Recruiting Notes

1. Frost and Auburn - Kris Frost committed to Auburn at the UA All-American Game. Auburn then came out and said that they didn't want his stinking commitment, and apparently pulled his scholly offer. Our local Auburn enthusiast, HGreen, took this to mean Auburn could be pulling that offer to Frost in order to reserve it for one of its big three recruits (which also happen to be recruited by Georgia): Isaiah Crowell, Ray Drew or John Jenkins. Now, it appears, Auburn has recanted, and will honor Kris Frost's commitment.



So, based on HGreen's logic, I assume this means Auburn won't be getting Isaiah Crowell, Ray Drew or John Jenkins?

2. Rome and Alabama - Chad Simmons at Scout.com has confirmed that Jay Rome is down to Alabama and Georgia. Rome, like nearly every other recruit Georgia is looking at not named Jenkins or Drew, is down to Alabama and Georgia. The fact that Alabama has made a late resurgence actually causes me to hesitate and, for the first time, consider a friend's prophecy of an Alabama Dream Team of Georgia prospects. Mitchell, Rome, and Crowell are all down to Alabama and Georgia (plus Auburn for Crowell). Dickson and Shannon Brown have already committed to Alabama. The good news is that Georgia did manage to safely secure Damian Swann, who was recruited hard by Alabama. But it doesn't change the fact that, in the back of my mind, this whole Alabama thing is starting to make me nervous. Here's to hoping that Rome chooses the Dawgs this week and starts a domino affect.



3. Jenkins/Drew - Chip Towers at AJC.com, did a story yesterday regarding Ray Drew and John Jenkins' recruiting trip to Miami this past weekend. It was a last minute decision for Drew to go ahead and make the trip. Apparently they bonded pretty well during the visit and both left there agreeing they'd like to play together. They both have Auburn, Miami and Georgia on their lists. Interestingly, Georgia is the only one that plays a 3-4 with a true NG position. Some conspiracy theorists think that Drew, who may be a silent commit to the Dawgs, was encouraged by the Dawgs staff to go on the trip with Jenkins and work on bringing him over to Georgia. All this sounds a little too far fetched and conspiracy theory-ish to me, but... it is interesting to think about.

On the flip side, there are also conspiracy theorists in the other direction. I read that Chip Towers' article mentioned that Drew and Jenkins wanted to play NG and END on the same defense. The article was amended later in the day to say that Drew spoke about playing in a 4-down defense along with Jenkins. Obviously, the former sentence would imply a 3-4 scheme, while the later would imply 4-3 (run at AU and MIA). Some suggested that Drew called Towers to have him change the article for purposes of misdirection. Wow. These recruiting conspiracy theorists don't miss ANYTHING. Amazing.

For what it's worth, Jenkins will be in Athens this weekend and, I believe, his whole family will be making the trip as well. I believe that Crowell (after visiting Bama last weekend along with Mitchell and Rome) will be visiting Athens this weekend as well.

4. Rome/Mitchell - Keep in mind that Rome and Mitchell will be announcing Thursday night. Interestingly enough, they will not be announcing at the same place or same time. Rome will be on ESPNU, while Mitchell will be at the local habachi grill (no ESPNZone in Valdosta).

5. Crowell/Harrow - As most of you may have heard, Georgia recently offered Crowell's best friend and teammate at Carver, Quintavious Harrow. He is a 5'11"/190 lb S/LB who is completely unrated and has no other offer from any other school. This offer smacks of an attempt to lure Crowell to UGA. The problem is, it may have backfired on the school, per Crowell's mom. From AJC's Chip Towers:

Isaiah Crowell’s mother said she’s thrilled about their family friend Quintavious Harrow receiving a scholarship offer from Georgia, but not if it comes with any attachments to her son.

“Well, for Quintavious it’s wonderful,” Deborah Crowell told me Monday. “But don’t want them to do it to get Isaiah there. I’m not selling my son’s soul to the devil. This is his decision. If they want to give Quintavious a scholarship, that’s fine. But that can’t have anything to do with Isaiah. He has too much pressure on him as it is and I’m going to lay that on the line with them. We’ll discuss that while we’re up there.”

It is worth noting that Alabama isn't innocent of using the Crowell-Harrow connection. You see, the Harrows were invited up to Alabama to visit along with the Crowells, even though Alabama hasn't offered Harrow yet. Thus, last week's offer by UGA to Harrow may have been a preemptive strike against Alabama, considering that Bama might offer Harrow while he was there. This way, UGA gets their foot in the door first. This stuff is fascinating. More:

Crowell, No. 1 on the AJC Fab 50 list, will be taking his official visit to Georgia this weekend along with his mother and the rest of his family. So will Harrow, better known as “Cootie” to family and friends. The 5-11, 190-pound linebacker/safety from Carver-Columbus — who is Crowell’s best friend — received a scholarship offer from the Bulldogs last week, his first from any school.

The Harrows and the Crowells, who have known each other since their kids were in kindergarten, just got back from a trip to Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama this past weekend. They left very impressed with coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.

It'll be interesting to see how Richt explains the Harrow offer to the Crowells. I'd like to be a fly on the wall.

