The final tally won’t be complete until February, but in regard to the signees Georgia was able to reel in Wednesday, head coach Kirby Smart feels his Bulldogs are off to a good start.
“I really feel like, when you talk about wide receiver and you talk about offensive line, what we've got leaving, and what we need on our roster, we were able to attack some of those areas—and still have work left to be done hopefully in both of those areas,” Smart said. “We got a really good, strong group; got some strong academic kids, which matters a lot to me at this university. Some great competitors. I think four guys played for state championships. Two guys won state championships. I'm really excited about this class. It's not completely done yet but, obviously, a lot of the pieces are in place."
Four are members of the Rivals100 squad.
Topping the list is five-star offensive lineman Tate Ratledge (No. 13 overall), followed by five-star running back Kendall Milton (No. 27), then linebacker Mekhail Sherman (No. 38), and wide receiver Marcus Rosemy (No. 44).
Rosemy (6-foot-2, 185-pounds), who could pay immediate dividends for the Bulldogs with his ability to stretch the field, is one of four wide receivers signed by the Bulldogs.
He joins four-star wideouts Arian Smith, Justin Robinson, and Jermaine Burton, who flipped to the Bulldogs from LSU.
“We’ve been excited about Justin for a long time—Marcus, too. They both came to our camp over the summer, and were as competitive for kids as you’ve seen out there in 1-on-1s. Both of them had good senior years, both of them won state championships,” Smart said. “Arian’s a kid who’s got a lot of speed; it’s pretty obvious he can run fast. He wants to run track here, which we’ve been very open to. We had success with Mecole doing that, so that’s a big selling point for him. We had a lot of other kids joining us today who we think are going to help us.”
Ratledge (6-5, 295) is one of four offensive linemen to sign with the Bulldogs on Wednesday. He joined Devin Willock (6-7, 350) and Chad Lindberg (No. 156 overall; 6-6, 297) on the signee list. The Bulldogs also signed three-star Austin Blaske from South Effingham.
Four-star center Sedrick Van Pran and five-star tackle Broderick Jones remain committed to the Bulldogs, but will wait until February 5 to make up their minds.
Carson Beck was the only quarterback signed after California target CJ Stroud chose Ohio State.
“I’m as excited as I can be. This guy’s come to camps since maybe his ninth-grade year. He’s grown up and gotten better with each and every year,” Smart said of Beck. “He came this summer and hung out with our guys. I can’t say enough about Carson and his family—the competitive nature that’s inside him. He’s been a winner. He won a state championship last year at Mandarin, which is probably never been done before, I think, at their school. He led those guys to that and did a great job.”
However, Smart’s search for a second quarterback may not be over. He didn’t rule out the Bulldogs taking a graduate transfer to help fill the need, which would obviously be greater if Jake Fromm decides to enter the NFL Draft.
“Yeah, we don't ever take anything out of the realm. I mean, when we have graduate transfers in the past, that's like a constant study,” Smart said. “We're looking at that for every position. Guys, it's simple. You want to make your roster the best you can. That's our job as coaches. So, we're in constant pursuit of every opportunity we have. There's nothing that's off-limits in regard to recruiting or making your roster better.”
On defense, the Bulldogs struck gold with Sherman, who could push for early playing time, while adding defensive linemen Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse, and Jalen Carter.
“Those three guys, you start looking across the country; defensive linemen are hard to find. Six-foot-3 plus, 300-pound plus, athletic guys, they don’t grow on trees,” Smart said. “You don’t expect to go pick them and grab them the way you do DBs and wide receivers. They are hard to find. Big and physical presence guys. We needed that. We’re losing some core guys, and those three guys to me are as good a group as you’ll find in the country, with those three coming in together that we really need.”
The Bulldogs, who also signed kicker Jared Zirkel, added depth to their secondary with the additions of Jalen Kimber and Major Burns.
Along with Van Pran and Jones, keep an eye out for five-star cornerback Kelee Ringo and five-star tight end Darnell Washington, who will announce their decisions early next month.
“I can only comment on the ones who have signed today; that’s all I’m allowed to comment on. I’m excited about the ones who signed today,” Smart said. “I’m looking forward to finishing off the class, with another great class. I’m very pleased with what we brought in today, and I’m very pleased with what we’ve got coming forward in February. But I can’t talk about it.”
