Georgia Recruiting: 2021 Spots Remaining
Thanks to the stellar Georgia football graphic design team's much talked about Chaz Chambliss edit, it's suspected that the number of prospects Georgia takes in the 2021 class will be somewhere around 20. While 20 is a lower number for sure, I would not expect it to be much higher, if any, than that mark due to the jam-packed roster and large group of underclassmen the Dawgs already have. Now, undoubtedly there will be some attrition to a certain extent and Kirby Smart and company are absolutely creative and clever enough to find a way to clear another spot or two, but today we are going to focus on the different scenarios/needs by position and not the overall number of takes in the class.
2021 SPOTS REMAINING
Running Back (0 or 1) - Donovan Edwards, a 4-Star from Michigan, is Dell McGee and UGA's top prospect on the running back board. Sources tell us that Georgia feels they are still in the running here, however it appears that the Dawgs are fighting an uphill battle to pry Edwards away from his home state. The Wolverines are the favorite here and Michigan State is pursuing him hard as well.
Amari Daniels is another prospect that Georgia is extremely high on. Georgia has been able to pull some very talented recruits out of the Miami area, including fellow running back James Cook. Daniels is a dynamic back that is very explosive and has a compact and sturdy frame. If the Dawgs cannot land Edwards or Daniels, they may be content just signing the already committed Lovasea Carroll in 2021.
Wide Receiver (2) - Georgia signed 6 very talented wide receivers in the 2020 class. George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock each have two seasons left with the program as well. So wide receiver is not necessarily a position of need in 2021. However, Todd Monken and Cortez Hankton are eager to add two quality receivers that fit the new system Georgia is implementing. Malcolm Johnson Jr., Jalil Farooq, and Marcus Burke are all very fast and Georgia has been very consistent in their recruitment of each. Georgia is also going to be in on Chris Hilton, a burner our of Louisiana, but it's going to be an uphill battle to get him out of 'The Boot'.
If Georgia decides to go with more overall route running technicians, Jayden Thomas and Jaquez Smith are two prospects that Dawgs have a long history with and they would be two receivers to watch. Neither Thomas nor Smith are overwhelming in terms of their size or speed, but both play with great precision and tenacity. One receiver that does possess great size is Brian Thomas Jr., another Louisiana native. Like Chris Hilton, he will be hard to pry away from the defending national champions and home-state Tigers.
*Update: Chris Hilton has just committed to LSU 10:01 AM
Another is Deion Colzie from Athens Academy. The former Notre Dame commit is in the backyard of the Georgia program, though don't hold your breath here.
Finally, Georgia is in the final two for Malik Nabers. Admittedly this is not a recruitment that we at Dawgs Daily would have shaken down to a battle of the Bulldogs (Georgia and Mississippi State). Nabers is another receiver from the state of Louisiana, so it's obvious that Coach Hankton is not afraid to go back to his home state and try to convince talented receivers to make the move over a couple of states to the east. At this point, I'd say Nabers is likely to end up with Mississippi State, but in the era of COVID recruiting, expect the unexpected.
Tight End (1) - Brock Bowers. That's it. He's the guy.
Offensive Line (2) - Georgia has already secured Micah Morris and Dylan Fairchild as 2021 commitments. The Dawgs are in great shape with another pair of Peach State products in Amarius Mims and Terrence Ferguson. Mims and Ferguson would greatly bolster this class and would round out a quartet of in-state offensive lineman that any school in the country would love to have. Mims has announced that his commitment could come in August instead of the original announcement date of October 14. Von Lassiter, the head coach of Mims, told us in an interview earlier this year that nobody recruits Mims the way that Georgia and Matt Luke do.
Defensive Line/EDGE (1 or 2) - Korey Foreman and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins are the two true defensive line prospects that Georgia is after. TID has grown into a true interior player and the overall number one prospect Foreman is flexible in his positioning. Georgia has made top groups for players such as Taleeq Robbins, Maason Smith, Shemar Turner, and Tobechi Okoli, but of those, I’d say Georgia is behind on Smith and the others are on the board for contingency purposes.
Inside Linebacker (1 or 2) - Smael Mondon is set to make his decision soon. It’s our belief that Georgia is ahead, at least they were a couple of weeks ago based on conversations with those close to the situation. However, Auburn is strongly in the mix based off Mondon's relationship with Travis Williams.
Xavian Sorey is another top of the line prospect that could find himself at inside linebacker if he chooses to play in Athens. Georgia has been in the thick of this one the entire way. Alabama and Florida are both strong contenders here as well, but with Sorey knows he’s a priority for the Dawgs in 2021. The Georgia graphics department has made that clear over the last few days on social media.
Prince Kollie and Jamon Dumas-Johnson are two other linebacker targets that Georgia is highly interested in. Georgia made the respective top groups for each. Dumas-Johnson is set to make his decision on July 8th. He has been tight-lipped on his recruitment and hasn’t tipped his hand much, but sources tell us Georgia has a real shot. Maryland and Florida are also in consideration. The aforementioned Kollie is believed to be sorting things out between Georgia and Notre Dame.
Defensive Back (3 or 4) - James Williams is the obvious top target here. Recently Williams narrowed down his recruitment to Georgia and Miami. It’s believed that Miami and Chief of Staff and Hall of Famer Ed Reed are making inroads with Williams. However, rest assured that Kirby Smart and company will do everything they can to try and land Williams.
In Georgia’s scheme, the secondary has 5 positions and versatility helps tremendously in terms of personnel. Nyland Green, Terrion Arnold, MJ Daniels, and Isaiah Johnson all have the size and athleticism to serve in multiple roles for Georgia. De’Jahn Warren would be more of a true lockdown cornerback. Javon Bullard and Demarius McGhee are also corners to keep an eye on.
The point is, Georgia has to add depth in the secondary in 2021. In this crazy recruiting cycle it’s all going to come down to timing. Green and Johnson have been on campus, which is extremely important for not only the prospect but the coaching staff as well. Warren, Daniels, and Arnold are all planning to visit are various times throughout 2020 once the moratorium on on-campus recruiting visits is lifted.
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