Bryan McClendon Flipping the Script for Georgia
Georgia's football program has stayed at the top of the recruiting landscape ever since the arrival of head coach Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs have consistently recruited at a top-three level, and it's why they haven't seen a drop off in production over the years, even after having 15 players taken in the NFL draft in 2022. But even with the large amount of success Georgia has had on the recruiting trail, they haven't exactly hit home runs at every position on an annual basis.
Since 2016, Georgia has landed just two five-star players at wide receiver; Mecole Hardman and George Pickens. That's not to say that the Bulldogs haven't had talented players at wide receiver outside of those two names, but compared to how they recruit every other position on the roster, the results have looked a little different at wide receiver. After Georgia's loss to LSU in the 2019 SEC Championship game, Smart made a compelling comment about the current status of his team's wide receiver corps.
"Right now, I don't know if we have four wide receivers that are going to be playing in the NFL at this time next year," Smart said. "I don't mean that in disrespect, but when we had really good wideouts, we were more explosive, and right now, I don't [think] that we have that."
Fast forward to 2022, Georgia brought Bryan McClendon back onto the staff. He coached at Georgia from 2009-2015 and served as the program's running back coach and then switched over to wide receiver. McClendon also played wide receiver for the Bulldogs in the early 2000s. Smart said himself that something needed to change at wide receiver, and McCledon has helped flip the script for Georgia since making his return.
Wide Receiver, NiTraeon "Nitro" Tuggle
In 2023, Georgia reeled in three wide receiver commits; Tyler Williams, Yazeed Haynes, and Anthony Evans. The Bulldogs also brought in two transfers at the position. One being Rara Thomas from Mississippi State and the other being Dominic Lovett from Missouri. They weren't the coveted five-star athletes that everyone hopes to land, but McClendon's efforts to bring those guys in have helped piece together arguably the deepest roster Georgia has ever had at wide receiver in quite some time.
Now with the majority of the focus being on the 2024 recruiting, Georgia's success has continued. Ny Carr was the first commitment for the Bulldogs at wide receiver in that class, and most recently they added four-star NiTraeon "Nitro" Tuggle to the class as well. In just two years, McClendon has helped Georgia bring in an assortment of skill sets and ones that hold the potential to be big-time difference makers for the program.
Prior to McClendon's arrival, Georgia was the beneficiary of success stories like Ladd McConkey and Adonai Mitchell. Two players that weren't exactly seen as prized possessions during their recruitment, but wound up being diamonds in the rough that turned into star players on offense. Now the receivers that are starting to roll in for Georgia look the part of what highly competitive teams want in their wideouts. Big, strong, and explosive.
They still haven't landed another five-star since acquiring Pickens, but both the recruitment and production on the field have picked up over the past couple of seasons. And if the latest action on the trail is any indication of what is to come for Georgia at wide receiver, then their best days are just ahead of them.
Other Georgia News:
- Broderick Jones Gives Credit to Georgia Prior to NFL Draft
- Amarius Mims' "Time Has Come", Talks Through Growth at UGA
- Report: NFL Team Removes Jalen Carter From Draft Board
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