MaconDawg's Blawg

Exciting Times Around the Blawg . . .

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 14:25:00 +0000

As Kyle King announced yesterday, I will be joining the team at Dawg Sports immediately, focusing on basketball and recruiting coverage. This won't change a whole lot of what goes on around MaconDawg's Blawg. I anticipate that there will be times when my random observations on UGA sports will be found here in much the same form they always have. But a lot of other stuff will show up over on Kyle's site, which is part of the fast-growing SportsBlog Nation family of blogs. This should give both of us the chance to improve our content, grow as writers, avoid neglecting our day jobs, and make it to the occasional Drive By Truckers show.

In other words, it's what that guy in your office sporting the gold cufflinks and hair plugs would call a "win-win". I do want to take this opportunity to thank the 12, 000 to 13,000 of you who have visited this site in its first 8 months of existence. You're all appreciated, and I hope you'll continue to tune in.

It's Official. Watts Plays His Swan Song.

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 21:11:00 +0000

The athletic department is reporting that offensive gaurd and virtuoso musician Seth Watts will forego his final two years of eligibility. This is not entirely surprising given that he was not practicing yesterday and there had been some rumblings about Watts' status.

Watts was a 4-star offensive guard/tackle prospect out of Washington County who had even been positively singled out by the coaches during winter Mat Drills. That followed a 2006 campaign in which he saw a good bit of playing time, but was never very impressive. Toward the end of the year it began to look as if Neil Callaway would rather put Michael Turner, Fernando Velasco and Chester Adams in an early grave than risk putting Watts on the field, which probably took a toll on him.

Admittedly, the first signs that Watts' heart was no longer on the football field came when he began hanging out with Keith Richards and slid from his playing weight of 313 pounds down to 160. Oh yeah, and there was that time he spent touring with the Rolling Stones.

It's always a little sad when a kid who comes in with a lot of potential doesn't progress as a football player. On the other hand, this is more fodder for those who think that Neil Callaway couldn't pick a decent offensive line prospect out of a lineup if he was standing between Pee Wee Herman and Henry Kissinger while holding a bottle rocket.

In the end analysis, Watts was not looking like a key contributor. He would have provided some veteran depth, which is always nice, but this is not a mission-critical kind of loss. Good luck Seth.

In other news, there's a rather big announcement forthcoming on this site tomorrow. I can't say yet what it is, but I can say I'm darn excited about it. I'm hoping you will be too.

Spring Practice Excitement and Kicker Commitment News.

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 14:35:00 +0000

Today is the first day of spring drills in Athens. The Dawgbone.net folks have a good roundup of what's being said around the internet on the subject. From these sources I'd simply like to note:

The composition of the O-Line: I don't think it's surprising at all to see Chris Davis getting a look at center. He came in a little light to play tackle or guard, but has been consistently singled out for his footwork. With Ian Smith's off-field problems, he's just not a reliable option at that position right now. I was a little surprised that Josh Davis is getting the early nod at one tackle spot, but I think that is largely because he has been in the system the longest. He will have a hard time holding onto that spot. The offensive line drills will be one long competition this spring, and I'm glad. Competition breeds improvement, and we've simply not had enough warm bodies to really compete all through spring for some time now.

Miller in the middle: I'm still not convinced Brandon Miller has what it takes to play in the middle. This is largely due to the fact that he's exhibited two limitations so far in his career: mobility and decision-making. In a 4-3 set the mike backer has a lot of decisions to make, more so in most circumstances than the sam backer. Also, while some people think moving him to mike will camoulflage a lack of mobility, the opposite could be true. While middle linebackers in a 4-3 are not running downfield with the flanker, they are dealing with a lot more traffic flow in the middle. It's the ability to get through this "trash" and get to the ball that sets the great mike backers apart. I'm afraid we'll see Brandon Miller blowing up blockers only to get to the ball one step too slow. Of course I'm hoping I'm wrong here.

The receivers: We saw some positive momentum from this group toward the end of the year. It will be interesting to see the competition at that spot.

Also, in case you missed it, the Dawgs picked up commitment #8 for the class of 2008 this weekend with a verbal from Blair Walsh, a punter/kicker out of Boca Raton. If you're wondering why we're after a punter given our depth chart, Paul WesterDawg has your answer right here. I think the term PWD used was "big-toed monster". The kid is by all accounts a phenom.

I think we're also seeing another trickle-down effect from the pro ranks, where kickers have been taking on a much higher profile the past 3-4 years. Call it the "Adam Vinatieri Effect", if you will. Also, I think that after Brandon Coutu's injury, Mark Richt will never, ever coach another game without a reliable backup kicker if there's anything he can do about it.

Not Enough Information: UGA vs. UT

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 18:27:00 +0000

As you may recall, my analysis of football recruiting is inclined toward giving you more information than you really need. I could do the same with basketball I suppose, but today I'm proposing a different approach.

The fact is I don't have much empirical information to draw on. The last time these two teams played, everything was different: we had Mike Mercer, the Philbillies didn't have Chris Loftin and the game was in Knoxville, not Athens. I'm hoping the result is different as well, and I'm going out on a limb and predicting it will be, for the following reasons:

1) Home sweet home: the Dawgs are 6-1 in-conference at the Stege this year, and undefeated against teams not defending their national title.

2) The 3-ball: Tennessee plays a much smaller lineup and will have to hit from the perimeter to win this one. That's always harder to do on the road. Of course, it helps when you have Levi Stukes standing there watching you shoot with his arms hanging at his sides, but I digress . . .

3) Takais Brown: We've done a better job of getting him the ball inside lately, which in turn frees up the kickout, which really helps our shooting.

My prediction: UGA 74, UT 69.

UGA vs. UK Recap (and some thoughts on LS pulling a TO).

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 16:50:00 +0000

Note: I was going to post this yesterday before the weather in this part of the world went to hell in a handbasket. I'll be back with something more timely later.

Try as they might, an incredibly shorthanded Bulldog club was unable to beat Tubby's Cats in Lexington. This is not surprising, of course. What was surpirising was Steve Newman playing a whale of a game (again) when we needed him to. Newman is not a "next level" guy, but he has been quietly solid this year when we've needed him to be. We didn't turn the ball over nearly as much as we have in the past. Unfortunately UK shot lights out, and generally played a great second half at home, which is precisely what you are supposed to do. If this game were played in Athens, I think we win. Oh yeah, we did. As I said yesterday, the SEC is not a good place to be visiting. When the home teams shoots 59% from the field, 54% from behind the arc, and 85% from the line, they usually win. Simple as that.

