Georgia trending for elite instate linebacker?

The class of 2019 is absolutely loaded in the Peach State, with as many as a dozen prospects from Georgia among the top 100 in the entire country.

Kirby Smart & Co. have already secured commitments from several of those highly-touted juniors, but it has appeared for some time as if they might miss out on Grayson linebacker Owen Pappoe, rated by some as the top prospect in 2019. Several of Pappoe’s Grayson teammates are committed to Florida State, and Pappoe himself has shown a lot of interest in Clemson (Clemson safeties coach Mickey Conn was the head coach at Grayson for 16 years before joining the Country Gentlemen in 2016).

But things may be turning up red and black here. A raft of 247Sports crystal ball predictions came in early this week sending Pappoe to Georgia. Of note is the fact that those predicting the talented inside linebacker will head to Athens include generally reliable sources like Rusty Mansell, Kipp Adams, and Jake Rowe of Dawgs247, and Josh Newberg who covers the Seminoles and southeast recruiting extensively. The Bulldogs now are the majority pick to land Pappoe, just ahead of FSU.

Certainly these crystal ball predictions can (and often are) wrong. But with the Bulldogs now 6-0 and looking like a playoff contender, it’s much easier for the coaching staff to sell recruits on what’s actually happening in Sanford Stadium, not what could happen. You would think that Pappoe has taken special note of the season Roquan Smith is having, and that UGA coaches are selling him on stepping into that role in 2019.

There’s still a long way to go until Signing Day 2019, but if you’re a UGA fan you have to like the way things are trending in that class. With the homestate talent available and a little luck, it’s not out of the question for the Red and Black to land the top-rated class in America in about sixteen months.

Go ‘Dawgs!!!