*** HUGE pickup with S Alec Ogletree!! ***
*** The train keeps rolling...RB Ken Malcome makes 12 ***
| Monday, June 22, 2009 |
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| Posted by Nate at 2:05:42 PM |
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| 2010 RECRUITING |
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| As anyone who follows UGA football knows, the 2010 recruiting class has more than doubled in the last two weeks. Da’Rick Rogers started it all on June 9th, with Bruce Benedict, Michael Bennett, Demetre Baker and Derek Owens all committing last week. With this recent flurry of activity, it got me to thinking about the potential size of this class versus the remaining targets and positions of need. It’s looking like the 2010 class will be another small recruiting class for UGA. There are currently 12 seniors in 2009 on scholarship, but one of those (Durham) will be back again in 2010. Because of the departures of Tony Wilson and John Knox, we currently sit at 83 players on scholarship. Assuming we don’t offer those ships to existing walk-ons, that only leaves 13 scholarships for next year (before any additional attrition). As for underclassmen entering the 2010 NFL Draft, it looks as if it would take an absolute disaster of a season to keep Reshad Jones in a Georgia uniform. So that gets the number to 14. On the other side, it would take absolute monster seasons by any other draft eligible underclassmen to think they might leave early. These long-shots would include guys like Rennie Curran (who I just don’t see leaving early no matter what), Akeem Dent, Justin Houston, Darryl Gamble, Aron White and Caleb King. All starters who could have huge seasons, but still highly unlikely to test NFL waters. Now, there always seem to be a couple guys every year who just can’t seem to do things the “Georgia Way” (maybe Bruce Figgins??), so it’s likely that there could be another couple ships open up. Even so, it’s not looking like there will be more than 15 or 16 scholarships available for the 2010 class. That means we only have about 6 or 7 remaining spots. In my mind, those 6 or 7 scholarships need to include 2 d-tackles, at least 1 safety, 1 more corner, and then maybe a top flight running back and linebacker. If I could hand-pick the remaining Bulldogs-to-be, I would start with Garrison Smith and Jeffrey Whitaker to fill the two DT slots. Safety Alec Ogletree is as close to a must-get as they come for UGA. It’s slim pickings at corner this year, but maybe a Garry Peters or Steven Atwater might be options. Atwater would certainly have the pedigree, though he doesn’t currently have a UGA offer. You could put running backs Eduardo Clements and Mack Brown’s names in a hat and pick one and I’d be happy. Then, it’s a long-shot but I’d still love to nab either Jeff Luc at LB or Jackson Jeffcoat at DE. The more likely get as a LB/DE would be Neiron Ball (yes, Neland’s brother). If another couple ships open up, it would be nice to pad the class with another impact WR such as Chris Dunkley, Antonio Goodwin or Ted Meline. If I got to choose, I think I’d take Smith, Whitaker, Ogletree, Brown, Luc, Ball and roll the dice on Atwater as the 7 guys to round out the 2010 class. I bet Richt, Garner and staff wish real life recruiting was that easy! |
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| MAKE/READ COMMENTS (0 comments)... |
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| Tuesday, June 16, 2009 |
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| Posted by Nate at 10:54:15 AM |
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| SHADES OF GRAY |
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| Logan Gray was a member of the 2007 recruiting class and was ranked 4 stars and in the top 12 QBs in the nation by both Rivals and Scout. He’s considered a dual threat quarterback that can sit in the pocket and throw the ball downfield, but also has the wheels to pick up positive returns in the open field. He is so athletic that he returned punts last season so as not to waste a year of eligibility without any contribution. He also has a team first attitude that is so desired in players at his position. If you even know about my website, you pretty much already knew all of that, so I’ll get to my point/pose my question. What will Logan Gray’s role be on the 2009 Georgia Bulldogs? So many people have drawn comparisons between Joe Cox in 2009 and DJ Shockley in 2005. I’ll stick to the DJ Shockley theme and propose that Logan Gray could be very effective serving the role that DJ played from 2002-2004. Shock was a change of pace player that played a couple series each game to show opposing defenses a different look. It was also a convenient excuse to get a supremely talented individual on the playing field. Both points very much apply to Logan Gray. Many fans (including myself at times) believed that CMR used DJ to the detriment of the timing and rhythm of the NCAA’s all-time winningest quarterback, David Greene. Joe Cox may be a great quarterback, but, let’s be clear, he’s no David Greene. Getting back to Gray, I believe 100% that Logan will not be returning punts this season. He’s committed to playing quarterback and there are several other skill players that will better in the return game (C. Thomas, B. Smith, P. Miller, R. Wooten, etc). I know that the two young guys, Murray and Mett are all the buzz, but I still believe that Gray will keep the #2 spot this season and will make a strong run (though he may not win out) at the starting spot in 2010. Gray could be effective coming in and offering defenses a very different look than the drop-back passer, Cox. And, yes, I know it was only a scrimmage, but Gray threw the ball very well in the G-Day game, so he would certainly pose enough of a passing threat to keep the defense from stacking the box. Joe Cox never got the opportunity to play much with high school teammate Mo Massaquoi, but maybe Logan Gray and Aron White will get a chance to translate some of their high school chemistry to the college game. |
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| Thursday, May 28, 2009 |
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| Posted by Nate at 12:43:04 PM |
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| OKIE STATE PREDICTION |