As for Stukes, if he in fact blew off a mandatory lifting session and spouted off to the staff, then he got what he deserved. Rules are rules, and this program has plenty of experience with proponents of situational discipline. It hurts, but as long as the players know the standards, then I can't fault Felton for applying them

Wednesday Morning Quick Hits.

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:11:00 +0000

I've got a busy day on tap, but then again so do Felton's Dawgs. A few notes on tonight's game at Kentucky.

Felton says we need nine wins. Chip Towers at the AJC talked to CDF, who says we're not in (no shocker there), but that a win at Kentucky would "absolutely" help. I personally will not feel comfortable about our chances unless we either a) sweep these last two, b) split them and win one in the tournament, or c) lose both and win two in the tournament. None of those is a foregone conclusion with our recent inconsistency.

Kentucky fans are delusional. And most of them without the surname "Judd" aren't very talented, as Paul WesterDawg, the good folks at the UgaSports.com Hoops Board and hardcore Louisville bloggers CardChronicles point out. By the way Big Blue, congratulations on your 7 National Championships. Too bad all but two of them came before the end of the Jimmy Carter administration. Alabama fans will see your delusion, and raise you two thousand houndstooth hats full of cash.

It's not really that I'm that big an Ashley Judd fan, though she was OK in Double Jeopardy. It's just that she's the only University of Kentucky basketball fan without a buzzcut or a mullet, and that's worthy of notice. (picture courtesy of ESPN.com)

Tubby's pants are warming nicely. The seat occupied by the head basketball coach at Kentucky is set to a toasty 120 degrees even during July. But lately Tubby's chair is looking more and more like the creme brule station at one of Lexington's fine eating establishments (Checker's or Arby's, for example). Exhibit A? The formal statement Monday from Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart which Pat Forde excerpted on ESPN.com:

"Kentucky basketball is important to all of us who are a part of the Big Blue Nation. I know that the fans, coaches and players are disappointed with the results of the season up to this point, but it's important to wait until the most critical part of the season is complete before reviewing the program. Our fans' lofty expectations for this program, which I share, have not changed. However, history tells us that the college basketball season can change quite a bit between February and March. If the close games we've lost in February become victories during the tournaments, then this team has a chance to play up to its potential, which is what all of us as Wildcat fans want."

There's only one surer sign that you're on the way out in college athletics than a "vote of confidence" from the AD. That's when he won't even give you that and throws out veiled "significant improvement" references. Just ask Ray Goff. Most coaches get a season. Tubby apparently gets a month.

The Game. Oh yeah, there's actually a basketball game tonight. While I take the MSU game as a sign that we're adjusting to life without Mike Mercer, I am not optimistic. For one, we haven't been very good at putting two hot shooting performances back-to-back. Second, winning on the road in the SEC is very, very difficult. This team has been way better at the Stege than they are on the road, much less at a place like Rupp. I think this sets up a do or die game gainst the Vols. Let's hope that my pessimism is as misplaced here as it was against Cowbell U. on Saturday.

Akeem Hebron Arrested.

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 18:02:00 +0000

Rivals is reporting that Akeem Hebron was booked by Athens-Clarke County police just before 8 a.m. this morning on a charge of underage possession of alcohol. There's no mention of DUI, obstruction of an officer, public drunkenness or any of the other Ian Smith-esque offenses which roughly 20% of UGA undergraduate men get pinched for at least once prior to graduation. Sounds like he was probably in somebody's dorm room drinking when the campus cops came to turn the music down. And so ends a joyously quiet offseason of misdemeanor-free behavior.

My guess is a 2 game suspension to start the season for Akeem. The real punishment will be what this does to his chances for playing time at the Will Linebacker spot. I would like to point out however that Mudcat Elmore's car does not appear to be involved. I view this as a sign of progress for our disciplinary regime.

Of course, if he were drunk in an alley in bucolic Richland County, SC and bowed up at a Columbia police officer, Spurrier would give him 24 hours to think about it before returning to Pavlov's. Not that I'm making fun of that or anything . . .

Dawgs over MSU, Tournament Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 13:29:00 +0000

As you've no doubt heard, the University of Georgia pulled off a convincing win at home over the Mississippi State feaux-dawgs at the Stege yesterday afternoon. I was not optimistic going into this one and was surprised to say the least to watch the Dawgs not only win, but never trail and rarely even let the hoopsters from Cowbell U. within 10. Worth noting from this one:

Shoot well, win games: As I've noted on this site before, basketball is a fairly simple game at heart. The team that puts the little round ball in the basket the most times wins. When we've shot poorly, we've lost. This time out we shot well. Paul notes that our ball movement was far better than in recent games, and I concur. However I can't shake this dark sense of foreboding that it might not last. The real test will come Wednesday at Rupp Arena, when I fear Billy Humphrey and Levi Stukes will be jacking up multiple 32 footers as the shot clock expires. For one day however, we didn't experience the sort of crippling scoring drought that has doomed this team repeatedly this season.

Life: It's about changes. Georgia did a great job of establishing a presence down low in the first half. I see this as progress from the first 2-3 games after Takais Brown's emergence (I'm thinking of the Tennessee game principally) in which defenses collapsed down on TB and there was little we could do about it. Again, this is largely a function of ball movement.

The obligatory bubble talk: This game helps. Our RPI is up to 52. It was a convincing win against a team that's been hot of late. If we don't win this one, I think we're all but done. Now, however, I think there are three paths into the Big Dance:

Path One: Beat Kentucky. The one thing missing from our resume this year is a signature road win. While Kentucky's not really Kentucky this year, a win in Rupp is always impressive, especially in late February. If we can pull that out we'd get to 18 wins and 9-7 in the SEC. As Paul recently pointed out, getting to 9-7 in the SEC means you're in unless your signature nonconference wins were at home against Mercer and Albany State. You may have noted that I'm quoting PWD liberally in this post. The reason is that he's just been on fire with the basketball coverage lately.

Of course, our RPI is still too low for comfort, as 45 and under seems to be a much safer bet. I'm not sure how much precedence there is for an SEC team making it in with an RPI like ours. To say the least, Gonzaga and Wake Forest are off my Christmas Card list. As revolting as their seasons have been for their own fans, the two prennial tournament teams have turned what looked like big early wins for us into games that actually hurt us in the court of computer opinion. I know it's a longshot, but if we knock off Tubby's Cats (current RPI: 7), I think we're in.

Path Two: Beat Tennessee. Admittedly, road wins in the SEC are hard to come by. I'm not counting on us beating Kentucky. Losing in Lexington would set up a game in Athens between two teams who need to win to get in. Quite frankly, I don't relish this possibility, but it's the most likely scenario. Knocking off a team with Tennessee's RPI (11, currently) would probably get us into the mid-forties, where we need to be.

