearly, Surtain Jr. has the pedigree to be successful.
Auburn’s class is ranked 12th but they don’t have any 5 star recruits.
They have sixteen 4 stars and eight 3 stars. Auburn is an interesting program because they have trouble sustaining a high level of success on the field. The Tigers normally have a breakout season every 4-5 years. Maybe this class will provide stability and help them build on their 2017 season.
One notable signee is defensive tackle Daquan Newkirk from East Mississippi Community College. If you watch Last Chance U then you’re familiar with that program.
Newkirk originally was in the Tigers 2016 class but his academic status forced him to go to community college. At 6’3, 282 pounds and two years of playing experience I expect him to be a key contributor in 2018.
“[Auburn’s commitment was] very important because through my journey a lot of schools turned their back but Auburn didn’t. That’s very special to me,” Newkirk said. “As you can tell no one really knows about me. Every time I got offered by a big school I didn’t post it on Twitter. I was just a humble guy throughout my whole process.”
Florida is ranked 14th which is impressive considering they did not hire new head coach Dan Mullen until November 26, 2017.
They signed several four-star recruits on offense, which has been weak for several years. Some of the signees are receivers Jacob Copeland, Justin Watkins, running back Dameon Pierce and tight end Kyle Pitts.
LSU is ranked 15th, Texas A&M 17th, South Carolina 19th and Tennessee 20th. That means we can expect to see some very good games over the next 3-4 years.
Super Bowl Backups?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
One of the main topics of discussion as we exit the football season is the importance of having a capable backup at the quarterback position.
Teams like Green Bay and Miami struggled mightily when they were forced to rely on their 2nd string QB.
I mean, Miami had so much faith in Matt Moore they signed Jeff George’s twin brother from a different mother, Jay Cutler, and started him Week 1.
Teams like Minnesota, and obviously Philadelphia, we’re able to keep their season afloat despite losing their starting quarterbacks.
So, this got me thinking: How much faith should fans of the NFC South have in their respective team’s backup quarterback?
Since things could, and probably will change over the next few months, I’m going with who the backup quarterback was at the end of the season.
Atlanta Falcons: Matt Schaub. All you need to know is that Schaub is currently 54 going on 83 and over the past 2 years has only thrown three more passes in an actual NFL game than I have.
Look, I like Schaub’s game, from 7-8 years ago and if this were being written during his first stint with Atlanta I would be really high on his ability to lead the Falcons for an extended period, if needed.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case. I can’t imagine a scenario where Dan Quinn doesn’t bring someone else in back up Matt Ryan. Falcons’ fans better hope Ryan is the Cal Ripken of NFL Quarterbacks.
Carolina Panthers: Derek Anderson. See Matt Schaub. The only difference is I can count on Anderson to throw at least one red zone interception for every game he plays.
If Schaub actually played I feel like he would just hand the ball off every play, which is what I would want the Panthers to do with Anderson.
New Orleans Saints: Chase Daniel. This one is interesting, mainly because I have no idea how good Daniel is.
I know a lot of teams think highly of him and he’s made really good money over his 10 year career based on those opinions. I also know he’s never thrown more than 38 passes in a season.
In fact, he’s only thrown 78 passes in his entire career. Seriously, there’s not enough info on him for me to even poke fun at. He’s truly “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ryan Fitzpatrick. I guess out of all the backup quarterbacks the NFC South has to offer, Fitzpatrick is the best.
I’m not really sure that’s saying a whole lot though. I will say this, he did do an admirable job filling for Jameis Winston at various times this past year. And he has proven himself to be a decent quarterback in recent years.
I guess it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility to see him have the type of season Case Keenum had if Fitzpatrick needed to run the show in Tampa. Not saying it’s likely to happen, just that it’s not impossible.
Basically, while the NFC South may have the strongest group of starting of quarterbacks in the league, they also have the male version of the “Golden Girls” as their backups.
And if I’m being completely honest, with the exception of Ryan Fitzpatrick, I’m pretty sure I’d rather have Bea Arthur as my backup as opposed to the other three. You can even include Fitzpatrick if you’re giving me Betty White.
New Young Braves
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Believe it or not, spring training games are upon us.
