Signing Day: a look at 2012, then ahead to 2013

Someone evidently sneezed on the table of Butts-Mehre donuts. By Wednesday night I was wiped out. Hence, Thursday turned into National Sinus Day for me and I just couldn't get to any kind of analysis of what we learned on Wednesday (and in the case of JHC, Thursday morning). So in between doses of the dextromorphan...let me drop a couple pennies.


First, thanks to those who came by for the liveblog. Things on the floor weren't as exciting as NSD 2011, but it was still cool hanging out with y'all through the sinewy cyberwebs of teenage angst.


The pros. This class excites me for a lot of reasons. The first of which is how Richt and staff addressed needs and did it with authority. We have the top player from four states and the top player from Georgia the second year in a row. The greatest example of Georgia's aggressiveness on the class of 2012 recruiting trails is at the tailback position. Not one but two legitimate threats at running back will add instant depth. In this day and age where more and more 4 star and 5 star kids are looking to play early and often right away, getting two great backs like Gurley and Marshall is outstanding. And don't fall asleep on Quayvon Hicks. There's no redshirt in his future either. He has the talent to back up his winning atittude.


Next up would have to be the defensive front. Grantham got almost everyone he wanted and needed, even guys he was late to the sofa on. Jenkins, Taylor, Harvey-Clemons, Atkins...these fit the bill of putting defensive playmakers close to the line of scrimmage and molding them to wield their destructive force.


Pair those points with the fact that we sign two elite specialists to kick the ball and we have a really good class.


The cons. No mysteries unfortunately. Bummer.


It's hard to start on the offensive line when you get two guys that can probably start right away in Theus and Beard. But the fact is we've had classes before where we didn't super size the beef and eventually that comes back to hurt you. We had scholarships available and left them on the table by missing out on Avery Young and Brandon Greene (and of course the loss of Chester Brown hurts here too). Not all of it was the staff's fault as many felt Young would sign with Georgia. Yet we're forced to move forward with three.


Other positions of need that fell short were defensive back and wide receiver. I really thought we had Patterson and he would have been a nice compliment to Blake Tibbs. At defensive back we got the one at the top of Lakatos' board, but we're losing four starters after the 2012 season. This becomes a position of great need as well heading into the class of 2013. 


The Harvey-Clemons Situation. On second thought, more on this later. Suffice it to say I'm glad things worked out for the kid to go where he wanted to go.


Moving forward. With the hot seat talk laid to rest and a favorable schedule this Fall (not to mention a good start already), the 2013 class should be a big one for Georgia. Even bigger is that it's apparent that Coach Grantham is just as menacing on the recruiting trail as he is on the sidelines. He closed some big names for this class and hopefully that intensity can carry over well throughout the staff and into next year.


Speaking of next year, some names to keep an ear out for: 

• OL Trenton Brown from Georgia Military College. Huge already and almost ready to play at a big time college. Most of which are lining up to talk to the 6'7" 330lb behemoth.
• OL Laremy Tunsil of Lake City FL. Will likely be one of the top if not the top prospect from the Sunshine State in 2013. Great frame and can flat out block. Georgia wants this kid even more after losing Young.
• LB Reuben Foster of Troup Co. We signed plenty of pass rushers yesterday but will need some ILB help. While everyone is talking about Nkemdiche in Grayson, Foster will likely be the best player in Georgia for 2013's class. Currently committed to Bama.
• S Taj Letman of Holmes CC. We have Tray Matthews committed and he wants to enroll early, but we'll also need other DBs ready to step in and play. Letman could fit the bill as either a good sized corner or safety.

Those are just a few. A lot can happen in a year. But we're off to a good start for 2013 and might get at least three on campus by January. All in all I would say the Georgia staff is pretty hot right now. Having a handful of kids commit in the national spotlight will do that for you. 


Congrats to the new Dawgs on making a great choice. I think there's even more that are ready to do the same.