Path Three: Make a tournament run. I like our chances against anybody the SEC West has to offer on a neutral court. But I think if we lose the last two, we'll need back to back wins in the SEC tournament, and I just don't know if this team has that in them. If however we get to the semifinals, we may be able to make a late push.

The Big Picture: If you'd told me in October that we would be where we are, I'd have been happy. I didn't think coming into the year that we would have home wins against LSU and Kentucky. I would have been pretty pleased with an NIT appearance which would set us up for next year. Making the Dance means that the rebuilding process is one year ahead of schedule in my book, as this was the first year in which Felton is really playing with a full deck.

Saturday Morning's Quick Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 13:18:00 +0000

Phaba Lemon: Michael Lemon's mother was a common sight around Stratford Academy here in Macon (where I also volunteer). It's impossible to say the "right" thing in a tragic situation such as this. Suffice it to say our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire family.

Basketball vs. Missy State: This is one of those must win games. We stand 7-6 in the SEC with contests coming up on the road at Kentucky and then home to Tennessee. Winning this game won't get us into the tournament, but losing it will all but keep us out.

As far as individual talent, I'm exceptionally worried about Jamont Gordon, the big guard who leads MSU in scoring. He's the kind of guard who can penetrate and score off the dribble, i.e., he's the guy we would have counted on Mike Mercer to gaurd. While I don't miss Mercer jacking up ill-advised threes 5-8 times a game, I have to admit we've really missed his defense. Mississippi State also has a strong presence down low with 6'8 240 pounder Charles Rhodes, who averages just north of 13 points a game. MSU also has some depth inside with 6'9 combo players Jarvis Varnado, Vernon Goodridge and Piotr Stelmach getting significant minutes at forward and center.

The Cowbell U. hoopsters are also the hottest team in the SEC right now, having won 4 in a row and 5 of their last 6. The one loss in that stretch was a 1 point heartbreaker on the road in Tuscaloosa.

A 1:00 start often means a small and lackadaisical crowd at the Stege. In short, almost everything seems to mitigate against us in this one. MSU matches up very well with the Dawgs down low, and they have a decided edge at the guard spot. I'm not at all confident about this one, folks. But we'll see.

UGA vs Florida Mens' Hoops Wrapup.

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 19:59:00 +0000

Lost in the madness of National Signing Day for many was the fact that Dennis Felton's Dawgs hosted the No. 1 ranked Florida Gators at the Stege last night. The Dawgs fell 71-61, but unfortunately the game wasn't really that close. Florida outhustled, outshot and, perhaps more than anything else, just outmanned the Bulldogs.

What's really frightening is that it was not the Gators' best performance. Georgia was only down 6 at the half, but things only got further out of hand as the night progressed. Takais Brown continued a quiet three game stretch in which constant double teams combined with poor perimeter shooting have rendered him a near nonfactor (5 points on 1 of 8 shooting). After the game, his tone of quiet resignation spoke volumes: "They doubled me every time I touched it. It's kind of frustrating, but I kind of have mixed feelings about the situation. If I'm getting doubled by the national champions, who have some of the best players in the SEC, then I must be doing something right."

In other words, if you're going to go down, go down fighting to the top team in the country.

It is now officially gutcheck time. We have six league games remaining, with three on the road and three in Athens. At 14-9, the Dawgs need to at least split those league games to have any shot at the NCAA Tournament. Even that would require making a run to at least the second round of the SEC Tournament and counting on the Selection Committee to take note of our "quality losses" (an oxymoron if ever there was one).

More likely, we need to beat Auburn, Missy State and Tennessee at home, while beating one of our three remaining opponents on the road (South Carolina, Ole Miss and Kentucky). I don't like our chances at (Cor)Rupp(t) Arena, but I think we can take one of the other two. To beat anybody however, we're going to have to figure out how to get the ball to Brown down low, and that's going to require getting better looks from outside and hitting the ones we get. Right now that's anything but guaranteed.

TMI 2007: The Tight Ends.

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:58:00 +0000

First, I'd like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who visited the site yesterday. You helped push us to our first day with over 800 unique visitors, first day with over 1500 page views, and sent the site over the 10,000 unique visitors mark after only 7 months in operation.

Much like Coach Richt (warning: audio link) I am pleased with our 2007 signing class. I could be more pleased, but that's the case every year. In fact, that's what separates recruiting from the actual sport of football. At least at the end of the season one team can be completely satisfied. In recruiting there's always one (or three) guys you wish you could have gotten.

From here on out I won't be evaluating our class as a whole, but focusing more on individual players. I'm about to run out of tape which I can post or link to, so from here on out you'll just have to go to Rivals or Scout and judge for yourself. But before that happens I'd like to take a look at tight end Bruce Figgins out of Shaw High in Columbus, and offer some thoughts on Aron White out of Columbia, Missouri's Rock Bridge High School.

You can see video of Bruce Figgins (#86 in black) in action in the Class AAA semi-finals against Carver High School on the Georgia Public Broadcasting website here. I had trouble getting some of the video to play, but I think it's just because of my outdated Windows Media Player.

Figgins clearly passes the eyeball test. He reminds me a lot of Ben Watson in terms of his build, which is high praise. Figgins is currently listed around 6'3, 240 lb. I could easily see him playing in the 250 to 255 pound range.

As you can see from the video, Figgins is generally a blocking tight end in the Shaw offense. He does run some routes in this game, and seems to get off the line well for a big tight end. He does a great job blocking in isolation on defensive ends, exhibiting good pad level. He locks out his arms and drives well with his feet. One of the bad habits big high school linemen often fight bad footwork resulting from the ability to overpower defenders with superior upper body strength. Figgins doesn't have this issue.

I have one complaint about Figgins. He's clearly taking some plays off. There are times when the ball goes away from him and he doesn't touch a soul on the other team. This troubles me a little bit. However, I think that when he gets to Athens Coach Johnson will disabuse him of this habit quickly.

Bottom line, Figgins has all the tools to succeed as a versatile tight end at Georgia. While Shaw didn't throw to him a whole lot, his route running looks solid and he's drawn good reviews for his hands at summer camps. Ben Watson also wasn't known as a pass catching tight end either until he'd been in Athens a little while. Physically, Figgins is ready to play right now, and will fight with Coleman Watson for time at the tight end spot behind Tripp Chandler and NaDerris Ward.

Aron White played receiver in high school, but looks to move to tight end at some point in his UGA career. While the coaches are recruiting him to play receiver, I think the kid would be an absolute weapon if his blocking skills allow him to put his hand down. Unfortunately, I don't have any free video of White. If anybody can point me toward some, I'd appreciate it. I can tell you that he's 6'4 and 213 lb. now. You can finds pictures of him all over the recruiting sites, and can see that he will ultimately end up in the 6'4 235 lb. range.