Recruiting: Pair of interesting tweets...

First the good news. 

That was tweeted last night.  It seems to indicate that a current UGA commit says that UGA will get good recruiting news this week.  Unfortunately, the good news would NOT be that DE Jeoffrey Pagan would be committing to UGA.   

Jeoffrey Pagan, the North Carolina DE that is a Top 100 national prospect and one of the top rated DEs in the nation (and a former Florida commit), has committed to Clemson.  Most said he was leaning that way after decommitting to Florida.  Despite his visit to Georgia in December, I never felt like we'd get this kid.  So, no big surprise to me... but a blow nonetheless.

As to what the good news will be?  My guess is that it will be that Georgia will get a commit from Jay Rome, which is not all that surprising.  But given the timing of the tweet, it could be something else.  For instance, Malcolm Mitchell completed his visit to Alabama on Saturday.  This tweet was sent out Saturday night.  So... could Mitchell have let slip to some of the others after concluding his visit to Alabama that he was going to go UGA?  I don't know.  Seems like a stretch.  But either way, sounds like UGA will get at least one of those guys this week, and I'm betting Jay Rome will definitely be a Georgia commit. 



Last minute college football notes...

1. AJ Green is, as expected, leaving for NFL. Can't blame a guy for taking a chance at being the #1 pick. Wouldn't it be weird to see the second UGA guy go #1 in the NFL draft in 3 year? With Andrew Luck not in draft and Steve Smith declining (is he maybe a free agent this year?), it could definitely happen. So, what did UGA do over those 3 years with two #1 draft picks? 23-15, with no SEC title, no BCS games, no SEC East title, and final rankings of 13, NR, and NR. Sort-of hard to believe.

2. The biggest question about leaving early surrounds Justin Houston and Brandon Boykin. I think classes were supposed to start today or tomorrow (probably neither because of the weather), but their registration/attendance could be a sign. I think they technically have until the end of the week to decide, but it will be big. Houston will especially be a big loss. The question will be which talented person replaces him at OLB? Richard Samuel (who may actually be an inside linebacker at this point), or maybe one of the two talented DE/LBs the Dawgs are recruiting: Ray Drew or Jeoffrey Pagan? I think Pagan may be a more natural DE given his size, but Drew could definitely be a perfect OLB. We shall see.

3. The game tonight: I know this is late and no one will see before the game is over, but I will go on record predicting an Auburn victory. I think they will win something like 42-31. I will be rooting the the Ducks given the antics of Auburn during the UGA game, but the silver lining to an Auburn win is that the SEC rules. This will be the first time in a long time I haven't pulled for an SEC team to win in the title game (if ever). But I think Cam will have a monster game and we will see a lot of smiling, dancing around, Trooper towel-waving, and references to Cammy Cam juice (rolls eyes). Should be an interesting game.

The UGA Dream Team can happen if...

...we sign the following guys (in order from least important to most important). Note: We can "check" number 5 off the list. CB Damian Swann gave his verbal to UGA over the weekend. Click here for the rest of my UGA recruiting piece over at ChuckOliver.net.

7. OL Xvazier Ward - #31 GA – 3 star – Moultrie, GA (6’7″/260): As you can see from the needs list above, this is not uber important, but Ward is a solid recruit who dwells in South Georgia (aka, Florida State, Florida, and Auburn country). He lives near other big-time recruits like Ray Drew, Jay Rome, Malcolm Mitchell and Shannon Brown (Alabama commit). So, targeting and getting him would be most important in the overall scheme of recruiting battles involving in-state players. Apparently, Georgia is on his Top 5 list along with Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Clemson. I believe he has visited Florida and either Auburn, Alabama or both. Not sure whether he is going to make an official visit to Georgia, but apparently he will only be able to visit 4 of his Top 5 before signing day. He is seen as a guy who, after some weight gain and a year or two, could be a major college player with this frame and feet.

6. DB/WR Malcolm Mitchell - #7 GA – 4 star – Valdosta, GA (6’1″/185): Sure, we now have 5 DBs in this year’s recruiting class. But this guy is an athlete that can be a WR, KR, PR and is also flexible about which position he can play in the secondary. Unfortunately, it appears Swann and Marshall are the same type of athletes and the same promises about playing multiple positions may have been made to them. But Mitchell is truly an athlete than can contribute anywhere and everywhere. Despite the fact that he is being recruited primarily as a DB, he caught a deep pass as a WR for a touchdown last week in the UA All-American Game. Apparently, he is hot for Georgia and Alabama, and has already taken visits to both schools. Per a report from AJC’s Chip Towers, Mitchell has said that Alabama looks to play him at corner, while Georgia has told him they will use him on offense and defense. Again, this recruit would obviously be an impact player for Georgia, but the battle with Alabama for an in-state, elite player may be just as important. But, we may have lost him we we secured Swann (below).