The glorious season of baseball is upon us and hope springs eternal. There is plenty to do before Opening Day.
For one, the roster must be constructed. There are some openings and some questions for now, so let’s take a look at what the 25-man squad might look like come March 29th.
Catchers: Tyler Flowers & Kurt Suzuki.
This one is easy. The tandem of Flowers and Suzuki made, arguably, the most productive position on the team in 2017. That level may be hard to replicate this year, but we know they’ll both be at Suntrust Park for the first game of the year.
Infield: Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson & Johan Camargo.
Unless a move is made, this one is pretty set in stone as well. Freeman, Albies and Swanson are certain and unless the Braves make a move and bring in a third baseman, Camargo will get the job here (I had my eye on Todd Frazier, but now he’s a Met. Yuck.).
Swanson’s spring training performance will be watched closely due to his struggles at the plate last season. I think even with a weaker spring he’s going to be given the benefit of the doubt and start the season at short on the big club.
Outfield: Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis & Lane Adams.
This is the part that no one wants to hear: Ronald Acuna is going to start the season in Triple A.
He may do his best to force Alex Anthopoulos’ hand but it’ll go one of two ways, neither of which see him on the opening day roster. If he falters, then he’ll be sent to Gwinnett for seasoning; if he kills it in Florida, then he’ll be sent to Gwinnett to wait until the timing is right so the Braves will have him under team control for an extra year. No Acuna. Lane Adams will keep his spot warm.
Bench: Preston Tucker, Danny Santana & Charlie Culberson.
Tucker will make the squad and likely split duties with Adams in left field at the start of the season, as he hits lefty and Adams hits righty.
Santana is a non-roster invitee and only hit .203 with the Braves last year but he’s also versatile. The Braves seem to like to have this kind of player on the team. Teams drool over guys who can play the infield and the outfield, ignoring the fact that they can’t hit the ball even though they’re primarily being used as pinch hitters.
Culberson, who came over in the Matt Kemp trade, will have the third spot.
Starting Rotation: Julio Teheran, Mike Foltynewicz, Brandon McCarthy, Luis Gohara and Sean Newcomb.
This one has a chance to see some battles. The first three guys are locks and the Braves are high enough on Gohara that I think his spot is secure as well.
The last spot could go any number of ways. Max Fried will be seriously considered and let’s not forget that Scott Kazmir came over from Los Angeles. At the end of the day Newcomb will make the team after showing improved command in spring training.
Bullpen: Arodys Vizcaino, A.J. Minter, Jose Ramirez, Sam Freeman, Dan Winkler, Lucas Sims, Rex Brothers & Chase Whitley.
Familiar faces, most of these guys. They’ll be back again to fill much the same roles they did last year. There’s a chance one of the Braves’ young starters gets a long relief gig out of spring training, displacing Whitley.
Is this a team that can compete? We’ll see on March 29th.
Terrorizing The Next Level
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news service
The Glynn Academy Red Terrors are coming off of a state semi-final appearance in a year that most thought the Terrors would be rebuilding.
Instead, this senior class almost led Glynn to a state title and will go down as the most successful senior class in Glynn Academy history.
Signing Day has come and gone and the Terrors will have some of that senior class take their talents to the next level.
Here is a run down of the Glynn Academy signing class.
Sean Bravo: Bravo came in and played one year for the Terrors and made a huge impact on the field for Glynn, especially in the playoffs. Bravo signed a letter of intent to Eastern Arizona.
Caine Crews: In my opinion, Crews is one of the best all-around players to have ever played at Glynn. He was a shut down DB early in his Glynn career and then transitioned to running back his senior year. Crews still played some DB when it was necessary. Crews committed to Lenoir-Rhyne University.
Marvin Dallas: Dallas has NFL potential if a few things go his way. There is no way the Terrors would have made the state semi-finals without Marvin Dallas’s play in the playoffs. Dallas took the opposing team’s best WR out of the game plan every Friday night, even the guys that had signed with big name colleges. Dallas will attend Georgia Military College.
Hunter Hall: There has never been a better defensive player at Glynn Academy than Hunter Hall. Hall also has NFL talent if he is given a fair look due being a little undersized for a linebacker but no one I have ever seen plays the position better. Hall committed to West Georgia.
