Signing Day Notebook: Smart explains why DB was such a focus

There were several storylines that emerged from the Georgia perspective for National Signing Day, including the fact that Georgia signed five defensive backs, giving them seven for the class including early enrollees Deangelo Gibbs and Richard LeCounte.

Three announced their decisions on Wednesday – Eric Stokes, Ameer Speed and Latavious Brini – joining Tray Bishop and William Poole III, who also signed their respective letters of intent.

So, why so many?

Head coach Kirby Smart said the reason was simple.

“Length, man. We had to get length. I think any time you can get a 10.4, 10.5 100-meter guy, six-foot-plus, 6-2 or 6-3 in some cases, good physicality, good strength. I think bulk is a big part of being a good DB nowadays,” Smart said. “You’re tackling Nick Chubb and Sony Michel pretty much every week in the SEC. So, when you’ve got 180-pound guys, it’s tough if you don’t hit that 200-pound mark. We think we attacked that area.”

It would appear so.

Except for LeCounte (5-11), six of the seven defensive backs signed by the Georgia Bulldogs range anywhere from 6-foot (Poole) to 6-foot-3 (Bishop and Speed).

“We think that we were very successful at getting some longer guys. Will they be ready to play next year? I sure hope so,” Smart said. “That’s what they’re hoping, too. They want to come in here and compete. We needed to get longer and bigger to be able to matchup some guys, and we hope those guys are able to do it.”

Big things expected from Wilson

Smart, like most coaches, doesn’t put much stock in star rankings, but he has some very high hopes when it comes to five-star Isaiah Wilson.

When asked if the Brooklyn native could play an integral role right away for the Bulldogs, Smart wasn’t shy with his response.

“Certainly (Wilson is) capable of competing. I don’t want to call out one guy in a whole class, but this guy is talented,” Smart said. “I’ve been fortunate to be around some really good offensive tackles. Cam Robinson played for (Alabama) as a freshman, Andre Smith played at Alabama before I got there as a freshman.”

Wilson is expected to get looks at both left and right tackle for the Bulldogs this fall. “He has the right mental makeup, the right demeanor. He does have to take care of his body and make sure he doesn’t get his weight out of control,” Smart said. “I can’t actually tell you what he weighs right now because I don’t know. But there have been different numbers out there that have been reported. We’ll see what he comes in at. The good thing is that in college football you get 60 days before they come into camp to monitor some of that. But he’s a talented young man.”

Hardman to play some offense?

It’s been suggested that returning sophomore Mecole Hardman could see some offense this fall and Smart admitted that could be the case.

“That’s certainly a good thought. It’s been talked about. The problem we have right now is we have a deficient team at corner and Mecole Hardman can play it,” Smart said. “We’ve got four guys for the spring. So, it’s not a situation where we are going to be able to throw guys out there at corner and move him around. He was developing nicely at corner and we want him to continue to do that. But we’ll have to find ways to get Mecole the ball or use him more on defense because he’s certainly a more skilled athlete.”

Dawgs address size in receiving corps

Getting defensive backs with length wasn’t the only position where that was a recruiting priority for the Bulldogs.

Finding some receivers with size was important, too.

“Ideally, you'd like to have a tall, fast guy. Everybody wants a tall, fast guy. You want a big physical guy. We probably didn't get the Isaiah McKenzie type, the guy who can do all those versatile things. That's probably an area we'll have to, you know, some kind of way develop somebody on the team, or find new ways to use some of our good players with the ball in their hands,” Smart said. “But for the most part, we've got big wide receivers. That's what we want. We want physical guys to improve our stature. You need both when you have 10, 11, 12 scholarships, you want guys who have both and have a little wiggle along with those big guys.”

Of the four wideouts who are part of the class, Mark Webb is the shortest at 6-1, followed by early enrollee Jeremiah Holloman and Trey Blount at 6-2 and Matt Landers at 6-5.

Quotable

“You never really know with the things going like they are in college football nowadays. You’ve got guys who are graduates that may transfer. You’re always worried about guys coming and going, but we’ll be fine with the 85.” – Smart on getting down to the 85 scholarships before fall camp.