5. CB Damian Swann - #4 GA – 4 star – Atlanta, GA (6’0″/175): Swann is considered a sure-thing cornerback prospect with high-end speed and athleticism. He committed to Mark Richt in December, but made it public at the Army All-American game this past week. Because he is the highest rated corner prospect in the state (and #6 in the country), and the secondary was one of Georgia’s biggest weaknesses last year, he is a big “get” and another battle won in the war for in-state recruits. This also helps soften the blow from last weeks two recruiting losses for Georgia. Maybe others will follow his lead. However, I have a feeling this may hurt us with Malcolm Mitchell. He is a very similar type of talent. They are essentially the same size and have been told the same exact things by the UGA staff: "We'd like to play you on defense primarily, then we'd like you to possibly return kicks and punts, and we also have an offensive package in mind for you." With Branden Smith already getting the same treatment, and many fans speculating the same overtures were likely made to Nick Marshall, in addition to Mitchell, it appears UGA is sort-of over-hedging itself. We also have 5 DBs in this recruiting class now. So, this is good news, but it may have hurt us in regard to securing Mitchell.

4. TE Jay Rome - #2 GA – 5 star – Valdosta, GA (6’6″/240): He is the #2 player in the state of Georgia, the highest rated tight end in the country, and a rare five star athlete at the TE position, so why only #4? Well, Georgia currently has four tight ends on the roster – Aron White (Sr. next season), Bruce Figgins (Sr.), Orson Charles (Jr.) and Arthur Lynch (RS-So.). So, he may not be an impact player right away. However, two of those TEs will be seniors in 2011 and Orson Charles will be the consensus top tight end in the SEC next season, and possibly one of the best in the nation. Therefore, there looms the possibility he may leave early for the NFL after next season. Thus, we could lose three tight ends prior to 2012. Moreover, Arthur Lynch is more of a blocking tight end, as opposed to a pass catching tight end. Therefore, a talent like Rome could be used fairly early in his career. Not only that, but he’s the second best prospect in the state, and it would say a lot to – again – defeat the out-of-state schools for our own top-end talent. He’s looking at Clemson and Alabama, but those around him expect him to declare for Georgia in a matter of days. AJC’s Chip Towers reports that the other recruits declare him the de-facto captain of the “Dream Team.”

3. DE Ray Drew - #3 GA – 5 star – Thomasville, GA (6’5″/250): This kid is highly sought after by teams that deploy the 3-4 scheme because he may be the best 3-4 outside linebacker prospect in the country and the one most ready to contribute right now. With the possibility that Georgia may lose Justin Houston to the NFL draft, signing this prospect is considered a “must” for UGA. The analysts have had a tough time reading Drew throughout the recruiting process, though there was wide reports of a Facebook exchange between he and Christian LeMay in which Drew took the position that he would be on the other side of the ball pursuing LeMay. Though some have dismissed these reports as intentional misdirection, no one truly has a feel for where he is leaning. Most people seem to think it is Georgia and Auburn right now. However, Clemson, LSU and others may be in the mix as well. He has visited Auburn, Georgia and LSU, and has scheduled a visit to Clemson. This would be a huge “get” for the “Dream Team.” And for it to truly be a team worth dreaming about, he’d have to probably be on it.

2. DT John Jenkins - JUCO – 4 star – Meriden, CT (6’4″/340): I know, this is not an in-state recruit, which is what the “Dream Team” is all about. But hear me out. This is the biggest recruit we are following, in my opinion, outside of the #1 prospect listed below. Not only that, but he will probably start right away and could very well be the foundation of our defense next season. He is that good and our defense needs him that badly. At 6’4″/340, he is the perfect nose tackle for the 3-4 defense. So, no signing of a group of players will be very satisfying if this out-of-state, JUCO recruit is not included. Besides him, there are not many options for immediate playing time and impact at the DT position in the recruiting class of 2011. He is listed as a soft verbal to Oklahoma State, but has been looking around and people report on his recruitment as if he is wide open. He visited Oklahoma State in October, but also has visits to Georgia and Mississippi scheduled in January. He is also interested in Auburn. Rumors are that Georgia is putting the full-court press on this recruit. Rodney Garner apparently visited he and his mother (who apparently holds to key to his recruitment) before Christmas. I heard that Mark Richt and Todd Grantham are in mama’s living room as I type this. This will be an interesting recruitment.

1. RB Isaiah Crowell - #1 GA – 5 star – Columbus, GA (5’11/210): This guy is the one. He holds the keys to the “Dream Team.” It will not truly be a “Dream Team” if he is not on it. He is a prototypical, workhorse running back with great size and speed. He could be a difference-maker early on like Trent Richardson, Marcus Lattimore, Michael Dyer, and Knowshon Moreno. Georgia’s two starting running backs, Caleb King and Washaun Ealey, have struggled with discipline issues, injuries, fumbling problems, and all-around disappointing production. They are both in the dog house at UGA, and – as a result – the coaches could hand the starting job to Crowell if he comes in and impresses. Regardless, he will probably be the starter by the end of the 2011 season. He has to know this, and it is probably playing a part in his decision. Another good thing about Crowell is that he appears to be a laid-back and quiet “good guy,” more Ricky Williams than Washaun Ealey. He impressed at the UA All-Star Game, though he wants to wait and announce a decision on signing day. Right now, like so many other guys, he has pretty much eliminated his suitors to Georgia and Alabama. He has scheduled visits to Alabama, Georgia and Auburn in January. However, Auburn has several young guys at RB (Dyer, McCaleb, and now Quan Bray), and so does Alabama (Trent Richardson, recent commit Dee Hart, and another interested recruit – Barry Sanders Jr.). So, if Crowell is looking for playing time, Georgia may be the place for him… especially as there are no other running backs that Georgia is recruiting. This is the guy that Georgia needs, not only for purposes of winning on the field in 2011, but also for the perception of winning recruiting battles with behemoths like Alabama. This one is big.

