Georgia has landed another highly coveted Class of 2022 prospect from the Peach State.
CJ Madden, a 6-foot-3, 233-pound linebacker from Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood, Georgia, has announced his commitment to the Georgia Bulldogs. Madden is the 17th commitment for Georgia in the Class of 2022.
Madden had originally committed to Colorado in February of this year. At that point in time, COVID-19 restrictions were still in place and prohibited on-campus recruiting. Once the NCAA lifted those restrictions and Madden was able to start making his rounds on visits and to the camp circuit, he quickly became a hot commodity.
Washington State, Georgia Tech, and Liberty kicked off the offer train for Madden after the extended dead period had ended. Then, on June 15, Madden received his first SEC offer from Ole Miss. That offer was promptly followed by one from the Georgia Bulldogs on June 17.
The offer from the Dawgs came after having Madden on campus multiple times. UGASports had spoken with Madden on several occasions leading up to the offer. Madden had indicated that if the offer came, it was going to become increasingly difficult not to back off his pledge to Colorado.
Just four days later, Madden did decommit from the Buffaloes. Georgia immediately emerged as the front runner. However, offers later rolled in from Missouri, Oregon, and Tennessee to make things interesting. Madden released his top five school choices on August 5. The quintet of schools consisted of Colorado, Georgia, Ole Miss, Oregon, and Tennessee.
Georgia and its defensive coordinator Dan Lanning prioritized Madden as an edge defender in the class and pursued him intensely. The pitch of Lanning and the Georgia staff paid off. Ultimately, with today's announcement, Georgia is positioned to sign a physical edge rusher with a lot of raw talent in CJ Madden.
ANALYSIS
Madden's commitment to Georgia is meaningful for the Bulldogs on multiple fronts. First, Georgia is getting a prospect who is just now starting to develop physically and skill-wise into the player he will ultimately become. As a senior in high school, Madden has the size and measurements of Azeez Ojulari last season with the Georgia Bulldogs.
Madden is the type of player with a frame and athleticism that will allow him to contribute early on special teams. It will take Madden some time to adjust back to an edge player at Georgia after being switched to inside linebacker by Cedar Grove his senior year. With long arms and nice short-area quickness, Madden should prove to be an impactful edge rusher after a full year in the Georgia program.
Second, Georgia now has a recruiting foothold inside of one of the premier talent-producing programs in the state of Georgia. Cedar Grove has current targets like Christen Miller and Kayin Lee whom Georgia is prioritizing. No doubt there's more talent coming through the ranks in Ellenwood as well. Class of 2025 running back Bo Walker already has an offer from Arkansas and impressed Georgia running back coach Dell McGee earlier this summer on a visit to Athens.
Madden brings the personality of a young man who will have no issues with attempting to promote his future program and recruit his teammates and friends around the state to join him at Georgia.