White compares favorably to former UGA tight end Randy McMichael. He has wide receiver speed, and his hands are simply outstanding. On the video I reviewed from his junior year, White catches several balls from Logan Gray that were simply unbelievable. I think he'll be a great receiver in traffic (an asset for tight ends in the Mark Richt system). However the thing that sets White apart is his body control. White is also an All-State basketball player, and it shows on the football field. He gets in position to make catches over defenders who look to be in excellent position themselves.

The one question mark with White will be his blocking. He obviously will need to put on some muscle to play tight end in the SEC. However his athleticism and spidy-hands will make it impossible to keep him off the field for long. Look for White to see time at wide receiver as a redshirt freshman. However, he could see time in an H-back role eventually. Without a doubt, Figgins and White continue the embarrassment of riches Georgia has enjoyed at the tight end spot under Mark Richt.

I'll be back tomorrow with an extensive breakdown of our one surpirse signee, Chris Little.

Signing Day 2007: Final Wrapup.

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 01:19:00 +0000

Well, it's over. The University of Georgia signed 23 players for the class of 2007. Of this we are certain. The opinions vary wildly from there. The recruiting analysts generally gave the class high marks. Many of our fans obviously disagree. I'll be back tomorrow with some more breakdowns on individual members of this class. But in the meantime, a few thoughts:

Mission accomplished: Sure it would have been nice to get Eric Berry. But we didn't need Eric Berry. We need Scott Haverkamp. We need Trinton Sturdivant. We need offensive linemen who are ready to play by September. We got those, plus a talented tailback, depth on the offensive and defensive lines, and linebackers who continue our transformation toward compact but quick players at that position. Oh yeah, and the top tight end in the country.

Little for Greenlee: I still would rather have Greenlee given our immediate needs at tackle. However, watching the Notre Dame Rivals board go into a seizing fit made the trade down all worth it. And Little does have a lot of upside if Van Halenger can ge him in shape.

The Future Looks Bright: Georgia already has verbal commitments from 3 of the Rivals preevaluation 100 for 2008 (which includes several other UGA targets). That's the most in the country. Two of those are on the preevaluation All-American team (A.J. Green at 1st team receiver and Richard Samuel at 1st team tailback). Our early start on 2007 is portending an early and fast start on 2008.

Jamie Newberg says Recruiting Rankings "don't mean crap"

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:53:00 +0000

Quoth Scout.com Analyst Jamie Newberg in the Macon Telegraph this morning (on Georgia's 2007 class): "From a rankings perspective maybe it's a little below the bar Mark Richt has set," Newberg said, "but recruiting ratings don't mean crap. "

Now that's refusing to toe the company line.

Kudos to you, Jamie, for saying what we all knew to be true. This day more than any other brings out a crippling right brain/left brian battle for college football fans. Take South Carolina for example. We know, intellectually, that South Carolina's highly touted class will be playing in the Meineke Car Care Bowl next year (which as all Gamecock fans will tell you, is the best year EVA!). However there's a certain testosterone-driven need to not only beat ~~the pathetic regional whipping boy~~ our neighbors to the east, but to crush him and drive his shreiking across the landscape. It's irrational. It's counterproductive. And I'm not going to talk about it anymore. For at least the next 15 minutes.

Food for Thought. . .

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 15:51:00 +0000

Have you noticed that this Georgia staff seems to do a better job of signing players from traditional high school football powerhouses than from schools with only occasional D-1A talent? Think about it:

Rennie Curran (Brookwood)
John Knox and Justin Houston (Statesboro)
Massaquoi and Cox (Charlotte Independence)
Caleb King (Parkview/GAC)
Darius Dewberry (Peach County)

There are others, but I have a hypothesis which I'd love ya'll to debate. I think that this is the case because Coach Richt's straight-shooting routine sways high school coaches who've heard it all and seen it all. I'm not saying that our coaches can wake the dead and turn water into Powerade. I am saying that it may not be coincedental that we get a lot of early commits from kids who go to schools where college recruiters are a constant fact of life in the athletic department. This is worth thinking about with so many now saying that our lackluster recruiting class was the result of being "too nice". As always, feel free to disagree.

Signing Day Speculation: Part 1.

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 15:27:00 +0000

I'm not going to try to keep up with LOI's today. Instead I'm going one level deeper to look at some of the speculation about what has and will happen, and maybe look ahead to Spring 2007 and 2008. Feel free to post your comments, I'd love to hear from you whether you're a) paranoid, b) exuberant or c) uncommitted. If you're going the JUCo route, I'm sorry, but I don't have a scholly for you.

D.J. Stafford: Says that he tried to commit to UGA but when he called they didn't have a 'ship for him. Some of you Dawgventers are incensed that we could let a 4 star recruit get away when he comes knocking at the door. I think a more nuanced analysis shows why this happened.

For one, Stafford won't qualify and be available in 2007, and we need D-tackles now. I think the coaches figure he can't be more ready to play that role than DeMarcus Dobbs, Corvey Irvin or Jarius Wynn.

If Stafford won't be available in 2007, then you have to compare him to the 2008 class, which is shaping up to be remarkable both in Georgia and nationally. I think D.J. Stafford lost his scholarship to DeAngelo Tyson of Statesboro, quite honestly.

Some however think that Stafford's offer went to some stealth commitment (Chirs Little being the odds-on favorite). I'm not sure about that, but while we're on the subject . . .

Chris Little's set to announce any minute now. I'd rather have Greenlee than Little because I think Little's too out of shape to contribute now (and I watched Cedric Everson absolutely hand him his own ass at the Army All-American Bowl)

Antwane Greenlee. Trickett indeed. I'm not going to fault some 17 year old kid for signing with his favorite childhood team. You shouldn't either. But at the same time, I'm not one of these anti-recruiting folks who says that "they're just kids". When I was 17, my parents expected me to mean it when I gave someone my word. The fact that Greenlee first committed to FSU, then went back on that, then went back on his own mulligan says something character-wise. It doesn't mean he'll not be a productive member of society (Lord knows most 17 year olds have a variety of character issues. I did.) . Feel free to disagree. Back with more shortly.

TMI 2007: And They Call The Wind Caleb . . .

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 20:05:00 +0000

I am pleased to present the long awaited third edition of MaconDawg's chronicle of the University of Georgia's signing class of 2007. Previous editions have drawn much-appreciated praise from Senator Blutarsky (whose Blog you should really check out) and Kyle King, who at first seemed a little creeped out by the idea, but upon clarification, actually thinks this series is the way recruiting should be covered. Thanks for the endorsement, Kyle. And send Kristen Davis the URL, we're always looking for celebrity endorsements.