...

NOTE: We also picked up another recruit over the weekend. We got ILB Ramik Wilson from down in Florida, who is a 3 star prospect that chose Georgia over Florida, USC, Purdue and Rutgers. He is the #16 ILB in the country and the #58 overall player in the state of Florida. Solid pick-up for the Dawgs. Second ILB/MLB pick-up of the class.

My update on the status of Georgia's "Dream Team"...

...can be found at ChuckOliver.net. Here's a preview:

It’s been a couple of weeks since I posted about Georgia’s plans for an in-state recruiting “Dream Team” this year. I promised a Part II, in which I would discuss the current Dream Team roster and who we need to complete a Dream Team.

Right now, here are the current members of the Dream Team:

Offense
WR Justin Scott Wesley – #13 GA – 4 star – Camilla, GA (6’0″/210)
WR Chris Conley – #29 GA – 4 star – Dallas, GA (6’3″/180)
OT Watts Dantzler – #30 GA – 4 star – Dalton, GA (6’7″/310)
C David Andrews – #37 GA – 3 star – Norcross, GA (6’3″/275)
WR Sanford Seay – NR – 2 star – Leesburg, GA (6’3″/185)*

Defense
DE Sterling Bailey – #6 GA – 4 star – Gainesville, GA (6’5″/260)
S Corey Moore – #12 GA – 4 star – Griffin, GA (6’1″/195)
MLB Amarlo Herrera – #17 GA – 4 star – College Park, GA (6’1″/225)
CB Nick Marshall – #20 GA – 4 star – Rochelle, GA (6’2″/185)
DT Chris Mayes – #22 GA – 4 star – Griffin, GA (6’5″/295)
S Chris Sanders – #28 GA – 4 star – Tucker, GA (6’0″/175)
CB Devin Bowman – #33 GA – 3 star – Rossville, GA (6’0″/175)

I go on to discuss the other out-of-state commits, the position breakdown, as well as the seven players (in order of importance) UGA needs to complete the "Dream Team." Click here to see the rest...

Dream is Dead?

Georgia lost out on DE/OLB Xzavier Dickson, who was said to be a UGA lock, to Alabama... and RB/WR Quan Bray to Auburn. Rough start to the Dream Team campaign. This during/after tonights UA High School All-American All-Star Game on ESPN. Moreover, after rumors he may declare for Georgia, Jay Rome did not make an announcement tonight. Tough night. And we all know YOUNG HIGH SCHOOLERS' COMMITMENTS AND THEIR WORD MEANS EVERYTHING! LIFE OR DEATH IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL!

FWIW, UGA recruits and in-state high schoolers Isaiah Crowell and Malcolm Mitchell, who will probably both end up at Alabama, both looked good tonight. As did UGA prospect and in-state recruit Gabe Wright, who will be going to Auburn. (NOTE: Colleague told me that UGA commit Amario Herrera put on Facebook: "I told yall Dickson was going to Bama... so is Crowell.")

Stay tuned...

PS - I will say, Xzavier Dickson didn't appear to be the brightest bulb in the box, FWIW. I know that sounds very sore-loserish, but I thought it before he even put on the hat. It's like he had a teleprompter with colored logos reminding him which one to chose. In the spirit of those comments, I expect if you go to the AJC and other UGA messageboards, you'll see commenters posting things like: "HE'S NOT GOOD ANYWAY!! ... HE DOESN'T DESERVE TO RED N BLACK!! ... HE'S NOT A DAMNDED GOOD DAWG, ANYWAY!! ... WE REALLY DIDN'T NEED HIM AND HE'S LAZY AND FAT!! ... HE'S A TROUBLE MAKER WITH 5 KIDS!! ... HE DOES CRACK!" Gotta love college football.

Also, we withdrew an offer from WR commit Zach Witchett. To be honest, I'm not sure why we offered him to begin with. He's a 6-foot, 170 lb 3-star WR who is pretty far down the list as far as top in-state prospects go. He didn't really fit. He also got kicked off his HS team this season. I'm guessing we dropped his offer to give it to the 2-star, unranked WR from Lee County for which we all of a sudden have a huge boner and are having to fight off the likes of South Alabama, Marshall, and LA Tech to secure. Apparently he is the hidden gem that is the next AJ Green, but I can't get any info about him. Anyway, we withdrew an offer to Witchett, who was probably toward the bottom of our list. Guess we'll see how it shakes out.

I know it is early, but not a good start to the "Dream Team" campaign or the recruiting blitz.

These are some interesting financial numbers...