Cameron McClellan: McClellan is a big, tough linebacker that came over to the Terrors from Frederica and proved to be a monster in the middle for Glynn when healthy. McClellan suffered a toe injury at the beginning of the season and was finally able to come back and was a beast for Glynn at LB. However, only a few games later he ended up tearing his ACL, which put him out for the year. This is a kid you root for; great kid, great family, and a desire to play football at the next level no matter the odds. McClellan will continue his football career, signing with Florida Tech.
There will likely be several other players for the Terrors that will sign late but one thing is for sure, Glynn County is finally getting the recognition it deserves for being a talent hot bed.
Pirates Sailing To Next Level
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Brunswick High School had a school record 13 kids sign letters of intent on National Signing Day. Glynn County is becoming a hotbed of high school football talent and this year produced a bumper crop at athletes going to the next level from BHS.
Let’s go through each signee in numerical order:
#1 Sharrod Frazier: Marshall University. The Thundering Herd are getting a top caliber athlete who can flat out fly. Frazier’s speed should get him on the field early for the Herd.
#2 Kam Futch: West Georgia. Futch a three-year starter for the Pirates was very high on the Wolves board at LB. Futch will now team up with Hunter Hall from Glynn in Carrollton to form the foundation from the Golden Isles to solidify the middle of the Wolves defense for next four years.
#4 DJ Whitfield: Valdosta State. Whitfield is a speedy WR who had a great senior season for Sean Pender. He could see early playing time at VSU.
#5 Aubrey Williams: The United States Naval Academy. Very impressive to sign with Navy and speaks volumes about the quality of this young man.
#6 Alonzo Brown: University of Virginia-Wise. Brown had a record breaking season at WR for BHS. Look for Brown to play right away and maybe take a starting spot.
#7 Jaylen Jackson: Georgia Tech. Jackson is the best overall athlete I have seen come through BHS since Darius Slay. Jackson will have a fine career at GT.
#8 Jamarius Stevens: Hocking College, OH: The single season total offense record holder for BHS gets a shot to play QB in college. Hocking got a good athlete with a rocket arm.
#10 Rudy Nixon: ASA Miami: Nixon is a physical specimen who will develop into a fine college player.
#13 Tevin Small: Valdosta State: Small was Mr. Versatility at BHS and the Blazers got a diamond in the rough with Small.
#51 Ty Hinson: Valdosta State: VSU got a leader and a kid that will work hard and will never make your program look bad. Look for Hinson to be a future starter at VSU.
#59 John Cano: Reinhardt University. Reinhardt got a top-notch student athlete and a immediate starter at OL who plays with a mean streak that separates him from others.
#81 Malik Alston: Highlands. Alston developed into a dangerous red zone threat for Sean Pender’s Pirates and with his tall frame will develop into the same at Highlands.
#99 George Mincey Jr: Valdosta State. Mincey came on his senior year and became an All Region player. He should become a future VSU starter.
What a class for BHS. These kids played for three head coaches in four years and went out as co-region champions with a 7-3 record and laid the foundation for the quick turnaround their senior season.
Out To Pastner
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We have about one month left in the college basketball season. There are a few teams that have underperformed and will not make the NCAA tournament unless they win their conference tournament. Georgia Tech is poised to be one of those teams.
Tech used to be one of the few programs that were consistently successful in football and men’s basketball. They have fallen on hard times in recent years. The Yellow Jackets have not played in the NCAA tournament since 2010.
They currently are 11-11 and are ranked 11th in the ACC. Head coach Josh Pastner is not only struggling on the court. His longtime friend Ron Bell has told the media he provided benefits in violation of NCAA rules to players Josh Okogie and Tadric Jackson. Tech self-reported the violations to the NCAA in November and suspended both players.
Pastner filed a civil lawsuit in Arizona against Ron Bell and Jennifer Pendley, alleging defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy, aiding and abetting and injurious falsehoods and attempts to blackmail and extort both Pastner and his family, according to a statement from his attorney.
Pastner was a player on the 1997 Arizona Wildcats national championship team. He was also an assistant at Arizona under Lute Olson and at Memphis under John Calipari. After becoming head coach at Memphis he was named the 2013 Conference USA Coach of the Year.
