Hunter Atkinson: "Biggest sleeper in the country"

Well, this was certainly unexpected. Hunter Atkinson, a 6'6, 250+ pound TE out of West Hall High School near Oakwood, Ga got a last second offer from Mark Richt and his staff, and jumped all over it. The big man was previously committed to Cincinnatti and Tommy Tuberville (which if you ask me is a good sign, as Tubs always did a wonderful job identifying under the radar kids in Georgia that became good players).

Atkinson, called the "biggest sleeper" in the country by 247's recruiting analyst Rusty Mansell is an interesting pick up. At his size, he could stay at TE and become much needed quality depth behind Jay Rome. Or he could continue filling out his large frame and develop into a DL or OT. But he's a big kid that moves extremely well, and if you can find a place for a kid like that, you do it. Clips from their playoff game vs. Cartersville this past fall are below, he's #25 in white.

You can catch a deeper range of highlights at hudl. How this kid went unnoticed is beyond me watching those clips. He's not the most fluid or agile, but he moves pretty well for a man his size. His 40 time likely won't wow anyone, but the kid can move. He's got great hands, runs good routes, and even gets split wide to make plays at that size. He plays well on DL, does a good job using his hands blocking or shedding blocks, looks very strong when run blocking, and a future as a DT or OT shouldn't be a shock. But right now, there's a TE here (we'll see how his body grows once he's in Athens). He's got a good all around TE game, and wouldn't be a shock if he plays right away, as he looks much thicker and physically ready for SEC line play than Blazevich.

Mansell may well be right, as Georgia just stole a big time sleeper from under Cincinnatti's nose. Be it as a TE or a lineman, this kid is a guy you bring in and let the details work themselves out.