What Did Georgia Get in Demarcus Riddick?
The University of Georgia just landed its 6th commitment in the 2024 recruiting class in the form of Alabama product, Demarcus Riddick. So, what does this 6'2, 212 junior linebacker from Clanton, Alabama bring to the table for the Georgia Bulldogs? And how well does he fit into a linebacker room coached by Glenn Schumann that currently has seven alumni on active rosters in the NFL?
Well, let's take a look.
Frame: Long and linear frame carrying a lean 212 pounds currently as a junior in high school. Weight will be added efficiently upon arrival in college.
Athleticism: He's an extremely fluid bender and mover in space, which typically yield to positive results considering he's seemingly never in a bad body position. His ability to find and track the football is college ready as a linebacker as is. He's an extremely comfortable athlete in uncomfortable positions for his size.
Instincts: He has what all true great linebackers have, a violent and aggressive nose for the football. He has very violent and sudden movements on the football field. It's as if everything he does, he does with anger, yet fluidity.
Polish: He's going to have to learn how to play inside the box, not on the edge of it when he gets to college. This is very much so a WILL linebacker, he will be doing majority of the covering duties, and majority of the playing in space in college, however, he will need to learn to play inside the box, with great pad level and square shoulders in order to get on the field in this defense. As great of a player as Smael Mondon is in space, he wouldn't be on the field if he couldn't stand in on first down and stop the run in the SEC.
Bottom Line: Georgia needs to find a way to develop one of these freakishly fluid athletes into a playmaker on the football. Lewis Cine was great for Georgia, Malaki Starks' ability to turn the ball over while playing the same position has revamped the back end of this defense. One of these types of playmakers on the football on the linebacker level is the one thing they are missing. Someone that can change the way they cover running backs and tight ends in the future, that's Riddick's ceiling.
2024 UGA Commits
- TE, Landen Thomas
- WR, Ny Carr
- QB, Ryan Puglisi
- LB, Demarcus Riddick
- RB, Tovanni Mizzell
- ATH, Sacovie White
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