He was hired as head coach at Georgia Tech in April 2016. He showed promise in his first season. During the 2016-17 regular season the Jackets knocked off Top 5 North Carolina at home, in his first coached ACC game at Georgia Tech.
They also enjoyed quality wins at Virginia Commonwealth, at home against Top 10 Florida State, and Top 25 Notre Dame. Further improving throughout the season, Tech knocked off Syracuse and Pittsburgh late in February to finish 8-10 in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets were projected to finish last in the conference and to not win a single conference game. He was named the 2017 ACC Coach of the Year.
This season there have been several bad losses against teams like Grambling, Wofford and Wright State. The NCAA violations could be one of the reasons for the sub-par season. They also lost four consecutive games in January.
There are eight regular season games remaining and it doesn’t look like things will get much better. The next few games are at Louisville followed by at home versus #9 Duke. Those are both probably bad losses.
Later this month there are back-to-back road games against #2 Virginia and #16 Clemson. The Yellow Jackets already lost to both teams and I cannot imagine them being able to get revenge.
NC State is also having a great year and they are one of the last regular season games. The Wolfpack have beaten Duke, North Carolina and Notre Dame so I expect them to dismantle Tech.
The best chance for victories is two games with Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. If they finish with a losing record (they certainly will) Tech needs to move on from Pastner and hire a new coach.
What Super Bowl LII Means For NFL
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After what seemed like 2 decades of underwhelming Super Bowl games, 3 out of the last 4 years have been anything but boring. You had New England’s win over Seattle 4 years ago.
New England’s come from behind, overtime victory over Atlanta last year. And of course, Philadelphia winning this year’s Super Bowl for every football fan not from the Boston area. So, here are a few observations from this year’s game.
1- I now have a huge man crush on Philadelphia’s head coach, Doug Pederson. His play calling and willingness to have faith in his offense to convert on some of those fourth downs is something that as a Carolina Panthers fan, feels foreign to me.
I just automatically assumed you were required to punt on 4th down, no matter the situation. Plus, Pederson makes me feel like my approach to Madden 2018- never punting, ever- means I too could be a NFL head coach.
Also, what he and Offensive Coordinator, Frank Reich, did in adjusting their offensive scheme to mesh with Nick Foles’ strength and comfort level, may be one of the more impressive coaching jobs I’ve seen in years.
2- Now that Nick Foles is a Super Bowl MVP- just marinate on that for a minute- what team in desperate need of a quarterback mortgages their future to tries and trade for him?
Also, will we see a run on teams overpaying for backup quarterbacks, they previously wouldn’t have thought twice about? If you thought the backup quarterback was the popular player among fans before this Super Bowl, I have a feeling you haven’t seen anything yet.
3- There are a plethora of reasons to be giddy watching Tom Brady and the Patriots lose, much like Nick Cage seems to take pride in making “Ghost Rider” movies, or really any movie where there’s no plot and a lot of things blow up, for that matter.
Regardless of how deep seeded that dislike is for both Patriots and/or their quarterback, you should be impressed with Brady.
I’m 37 years old and anytime I run a 5k in under 30 minutes I feel like the local news channel should be producing a segment on just how awesome and in shape I am.
Tom Brady is 3 years older than I am, and he just threw for over 500 yards in the Super Bowl!
I still felt like New England was somehow going to pull out a win when they were inside their own 10, with 58 seconds left because Tom Brady was the quarterback.
4- While New England’s run of 8 Super Bowl appearances in 17 years is incredible, what may be even more impressive is that every single one of them has been a good game. Upset win against the Rams in ‘01; game winning field goals against Panthers and Eagles in ‘03, ‘04; goal line interception in ‘15 against Seattle; last year’s overtime win versus Atlanta.
Throw in their two close losses to the Giants and this year’s game, and basically every Super Bowl New England has participated in has come down the wire. Look, I despise the Patriots as much as anyone whose last name isn’t Damon or Affleck, but they do put on a good show.
So, if you want the early odds on who will be back in the Super Bowl next year, my guess is New England and whatever NFC team has the best backup quarterback. I mean, the NFL is a copycat league, right?
