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Nick Williams (6-3, 206) : Robinson is athletic. I mean this guy is REALLY athletic. He played QB for his HS team and Bobo told him he’d put in a package of plays for him just in case he was needed. He could end up at safety but he’s got a great frame to be a solid LB.

Marcus Dowtin (6-2, 215) : This guy played RB for his HS team as well and could’ve ended up there for some schools but we liked him at LB (a lot). He’s fast and athletic (surprise), athletic enough to be listed by Rivals.com as the 2nd most athletic LB in the nation (don’t ask how they come up with that). He committed over offers from Michigan and a host of big schools.

Akeem Hebron (6-1, 220) : He was a star recruit for us a few years back, but a few run-ins with the bottle put him on the Odell express to Milledgeville to get his act together. He’ll come back a more committed player, as they almost always do after learning their lessons for a year (actually he already is back). Hebron is fast and has a better knowledge of the system than any of the other newcomers, plus he’s already used his redshirt year so I think it’s safe to say he sees in the field in some capacity, even if only on special teams. Look for him to back up Rennie Curran at WLB.

S – We lose Kelin Johnson this year and will lose CJ Byrd next year so it was important to add a few although both Reshad Jones and Quintin Banks were impressive as freshmen. Williams could play here if needed, but we got two solid ones.

Sanders Commings (6-1, 195) : He’ll likely play football and baseball in Athens. He could really end up on either side of the ball as he’s excellent with the ball in his hands but he’s got everything you look for in a safety. He flirted with some other schools (SC mainly) but he’s solid now. Incredibly, he was one of our last 4 commitments despite announcing way back on Halloween.

Bacarri Rambo (6-1, 195) : Another very early commitment (almost a year ago), he’s another one that could possibly end up at another position, mainly LB. Despite numerous offers from schools all over, he never really wavered although FSU tried hard back this summer. He’s got a Thomas Davis approach to playing safety as a strong hitter who doesn’t mind playing close to the line.

CB – You always need CBs, especially when you’ve got as many in one class (3 rising juniors) as we do. Allen, Miller and Evans along with Brown will all be gone in two years, leaving only freshman Vance Cuff so it was important to get at least one solid CB prospect. Why not get 2?

Brandon Boykin (5-11, 170) : Absolutely amazing athlete. Don’t believe me? Check out the youtube highlights of him playing basketball. For a guy 5-10 or so he’s got incredible leaping ability. AJC.com listed him as the top athlete this year…in basketball. He’s a HS QB so will likely need some time to learn the nuances of playing CB at this level but he’ll be a future stud.

Makiri Pugh (5-10, 194) : Another early summer commitment, Pugh plays on the same HS team that gave us Joe Cox and Massaquoi. He was hurt for much of the year but he’s a bigger, more physical CB than guys we’ve added recently. He’s more like a Paul Oliver. He could even grow into a safety if needed. Like nearly everyone else in this class he had lots of offers to choose from.

ATH – There are always a couple of guys that could be slotted in different places and this class certainly has some flexibility, with as many as 8 being unclear of their ultimate position. It’s important to have guys that are open to that because then you can get them on campus, figure where they’re best suited and let them develop there.

Xavier Avery (5-11, 185) : It’s hard to say where this guy will end up. If he plays football in Athens, it’ll likely be in the defensive backfield, probably as a CB, and he’ll certainly be a good one. He’s fast, physical and smart. The only problem is he’s not just a football talent. He’s projected as high as the 1st round in the upcoming MLB draft. All of the tools that make him a top notch football player project to the diamond as well and although he is adamant about wanting a degree, it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to turn down 1st round money, and in the end, that would have to be the smarter move but our coaches love him, not to mention the coaches at Oklahoma, who wanted him badly.

Bryce Ros (6-4, 233) : It’s almost impossible to figure where this kid will end up. The son of the 1980 UGA captain Frank Ros, he’s got the lineage you want. Frank was a MLB but Bryce has likely outgrown that spot. He played DE and TE in HS but those two positions are particularly deep in Athens right now. He could conceivably put on weight and play DT or OL but it’s entirely possible that he could end up as a FB as well, especially considering we lose Southerland next year and with limited scholarships next season, probably won’t bring one in. Ros is an intriguing prospect. He moves very well for his size and could fill a number of needs.

ST – We lose both of our two scholarship kickers this year, so we certainly need someone to come in and take over (if capable). We’re set at punter though, with two of those already. We needed a kicker and we got one about as good as you’ll find, and he committed early.

Blair Walsh (5-10, 163) : Walsh has a cannon for a leg. He’s hit from as far out as 60. He played alongside Longo on a very good big-school team in Florida so he’s no stranger to pressure. There will be some adjustment to kicking without a tee but I’ve seen video of him kicking without a tee with good success. He can also punt if we should for some reason lose our top two guys. Solid pickup and he’s probably the most likely guy in the class to play next season.

Well, that’s the class unless something crazy happens but this has been locked in for a while with the exception of some minor blips. We’ve already gotten a strong start on next year’s group, with 5 commitments in the last month. That class will likely be small (under 20) but it should be very selective, as we’ll hand out a limited number of offers. This 2008 class we’re signing is (on paper) as good as nearly any class we’ve signed. It has players at nearly every position. It’s deep and more importantly, it’s deep with talent. Before the end of October (over 3 months prior to signing day) we had all but two of these guys on board. We had very few misses and the misses we did have were quickly filled with other talent.

The misses – this will be more for posterity’s sake looking back here 5 years from now…

Omar Hunter – oh what could’ve been. Omar originally committed to Notre Dame, then reopened his recruitment about the same time he started dominating the post-season all-star games. He saw a rapid rise in his stock by the recruiting services, largely due to the fact he was one of the few uncommitted top prospects. UGA simply ran out of scholarships and he ended up in Florida. As an under-sized DT (6-0, 280) he flat dominated GHSA at Buford and will join an impressive young UF D.

Zebrie Sanders – the enigma, this kid played the recruiting game too long or maybe he honestly couldn’t make up his mind, whatever the reason, by the time he called UF to commit, they told him they were full. He then called UGA, who was also full, having recently taken the commitment of AJ Harmon. Luckily for him he was able to “settle” on FSU. He’s a very higly rated prospect, he just became a victim of today’s recruiting game where if you don’t commit early you run the risk of missing out.

Joe Adams – a WR/CB from Arkansas, he was thought to be a big UGA lean up until the week of his announcement. He ended up going to USC (of course). The guy’s film was amazing. Very fluid, just gliding across the field and making people miss.

That’s really about it. The class was done so early it seemed, well, boring. It’s anything but boring. Yes there were guys we missed on like Patrick Johnson (CB from Miami) and Brice Butler (WR from GA who went to USC) but we once again locked down the state’s top players. A year after losing guys like Eric Berry, Morgan Burnette, Antwane Greenlee and Allen Bailey all in the same class, this class was much needed.

Until next time,
Jody