The August to December recruiting window has traditionally been one of the major keys in any cycle, as coaches make final in-person evaluations, prep to play host to top prospects, and put on a strong push ahead of the early Signing Period.

Of course, 2020 has been anything but traditional.

Still, the next few months do figure to be key in shaping the landscape of classes across the country.

Today, we begin a dive in on where Georgia stands ahead of this key period with a look at the State of the Class of 2021.

QUARTERBACK

The Georgia quarterback room is admittedly flush heading into the 2020 season, with Kirby Smart managing to keep a mind boggling seven players on the roster at the position. That’s a far cry from where things were just a year ago, with Jake Fromm and Stetson Bennett seen as the only two viable options throughout the campaign. Since that time, the Bulldogs have added graduate transfer and presumed starter Jamie Newman from Wake Forest, former five-star and USC transfer JT Daniels, four-star freshman Carson Beck, Nevada walk-on transfer Austin Kirksey, and walk-on Jackson Muschamp. Also, D’Wan Mathis enters into the year cleared to play after brain surgery last year, and Stetson Bennett and redshirt freshman walk-on Nathan Priestly remain as holdovers from last year.

Given the sudden spike in depth, the Bulldogs will spend scholarships lightly in 2020 and already have their man in Brock Vandagriff, the nation’s No. 1 pro-style quarterback, committed. Well regarded for his exceptional arm talent and somewhat underrated ability to make a play with his legs when the pocket breaks down, Vandagriff was long the target of Georgia’s affections before committing to Oklahoma. After a Christmas "come to Jesus" moment after spending time with family, the distance became too great to ignore, and the 6-foot-3 local star opted for the ten-minute drive to campus in Athens.

Vandagriff, a rising senior at Bogart, Georgia’s Prince Avenue Academy, enters his final high school season just shy of 6,000 career passing yards. Despite seeing his passing yardage drop in his junior year, he had arguably the best season of his young career, completing 71.6 percent of his passes, averaging almost 19 completions a game, and compiling 31 touchdowns and a 144.2 overall quarterback rating. The latter four marks were career bests.

Since committing to Georgia, he’s pivoted to working on the recruiting trail for the Bulldogs, which has proven to be crucial given the shutdown across the country. While Georgia coaches have been unable to meet face-to-face with prospects who’ve made their way to Athens such as Amarius Mims and Brock Bowers, Vandagriff has taken up the opportunity to play host, spending time with recruits both around campus and at his family’s home in Bogart. Having such a key asset so nearby is a luxury afforded to very few other teams in the nation, and the Bulldogs have to be thanking their lucky stars for their 2021 quarterback commit and the role he’s taken on in an unprecedented time. It’s certainly paid dividends thus far.

With Vandagriff already in the fold, attention is turning toward the Class of 2022, which once again appears to be strong in-state. Gunner Stockton is the name atop the board, but others are seeing some push, including Holden Geriner, MJ Morris, and yet-to-be offered but prospect to watch Bryce Archie. Outside of the Peach State, Tanner Bailey, Braden Davis, and Chad Mascoe could also see some heavy pursuit from the Bulldogs when the time comes. For now, we expect they’ll stay in-state for 2022 and hope for another Vandagriff-type.

RUNNING BACK

It’s been up and down with running back recruiting throughout the cycle, with names floating in and out of the conversation.

While names such as TreVeyon Henderson and Evan Pryor were initially considered as potential front-runners, both opted for Ohio State, and forced a bit of a reset on the board.

That led the Bulldogs to one-time South Carolina commit and IMG-by-way-of-Warrenton star Lovasea Carroll, who was interested in the Bulldogs and seemingly waiting for the interest to pick up. When it did, he jumped on the opportunity, pledging his commitment in early April of 2020. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound ball carrier brings size and breakaway speed to the table, along with the kind of high level athleticism that had some teams thinking he might be a fit at safety. In a 2019 season hampered by injury, Carroll still managed to average ten yards per carry, though his total rushing yardage fell by almost 900 yards in his junior campaign. The Bulldogs will monitor his senior campaign closely and hope to see him return to his sophomore form, where he posted almost 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground.

It’s not exactly been all smooth sailing with Carroll either, however, as he seemed to entertain an opportunity from the Florida Gators quite heavily, and openly admitted that he’d given thought to flipping his commitment. Ultimately, the Bulldogs were able to hold on to his pledge, and he seems firmly locked in at this point.

Still, there’s a clear want for a second back in the class, and there’s not exactly a clear frontrunner. That doesn’t mean there aren’t options, however.

Perhaps the longest and most heavily courted tailback on the board, Michigan-based Rivals100 prospect Donovan Edwards has seen the Bulldogs remain consistent in his recruitment. Edwards has been one of the Georgia priorities most affected by the recruiting shutdown. Will the Big Ten’s football shutdown aid in the pursuit? That remains to be seen, but it’s clear Georgia is still in the mix and will fight tooth and nail against his home state Wolverines, the presumed leader for his services. The longer the recruitment goes, however, the more opportunities Georgia will have, and this one could go the distance of early signing day.

Elsewhere, Amari Daniels has seen the Bulldogs remain a consistent force, though it’s thought that he’s leaning toward staying home at Miami or potentially following James Coley to Texas A&M. LJ Johnson has been tied to Georgia as well, noting that he hopes to make a visit as soon as the shutdown is over, but nearby Texas looks to be sitting well for him at the moment. Peach State options such as Cody Brown and Gabe Ervin have opted for the Vols and Cornhuskers, respectively, and Clemson holds commits from two Georgia-offered prospects in Will Shipley and Phil Mafah.

This may well be a situation where the Bulldogs continue to pitch their man (Edwards), while taking stock of running backs nationwide again this fall. Given the lack of camps and in-person evaluation, there are sure to be some unearthed gems out in the running back world where 2021 is concerned. The Bulldogs will hope their patience is rewarded.

NOTE: All stats per MaxPreps.com