Notes on the Georgia Bulldogs' Football Recruiting: Four Thoughts Following "Dawg Night"

It goes without saying that I defer to MaconDawg as the resident recruiting guru in these parts, both because he has much more of an eye for horseflesh (figuratively speaking, though it wouldn’t surprise me if this turned out literally to be true, as well) and because he follows the process far more closely than I do. (I learned long ago that paying close attention to recruiting was not good for my mental health, as I tended to become overly emotionally invested in decisions that, at the end of the day, really are none of my business.)

What, then, am I to make of the results of Dawg Night? Here are a few observations, for whatever they are worth:

• It has been clear for a while now that among the problems that ailed the Georgia Bulldogs was a lack of leadership on the field. Reasonable people may differ over the source of that difficulty, but there is no doubting and no denying that the sort of player leadership that was demonstrated at halftime of the 2002 Auburn game had vanished by halftime of the 2008 Florida game. (In both contests, the Bulldogs trailed 14-3 after two quarters in a game played outside of Athens that would decide the Eastern Division championship.) It is encouraging, therefore, that Georgia is bringing in not just talent, but also leadership, first from Ray Drew, then from Brice Ramsey.
• The Texas Longhorns wanted John Theus, but we got him. The more time passes, the more convinced I become that we traded up when we made the switch, however involuntarily, from Stacy Searels to Will Friend.
• While we in Bulldog Nation are fretting over Mark Richt’s future, the players he is recruiting evidently are not. Since inking a 2011 signing class that represented a validation of his stewardship of the program, Coach Richt has secured commitments from top prospects for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 recruiting classes. Presumably media-savvy prep standouts appear remarkably unconcerned about the risk of a top-to-bottom staff shakeup in the Georgia football program.
• Because I know better than to sound an overly positive note, I would add, for the benefit of everyone who thinks a high school player would have to be crazy to hitch his wagon to Coach Richt’s star at this juncture, that two of the eleven commitments for the 2012 signing class list Milledgeville as their hometown; do with that what you will.

What do you think about the results of Dawg Night?

Go ‘Dawgs!