Derrick Brown and Scott Lashley https://t.co/YP2UxvBdgu
— SB Nation Recruiting (@SBNRecruiting) March 22, 2015
Derrick Brown https://t.co/J3s6GmDv82
— SB Nation Recruiting (@SBNRecruiting) March 22, 2015
That's Derrick Brown, currently ranked by 247Sports as the top defensive lineman in the country for the class of 2016, showing an impressive combination of speed and strength at The Opening regional camp at Buford High School a couple of weeks ago.
Brown is currently ranked the #5 player in the nation, the #2 defensive tackle according to 247Sports, and has been rumored to be a strong Georgia lean for some time now. His commitment would be great news, as Georgia needs defensive tackles for the class of 2016. The 2015 class included blue chipper Trenton Thompson from Albany (Westover), as well as a couple of other guys who could work in at defensive tackle (Tucker's Jonathan Ledbetter and Westlake's Daquan Hawkins). But John Atkins and Lamont Gaillard are the only other true defensive tackles on the roster for 2016. When you want to sub guys like Tracy Rocker and Jeremy Pruitt do, that is decidedly not enough. So in addition to Rocker's estimable reputation, the Bulldog coaches certainly have playing time to sell.
But no one anticipated Georgia taking to the recruiting trail with the kind of success that looks possible in this cycle. In an interview recently with 247Sports' Kipp Adams Julian Rochester, an instate 5 star defensive tackle like Brown, talked about the possibility of a "fab five" group of defensive linemen including himself, Brown, Americus 4 star DT Tyler Clark, Ellenwood (Cedar Grove) standout Antwuan Jackson and, somewhat surprisingly, New Jersey 5 star Rashan Gary, a 6'4, 290 pound DT from Paramus, New Jersey ranked among the top 3-4 players at any position in the class of 2016.
To put things in perspective, that would be the top 3 defensive tackle prospects in the nation according to 247Sports, an unprecedented haul at one of the most important positions on the field, not to mention two other players ranked in the top 25 at the position. This is to say nothing of big Jackson DT Michail Carter, also ranked in the top 15 at the position and also strongly considering the Bulldogs.
Pulling any three of those six would be a great haul on the defensive line. Any more than that and Georgia is looking at a class for the ages.