UGASports is looking at previous Georgia recruiting classes and re-ranking the individual signees based on how their Bulldog careers transpired. Links to our previous revisionist histories, including the 2007 class review from a few weeks ago, are located at the bottom of the page.

We analyze the 23 signees inked by Georgia in 2008, or the same number of prospects the Bulldogs landed the previous year. The class was characterized by head coach Mark Richt as one where “there were really not a lot of question marks about what was going to happen [on Signing Day],” as about 20 of the 23 signees had been committed to Georgia since December of 2007. Notably, on the same day, Richt’s son, Jon, a three-star quarterback, signed with Clemson at a ceremony at Prince Avenue Christian attended by the Georgia head coach.

THE CLASS

Georgia’s 2008 signing class ranked No. 7 in the nation, including third in the SEC, trailing No. 1 Alabama (after the Crimson Tide had not been ranked higher than No. 10 since the beginning of Rivals’ team recruiting rankings in 2002) and No. 3 Florida. The Bulldogs’ class would have been ranked a tad higher if not for the about-face by Dwayne Allen, a four-star tight end from Fayetteville, North Carolina. Allen, who had committed to Georgia over Clemson at a press conference just two days before decided to spurn the Bulldogs for the Tigers on Signing Day.

Headed by two five-star prospects—wide receiver A.J. Green and athlete Richard Samuel—Georgia’s 2008 class consisted of a sizable 12 Rivals250 recruits, including six from the Rivals100. On the contrary, the class also included two-star tight end Bryce Ros, the Bulldogs’ lone two-star non-kicker signee over a five-year period (2005-2009).

In addition, the 2008 signing class marked the second of three times during his 15-year career that Richt did not sign a quarterback. The Bulldogs also didn’t sign a signal-caller in 2003 and 2015.

Finally, Georgia’s in-state recruiting efforts were applauded. Although the Bulldogs didn’t land the state’s top prospect (Buford’s Omar Hunter signed with Florida), they signed seven of Georgia’s top 11 recruits, including No. 2 through No. 4 in Samuel, DeAngelo Tyson, and A.J. Harmon. What’s more, of the Bulldogs’ top 14 players in the class, all but two—Green (Summerville, S.C.) and Marcus Dowtin (Hyattsville, Md.)—hailed from the state of Georgia.

Below is the original ranking of Georgia’s 2008 class (player listed with position according to Rivals). Note: To rank those signees with identical Rivals ratings, the recruits’ rankings (overall, position, and state), along with the opinions of our recruiting writers, were considered.

RE-RANKING

Before we highlight our re-ranking of the 2008 class, we want to reiterate these rankings are based solely on the signees’ careers at Georgia—not in college in general, the NFL, etc.

Of Georgia’s 23 signees, six ultimately transferred, including Dowtin and Nick Williams, both of whom played three seasons at Georgia before departing. In addition, three signees—Ros, Jeremy Longo, and Jonathan Owens—eventually were medically disqualified or received a medical exemption. Also, Xavier Avery, a four-star athlete from Ellenwood, Georgia, opted for baseball, signing with the Baltimore Orioles out of high school.

Still, Georgia’s 2008 class—at least when it comes to collective individual efforts as a Bulldog—is likely the most successful of the 12 classes we’ve analyzed thus far.

Of the 13 signees who played out their careers at Georgia, a staggering 10 were drafted into the NFL—by far the most of the classes we’ve analyzed. In addition, six of the 13 earned All-SEC honors a combined impressive 11 times.

We determined transfers Harmon and Toby Jackson as the most overrated in the class. Harmon, No. 4 in the original ranking and the No. 54 overall prospect in his class, appeared in just eight games, starting one, as a Bulldog before leaving Georgia because of academics for Alabama State and then later transferred to Cumberland. He did wind up playing a season in the NFL as a practice squad member. Jackson, No. 5 in the original ranking and the No. 85 overall prospect in his class, failed to qualify at Georgia. He attended Navarro College followed by Central Florida, before having a career in arena/indoor football.

As far as the most underrated, there are several candidates to consider, including Brandon Boykin (No. 12 original ranking to No. 3 re-ranking), Blair Walsh (No. 22 to No. 10), Sanders Commings (No. 20 to No. 7), and Bacarri Rambo (No. 17 to No. 4). Still, no one from the class had a jump quite like offensive linemen Ben Jones, who was No. 16 in the original rankings but No. 2 in the re-ranking behind Green. A mere three-star prospect, Jones was a starter at Georgia as a true freshman in 2008 and finished his Bulldog career with 49 starts. The two-time All-SEC honoree was also a fourth-round pick in the NFL Draft.

The re-ranking of the Bulldogs' 2008 class (player listed with number of games played/games started while at Georgia; the three signees who never appeared in a game at Georgia are all designated as tied for No. 21):