...involving the UGA football program that seemed to get glossed over in all the pre-bowl game discussion, but the University of Georgia football program ranked second only to Texas in football program profit for last season. The team was third overall behind Texas and Alabama in terms of revenue.

There was little change in the rankings of the most profitable schools. The University of Texas football program was once again the leader in both revenue, with $94 million, and profit, with $68 million.

Alabama is good enough to rank No. 2 in revenue and No. 7 in profits, while Georgia ranked No. 3 in revenue and No. 2 in profit.

Profits didn't always translate to victories on the field. Texas finished the season 5 wins and 7 losses, and players will be watching the bowl season on television this year. Georgia and Alabama are in small-dollar bowls this year.

Here is the chart showing the top profit-generating programs:

Granted, this only takes into account the football programs. But there is even more better (so to speak) information about the UGA program financially:

Ohio State spends the most money nationally on its football program -- $31,763,036. But Alabama was right behind the Buckeyes, spending $31,118,234.

The other SEC teams in the top 10 were Auburn at No. 4 ($27,911,713), LSU at No. 5 ($25,566,520), Florida at No. 6 ($24,457,557), South Carolina at No. 7 ($22,794,211) and Arkansas at No. 9 ($22,005,014).

So, Georgia ranks #2 in the country in football profit, but isn't even in the Top 10 in the country, or even the Top 6 of the SEC (astounding), in football program expenses. That's pretty amazing.

I know more goes into the budget that this, and I'm not sure if the revenue/expenses of the UGA Athletic Association is taken into account here (my amateur understanding is that the Athletic Association is separate from the public nature of the UGA Athletic Department), my guess is that it is not. And my understanding is that the Athletic Association is tied into the compensation of coaches, among other things. But this tells me a lot about the financial health of our football program, and probably the athletic department in general. Not to mention, being part of the profit-sharing model of the most competitive football conference (the SEC) sure helps.

And it could be that the Athletic Assocation (whose finances are presumably unknown) is the organization responsible for coaches contracts and buy-outs and such.  If anyone knows how that works, I'd love to hear it.

But my conclusion (and I know this is an over-simplification): Wouldn't we be in a much better position to handle the buy-out of, say, a particular head coach or defensive coordinator than, say, Georgia Tech?
Not only that, but sounds strange that the Top 2 programs in the country, in terms of profit, had losing records this season, and that only one of those two foresee any staff/personnel changes prior to the next season?  (Hint:  It's not UGA who is making the changes.)  It is worth noting that all of those schools in the chart above had below-average years in football success, and it will be interesting to see what the 2010-2011 school year numbers look like. 

Hard to believe that the second-most profitable program in the country had such a poor season and has such floundering fan support heading into 2011.  I wonder how those numbers change the next time around...

This clip has been shown at Get The Picture...

...and other blogs, but I figured I'd feature it here as well.  The punch thrown by Ealey here is (as a UGA colleague who saw the whole thing informed me) in retaliation to a shove thrown by Ealey.  No doubt there were some words exchanged between the two first.  But given what I've seen from Ealey starting with the G-Day Game and throughout the season, it surprises me none that he provoked this action from the UCF player.



This is another complaint of mine I meant to mention in the "Liberty Bowl" post below, but Ealey's antics all season had been aggravating me, and it reared its head again in the first few plays of this game. Ealey came up chippy and throwing shoves and talking s#!t in his first carries of the game. I'm sick of seeing this crap. It reminds me of Reggie Ball when he was at Georgia Tech. And he can't even back it up.

If we could somehow manage to sign Isaiah Crowell and/or Quan Bray, it would thrill me to see us part ways with Ealey, King and their on and off the field antics. They are a distraction and overrated. Ealey at least has some potential, but it appears his attitude may keep him from realizing it. I'd rather go with the one or two freshmen, plus Carlton Thomas and Ken Malcome for next season.

There was some talk of AJ Green getting into some "antics" during the bowl game as well, anyone have info on this?

Interesting "news" on Crowell...

Needless to say, adding Crowell would be huge for UGA. However, too much could be read into this.  These guys have learned to like "the game" that is played with recruiting and the interplay with the public and social media.  This could be some deliberate misdirection, a la Ray Drew's recent Facebook dialogue with a committed Georgia recruit in which they discussed playing "against" one another. 

On the other hand, Dee Hart - a highly rated RB recruit - is rumored to be changing his commitment from Michigan to Alabama.  This, in addition to the stock-pile of RBs already at Alabama, may be enough to eliminate Alabama from Crowell's list.  We shall see.  Recruiting season is definitely starting to warm up.  Lots of official visits scheduled over the next several weeks. 

Check out the poll to the right...

...and feel free to put your explanation here.  Don't everyone jump at once.

Dawgs lay egg in Liberty Bowl...

...and this is another headline to file under "not surprising." The surprise for me is not that we came out flat or even that we lost, but rather that the failing was on offense instead of defense. I actually said in my podcast with Drew Collins at ChuckOliver.net last week that the thing I hoped to see most was an impressive performance by the defense in which we held them to single digits. I missed that "best case scenario" by merely one point. Neither Drew nor myself envisioned a stuggle by Georgia's offense, but rather feared a sort-of "who scores last" in a shootout.

