Georgia Bulldogs shine in 2016 US Army All-American Bowl

The Georgia Bulldogs certainly had more than their fair representation in the 2016 US Army All-American Bowl. Here are some thoughts about the Dawgs that played in it in the Alamodome in San Antonio Saturday afternoon.

The Georgia Bulldogs had two commitments playing in the 2016 US Army All-American Bowl before kickoff and gained a third late in the fourth quarter, shortly before the West thrashed the East, 37-9.

Quarterback Jacob Eason and defensive tackle Julian Rochester Committed to the G before the game in San Antonio and No. 1 tight end in the country Isaac Nauta will enroll early with Eason at Georgia on Monday, committing to the Georgia Bulldogs as the final of in-game commitments at the 2016 US Army All-American Bowl.

Eason was one of three quarterbacks that rotated for the East team. Though Eason lost a fumble and threw an interception in his final series, he certainly looked the part of a five-star quarterback with his rocket of an arm. He had great pocket awareness and the livest arm of any player in the game.

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Eason showed the poise of a player that can become at least a three-year starter under center in the Power 5. However, he did overthrow on many of his pass attempts and the comparisons to the former UGA gunslinger Matthew Stafford are spot on.

Continuity with his bowl teammates may have played a part in his so-so performance, but I’m glad he’s coming to Georgia. He looked significantly better that the two other passers on the East squad. However, Ole Miss commit Shea Patterson and Stanford commit K.J. Costello looked great for the West.

Rochester had a late hit on West quarterback and Ole Miss commit Patterson. It wasn’t a smart play, but I liked his tenacity. Having a talented defensive lineman like Julian Rochester committed to Georgia bodes well for defensive line coach Tracy Rocker and the rest of the Mel Tucker’s defensive staff at UGA in 2016.

Nauta had a few balls targeted in his direction, but the West just frankly outperformed the East on Saturday. His commitment to the Georgia Bulldogs wasn’t a huge surprise, as Nauta is a Buford, Georgia native. He did say that by playing his senior season at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida that it made him realize how important playing “at-home” was for him, Committing to the G and will enroll on Monday.

Other players to keep an eye on for possibly signing with Georgia are athlete Demetris Robertson, wide receiver Mecole Hardman, and safety Nigel Warrior. Robertson is from Savannah and while his favors Stanford at the moment, he could end up staying in state and playing for the Georgia Bulldogs. Warrior is likely going to Tennessee, but could land at Georgia should he fall out of favor with the Vols.

Hardman had my attention in this game. He is from Elberton, Georgia and visited the University of Georgia along with Jacob Eason shortly before finals week. Eason made a point to target Hardman often when he was under center. Getting the opportunity to receive the football from the best arm talent in his graduating class may push Hardman to UGA in the coming weeks.

Overall, though the East was completely dominated by the West in the US Army All-American Bowl, I came away very impressed the three signees by the Georgia Bulldogs, as well as Robertson, Hardman, and Warrior.

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Should UGA be able to land even one of those three commitments, the Georgia Bulldogs should again have another top 10 recruiting class by National Signing Day. That’s remarkable given that UGA is in the midst of a coaching staff transition between Mark Richt and Kirby Smart. It was a good day in San Antonio for the Dawgs.

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