Dawgs add third 2021 commitment in OL Jared Wilson
The Bulldogs kicked off Thursday morning with a commitment from offensive lineman Jared Wilson of North Carolina's West Forsyth High School.
Wilson, a 6-foot-3, 345-pound junior, took to Twitter to announce his intentions to commit to the Bulldogs over the Clemson Tigers.
"I can’t even explain the feeling when I go down there. It’s like no other," Wilson told UGASports on Tuesday. "They tell me straight up if I come to Georgia, I'm going to be prepared to be an NFL offensive lineman. They told me I'll have to compete, and I love that type of challenge. I picked up the offer on June 11, and the relationship has grown out of this world."
Credit the Georgia staff for working to build those connections.
"I talk to Coach [Sam] Pittman almost every day, and on my last visit, I had a good long talk with Coach [Kirby] Smart. Coach Pittman is a great guy. He's a very strict coach, but at the end of the day, he loves you and takes care of you. They're recruiting me for guard and center. They think I can come in and possibly play the whole interior, both guards and center. I’m ready for the challenge."
As for what Wilson brings to the table, Rivals.com national analyst Adam Friedman offered up his opinion.
“Jared’s a big body, a wide body. He’s 6-foot-3 and at least 345 pounds at this point. In his film this year, we’ve seen marginal improvements. He’s definitely stronger and moves a little bit better. His future is really tied to how much quicker he can get. He’s not exactly fleet of foot or quick off the ball at this point, but he does a good job of shooting his hands and moving defenders," Friedman said. "As an interior lineman, you’d like to see a little more quickness from the big man. Georgia doesn’t necessarily need him to play right away, so there will be time to reshape his body. As a Class of 2021 player, he’s got plenty of time to work on that before he gets to Athens. Right now, it looks like Wilson is more of developmental prospect than a plug-and-play prospect.”
Positionally, early indicators point to one spot over the other.
“I would think guard, because he does have some good length in his arms there. As a center, you need to be able to shift left and right a little faster than you do at guard," Friedman said. "He can be more of a road grader type at guard, so I think that’ll probably be the place for him.”
For the Bulldogs, the pickup could also pay dividends in Wilson's local area.
“The Winston-Salem, Greensboro-area that’s further to the west of Raleigh-Durham is really talented in the 2021 class—Payton Page is there, Travis Shaw in 2022, Micah Crowell in 2021. There’s a ton of talent in that area right now," Friedman said. "Making sure they have a presence there down the road could pay dividends down the road, because those guys are close. You see a lot of transfers and guys talking to each other in social media. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Georgia use a relationship with Jared Wilson to their benefit in the area.”