The Liberty Bowl

Toward the end of the season, Georgia's offense was clicking and easily putting up 30 points per game. It was the defense that was struggling with holding opponents to low scores. So, now the opposite happens in a bowl game against a Conference USA opponent. Baffling. My old dutch-boy with his finger in a dam metaphor rings truer now. When we get one thing right that has been wrong, another problem breaks loose or reappears elsewhere.

Gloves or no gloves, Murray struggled. This came after I have spent the last two months singing his praises and criticizing those who have failed to honor him. For the first time this season, he looked like a freshman for an entire game (the other time being the first half versus Florida, though he came out swinging in the second half). It did not help that his receivers did not appear to be playing extremely hard (a few drops and lack of hustle on getting to thrown balls, even from AJ Green, who appeared to be trying too hard to show off "laissez faire" NFL "effortlessness") or that the offensive line, again, struggled with the defensive push. We knew the rush game wouldn't be there, and the running backs didn't fail to disappoint in that regard. But I was surprised at the lack of originality or urgency by the passing game.

Playcalling was typical - we simply were calling plays not to lose the game, which is baffling given it is a bowl game against and inferior opponent. If there was ever a time to go "all in" and try to put up lots of points, it was in this game. Yet the FG decision on 4th and 1 from the three yard line was predicably frustrating. I was mumbling, "don't kick it, don't kick it," after we got stuffed on 3rd down, only to hear myself cursing at the TV when I saw Richt mouthed "field goal." That pretty much set the tone on offense.

I saw Murray tweet before the game that he had butterflies, which isn't exactly what you want to hear (though it is unreasonable not to expect it at some level before every game). But a few minutes later I saw a tweet-pic from a teammate of Murray napping in a chair in the hotel lobby a few hours before the game. Again, I'm not necessarily criticizing this, but it sorts fits with the realized fear many of us had that we'd come out flat and/or unprepared for this game. It looked like everyone, from the coaches on down to the players, were sleep-walking through this game.

I commend the defense for putting together a solid effort and obviously using the month-long lay off beneficially. But 6 points against a Conference USA opponent? Really? Five or six years ago we'd have been bitching after a loss in a BSC game or Cap One bowl against the likes of Penn State, Ohio State or Michigan if we'd only managed to put up 6 points. Given the expectations of the program then, how baffled or outraged would we be if we were told, then, that in just a few short years we'd only manage 6 points on Central Florida in the seventh-tiered Liberty Bowl? What would we think, then, if we were told that we'd have identical success in the recruiting each season for the next several years, but we'd finish 8-5 and 6-7 in 2009 and 2010?

State of the Program
As our dominance or success has slowly eroded after the finish to the 2007 season, so has our outlook or expectations as fans. Sure, there are a number who are outraged and have been for a couple of years. But I still keep hearing "we were only a play or two away from beating South Carolina and Arkansas earlier this season..." or "we finished the season 5-2 and headed in 'the right direction'"... But we still lost those games to South Carolina and Arkansas, to nobody's surprise. Those are games we would have been appalled to lose earlier in the Richt tenure. Not to mention, you can't hide the fact that Mississippi State pretty much dominated us, and we lost to a horrible Colorado WITH AJ!...OUR KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR! AJ wasn't suspended on Friday. Our new defense wasn't the cause of the problem on that day either. And all this talk of moving in the right direction was completely undermined by that showing. Even the most fervent Richt loyalist can't spin this loss. I imagine they'll blame it on Murray.

But coming up with ways to spin losses to Arkansas, South Carolina, Mississippi State, and Colorado is a sign that we've fallen a good bit in our expectations and outlook.

I also criticized the program and fanbase for sort-of dismissing the Florida loss this season by saying, "we were a play away from winning that one and it was - after all - Florida, who has been a national title contender for years. We've got a lot more to look forward next year than Florida does." But Florida finished 7-5 in the worst season since the pre-Spurrier days. Not only that, but in the post-season they've made sweeping changes to the program. It appears as if even the great Urban Meyer would rather step down that expose the program to the possibility that they would slide, after only one year in such a slide. Now they've got the most sought after "young and energetic" assistant in the country for the past several years at the helm with one of the greatest offensive minds in pro or college football coming to lead their offense (Weis).

We at Georgia aren't so lucky. Richt appears hell-bent on manning the ship, while calmly promising abstract "changes" in the way "we do things." What, exactly, are those changes? The only actual change I've heard about is reaching back into the 1960's for our strength and conditioning program.

It took two years for us to make a much needed change in defensive leadership, and we are just now starting to climb out from the transition period. In the SEC, the change has to be quick and decisive and results have to come immediately. There's no time for third chances or long transitions. Otherwise, you lose ground in recruiting or schematic advantage while you wait for the transition to finish and the results to appear. So, at this point, I think that Richt has one thing correct - personnel or staff changes that won't guarantee immediate results are too late. At this point, the only thing UGA has time for is a regime change from the top. But, as McGarity and UGA missed out on the first round of the coaching carousel and contract extensions, it's probably too late for that as well, especially in light of the Boise State scheduling and McGarity's quotes regarding Richt.

