by Chip Towers
A staggering number of prospects will converge on Athens and Sanford Stadium this weekend as Georgia plays host to Auburn.
Bulldogs coach Mark Richt couldn’t say exactly what will be the number, which includes recruits and their family and guests. But in general such weekends can range from 250 to 400.
“We’ve got a lot. It’s big. It’s very big,” Richt said this week. “It’s about what you’d expect for Georgia-Auburn. I couldn’t even tell you the number that it is. But I know as we cover the names that are coming in, not only is it a long list but it’s a list of outstanding players.”
There is a little bit of it all in this group. There will be at least five 5-star prospects on campus. There will be three players that rank No. 1 at their respective positions by at least one recruiting service — linebacker Jeff Luc (pronounced Luck) of Port St. Lucie, Fla., cornerback LaMarcus Joyner of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and safety Matt Elam of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
There will be unofficial visitors and official visitors, such as linebacker Deon Rogers and wide receiver Kenny Shaw. There will be committed prospects, uncommitted prospects and prospects that are committed elsewhere such as defensive end Corey Crawford (Clemson) and Telvin Smith (Florida State). There will be 2010 targets, 2011 targets and even 2012 targets.
That’s the good news. The bad news is the Bulldogs will be hosting so many people that it will be a challenge to give them all the attention they deserve.
“It’s going to be a day that’s going to be very difficult to manage because you want to spend time with all these people,” Richt said. “You want to let them know how much you care about them and how much you think about then. When there’s such a massive number it’s very difficult to give everybody the amount of love you feel they they deserve. But that’s a good problem to have.”
Good thing the Bulldogs have a 7 p.m. game. Richt and his coaching staff will be in full-blown recruiting mode early in the morning before shifting into game mode the last couple of hours before kickoff.
“If it’s a 12:30 kickoff it’s so difficult to get that many people where you need them and to spend the time with them,” Richt said. “A lot of times at 12 o’clock or 12:30 many of them are showing up after the ‘Dawg Walk.’ You may see them only briefly on the sideline as you’re warming up. And afterward it’s very hard for me to see anybody because of the media responsibilities and the coach’s show responsibilities that I have. So the best shot I have to see some of these young men and their families is if it is a later game.”
Georgia hasn’t had such a massive recruiting weekend since it played Auburn in 2005. That year was similar to this one in that Georgia had played the majority of the previous month or so away from Athens and had not had a comparable marquee game when it was at home. The Bulldogs have played just one game at Sanford Stadium since hosting LSU on Oct. 3 and that was Tennessee Tech last week.
“I believe that was as big as we’ve had,” Richt said. “I know that was one of the biggest we’ve ever had as far as trying to manage a large, large number of people and a large number of very highly-regarded prospects.”
That game didn’t turn out so well. Georgia lost 31-30 in a dramatic finish. But there was a happy ending in recruiting. The Bulldogs’ Class of 2006 was ranked No. 4 in the nation.
Showing posts with label da'rick rogers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label da'rick rogers. Show all posts
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Da' Rick Rogers = DA UGA FREAK
Future UGA wideout, Da'Rick Rogers, was recently bumped up to a five star on both rivals.com and scouts.com. No matter what the QB situation is in Athens next year, the passing game should be bright with A.J. Green and Calhoun native Da'Rick Rogers giving defensive coordinators headaches. Here is a Q&A Chip Towers had with the future Dawg.
Q: I saw you got a fifth star from both Scout.com and Rivals.com a couple of weeks ago. That a big deal to you?
A: “Yeah, it’s kind of a big deal. Just shows I’ve been working hard. It kind of makes you want to work even harder. The harder you work the better the tributes are, I guess. There’s only like five or six [five-star prospects at wide receiver] this year, so it feels good to be one.”
Q: Yeah, but there’s some pressure that comes with that, too, isn’t there?
A: “I just try to take it all in and relax about it and brush the pressure away. I try to take it as motivation to just keep doing the right things. Coach is always telling me, do the right things and good things will happen to you. So I’ll just continue to do that.”
Q: So you’ve been committed to Georgia since June, but word is other teams are still coming after you. Who’s still pursuing you?
A: “Tennessee, USC and Florida. But I’m rock solid with Georgia.”
Q: What are some things they’re doing to try to get your attention?
A: “Hand-writing letters, coming to see me at lot, Facebook, MySpace, any means of communication they can find. They call my mom, they call the coaches, they call me. I try to avoid all recruiting but sometimes you can’t, so you have to talk to them. I’ll talk to them and tell them I’m locked into UGA. But they don’t care. They’ll still talk to you anyway.”
Q: Georgia’s obviously having a tough year, 4-4 so far. Do rival recruiters say anything about that?
A: “Oh yeah, they bring it up. But the way I see it is everybody has a down year. And it’s not really a down year. They’re just in a little slump. And from what I’ve seen the recruiting class coming in with me this year is going to help out a ton, especially on the defensive side where I feel like we’re lacking the most. Georgia’s going to be fine.”
Q: Since we’re on that subject, can you revisit your reasoning for choosing the Bulldogs?
