Ray Drew finally made it official on Friday morning, committing publicly to Georgia.
The defensive end-linebacker from Thomas County Central High School is the nation's ninth overall prospect according to Rivals.com. So he becomes the highest-rated commitment for Georgia, which now has four of the nation's top 60 prospects (as rated by Rivals) and No. 23 Isaiah Crowell and No. 42 Jeoffrey Pagan reportedly leaning the Bulldogs' way.
"SEC ... watch out. The Dawgs are back," another commitment, Hunter Long, tweeted shortly after Drew's announcement.
Drew's decision wasn't a surprise, or apparently a well-kept secret. Another commitment, Watts Dantzler, publicly welcomed Drew to the class before Drew made the announcement.
Drew can play DE or LB in Georgia's 3-4 system. He becomes the 23rd commitment to Georgia's 2011 class, with several more key players still on the board. That includes Crowell, a tailback, Pagan, a defensive lineman, and junior college standout John Jenkins, a nose tackle.
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I'm posting this at - looking at non-existent watch - 9:07 a.m. Ray Drew, the Thomas County Central High School star, is scheduled to make his announcement at 10 a.m. I'll update the thread once Drew makes it official.
Most people will be shocked if the linebacker-defensive end doesn't pick Georgia. Auburn, LSU and Clemson were also under consideration.
Let me also use this opportunity address the Ralph Friedgen rumors. The former head coach at Maryland has been linked to Georgia's offensive line job based on the fact that a) he was spotted in Athens recently, b) he has a house about an hour away near Lake Oconee, and c) people need something to talk about.
I spoke to someone on Thursday who I'm pretty sure would know if something was up, and they didn't give it any credence. It would be quite a step down for someone to go from 10 years as a head coach in a BCS conference - even the ACC - to a position coach in college. And so he was in Athens: As pointed out he has a house about an hour away, and hey, we Maryland grads like Athens. The crabs aren't as good as back home - but there is the Terrapin beer. Just sayin'.
Friday, January 28, 2011
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42 comments:
Seth, I hope you mean most people will be shocked if Drew doesn't pick UGA?
Fixed it. Too early in the morning.
Seth, is this streaming anywhere that you know of? Or perhaps on TV?
Absolutely, and the fact that Terrapin is on your mind doesn't help matters. But as the late-great Colonel Sanders said, It's 5 o'clock somewhere. Thank You
Dream Scenario for me would be Garner moving to OL, Grantham to DL, Belin to LB coach (all linebackers), Friedgen as the OC, Bobo to QB coach only.
I loved Fridge's offense when he was at Tech...didn't follow him too closesly when he was at Maryland.
Step down? What about Weis to Florida?
@Rich - Weis took an OC position at Florida. I don't think people would scoff if Fridge took an OC position, but being an OL(or any position) coach only, would be viewed as a pretty big step back, unless there was some clear succession planning.
Announce it already! I can only screw around at work for so long!
@Red...OC in the NFL to same position in college is a step down.
We got Drew!
Drew is a DAWG!!! Hell yes!!!
GO DAWGS!!!!!!!
Great to see that the awful season we had hasn't had an impact on recruiting. Seems like these kids want to come into the program and make an impact. With this much talent, I am feeling optimistic about our future. I really like how these kids are selling the Dream Team to the rest of the uncommitted recruits as well. Hopefully that will convince guys like Crowell and Jenkins to come play for us. GO DAWGS!
GOOOO DAWGS! SIC EM!
this is great. at least sounds great. Defense is #1 reason we haven't competed for anything in 5 years. we needed DL/OLB in worst way. could possibly get 3-4 DL studs in the last week. Ray seems like a leader. which is something else we're badly in need of
Any truth to the posibility that Marshal from Wilcox Co will count as Basketball scholly?
I thought I read where he was going to attempt to play both at UGA?
At 63, I doubt RF could get another HC gig. The ability to work close to his lake home, be involved in the sport he loves, take step back from the HC duties and just concentrate on offense, I think he might like that challenge at this point. The bigger question and I think the answer is no, has he ever coached OL before, assuming he would take that spot of course.
What say you now BuLLdawg/anonymous?
Did we fill your linbacker needs?
(yes Drew will start out playing OLB - said so at his announcement)
And the good news continues..
Great news about Drew! Ignore the dawggie downers, they're jealous fans of other teams.
Hey dawgjammin. Marshall is going to play both, but he will have to count towards a football scholly. It's called the Bear Bryant rule where any athlete that plays any other sport AND football has to count as a football scholarship. It was said that back in the day Bear could get whoever he wanted because if he ran out of football scholarships he would just use a track, swimming or any other scholarship. I also heard that Coach Richt and Coach Fox agreed to this as this would give Coach Fox greater flexibility to use an extra scholly.
Before we start celebrating too much, do we know if any of these kids might have issues academically?
I know Drew doesn't, but I haven't heard anything else either way with the others. (Well, excepting for the two who are already enrolled.)
only Mayes is slated not to qualify - will probably be a sign and place like Fields
http://www.schooltube.com/video/1ce0c7d4cea654a91275/Ray-Drew-Announces
After watching that video, I am incredibly impressed with Mr. Drew and how savvy he is.