So, What Now?

So, if it is too late for regime and staff changes, what - then - do I propose, other than bitching about it? I don't know. Part of me wishes we'd just go ahead and clean house, let the chips fall where they may. Sure, we'd suffer in recruiting, but we does a team NOT suffer in recruiting for a season when making a change? And if Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Auburn is any indication, the "newness" of a regime change can result in a boost in recruiting in the few years after the change is made. But who could we go after this late? Mullen signed an extension, and, typically, bolting in the weeks after signing such an extension and make big statements about committing to a program is only reserved for the likes of Petrino. Harbaugh is likely waiting for Michigan and/or the NFL. So that leaves everyone's favorite duo of Peterson and Patterson. But their perceived commitment to their programs, and how satisfied they are there and how well they fit there (not the mention the success they have there even at the national level), has been enough to make big-time ADs fear they will simply get rejected. So, who does that leave? Leach?

So here's where we are: McGarity sticking with Richt for one more season with Richt warned that there has to be far better results. The loss to UCF has only heightened the urgency that nothing short of an appearance in the SEC championship will save Richt. I will be pleasantly surprised if Richt can implement "changes" that will change the direction in which the program is headed. But I anticipate next season will be the last for Richt. I just can't see, with AJ and Houston leaving, where we will be better next season. Maybe, as some of you say, a JUCO DT will make all the difference in the world. But how much of a difference would he have made Friday? I just think there are too many things for the program to overcome, and too little areas in which we can expect drastic improvement, for next season to be significantly better.

So, I expect we will be slightly better next year, but not where we should be. I expect that we will struggle against Boise and Mississippi State and Florida and that we will, again, be frustrated. We will have some ups, but we will also be disappointed. In sum, I expect next season to be Richt's last. I hope I am wrong.

Aaron Murray finds himself on a list where he aptly belongs...

...which is among the nation's most underrated players. He was number 3 on the list of five nominees. This came after Murray has been left off Phil Steele's four, count'em FOUR, All-SEC teams (behind Newton, Mallet, McElroy and Hartline), the AP All-SEC teams and mentions, and the AP Freshman All-American First Team (behind Taylor Martinez). Not only that, but he was completely shut out of the voting for SEC Freshman of the Year (though Lattimore did have an excellent year). He has has been essentially ignored despite his record-breaking year for an SEC freshman quarterback and his unbelievable stats in light of a woeful season from the rest of the UGA offense (sans AJ Green and Orson Charles). So, this is a list where he clearly belongs: among those who have quietly, and without much praise or acknowledgement, had phenomenal seasons. Kudos, Matt Hinton.

McGarity stops short of giving an ultimatum for 2011...

...but make no mistake about it, he wants to see improvement. Though he specifically said it wouldn't come down to winning 8 games, or 9 games, he did say the team would have to improve on 6-6, "or 7-6." But, of course, as any good AD does, he spoke about seeing the team improve in other areas that aren't as clear cut as the scoreboard or the win/loss column. The pressure is on Mark Richt, and Greg McGarity will be watching.

So, UGA put five players...

...on the Pro Football Weekly All-American team, which is based on NFL skills and projections of college players. Georgia had the most, by a long shot. The list included WR AJ Green, OL Cling Boling, OL Cordy Glenn, LB Justin Houston, and P Drew Butler.

Though some people, including the Senator, don't think this type of All-American team says very much about Georgia's record or season, you have to wonder what this says about Georgia's knack of underachieving the past few seasons given the talent on the field. We all expected much better than 6-6, despite having a new defensive scheme and a young QB. At least we appear to be getting and developing some high-end talent, we've just gotta get better at using it to win ballgames.

UGA's running backs...

...love the headlines. Unfortunately for them, it seems to be negative headlines most of the time. Ealey and King are a frustrating pair. They both came in with such promise, and yet they always find a way to underwhelm. Caleb King will apparently not be able to play in the bowl game due to academic ineligibility. Color me not surprised.

So, we've seen King suspended for two games for an arrest, missing two games for an injury, fumble issues, and now he's academically ineligible for a bowl game. Then there's also the rumor-run-rampant about the NCAA investigating a "loan" he received from his girlfriend, and did not repay, but - as it turned out - nothing came of it. So in the spirit of Cam Newton, he's innocent. Then you've Ealey, who was also arrested for hit-and-run and suspended, fumbling issues, that full-on punch he took at his own teammate in front of the home crowd at the spring game, and a very public missed block in the Arkansas game. Many thought these guys could be a monster tandem that accumulated 1,000 yards each this season with a young QB at the helm. But they've only totaled 1181 yards between the two of them.

These guys just can't seem to get it together, despite some fleeting bright moments in both of their college careers.

McGarity is keeping us on our toes...