Power Outage
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Trading Matt Kemp was a good thing, that’s true. Not keeping Matt Adams was fine. He had nowhere to play. Trading Brandon Phillips at the end of the season was the right thing to do as well, or at least it was the nice thing to do. The fallout from that is the loss of a ton of last year’s already meager home run output by the Atlanta Braves.
If you’re keeping score, the Bravos hit 165 dingers in 2017. That was good enough for 28th in the Majors and 28 of those came from Freddie Freeman. No one else had 20.
More pressingly, no one has been added to the roster to replace the 49 that Kemp, Adams and Phillips produced. There is a serious lack of power on the Braves’ roster going into spring training and there’s no indication much will be done to change that.
So, who will protect Freeman from the cleanup spot in the batting order?
Yes, Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki combined to crank out 31 bombs from the catching position and they certainly are an option; but I do question the idea that they’d be able to duplicate that level of success.
That being said, 10 homers each will still likely make them the number two power-producing position on the lineup card, depending on what a certain number one prospect manages to do when he shows up.
The most intriguing option is, of course, Ronald Acuna. All signs point to him starting the season in Triple A Gwinnett but a call up isn’t likely to be too far down the road.
Part of this rationale is seasoning. Acuna spent very little time in Gwinnett last year and part of it is player control: if they wait to bring him up, they’ll have another year before he’s able to hit free agency (the Cubs pulled this same maneuver with Kris Bryant). Both excuses are perfectly valid and either way we’ll be seeing him soon enough. The question is where does he hit when he arrives?
Cleanup is a tough spot to thrust a rookie into right off the bat (no pun intended). It may be a lot to ask of a 20 year to be called upon to protect Freddie Freeman in his first game with the big club.
On the other hand, he may have just the right make up to succeed under that kind of pressure. The problem is you won’t know until he’s there.
Failure can shake a young man’s confidence pretty fast and there will be a lot of eyes pointed at this kid.
Maybe it would be more prudent to see if he can produce from the fifth or sixth spot in the order first. He’ll be hitting cleanup (or second) eventually.
When GM Alex Anthopoulos addressed the Braves’ power deficiency at Fan Fest, he offered up two possible roads: one, in which the Braves roll with what they’ve got, which we’ve explored, or two, when he knowingly pointed out that there are a lot of free agents still available.
That’s true. There are over one hundred unsigned free agents, including some that could add some pop to the Braves’ lineup in 2018. The most obvious place for a free agent to slot in would be third base and there are options there.
One is the very unlikely Mike Moustakas, the other is the slightly more likely Todd Frazier.
Frazier is a third baseman with pop and will be much less expensive with Moustakas.
His batting average is fairly horrendous, reaching a career low last year, which he split between the White Sox and Yankees, but if you’re into OPS+ then his 105 is a little bit above average.
More to the point, the later it gets in the year the more likely it is that he’d look into a one or two-year contract, whereas Moustakas seems to be holding out for a multi-year deal.
It’s not a perfect solution but other than turning newly-minted Hall of Famer Chipper Jones back into a 25-year-old and signing him to a team-friendly contract, there don’t appear to be any.
Flowers and Suzuki. Acuna. Frazier, or another free agent. Whoever it is, the Braves need some pop.
The Star Are Out
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It is almost time for the most exciting all-star weekend in professional sports. The top players in the NBA will spend All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles this year.
The NBA all-star break is quickly approaching and there will be a lot of different changes. The traditional all-star weekend consisted of the top players from the Eastern Conference versus the top players in the Western Conference. That format is getting old.
Fans were getting tired of seeing the same thing over and over, so the NBA has decided to throw a monkey wrench into the process. The NBA allowed the fans to vote for two captains to represent the two teams. This year those two captains are Lebron James and Stephen Curry.
These two were tasked with drafting their all-star super team. The talent pool consisted of the players who were voted on by other NBA players and fans. Lebron James’ squad consists of his former teammate Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Demarcus Cousins.
These four were picked by LeBron to be the starters. James, however, will have to make some roster adjustments already because Demarcus Cousins is lost for the season after tearing his achilles tendon against the Rockets.
LeBron’s bench will be loaded. LaMarcus Aldridge, Bradley Beal, Jose Calderon, Victor Oladipo, Kristaps Porzingis, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook will try to help lead team LeBron to victory.
