There’s still work to do
If there’s room on the roster, Kirby Smart will fill it. The Bulldogs have proven that time and time again under his reign; this year likely won’t see any departure from that strategy. There are a couple of clear targets still out there, such as Jadon Haselwood and Tyrique Stevenson, but we’ll receive word on them in the early part of January. That’s assuming they’re able to stop the leaks that recruiting writers will surely seek out ahead of time. At the latest, they’ll announce their intentions on January 5.
Outside of that duo, the main names to watch for in the run-up to the traditional Signing Day will be those of four-star South Florida defensive back Kaiir Elam, who remains uncommitted, and three-star quarterback John Plumlee, who already counts himself as a member of the 2019 class. Speaking of Plumlee . . .
Banking on the blue shirt?
Georgia’s late addition of Stetson Bennett on Wednesday night brought the status of Plumlee back into focus. Will he still accept that blueshirt offer from the Bulldogs? This remains to be seen, but it’s certainly possible, as it would allow the Bulldogs to create some class separation and build the ranks at the quarterback position.
The quarterback situation seemed desperate after the news broke that Justin Fields was exploring a transfer. It's not hard to believe that Smart and the offensive staff would like to ensure no more such panic going forward. Should Plumlee decide to reopen his recruitment, Georgia will still be in a far superior spot with the additions of Bennett and fellow QB signee Dwan Mathis.
Win some, lose some
Isn’t that really the name of the game on Signing Day? For Georgia, there was a tangible loss on Wednesday. Running back Trey Sanders opted for Bama, and the news of it leaked a couple of hours before his commitment.
Yet the highs were similarly high, including the nail-biter that ended up being Nakobe Dean’s decision. It was the craziest cliff-hanger of the entire period. Word seemed to change from day-to-day down the stretch—which only continued the trend of this particular story. Based on the day of the week or the hour of the day, we heard that LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Georgia were expecting to land his signature. Still, the Bulldogs pulled the coup and locked down the man they hope can be the next Butkus Award winner in the middle.
Elsewhere, pulling Dwan Mathis to get the day going had to feel like a victory for the staff, if only because it helped to quell some of the questions surrounding "What’s next?" at the quarterback spot. That Mathis was just outside of the Rivals100 and ranks as the nation’s No. 2 dual-threat quarterback is all the sweeter.