Anyway, you can see approximately 8 minutes of senior footage of Greater Atlanta Christian School tailback Caleb King here. The footage is on YouTube, though it appears to have originally come from Scout.com. I'm assuming the folks from Scout have no qualms about this because the footage has been up for over 2 months and viewed over 24,000 times without being removed.

The Resume: A 4 star prospect by Rivals and 5 star according to Scout, he's arguably the jewel of this signing class. King was rated by some as the top tailback in the country until he broke his leg midway through his senior season. That has dropped him off the radar of some recruitniks. However, he committed to Georgia over offers from Auburn, Florida, Tennessee, Notre Dame, LSU and USC. In short, recruiting rankings be damned, there's not a college coach in America who wouldn't have taken a commitment from Caleb King.

Pros: The first thing that you notice about King is that he runs with his eyes. He may not break every play for a big gain. But if there are 8 yards to be gotten on any given play, the odds are good that he will find them. King also gets North/South very quickly, and he's not overly pre-occupied with getting to the sideline like a lot of breakaway backs. Caleb is just as likely to break one on a halfback lead behind the guard as he is on the toss sweep, and accelerates through the hole very, very quickly.

Caleb King's running style is also a good lesson to younger backs because he breaks a lot of those long ones on this tape not just by being fast, but by making the first two guys miss. Kid shrugs arm tackles like nobody's business. For this reason, I'm willing to make the somewhat controversial statement that I would rather sign Caleb King than mythical south Florida tailback Noel Devine. I simply feel like King's running style translates more readily to the college level. Devine will have to rein in some of his tendency to just outrun and juke. By way of comparison, Noel Devine is to Barry Sanders as Caleb King is to Walter Payton. He's an all-around tailback with the speed to take it the distance and the toughness to get 4 yards when that's what you need.

Cons: However, nobody's perfect. King does dance in the hole a little bit, employing a "jump-step" that may not work against faster college defenses. He also runs a little upright at times, which makes him more susceptible to hits from the blindside. This is more apparent on sweeps and counters to the outside, where he's actively looking for the hole. This is not a constant problem though, and I think it's easy to correct.

The Skinny: A back in the Kregg Lumpkin/Knowshon Moreno mold. King is the type of versatile, pure tailback who can get yards in any situation, and should break more than his fair share of 20+ yarders (something this offense has desperately lacked in recent years). It will be hard to keep King off the field as a true freshman. He is physically ready to contribute now at 5'11 and a shade under 200 pounds. Eventually, look for King to bulk up to the 215 pound range. The key will be how well he maintains the acceleration and top-end speed that bursts off the screen now.

Robert Goulet broke in and messed with my stuff.

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 14:55:00 +0000

I've got the video to prove it. As a result I won't be posting the next in my series of video breakdowns of our 2007 signing class until later this afternoon.

In the meantime, a few random thoughts from the weekend:

Dawgs fall 66-61 to Vanderbilt. The sad part of the last two games is not that defenses have collapsed in to prevent us getting the ball to Takais Brown down low. The sad part is that our perimeter players are powerless to prevent it. Mike Mercer is simply too inconsistent as a shooter. He plays good defense, and I'm sure he's a wonderful kid. But this team won't go anywhere until people have to actually guard him from 15 feet out. He's given no one any reason to suspect that such a tactic is necessary. Our RPI has fallen to 45, but I think we're still in the tournament unless we really fade down the stretch. However, it seems that the jig is up on the Takais Brown show. Unless Felton can get something from the guards, Brown will be continually molested from here to a first round exit from the NIT.

Ted Kian has an early look at our 2008 recruiting targets over at the Georgia AOLFanhouse site. It's nothing that the true recruiting hacks among us don't already know, but it's a solid read which includes a breakdown of returning players. AOL is phasing out its individual writers covering college football teams, so the Georgia football blog will be a lot less hopping in the future. I don't always agree with what Ted posts, but I can't quibble with the fact he's put in some work on that site.

Antwane Greenlee is waffling again. I couldn't care less. David Ching has met him and seems to think a lot of the kid, who seems genuinely conflicted. I am not going to jump all over him for that. But I do think the fact that so many are following this little soap opera like it's the first lunar landing is further proof that many of us need some perspective.

Greenlee is a good player with a world of potential. But if he goes to Florida State we'll never see him on the field again (unless it's in the Peach Bowl). If he can't see that his chances for college playing time and NFL stardom are the same or better at a rising program like Georgia than at a sinking program like Florida State, that's his business (though I would suggest he talk to Kenny O'Neal, Fred Rouse and Lorenzo Booker about Coach Bowden's playing time spiel). We've already got 2-3 very good tackle prospects, and we'll be fine. If he comes, that great, he'll be a nice addition.

Jon Richt Commits to Clemson.

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 20:05:00 +0000

The Banner Herald has the story. No surprise here as Coach Richt is almost an honorary Bowden, and there was no way Jon was going to sign in Athens. This is a good thing, as I noted from the inception of this blog.

Clemson gets a coach's kid who'll be polished like a new penny by the time he reaches the shores of Lake Hartwell. Georgia won't have to deal with an uncomfortable depth chart situation that would make the tempest in a teapot over Joe Tereshinski III look tame. Father and son won't compete against each other unless A) it's in the Peach Bowl or B) a BCS game. On whole, the best possible outcome has come to pass. *There is no truth to the rumor that the story broke when MaconDawg's correspondent Darius Dawgberry saw Katherine Richt at Franklin's buying 7 sets of orange overalls with the days of the week on them.

*But we really, really wish he had. Because it would confirm so many stereotypes in one fell swoop . . .

TMI 2007 Part Deux: Logan Gray.

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 15:40:00 +0000

This is the second installment in my long and winding analysis of our incoming 2007 signing class, and eventually some of our 2008 prospects. Today's signee is Columbia (Rock Bridge), Missouri quarterback Logan Gray.

In hopes of directing some more traffic there, I'll again be directing you to SunshinePreps.net for some junior video on young Gray.

Gray's Profile: Logan comes from a high school program with some history of turning out D-1A quarterbacks. He took over the starting job from Chase Patton, who was recruited by the Dawgs before signing with Missouri in 2004 as Rivals #4 quarterback in the country. Logan, like most of Richt's recent quarterback recruits attended the Elite 11 Quarterback Camp in California before his senior season, after having worked as a ballboy at the camp before his junior campaign. Gray's junior numbers were impressive (131 of 225 passing, for a 58.2% completion rate, 2,169 yards passing, and 25 TD's against 10 picks).

