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Obviously the big news of the night was the commitment of 2016 standouts Jacob Eason and Ben Cleveland. We'll have a lot more on both of those guys shortly. But for now, a few brief notes from Dawg Night on them, plus a lot of others who were on hand.
Eason showed precisely why he's generally viewed as the top junior signal caller in the country. He's got the arm strength to make all the throws, the ball comes out of his hand with good zip, and he throws a nice tight spiral even in bad weather. He's also every bit of the 6'5 he's listed at, though he's not as thickly built as he'll need to be to handle the pounding of big time college football. Perhaps that's why is Twitter handle is "@skinnyqb10."
Eason's good buddy and fellow commit Ben Cleveland is one big ass country boy. I mean just. . . huge. 6'7, 320 pounds is what he's listed at. But the thing that a lot of folks don't realize is that 320 pounds comes in a lot of different packages. Cleveland's is the one that gets you scholarship offers from every major college football program in the country. He's very thick in the lower body (big calves, thick thighs, wide hips) without really being fat. It's not out of the question for him to eventually play in the 335 pound range. If he can keep his footwork, there's really no limit to how good he can be.
UNC offensive tackle commit Emanuel McGirt was on hand. While he's not Ben Cleveland impressive, he would be a nice pickup if the Bulldog coaches could get him to flip. With Patrick Allen a strong possibility however, I don't know that there will be room for McGirt in the 2015 class.
2016 Veterans H.S. (Warner Robins) QB Logan Byrd likely won't end up in Athens with Eason's commitment. However the kid has a great arm and prototype size. With offers from Virginia Tech, Duke, Virginia, NC State, and North Carolina already, you'll be hearing more from this guy in the future. I expect him to gain some SEC offers in the near future.
One 2016 instate prospect who does hold a Georgia offer is 2016 Clarke Central running back Jaqua Daniels. He's a big back with good hands a surprising ability to shake and bake. Keep an eye on him.
2016 Archer H.S. wide receiver Kyle Davis isn't Nick Chubb ripped, but he's pretty ripped. Davis has been listed at 6'3, 220 pounds, but I could easily see him hitting the 230 pound mark before enrolling at the college of his choice (at this point I think there's a very good chance that's Georgia).
Davis's teammate, 2017 prospect Jamyest Williams lit up the board with the fastest 40 time of the camp, a blistering 4.38. Clemson, Georgia Tech and Michigan have all already offered.
Also keep an eye on 2016 Riverdale defensive end Chidi Okonya. He's at least 6'5 and has some filling out to do. But if he hits the weight room to continue his physical maturation and tightens up his footwork he could easily be a national top 100 player this time next year.
Among 2015 players, I compared 2015 commit Gary McCrae out of Randolph-Clay to Leonard Floyd when he committed. At that point I'd only really seen him on film. I'm now even more convinced that was the right comparison in terms of build/body-type. If McCrae also develops Floyd's pass rushing skills Bulldog fans will be very pleased.
I don't like Georgia's odds of getting him, but I do like 2016 Miami area offensive tackle Chidi Okeke-Valentine. A lot of analysts think he'll end up at either LSU or FSU, and I could see him being a star early at either locale. Take a look at this photo of him standing with Eason and Cleaveland:
Chillin in UGA with my big hogs #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/VkNmKGg1vE
— J_Eason10 (@skinnyqb10) July 19, 2014
2015 Louisiana cornerback/kick returner Donte Jackson seems to have gotten a good bit of attention from the Bulldog coaches. I don't remember the last Bulldog star out of Louisiana. Maybe Tereal Bierria? Jackson came to town with former Bulldog tight end Bruce Figgins, who has been playing arena football and has now gotten into high school coaching in the New Orleans area. I always liked that guy, and I'm glad he's going into coaching. He'll be a good one.
2015 GAC safety/corner Darius Slayton is a player. I hope Georgia finds room for him and keeps him home. Otherwise we'll be playing against him soon (possibly at Auburn).
Another 2015 defensive back, likely the best one in the state of Georgia, was on hand. Lakeside safety Rashad Roundtree is a physically impressive player with offers from everybody. It will be a fight to get him, but he'll have an offer waiting on his all the way up to Signing Day if necessary. Jeremy Pruitt seems to be making him a serious priority, and I don't think that hurts our chances.