A: “Mainly it was the coaches. I really couldn’t go wrong with the schools I was considering. So it really came down to personalities and getting to know the coaches and how the coaches approached me. Georgia really went way past football with me. They talked a lot about academics, about life. They came down here a lot, talked to my mother a lot. Really I just felt good about the coaches.”
Q: There’s a lot of scuttlebutt going around that you have some academic issues. Is that true?
A: “It’s something I’ve already got a handle on. I worked all summer; I’ve worked all fall. I’ve got all A’s and B’s right now. Last year I just wasn’t really focused. I just kind of goofed off. Your junior year is probably the last times you need to goof off and I goofed off most of the year. I was kind of on the borderline with B’s and some C’s. This year I’ve had to focus and get everything straight and right now I have all A’s and B’s. I just need to stay ahead of the pack now.”
Q: Talk about your relationship with Nash Nance.
A: “We first met over at Darlington. We’re pretty much like brothers, black and white brothers. I’m over there at his house all the time, hanging out, spending the night. I love him.”
Q: It looks like y’all have a lot of good players on offense, not just you and Nash.
A: “[Junior wide receiver] J. T. Palmer is a great player; he plays on the other side. We have a whole new line this year and they’ve done a great job. But mainly Dustin Christian. I feel like he’s one of the best junior backs in the state. Underrated. He’s kind of small but he’s thick up top and quick as a cat and hard to tackle. I don’t know what to say about him but he has just done some amazing things.”
Q: You guys are rolling, 9-0 heading into Friday’s game against Armuchee. What’s the feeling heading toward the playoffs?
A: “We’re getting better each and every week. Everything’s getting a little more up-tempo now. Last year we got better every game until the end of the season and I thing we’re on the same track. As long as we keep getting better we’re going to be hard to beat.”
Q: I saw you got a fifth star from both Scout.com and Rivals.com a couple of weeks ago. That a big deal to you?
A: “Yeah, it’s kind of a big deal. Just shows I’ve been working hard. It kind of makes you want to work even harder. The harder you work the better the tributes are, I guess. There’s only like five or six [five-star prospects at wide receiver] this year, so it feels good to be one.”
Q: Yeah, but there’s some pressure that comes with that, too, isn’t there?
A: “I just try to take it all in and relax about it and brush the pressure away. I try to take it as motivation to just keep doing the right things. Coach is always telling me, do the right things and good things will happen to you. So I’ll just continue to do that.”
Q: So you’ve been committed to Georgia since June, but word is other teams are still coming after you. Who’s still pursuing you?
A: “Tennessee, USC and Florida. But I’m rock solid with Georgia.”
Q: What are some things they’re doing to try to get your attention?
A: “Hand-writing letters, coming to see me at lot, Facebook, MySpace, any means of communication they can find. They call my mom, they call the coaches, they call me. I try to avoid all recruiting but sometimes you can’t, so you have to talk to them. I’ll talk to them and tell them I’m locked into UGA. But they don’t care. They’ll still talk to you anyway.”
Q: Georgia’s obviously having a tough year, 4-4 so far. Do rival recruiters say anything about that?
A: “Oh yeah, they bring it up. But the way I see it is everybody has a down year. And it’s not really a down year. They’re just in a little slump. And from what I’ve seen the recruiting class coming in with me this year is going to help out a ton, especially on the defensive side where I feel like we’re lacking the most. Georgia’s going to be fine.”
Q: Since we’re on that subject, can you revisit your reasoning for choosing the Bulldogs?
A: “Mainly it was the coaches. I really couldn’t go wrong with the schools I was considering. So it really came down to personalities and getting to know the coaches and how the coaches approached me. Georgia really went way past football with me. They talked a lot about academics, about life. They came down here a lot, talked to my mother a lot. Really I just felt good about the coaches.”
Q: There’s a lot of scuttlebutt going around that you have some academic issues. Is that true?
A: “It’s something I’ve already got a handle on. I worked all summer; I’ve worked all fall. I’ve got all A’s and B’s right now. Last year I just wasn’t really focused. I just kind of goofed off. Your junior year is probably the last times you need to goof off and I goofed off most of the year. I was kind of on the borderline with B’s and some C’s. This year I’ve had to focus and get everything straight and right now I have all A’s and B’s. I just need to stay ahead of the pack now.”
Q: Talk about your relationship with Nash Nance.
A: “We first met over at Darlington. We’re pretty much like brothers, black and white brothers. I’m over there at his house all the time, hanging out, spending the night. I love him.”
Q: It looks like y’all have a lot of good players on offense, not just you and Nash.
A: “[Junior wide receiver] J. T. Palmer is a great player; he plays on the other side. We have a whole new line this year and they’ve done a great job. But mainly Dustin Christian. I feel like he’s one of the best junior backs in the state. Underrated. He’s kind of small but he’s thick up top and quick as a cat and hard to tackle. I don’t know what to say about him but he has just done some amazing things.”
Q: You guys are rolling, 9-0 heading into Friday’s game against Armuchee. What’s the feeling heading toward the playoffs?
A: “We’re getting better each and every week. Everything’s getting a little more up-tempo now. Last year we got better every game until the end of the season and I thing we’re on the same track. As long as we keep getting better we’re going to be hard to beat.”
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