Strengths: Gray makes the right throw for the right route. He doesn't have the rifle arm of a Matt Stafford, but only 1-2 high schoolers per year do. Many of them spend the next two years learning when to put the rifle on safety. Gray has no such handicap, as he puts just enough on the ball for the West Coast passing routes of the Rock Bridge offense. You can see on the deep post routes that he can wing it plenty far for our purposes.

Gray's bigger asset may be his speed. You can tell that the kid has some serious wheels when he decides to tuck it and run. The fact that he does indeed tuck the ball when he crosses the line of scrimmage is a huge plus, and something that even some college quarterbacks don't do. He does switch arms, which some coaches don't like and others recommend. I think Coach Richt prefers that QB's use one arm, but I'm not sure. I've never had the chance to ask him. Aside from his speed, Gray shows good moves in the open field and picks up blockers well, especially for a guy who is essentially a pocket passer. I could see him giving us the chance to run some read-option stuff, much like we did with D.J. Shockley.

Weaknesses: This boy needs some fried baloney and cheese sandwiches, ASAP. He's listed at 6'2, 185 lb. I'd believe the 6'2 part, but if Logan Gray weighs 185, then I weigh 185. I think it would be accurate to say that we're both about 20 pounds away from 185, just in opposite directions. I'll let you guess who's covering the over and who's got the under. Again, he may have bulked up some in the 15 months since this video was shot, but the senior video (which unfortunately you can't see unless you subscribe to, well, you know . . .) doesn't lead me to think he's an ounce over 180. He's about 25 pounds away from being able to take the beating of being an SEC quarterback.

Gray has a tendency to focus on receivers, especially on the above-referenced long posts. This is not uncommon in high school, where coaches are often looking for an athletic mismatch which allows them to go deep. In fairness however, he is smooth and decisive on the shorter routes, getting the ball where it needs to go. Also, if I were a high school quarterback throwing to Aron White, I would probably overfocus as well.

This video also shows a bit of a "windup" delivery, which leads to a slow release. It's not the worst in the world, but if you compare it to the wrist-flicking flame thrower attached to Matt Stafford's right shoulder, you'll see the difference. In fairness, I think his time at the Elite 11 Camp may have tightened his delivery a bit as well.

Bottom Line: Gray is obviously very polished for a high school quarterback. I think the people who think he'll move to receiver are just plain wrong. The kid is a lot like Joe Cox coming out in that he comes from a system that requires him to think and manage the game, and he does both quite well. He'll have two years to develop physically before he's ever called on to take any significant snaps. By the time he takes over full time in 2009 or 2010, Gray will be ready in much the same way D.J. was ready to after his extended run in the #2 slot. A good long term pickup at a position where you have to think long term.

Tune in on Monday when I'll have another installment on the road to signing day.

TMI 2007: Too Much Information About the Class of 2007.

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 14:11:00 +0000

I've been promising for sometime that I would do an in-depth analysis of Georgia's 2007 signing class. Today is the first installment, so I'm laying out the groundrules, the disclaimers and the warnings now. Please feel free to comment, but just now that I'll probably cite you back to the groundrules at some point in my reply. Here they are:

The Method: I watched just about every scrap of gametape of the members of our 2007 signing class that I could get my hands on. With some this was easy. I think every snap Caleb King ever took in organized football is available on the web somewhere. Others were tougher (about all I got to see of Drew Butler was the 2006 AAAAA State Championship game, which is OK because there was a whole lotta punting going on).

The Evidence: The film that I reviewed that is in the public domain or linkable for free from various sites, I'll link to so you can let me know if I'm out of line in my evaluations. Some of it isn't the highest quality, but that's high school game film for you. It's what our coaches use for initial evaluations. Bear in mind that unlike them, I can't go see a guy up close and personal or get him to a summer camp where I run him through position-specific drills for two days.

Some of the film I've looked at is not in the public domain, or is available only to subscribers of certain internet sites that shall remain nameless (but you know who they are, and you've already got them bookmarked). You'll know when these have been used because I won't link them. I know that's not very transparent, but if you have a subscription to these sites (or a scofflaw brother-in-law who'll risk his subscription by giving you his password), you can go check those out, too.

The Credentials: OK, I'm not Mel Kiper. Let's get that out of the way from the start. I was a four year varsity letterman at a small school in south Georgia who was lightly recruited by a couple of Division II schools. My most dogged pursuer during the recruiting process was Division III Oberlin College of Ohio, probably because they thought I might raise the team GPA. Division III, you may remeber, is that level of college football where everybody is a walk-on. No scholarships in the place. In short, I can tell when a running back keeps a good pad level, I can tell when a defensive end gets too far upfield against the run, but I am not in any danger of being hired away by Rivals to do player evaluation. Though if anyone from Rivals is reading this, just know that I could be bought. Pretty cheap, in fact.

The Disclaimers: I tried to do this with a critical, but not cynical, eye. Thankfully I did a lot of it before ~~our recruiting of almost every decent player in our own state crashed and burned Hindenberg style~~ our recruiting concluded unexpectedly early. This is where the Too Much Information moniker comes in. While Kyle is the dean, ney, the President of the land of Too Much Information, this little feature will hopefully help Blawg readers take a good look at our signing class. I hope it will erase unrealistic expectations, while at the same time showing us that, recent events to the contrary, this really is a pretty good signing class. If you are a rabid recruitnik, you may not find anything in here you didn't already know. But you'll read it anyway because you're a rabid recruitnik, and that's the nature of the disease.

Bear in mind that a lot of these guys won't even resemble the players on this film in 18 months. Some of them don't resemble those guys now because a lot of this tape is junior film. Some of it is from senior years, and that may reflect better of some players. However after a redshirt year, changing positions and five meals a day at the training table some of these guys won't even be recognizable either physically or from a technique standpoint. So with no further introduction, we begin our tour through the class of 2007 with the Statesboro tandem of John Knox and Justin Houston.

John Knox: You can see Knox in this junior tape available at SunshinePreps.net (HT to Derek Williams at Sunshine Preps for collecting two metric tons of tape). The first thing you notice about Knox is that he's always looking for an excuse to hit somebody. But more important he makes quality contact. Knox is putting his helmet on the ball and separating it from the ball carrier. He wraps up well (sort of like Tra Battle, but with arms). The second thing I noticed about Knox were his ball skills. Whether he's playing safety or receiver, Knox seems to always get in position to make a play on the ball. With his aggressive instincts, I think he'll have to be "de-Blued". That is, he'll have to learn when not to stick his nose up the middle on the play fake because he's looking to lay the wood to ball carriers.

Knox doesn't have world class speed, but he's quick enough. If he really is the 190 pounds he's reported to be, then I could see him playing a mean Will linebacker in the 215-220 pound range. I just don't know if that will happen. Statesboro has always had one of the better strength and conditioning programs in the state of Georgia, so I don't know that after 3-4 years in that program he's not nearing the peak of his speed/size curve. That's for Coaches Richt and Van Halenger to decide though.

