An Overview of Georgia’s 2014 Recruiting Class
National Signing day was last Wednesday, and tons of stuff went down in the college football world. Here at ATL All Day, we don’t have the people to cover each of the moves and recruits as well as some of the other sites, but we can still give you a general idea of what both of our college teams have to work with in their 2014 classes.
We took a look at Georgia Tech’s class a few days ago and now we’re going to look at what Georgia has to work with.
2014 Class Ranking
Rivals – No. 7 overall, No. 5 SEC
Scout – No. 12 overall, No. 7 SEC
247Sports – No. 8 overall, No. 6 SEC
2013 Class Ranking
Rivals – No. 12 overall, No. 7 SEC
Scout – No. 8 overall, No. 4 SEC
247Sports – No. 11 overall, No. 6 SEC
Player Breakdown (star ratings from Rivals)
21 players (12 offensive, 9 defensive)
- Sony Michel (RB) – 5 stars
- Shattle Fenteng (DE) – 4 stars
- Jeb Blazevich (TE) – 4 stars
- Keyon Brown (DE) – 4 stars
- Lorenzo Carter (DE) – 4 stars
- Nick Chubb (RB) – 4 stars
- Detric Bing-Dukes (LB) – 4 stars
- Kendall Baker (OL) – 4 stars
- Isaiah McKenzie (WR) – 4 stars
- Isaiah Wynn (OL) – 4 stars
- Jacob Park (QB) – 4 stars
- Malkom Parrish (DB) – 4 stars
- Dyshon Sims (OL) – 4 stars
- Hunter Atkinson (TE) – 3 stars
- Lamont Gaillard (DT) – 3 stars
- Jake Edwards (OL) – 3 stars
- Rico Johnson (WR) – 3 stars
- Dominick Sanders (DB) – 3 stars
- Shakenneth Williams (WR) – 3 stars
- Gilbert Johnson (WR) – 3 stars
- Shaquille Jones (DB) – 2 stars
First things first: This class has a ton of awesome names in it.
On a more serious note, the Bulldogs are bringing in an outstanding class, with many top players. Specifically, Georgia did an outstanding job bringing in players at the RB, TE, OL and DE positions. Rivals gave them at least an A in all of these categories, which is impressive.
The first thing to mention with this class has to be the running back quality. Sony Michel is arguably the top talent in the class that can be a weapon on the ground and in the air, and with a more physical runner in Nick Chubb beside him UGA really has its bases covered. According to Rivals, both Michel and Chubb are rated higher than Todd Gurley was when he was a recruit. If they wind up with two backs who can produce anywhere near Gurley’s level, it will be insane.
At tight end, the Bulldogs are getting the top-rated player in the nation with Jeb Blazevich. Like most high school tight ends, he’s more refined as a pass catcher, but at 6-5, 240-pounds he’s got the potential to grow into a great blocker as he’s used in that role more in college. Scout.com’s recruiting analyst Chad Simmons says Blazevich’s hands are one of his best skills, so look for him to have an impact in the passing game.
At defensive end/outside linebacker, the Bulldogs made out like bandits, with two fantastic players in Lorenzo Carter and Keyon Brown. I’ll give you some of Scout.com’s analysis on both of these players so you can see what the experts think of them. The Dawgs could wind up with an insane pass rush in a few years.
"Carter is an elite athlete that happens to have the size to play rush end or outside linebacker on the next level. He can really move and he is great in pursuit. He covers a lot of ground with his long strides and he can contain his edge as well. He has great length, it helps him keep offensive linemen off his body, and he is only going to get better playing the run. He can play in space as well."
"Brown is an explosive pass rusher that is a terror coming off the edge. He has an elite first step and will pursue sideline to sideline to make plays. He has lined up at running back where he more than holds his own. He’s just a terrific athlete. He lacks ideal length at 6-foot-2 and may be a better fit as a linebacker at the next level. Brown has a strong lower body and a wide array of pass rushing moves."
The last area I want to touch on with this overview is offensive line. While Georgia doesn’t have as many “standout” players in this group, the quality of the depth is impressive. Georgia is bringing in three 4-star offensive lineman and a 3-star player as well. Kendall Baker was a defensive tackle for the most part in high school, but has the ability to play offensive tackle, and Dyshon Sims and Isaiah Wynn were both Army All-Americans. Then you’ve got Jake Edwards who is probably going to play guard and you’ve almost got a full line in this one class.
Georgia has definitely done a good job gathering talent for its program, and we should start to recognize many of these players for their performances in Athens. While it would be unfair to compare Georgia’s class to Georgia Tech’s, I would argue that Georgia did a much better job within their conference.
What are your thoughts on UGA’s incoming players? Where could they have done a better job? Who are you most excited to see play? Let us know in the comments.