...with this whole football scheduling bidnizz. After coming out and not-so-shyly stating that the football program would be adding many lesser programs and FCS teams in an effort to make the schedule easier and filled with more home games, he busted out and scheduled the Boise State* opener next season at a neutral site. I assumed that, despite the Boise scheduling, we could typically look forward to a yearly slate of OOC games that would include a FCS school (GA Souther, Citadel, etc.), two far lesser FBS opponents (Florida Atlantic, Louisiana-Lafayette, etc.), and Georgia Tech. This would give us at least 3 home OOC games per season, and 4 home OOC games every other year. It would also secure an average of about 3.9 wins per year, among OOC games. It's yawn-inspiring, true, but you can't deny there is some logic in the athletic department wanting to take advantage of the financial benefit of having 7-8 home games per season, 4 guaranteed wins, and not having to travel across the country for the sake of attempting to market a "national" brand.

On the other hand, it looks like McGarity has, again, decided to throw a curveball to UGA football fans - this one far more exciting than the change-up regarding playing lesser programs or even the slider that is the Boise State game. It appears that McG is currently talking to some big midwestern teams about the possibility of a home/home series in the near future. Specifically, he's trying to drum up a series with Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State or Notre Dame.

I love this idea. First, it makes more sense than setting up games with Pac-10 teams because there is half the time spent traveling and no jet lag for the players. Second, it helps with the "national brand" aspect of the Georgia football program, because all of those teams are larger national brands than any of the guys we had played on the road or were scheduled to play (Arizona State, Colorado, Louisville and even Oregon, which is still somewhat new on the "national" stage). Finally, it gives Georgia a chance to prove its meddle among national powerhouses outside of the SEC. Sure, the SEC conference and schedule is the toughest in the world, so we don't HAVE to go out and play other national teams in order to enhance our profile, blah, blah, blah. But it doesn't hurt to have the confidence to go out and whoop up on the media darlings and traditionally overrated juggernauts dwelling in Big Ten country.

Of those four, who would I like to see a home and home with? Ohio State. They are perceived as the best of those four right now. And nothing is more fun to watch than SEC pwnage of the Buckeyes. Not to mention, red helmets and silver britches against red jerseys and silver helmets would be pretty. Michigan would be my second choice, though I doubt they would want to schedule a big SEC team right now. Notre Dame just got through with a series with Georgia Tech, so I don't wanna look like we are merely following in Tech's footsteps. Not only that, but they aren't Big Ten (and I wanna beat a Big Ten team), so it is not as attractive to me. And Penn State, frankly, is just sort-of boring right now. Not as attractive as the others. Ohio State would be my dream match-up.

I was worried that with the very quick and surefire announcement by McG that we would be looking to soften the schedule, the UGA schedule may get very boring, bland, and too regionalized. But I love the fact that McG has come out in support of some marquis match-ups for the Dawgs in the future. This is some great red-meat to which the fans can look forward. And I really believe that Dawg fans would travel well to a game at Ohio State or Ann Arbor. Should be fun. I hope he can follow through.

(* - Let's face it, the attraction of a Boise match-up is unique because it will essentially be a "home" game, for all intents and purposes, and this was a thinly-veiled attempt for Richt and McG to combat big BCS programs getting a free weekend to show off for Peach State recruits on our turf.)

Aaron Murray gets disrespected...

...again.  A Dawg in Exile puts it best in his blog:  There's no way Nebraska's Taylor Martinez should beat out Aaron Murray for Rivals.com's First-Team Freshman All-American.  But, alas, he did.  Despite the wide discrepancy in the stats, Martinez beat him out. 

I asked Seth Emerson yesterday about the Martinez/Murray All-Freshman debate, and he published his thoughts in the mailbag.  He essentially says that it came down to the success of the teams. 

I just think that, in this case, if you are giving an individual award - which they are - then you at least look at the individual's stats to see what he accomplished and not entirely rely on what the team accomplished.  Nebraska was successful this season, despite Taylor Martinez's poor play and attitude at times.  Georgia was not successful this season, but what success it had was substantially due to Aaron Murray's play.  That, combined with his stats, should put him on every First Team All-Freshman Team published. 

And for those that claim Taylor Martinez's stats were only down because of injuries...  Give me a break.  In that case, AJ Green's stats were only down because of a sold jersey.  So...give him the First Team All-American Award based on what his stats woulda/coulda been.  Injuries are part of the game.  If you get hurt, so does your team, your stats and you ability to play.  So should your standing with awards. 

Rivals.com got it wrong.

Here's an update on Georgia's recruiting "Dream Team"...

...over at ChuckOliver.net.  I discuss the "Dream Team" concept, where we are in recruiting the Top 40 and Top 10 Georgia Prospects, and some recent news from the past week.  Check it.

So, Urban Meyer is...

...stepping down again.  Not too shocking. Here's the biggest kicker:  I guess this means Dan Mullen will be the next head coach at Florida.  This sucks for my Dawgs, as I was fully expecting us to make a run at him after the 2011 season (when Richt will either be forced out or will take a page out of Meyer's book and resign).  Now that Mullen is likely off the Dawgs' head coaching wish list, who is next?

SEC Freshman of the Year: Lattimore vs. Murray

Please check out my discussion on who is most deserving for SEC Freshman of the Year honors over at ChuckOliver.net. In particular, I compare SC's Marcus Lattimore and UGA's Aaron Murray. Feel free to discuss it here!