Bottom line, Knox is emblematic of this class. He's a 3 star player according to Rivals, 4 stars according to Scout. He's got room to develop physically, but his technique is very good. He'll undoubtedly redshirt a year and end up at either safety or Will linebacker depending on his size and speed.

Justin Houston: This video is also from Houston's junior year and also viewable at SunshinePreps.net. The first thing you notice about Houston is that, at least at this point, he's not a great tackler. Like a lot of high school defenders who are bigger and stronger than their competition, he fights the urge to just grab ball carriers and throw them to the ground with brute force. That's a bad habit that will have to be broken. On the flipside, Houston does use his hands well to shed blockers rather than just running through them (another bad habit that physically superior high school players can pick up). Houston reacts well to the ball, and he clearly reads blocking schemes better than a lot of high school defensive ends(note the screen play at the 1:37 mark). Assuming this film is representative, he doesn't get out of position very often.

Houston also seems to enjoy the game and plays wide-open. He's at his best when he can just pin his ears back and use his quickness to get to the quarterback. I could see him developing into a Quentin Moses type pass rusher, though at 6'3 he's a little short to fit that bill at the NFL level. He has a little trouble with bigger offensive tackles in a couple of clips, but he doesn't give up on plays.

I've heard some say that Houston will develop into a linebacker. I don't buy it. He's athletic, but not that athletic, and will probably end up in the 250 pound range. I see him down the road as a versatile defensive end who can play either the buck (strongside) or will end positions in Martinez's defense depending on his physical development.

I'll be back tomorrow with another couple of recruits. This feature will continue on and off through signing day and beyond. I hope to also feature some of our 2008 targets after that. In the meantime, feel free to debate among yourselves.

Georgia vs UT Men's Basketball Preview.

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 21:41:00 +0000

What's At Stake: Tennessee comes in having underachieved following a breakout season this year. The Vol's are among the teams jockeying for seeding by beating the crap out of each other in SEC play. The Vols are coming off back to back losses to Ole Miss and Kentucky without Lofton, losing both games after giving up 20-2 second half runs. Georgia is in a similar middling position, but could take firm control of second place in the SEC East with a road victory over UT and a similar result on Saturday at Vanderbilt. With the exception of the impending home game with #1 Florida, the Dawgs' late schedule shapes up very well, and we could be playing for an SEC tournament top 4 seed and an NCAA seed (he said cautiously) as high as 5 to 7. Hopefully Southern Illinois and UT-Chattanooga won't meet us there.

What To Look For: UT guard Chris Lofton appears to be out for the game, but I'm not necessarily buying it yet. I wouldn't be surprised to see him get some minutes to both test his ankle and to draw some defensive pressure away from the other Vols. Lofton is possibly the nation's leading shooter, and having him in street clothes for our trip to Knoxville would certainly help.

But Tennessee's lineup is not Lofton plus fourteen stiffs. The rest of this team can play as well. Tennessee is not a big team (only two players over 6'7), but they'll handle Georgia's transition game better than a lot of teams. Tennessee also has eight guys who average better than 10 minutes a game, meaning that they may be able to avoid a late fade better than some teams we've played with less depth (their last two second half pastings notwithstanding). The road has also been a brutal place for SEC teams this year, especially teams not coached by Billy Donavan (damn his infernal Gucci-clad soul).

I look for Takais Brown to have a huge game against a smaller inside lineup for Tennessee, which will lean heavily on junior guard JaJuan Smith to make up Loftin's points. But you just don't replace a guy who shoots 50.6% from the field from the guard slot, especially when said player also shoots better than 46% from behind the arc. I'm cautiously optimistic, but I worry about Tennessee's ability to handle the transition game, and our notoriously streaky shooting and inconsistent ballhandling against a team that is athletic enough to make us pay for our mistakes.

MaconDawg's Totally Unreliable Prediction: UGA 72, UT 69.

Counting Our Blessings One AD At a Time.

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 14:26:00 +0000

Kyle King has an outstanding piece up at Dawg Sports this morning considering what a cautionary tale the current Arkansas mess is for other programs. If you read this page I'm assuming you already read Kyle's blog. If you don't, you should. Especially today.

It really is shocking that we had such a seamless transition from Dooley to Evans given the rancor in Dawg Nation prior to the changing of the guard. Sure, Michael Adams continues to meddle in athletic business whenever he has the inclination, and usually with consequences that range from the disasterous to the pointless and embarassing.

However, as Kyle points out, Damon Evans has quietly built the most profitable athletic department in the country, presided over a gaggle of SEC and National championships in mens and womens sports and sheparded facility upgrades that have and will benefit students, student-athletes and fans. All this whilst emerging from the shadow of his predecessor, the most well known and influential sports figure in University history (except of course for some guy from Wrightsville named Walker). Damon Evans came in facing long odds, and he's responded beautifully.

Also worth checking out is the interview that David Ching conducted with Evans a few days ago. In it he talks about some of things that have been accomplished and some of the things that he hopes to accomplish (like raising the abysmally low student-athlete graduation rates he inherited from ~~Donnan~~ ~~Harrick~~Dooley).

UGA 57 LSU 54: The Cardiac Canines Do It Again.

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 01:28:00 +0000

That was fun. This afternoon the Georgia Bulldogs overcame a late deficit to pull out a 3 point win with .6 seconds on the clock at a packed and rocking Stegeman Coliseum. This game was significant for a variety of reasons, among them the following:

What Pressure? This team continues to visit the very edge and live to tell about it. This is good practice for the pressure of March basketball. This young team seems to handle itself well down the stretch. Felton has had some strange clock management moments this year, but lately he seems to get us in position when it counts. We trailed in field goal percentage (shooting a miserable 34.5%), only went to the free throw line a paltry 9 times (hitting only 67%) and walked away with the W. As LSU Head Coach John Brady pointed out : "When you hold your opponents to 34 percent from the field on the road, you expect to have a good chance to win the game."It's irrational, nonsensical, and proof that this team is going to be a very tough out in the SEC tournament if they ever get it together on the offensive end.

The Men in the Middle: Let's get this out of the way: Glen Davis is phenomenal. His 18 points and 14 rebounds don't even begin to tell the story. Seeing him next to Steve Newman was like seeing a Porsche 911 taking laps with a Pinto. That said, all of our big men, Newman included, deserve a great deal of credit for not allowing Davis to dominate physically. By the 9:00 mark of the second half, Big Baby was battered, bruised and gasping for air. He could have scored 26 and put the game out of reach if not for a great team effort inside.