Team Steph will be star studded as well. Joining the captain will be James Harden, Demar Derozan, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid.
Stephen Curry hopes his bench will help lead his team to victory. His bench will include Al Horford, Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry, Klay Thompson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Draymond Green.
After examining the rosters, I would give Team Lebron the slight edge. Lebron has some of the top guards in the NBA on his team. Stephen’s team is loaded with a bunch of go getters. A bunch of hard working NBA players. This all-star game may be one of the ages.
The NBA will also have some familiar events that fans enjoy. The NBA All-Star Celebrity game will also be back this year. Fans will get to see their favorite tv stars, politicians, and musicians compete in a basketball game.
The NBA will also have the Rising Stars Game. This game will consist of the top youngsters in the NBA. There will be a USA team versus a World Team. Players like Lonzo Ball, Ben Simmons, Dennis Smith Jr., and Buddy Hield will be some of the stars that will suit of for the Rising Stars Game.
The Taco Bell Skills Challenge will also take place this year. Some of the best ball handlers in the NBA will take on the difficult obstacle course. The three point contest will also be an event this year. Devon Booker, Kevin Love, Klay Thompson, Bradley Beal, and Wayne Ellington.
The Slam Dunk competition has been down as of late. There has not been the excitement that Nate Robinson, Dwight Howard, and Vince Carter once brought. This year participants hope that they will be able to bring some of that excitement back to the event.
High flyers Dennis Smith Jr, Larry Nance Jr, Victor Oladipo, and Aaron Gordon will be looking to make this an event that fans love again.
The changes to the NBA All-Star weekend could be a huge success this year. The MLB made changes that made their game more exciting for the fans. It gave the players more motivation to participate. The NBA is hoping for the same thing with their All-Star weekend.
Top Dawgs
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Yes, it has almost been a month now since the most heartbreaking loss in UGA football history in the National Title game to Alabama. The pain for die hard UGA fans may never go away, but honestly the Dawgnation did not honestly expect to be in this position in year two of the Kirby Smart era.
Most insiders around Athens are saying the 2017 Dawgs are just the tip of the iceberg as the talented roster continues to grow with 6 Five Star prospects alone coming into the program.
Looking back on a fantastic 2017 season the SEC and Rose Bowl Champion Bulldogs had some talented players that will earn many pay days in the NFL.
Let’s take a look at some draft prospects for a few of those players.
Roquan Smith: Simply put Smith is the best linebacker to ever roam the sidelines in Athens. He is fast and his football instincts are off the chart.
Plug in the Georgia Tech tape from last season and you will see how one man can stop the triple option and how you run sideline to sideline, which will have NFL scouts camping out in Athens until draft day.
Smith is a special talent and should go as a top ten pick in the first round of the upcoming draft. I have Smith going at #10 to the Oakland Raiders who will be moving to Vegas soon.
A lot of Roquan Smith jerseys will be purchased by Raider Nation. In my opinion the only player from last year’s team that is irreplaceable in Athens. Smith was a generational talent.
Nick Chubb: Chubb will always be a favorite in Athens because of the way he overcame that horrific knee injury in 2015 and battled back and became the SEC’s second leading rusher of all time behind the GOAT whose name I won’t mention in this article but he wore #34 in Athens.
Chubb will impress at the combine with his strength and will be a solid NFL running back. I expect Nick to go in the second or third round to a team like the Lions that need a solid back who can run between the tackles.
Sony Michel: The versatility is what makes Sony special. Dawgnation would be wearing Natty shirts right now if Sony would have been used more in the second half of the title game.
Michel can catch the football and at 215 pounds can run inside or outside. Sony will be a fantastic pro. I think Michel goes in the second round to a team like Packers, Bears, or Bucs that need infusions of talent at the RB position.
Lorenzo Carter: Who doesn’t need an edge rusher in the NFL? Carter is long and fast and will carve out a fine NFL career. His speed will shock people at the combine and he has first round talent and could move up high on many teams draft boards.
Carter will probably go in the second round. Carter came back for his senior season and the blocked Rose Bowl FG in OT puts Carter in the all-time UGA highlight reel.
