It's been a rough few weeks for University of Georgia football. Suspensions. Controversy. Academic problems. Decommitted recruits. War. Famine. Drought. Pestilence.
But Friday we all got a ray of sunshine with the commitment of 2008 wide receiver prospect Tavarres King. King, the son of former Clemson and NFL tight end Anthony King, set his decision for 3:00 p.m. and announced plans to choose from among four suitors: Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Florida. The press conference was ultimately delayed until 4:00. MaconDawg's Blawg correspondent Darius Dawgberry nervously informed me about 3:45 that King had arrived in a (Clemson?) purple suit, and that the press conference was being held up until a Clemson recruiting correspondent could get to the school. "He's gone" predicted our intrepid correspondent.
But it was not to be for Clem's sons. Not on this afternoon. Tavarres King picked up an incredibly tacky blue and orange University of Florida baseball cap, then put it down in favor of far snazzier headwear embroidered with a "G". King noted that his father wanted him to go to Clemson, but also that "he wants me to live my life. He chose his destiny back in '74. Today I chose mine." The Habersham Central receiver also pointed out that Georgia was the first school to offer him and stood by him through the whole recruiting process.
What do the Dawgs get with Tavarres King? A 6'1, 165 pound receiver whose high school coach reports that he is consistently computer timed in the low 4.4's in the 40 yard dash. He is also a very fluid and precise route runner. From what I've seen of the two of them, I think King is a vastly better route-runner than A.J. Green at this point.
If there's a knock on King, it's his size. I think he may be closer to 155 than 165 right now, and is going to have to put on some muscle before he's ready to mix it up with SEC corners and safeties. But he has roughly 13-15 months to put on that weight. Scout.com lists King as a three star prospect, but I predict that he will rise to a four star during his senior season if his physique catches up to his speed and technique. Rivals has him as the fourth best player in the state of Georgia and one of the 100 best prospects in the country. I think that's probably more accurate. Rivals has all kinds of video of King, which you can see here. Another thing you'll notice is that the guy has great vision, seeing and getting to holes that a lot of players just don't see. He is a true homerun threat who could also be helpful on special teams.
With King's commitment, Georgia has verbal pledges from three of Rivals' top four recruits in the state of Georgia (King, DeAngelo Tyson and Richard Samuel). While the last couple of weeks have taught us that verbal commitments are only worth the paper they're not printed on, this is a good sign, especially following the late implosion last January/February which saw most of the best players in the state leaving.
Hope ya'll have a great weekend . . . Go Dawgs!