What Can Brown Do For U?: His double double (14 points and 10 rebounds) were a key part of this game. As we've seen all year long, Brown gives us a versatile scoring threat in the paint. That's something good to have when Mike Mercer is launching clanker after clanker from the outside. As I've said a couple of times already, if our guards can take care of the ball and shoot around 50%, we'll be a match for literally anyone come March.

Dare We Even Think It? With ten left to play the Dawgs stand at 13-6, with a realistic shot at winning twenty games. ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Georgia as a #9 seed travelling out West in the NCAA tournament in his latest Bracketology feature. Both of these would be heady achievements given the cautious optimism with which most of us greeted this season.

Someone Call The Building Inspector: The Stege may really need to be condemned now. When was the last the old place rocked that hard? From the Brophy tribute pregame, to the student Red Out, the atmosphere was clearly electric. It was a welcome change from the early days of the Felton era when Coach Clothes Horse actually wondered why more people weren't coming out to watch his team get taken behind th woodshed by the likes of Old Dominion and Stetson.

So Long Allen, We Hardly Knew You (And Some Thoughts on a Three Star World).

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 18:08:00 +0000

It's official, UGA recruiting target and MaconDawg's Blawg posterchild for grown-ass manhood Allen Bailey has eliminated Georgia from his list of finalists because he "didn't feel like he fit in at Georgia". Bailey didn't really say if he was talking athletically, socially, academically, or metaphysically (I hear Willie Martinez ain't into feng shui). He will now choose between Bama, Florida and Miami.

The guess going around recruiting circles (and as with almost all matters of recruiting it is nothing but guesswork) is that Bailey wants to play linebacker and Georgia wanted him to play defensive end.

"Then tell him he'll get his chance at linebacker!!!" You say.

They probably did, I'd reply. But when you just had an occasional starter at linebacker consider going pro because he was told before his senior year that the coaches want to move him to defensive end, those promises might have rung a tad hollow. And if you think Urban Meyer and Nick Saban didn't see that Bailey got a copy of every Brandon Miller article in the past 60 days, you are sorely mistaken.

Also at issue (I'm guessing) was Bailey's relationship with Kirby Smart, who started recruiting him at Georgia, left for the Miami Dolphins, and resumed recruiting Bailey for Alabama. I am living in fear of Bailey signing with Florida, since it is the school closest to his home. This would be a truly miserable development.

There has obviously been a lot of message board chatter about this year's recruiting class, and this only ratcheted things up. Suffice it to say that there are not a lot of "Oh my God, can't miss, pull up in a stretch Hummer to announce" kind of prospects in this class. With the possible exception of Caleb King, I don't think there are any. I'm working on a much more indepth analysis of individual players for closer to signing day. But here's the gist:

This recruiting class meets our needs and includes several big time players. But we're counting on a lot of 3/4 star guys to develop into five star talent. Some of them inevitably will (a la Thomas Davis, David Pollack, etc.) and others won't. The percentages that fall into each category will determine in 2-3 years how successful this class was.

The fact is three and four star players are the backbone of most BCS Conference recruiting classes. Unless you're USC, you can't haul in classes with 4.5 average star ratings forever, and even if you do a lot of those guys end up transferring (like Antwine Perez who was the top safety prospect in the country last year and this year is transferring to Maryland). We're getting guys who are capable of getting the job done. Will they? I don't know. Those recruiting rankings generally provide a blanket of false comfort to block the chill of uncertainty. "We had the #4 ranked recruiting class this year" I think in March, "certainly the program is heading in the right direction." This year I won't be able to do that. I'll have to trust that the mix of 3/4 star recruits Coach Richt is bringing on board are better than the similar mix that the likes of Oregon and Nebraska are bringing in.

However, the upsetting thing is that it looks like Mark Richt's wall around the state fo Georgia has some holes in it. If we're fortunate enough to sign Cam Heyward, we'll have three of Rivals' top 10 in Georgia (2 assuming Izzy Troupe opts to play baseball). That's bad, no matter what our needs were. And while most of those other guys have a story (Berry's a Tennessee legacy, Claytor is slow with poor strength numbers, T-Bob Hebert is more cajun than Farmer Fran) the only state university in the southeast that regularly loses 7 of it's top 10 instate recruits is South Carolina, and that's not something to aspire to. A couple of more years like this and we will be in some trouble because, while the recruiting services do miss sometimes based on degree, they're rarely completely wrong. If 50% of your recruits are 3 star players, and only half of them turn out to be 5 star college players, that means 25% of your team is just average. You can't win the SEC being average at 25% of all positions.

And that's before considering the defection/jettisoning of Conrad Obi and Clifton Geathers, the still-uncompleted saga of Antwane Greenlee and this latest whiff on the most physically ready to play prep star in the state of Georgia.

Bottom line: we had a down year on the field, and glaring needs that had to be filled, even if that's not sexy to the recruiting services. But if some of these marginal guys don't pan out we will be in knee deep. I for one trust the coaches to evaluate the talent (at least now that Coach Callaway is gone), and I'm withholding judgment.

John Brantley and Jimmy Clausen: Separated at Birth?

noreply@blogger.com (MaconDawg) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 17:09:00 +0000

File this one away in your memory banks, Dawg fans. Future ~~Texas~~ Florida quarterback John Brantley labelled seeing the Dawg Walk at Georgia "the funniest recruiting experience" in an interview with the AJC. And here I thought the funniest moment of his recruitment was when his daddy grabbed him by the nads and dragged him out of Mack Brown's office and back to Gainesville so he could sit behind Tim Tebow for 2/3 years, which should be a nice warm up for the 1 year he’ll sit behind Cam Newton before transferring to Furman a la Ingle Martin.

I doubt Johnny B. will be majoring in public relations, because few people have ever been stupid enough to provide bulletin board material not only before stepping one ~~slow~~ foot on campus, but before even signing. Every previous victim of this kind of foot-in-mouth disease has been named "Clausen" to my knowledge.

Granted the Dawg Walk is not original, nor particularly awe-inspiring. But it is a tradition-in-progress, like University of Florida coeds letting their arm flab hang at home games. I don't fault Brantley for finding some humor in it. I do think however that anyone who would voluntarily crack on one of the traditions of the University of Georgia football program to the largest newspaper in the state of Georgia quite simply either a) isn't very bright, or b) has a problem with impulse control. Both of which are prized qualities in Gator quarterbacks from my red and black vantage point. As is Leak-esque indecision,~~Texas~~ Florida fans (did I mention that's one of Brantley's strong suits, too?).

Oh, and if any member of the Brantley family is reading this, rest assured that like so many things in Georgia this post is just meant to be "funny", not insulting.