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| It is still ridiculously early to start predicting anything about the 2009 season, but it’s May and topics are sparse. So, here goes… Does the Oklahoma State game remind anyone else of Boise State in 2005? You could draw parallels including OSU and BSU are highly touted and returning some impressive offensive firepower, UGA is coming off a successful but disappointing season, and Georgia is breaking in a 5th year Senior, 1st year starter at quarterback. You could also point to differences such as OSU is from a big-6 conference while BSU is not, the game is in Stillwater not in Athens, and DJ Shockley was a 5 star recruit who had played a good bit in his previous seasons while Joe Cox was a 3 star recruit who hasn’t played meaningful minutes in 3 years. Similarities and differences considered; I happen to think the outcome will be somewhat similar. Okie St is a very good team, and I think there is a very real chance we could start the season 0-1; however, I just have a confidence about this game. I believe that the defense is going to be foaming at the mouth to prove that last year’s gaffes were simply temporary lapses. I’m not sure we’ll abuse Zac Robinson the way we did Jared Zabransky, but I do think we will shut down their “potent” offense. On offense, I don’t think Cox will match DJ’s 5 touchdowns either, but I think we’ll run the ball well and we’ll pass off the run effectively. A beat down like 48-13 is probably a little unrealistic, but I don’t foresee a nail-biter either. I think Robinson leads OSU to a TD late in the fourth quarter to make the score respectable, but UGA leaves Stillwater with a 31-20 victory. |
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| MAKE/READ COMMENTS (1 comments)... |
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| Tuesday, May 12, 2009 |
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| Posted by Nate at 11:49:38 AM |
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| SUSPENSIONS |
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| I had my fingers crossed that this off-season would continue to be absent of discipline issues, but it seems that any collection of roughly a hundred 18-22 year olds just can’t make it eight months without some sort of incident. I’m sure everyone has seen that Bruce Figgins is out for half the season, Justin Houston is out for the first two games and Tony Wilson is gone for the entire season – possibly ending his UGA career. Losing Houston is a major blow to a defense, not only in desperate need of a legitimate pass rush, but also in need of a few weeks of experience for a young secondary. Without fear of pressure from the ends, Oklahoma State and the Evil Genius will certainly look to attack youngsters Brandon Boykin, Sanders Commings and Branden Smith. Those guys will need to step up early or we could be in for a rough start to the season. Losing Houston early in the season will give Kiante Tripp, Neland Ball and Cornelius Washington an opportunity to earn playing time. Dobbs and Battle may or may not be legit SEC starters, but they will definitely be involved in any DE rotation and likely be the two starters for the Okie State game. In addition to Tripp, Ball and Washington, this suspension may well pave the way to seeing Marcus Washington and/or Darius Dewberry put their hand down in 3rd and long situations. As for Figgins and Wilson (both juniors), I think these two are largely finished with their Bulldog careers. I had very high hopes for both guys, but we all know that, at UGA, it is hard to dig your way out of the coaches’ doghouse. Figgins showed great promise early in his career (looking like Ben Watson version 2.0), but this is his second offense. Combine that with the expected emergence of Aron White and Orson Charles, and Figgins will probably not see the field very much in 2009. Also, Bryce Ros is a player in a similar mold as Figgins (big, primarily a blocker), so Ros will probably get a lot of the time that Figgins would have seen when we need to go big and pound the ball. I certainly hope that I’m wrong about Figgins, but I definitely think he will be fighting an uphill battle. Wilson has been a nice piece and was expected to contribute even more this year with Kris Durham being lost for the season. Now, he is also gone for the year, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him transfer to a D-II school this summer so he can get 2 more years to play. On a lighter note, College Football News has their 2009 UGA Preview up. I thought this was a very good reflection of our upcoming season; it even reflects the recent suspensions I just talked about. I’ve always thought CFN does a good job, but would still normally find several things they were off the mark about. This year, they were largely on the money with only a few minor missteps. They talk about the potential impact of incoming freshman Washaun Ealey, but don’t mention Marlon Brown, Orson Charles or Branden Smith. Who knows which freshmen will truly be ready to play, but I expect Brown, Charles and Smith to be major factors this year and Ealey to more-than-likely redshirt. CFN brings up the lack of depth at WR after losing MoMass to graduation, Durham to injury and Wilson to injury/discipline. I expect Brown, Charles and even Smith to all 3 contribute at the receiver position because of the depth problem. CFN also talks about the youth at corner, but again omits Branden Smith. I think Smith will challenge for the starting position from day one, and will see significant playing time all season. My only other issue with the preview is that they do not mention Marcus Dowtin at linebacker. Dowtin contributed a decent bit last year and has the athleticism to demand playing time. CFN gave us a high grade at linebacker, and Dowtin only makes that grade stronger. |
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| Friday, April 24, 2009 |
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| Posted by Nate at 11:48:45 AM |
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| 2009 DEPTH CHART |
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| Now that spring football is in the books, I thought I’d revisit the projected depth chart I posted back in January. There will undoubtedly be some very tough decisions to be made by the coaches this fall. Position battles will rage this summer and fall in most every position. I would say that the only positions with pretty firm pecking orders are fullback, center, defensive tackle and safety. All other positions either have starting slots open or the backups are jockeying for position behind the starter. One thing I want to point out is the depth at linebacker. That combined with the prevalence of the spread offense (which typically dictates that a defense play a fifth DB and only 2 LBs) makes me think that we could well see Marcus Washington and/or Darius Dewberry get shots at making an impact at end. Both guys are running out of time in the program and both seem to be buried in a talented and athletic pool of linebackers. Well, here goes. My stab at the depth chart as it will be in Stillwater: Projected Opening Day Depth Chart Offense
Defense
Special Teams
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