E.J. Price Commitment A Big Boost for The 'Dawgs

As SB Nation Recruiting analyst Bud Elliott reported last night, the Red and Black received big recruiting news (both literally and figuratively) Thursday with the commitment of Archer offensive tackle E.J. Price. Price chose Georgia over the likes of Michigan, Alabama, Auburn, FSU, Ohio State, LSU, Clemson, and Notre Dame. In other words, he is one of those recruits whose potential is obvious to every coach evaluating him. While no kid is "can't miss" that kind of offer list is a good indicator of what he brings to the table. See what I mean below.

I like Price's athleticism. He moves well in space, and he's got good coordination for a taller (6'6) high school player. It's less evident here but Price also has the body type you want in a tackle, with long arms, a sturdy lower body, and not a lot of bad weight. I think he'll be even more impressive physically by the time he arrives in Athens, and could easily play in the 315 to 320 range.

Price's commit is huge for a couple of reasons. For one, as the #9 player in the state and the 77th best player in the class of 2016 according to 247Sports, Price is the type of big time recruit you can build a darned good class around. This class is quickly filling up with that kind of player. Price for example joins Stephens County standout Ben "Big Country" Cleveland in giving the 'Dawgs the 5th and 10th ranked offensive tackles in the country without having to leave the Peach State. Borders, fences, etc.

Which leads us to the second reason Price's commitment matters. The 'Dawgs need offensive linemen in this class. Specifically, Georgia has a bit of a depth hole at offensive tackle. While John Theus will anchor one side in 2015 and Kolton Houston is entrenched on the other, there's not a lot of proven depth behind them. Dyshon Sims had a promising freshman campaign, and coaches have good things to say about redshirt freshman Kendall Baker, but neither has anything close to the experience in the SEC trenches possessed by the guys they're backing up. Aulden Bynum is also a possibility at tackle, but he's likewise unproven and needs to show that he had the size and strength to handle the job.

I don't see Price as a true freshman starter in 2016 (Cleveland may be a different story), but he should definitely have a shot to crack the rotation and contend for a spot sooner rather than later. Georgia still probably needs at least one more tackle in this class for depth and as a hedge against injury, scooter-mayhem, etc. But Price is the kind of player you want to lock up early. While Price only recently transferrd there, it doesn't hurt to get a kid from Archer, which is becoming a school with lots of talent on the roster very quickly.