Dawgs Daily 02Feb12

Written by ecdawg | 02 February 2012

Addressed Needs?

This recruiting class — whether or not it ultimately includes Josh Harvey-Clemons, the Lowndes linebacker who committed to Georgia early Wednesday on ESPN, but hadn’t yet faxed a signed letter of intent as of late afternoon — was never going to be as mood-altering as the Dream Team. That was the absolute right group at the moment of greatest need. Assemblage of the Dream Team enabled Georgia fans to believe again, and the resulting SEC East title offered affirmation: Their beloved Bulldogs had not been rendered an afterthought.

But the Class of 2012, which ESPN had ranked fifth-best nationally before Harvey-Clemons announced anything, is important in that Georgia loaded up where loading was necessary. It got two very good running backs — Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley — as insurance/impetus behind Isaiah Crowell. It got a linchpin offensive lineman in John Theus. It got a kicker. And it stockpiled bodies along the defensive front, which is what the SEC teams that also became national champions have done.

“To win the SEC, you’ve got to be dominant in the front seven,” Grantham said. “We addressed that.”

[AJC]

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Belue like the class:

The Josh Harvey-Clemons story is the talk of the town. Valdosta, Athens and Atlanta. And everywhere else Bulldog fans are today. Crazy, uh? I really feel for Josh, right now. Try and put yourself in his shoes. It had to be embarrassing. It was supposed to be a great day and it all came crashing down. Sure hope he can get this resolved quickly. 
Like most signing days, it was a mixed bag. Good and bad. Missed on JaQuay Williams and Avery Young. Hit on Josh Dawson. Secured Jonathan Taylor and Jordan Jenkins. Landed the top rated players in 4 different states. John Theus is a big deal. So is Marshall and Gurley. Addressed some major needs, by signing both Marshall Morgan and Collin Barber. Still have a shot at Harvey-Clemons. There is much to feel good about. Getting Sheldon Dawson out of Memphis is a boost, especially if he turns out to be the next Boykin. 
It would be awesome to hit on all of these guys. But that's not realistic. The best approach is to wish those guys well and move on.   
Anxious to see the guys that come in a little under the radar...Blake Tibbs, Quayvon Hicks, Ty Smith, Greg Pyke, Leonard Floyd and James Deloach. This is a solid class.

[Buck's Blog]

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Signining Day winners:

Georgia: The Dawgs were part of some of the biggest news on National Signing Day, as they won the Josh Harvey-Clemons sweepstakes (or so it appears).  The Nation’s No. 1 ranked outside linebacker selected UGA over FSU, Florida and Auburn.  Georgia rounded out ESPN’s top five recruiting class in the country with 19 commitments and six players in their top 150.

Mark Richt and his staff also did a commendable job to fulfill the team’s immediate needs.  Five-star offensive lineman John Theus (#5 OT) should help replace the Dawgs’ depleted offensive line. Georgia also lost a pair of special teams All-American in Drew Butler and Blair Walsh (although the departure of Walsh might be a good thing, if you’re a UGA fan), but found their replacements in three-star prospects kicker Marshall Morgan and punter Collin Barber.

The real gem of Georgia’s 2012 class has been the elite running back duo of Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley.  Both are natives of North Carolina and ranked among the best at their position.  Marshall is considered a five-star prospect and the No. 1 rated tailback by several recruiting services, including Scout.com.  Along with Isaiah Crowell, last year’s top ranked running back, they should provide some serious talent and depth to the Dawgs’ backfield.

[Holy Turf]

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Grantham on the class:

“When you look at the quality of players defensively we’re able to bring in right now it’s exciting," Grantham said. "To win the SEC, you’ve gotta be pretty dominant in your front seven, you’ve gotta be stout, and I think we addressed those needs with the linemen. And with the linebackers we signed, the thing of it is they’re all very versatile. … The tempo at which colleges play, you need some depth too.”

Grantham called this year’s defensive class “a great complement” to the class it had last year. He returned to that theme several times. 

“When you look at guys like Jonathan Taylor and John Atkins this year, along with Ray Drew and Sterling (Bailey) last year, those kind of guys to me are very rare," Grantham said. "That to me is the biggest difference between the SEC and all the other conferences, is people’s inability to block the front guys. … I think the thing that we add is that we’re a little bit more multiple, in that we have some mobile, hybrid, lengthier linebacker-type guys that could be rush guys, could be drop guys. And we just move them around, try to mix them up a little bit.”

On the many edge rushers, Grantham emphasized their versatility and the Bulldogs’ desire to be versatile. He noted that in 14 games this year, he started 11 different lineups. 

“You can play with as many as three or four outside linebackers based on the situation," he said. "I think any time you can sign guys that are big, they’ve got length to them, they got some size to them, they’ve got athletic ability, they can play in space. Any time you can get guys like that, we’re gonna find a way to get them on the field.”

[Ledger Enquirer]

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Josh Dawson:

“It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” Dawson said Wednesday morning, minutes after deciding to flip his longtime commitment from Vanderbilt to the Bulldogs. “Both are great schools. Both recruited me hard.

“I’ve been asking God and waiting on him to tell me where to go,” said the 6-foot-5, 230-pounder, sporting a crisp new Georgia baseball cap. “As soon as He gave me the answer, I told my family and they left it up to me.”

Not even Dawson’s coach, Franklin Stephens, the third constant in his life, knew for sure until he laid Dawson’s letter-of-intent from Georgia on the table in the Tucker auditorium, shortly before the signing ceremony at the school.

[AJC]

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Josh Harvey-Clemmons:

Though he publicly committed to the Bulldogs early Monday morning, he has yet to fax his letter of intent and there has been family drama surrounding his decision. Some of his family members want him to go to Florida, but Harvey-Clemons told Kipp Adams of ESPN.com's DawgNation late Wednesday afternoon that he is "100 percent" committed to Georgia. 

"I just have to finish my paperwork and send it in," Harvey-Clemons told Adams. "It might be tonight or tomorrow." 

In order for his letter of intent to be valid, Woodrow Clemons, Harvey-Clemons' grandfather and legal guardian, must co-sign it. He has yet to do so and told Adams earlier that he preferred his grandson to sign with Florida, who was a finalist for Harvey-Clemons.

[ESPN]

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SEC scorecard:

[MrSEC]

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Cheerleader on TV:

Georgia cheerleader Anna Watson will be featured on Good Morning America Thurs., Feb. 2 on ABC. Her segment is scheduled to air in the 8:00 a.m. half-hour, but timing is subject to change.

A junior from Fayetteville, Watson’s story has been featured in multiple recent news articles. The exercise and sport science major turned down an offer to serve as a fitness model for Elite Model Management. She has now cheered at three home football games and recently made the competition squad before an Achilles’ heel injury sidelined her from participating.

[Georgia Dogs]

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Dawg trivia:

Of Jim Donnan's five years as head coach, how many times did UGA finish the season in the AP top 25?

5

4 (correct)

3

2

Find more Georgia trivia at www.smartestgeorgiafan.com

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Video Treats:

Piano Red - The Right String, Baby, But the Wrong Yo-Yo (Live)

Robert Pete Williams - Thousand miles from nowhere

Silas Hogan - Rats And Roaches In My Kitchen

Archie Edwards - The Road Is Rough And Rocky

Sheep are not real smart: