Rivals250 prospect Jacob Hood has announced his commitment to the University of Georgia. Hood is a 6-foot-8, 330-pound mountain of an offensive line prospect.
With the commitment from Hood, Georgia now has two offensive line commitments. Hood, from Nashville, joins Griffin Scroggs from Grayson High School in the Bulldogs O-line class for 2022.
Hood has been one of the top priorities for Georgia ever since he visited in the summer. Offensive line coach Matt Luke was impressed with his size and mobility. Hood was wanted so much by Luke and Georgia that even Luke's 13-year-old son Harrison got in on the recruiting effort. In an earlier interview with UGASports Hood spoke about his interaction with Luke's son on his official visit in June.
"His (Matt Luke's) son blew my mind how good he is at recruiting," Hood said. "His son knows everybody, every recruit in the nation. He can tell you about them. He was like, basically, he’s never seen someone as big as me come to Georgia. He’s like, you’d be the biggest one here."
The time Hood was able to spend with Luke, head coach Kirby Smart, and Georgia commits like Jalon Walker has paid off for Georgia. UGA beat out Miami, Ole Miss, and Auburn as the most serious contenders for Hood's commitment. For quite a while, the recruitment was seemingly narrowed down to the Bulldogs and the Hurricanes.
It was made evident early on that Georgia is not going to be signing five to six offensive linemen in this class as it has in the past. There are more positions in greater need of depth replenishment than the offensive line for Georgia after the 2021 season.
With that said, Luke wanted to ensure they brought in the right mix of three to four offensive line prospects. A behemoth with the athleticism of Hood is the type of prospect that checked all the boxes this recruiting cycle for Georgia.
Hood is the sixteenth commitment for Georgia in the Class of 2022.
COMMITMENT ANALYSIS
As seen in the footage above, Hood has excellent flexibility for a prospect his size. Just see how when in his stance, Hood can bend well at his knees, hips, and ankles. When set, Hood can keep heels flat on the ground and isn't struggling to move on the snap.
Hood has an extremely powerful lower half. Time in the Georgia strength program will do nothing but to help him hone his entire massive frame and add upper body strength. With a good pass set and long arms, Hood was able to stymie some of the best pass rushers that the Rivals Five-Star Challenge had earlier this summer.
Hood is big enough and athletic enough that he could play guard if needed at Georgia. Kirby Smart has said multiple times that Georgia looks for a massive human being to lean on people at the guard positions. Hood is very similar to current Georgia linemen Devin Willock. In his first two seasons in Athens, Willock has repped at both guard and tackle. Having a couple of years with the program under his belt, Willock has started to factor into the offensive line rotation and climb the depth chart. UGASports could see a similar trajectory for the four-star Jacob Hood.