Advertisement
Published Dec 18, 2019
Signing Day Takeaways
circle avatar
Jake Reuse  •  UGASports
Staff
Twitter
@ReuseRecruiting

The majority of the hay is in the barn, and barring a surprise, it appears the Bulldogs may be done in the early signing period.

How did the day go?

Let's look back on some of the key stories.

REFRESHING THE RECEIVER ROOM

Advertisement

Was there any position that gave Georgia fans more fits than wideout this season? With veteran players struggling to catch or find space and creating precarious situations for quarterbacks at times, the onus was on Kirby Smart and the staff to go out and restock the cupboards.

The Bulldogs signed big-bodied wideouts Justin Robinson and Marcus Rosemy early in the day, and they capped the afternoon with public commitments and signings from a pair of speedy, shifty players in Arian Smith and longtime LSU pledge Jermaine Burton.

Each of the four has a unique and desirable skill set that should bode well for immediate competition in a depleted receiver corps. Rosemy is the do-it-all, every-down type. Robinson is a large athlete with a track background and a red zone nightmare. Smith is legitimately one of the fastest 18-year-olds in America, and Burton has a skill set that smacks of what the Dawgs will be looking to replace while Dominick Blaylock rehabs his ACL injury.

Credit the staff with recognizing a need, recruiting it fervently, and closing in very solid fashion.

SWING AND A MISS

The Dawgs went into the day with high hopes on two of the nation's top players in Burch and Stroud, but the recruitments went predictably. The five-star defensive end opted to stay close to home and play with his high school teammates in Columbia, while Stroud's longtime connection to the Buckeyes held sway. While neither was a make-or-break for Georgia, either would have been icing on the cake of a solid early period. That's just how the dominoes fall sometimes.

Reed, meanwhile, seemed all but locked into Georgia ahead of late Tuesday night, but the rumors began to swirl. By sun up on Wednesday, Auburn was leading and closed out the deal in the afternoon. There's been speculation that Georgia opted to take Major Burns in place of Reed, leaving no spot for the four-star defensive back, and there may be some merit to that. Still, he's a talented player the Bulldogs put resources into throughout the season and hosted for the last official visit weekend, so seeing him land with a rival can't feel great.

HAPPY SURPRISES

While none of the three players in this category were a surprise for choosing Georgia, the timing had to take some stress of the staff's plate.

Matt Luke reassured Tate Ratledge in short order, and where it looked as though he may delay his decision until February, the Bulldogs were able to get the paperwork done and turned in. He's as important of a commit as there is for Georgia in 2020, so closing the door feels like a major win.

Stackhouse, meanwhile, hinted that he was going to delay until February. That may have given Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia Tech a better opportunity to plead their case, but the four-star defensive lineman let the world know he was all Dawg with an early submission of his letter of intent.

Lindberg solidified his commitment on Tuesday night, and, given the need at tackle heading into next year, that was major news. He's going to be one of the sharpest players on the team from a pure intelligence standpoint, but his big, athletic frame should allow him to compete for one of those offensive line spots early on.

Advertisement