Mark Richt has never lacked for talent here at Georgia.
2009 he had the # 6 recruiting class
2008 he had the # 7 recruting class
2007 he had the # 9 recruiting class
He has squandered the talent he has been given at 2-10 vs teams finishing in the top 25 the last 3 years and 3-10 vs teams finishing the top 10 the last 10 years, while losing 10 games to teams finishing not even in the top 25 the last 10 years as well.
By the way, if Mark Richt gets credit for the recruit rankings he brings in, how it again please folks that he is not held responsible for their arrests / suspensions off the field, and for their 21 losses the last 5 years - an average of more than 4 losses a year the last 5 years
anon 1241 - Some people like to enjoy life and when enjoy when things go well. We get it, there have been problems the last couple of years. Instead of focusing on that some of us have hope that things will change and are enjoying the fact that despite this years bad season we are still able to bring in a very good recruiting class. That way if Richt does get it turned around he will have more talent for the future, if he doesn't he will leae the team stocked for the next guy. Maybe if there was some new point you had to make we might give a darn but until you do let me tell you that we get it. Arrests, losses etc bad. Gotcha. Thanks for coming out.
LB Darryl Gamble 6’ 2” 257 lbs. gone
LB Justin Houston 6’ 3” 260 lbs. gone
LB Akeem Dent 6’ 2” 230 lbs. gone
LB Akeem Hebron 6’ 1” 230 lbs. gone
LB Marcus Dowtin 6’ 2” 230 lbs. gone
LB Nick Williams 6’ 2” 220 lbs gone
Recruit commitments :
LB Amarlo Herrera North Clayton HS 6’ 2” 215 lbs
LB Ramik Wilson Jefferson Senior HS 6’ 3” 228 lbs
Ray Drew is too slow to play LB in The SEC at 4.74 speed 40-yard dash.
Ray Drew is a DE, although not a typical SEC 3-4 DE at only 243 lbs.
The 2 DE that Ray Drew could be a replacement for are :
Brandon Wood 6’ 1” 284 lbs.
Demarcus Dobbs 6’ 2” 274 lbs.
Those are typical 3-4 DE sizes.
Why do you want to talk about LB ?
What I said is we need Fullback, Tailback, Nose Guard, Strong Safety, Free Safety, Linebackers.
You don’t think Christian LeMay is our best football recruit for 2011 as the # 4 best Quarterback in the nation much faster much taller and much more accurate passer than Aaron Murray, when we are only going to give snaps to Aaron Murray all 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.
Is there anything else you want to ask me while you say Christian LeMay is not the best recruit of our stellar recruitng class - although not at the needs positions we had to have players at - and, while you say Ray Drew is the answer to SIX (6) Top Linebackers lost from our 2010 team. Get back with me on that, please. Are you the poster who told me that we would Win The SEC East 2010, running the table in the SEC East 2010 and at most lose 1 game to an SEC West team all season long ?
Sorry Paul
This is not about high ranked recruiting classes
Not when we have had nothing but high ranked recruiting classes and still cannot beat the good teams, still cannot quit losing to the bad teams, and still get 20 percent of the team arrested / suspended.
I return you now to your feel good recruiting class so you can bask in the glory of yet another highly ranked recruiting class
which our coaching staff will
SQUANDER
and, not discipline
by the way, if you get it, why doesn’t Mark Richt get it ?
anon 12:24 p.m.
You do not know that only a 4-Star Defensive Tackle Chris Mayes of Griffin at 6" 295 lbs. ranked the # 22 best football player overall in the state of Georgia, is the only 1 of the 23 commitments so far who will not make it onto the football team.
There are 8 long months for us to wait and see who actually are in classes in the Fall to play in the Fall, or be redshirted because they are not filling our needs, not fitting the glaring obvious holes. Or don't get arrested and kicked off the team like we did to 7 football players since this time last year.
This year is supposed to be so different.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein, (attributed)
US (German-born) physicist (1879 - 1955)
Didn't say it was all about recruiting, just saying we have all heard you say the same thing day after day. If Richt goes 13-1 and wins a national championship you will be complaining about the 1 loss. If Richt doesn't get the job done on the field this fall I will be the first one to welcome whoever the new coach is and wish him the best. I just don't see what you think you are accomplishing by repeating and repeating and repeating the same krap. There is not one thing you are saying that is offering anything new. As for the sizes of the players, I dare say that all of the heights and weights listed were not the heights and weights of those players their senior year of high school. Several of the players committed are more expected to provide depth this year and be stars in future years. The main positions where this is not the case is NT which we are hoping that Jenkins will commit and fill that role in which case Tyson moves out to DE and Arby Jones fills the other defensive end slot meaning that any of the incoming freshmen at DE will be used more for backup role and not be expected to be the guy who turns the team around. For lb's the main guys expected to step in for Houston and Dent are Samuel and Jarvis Jones. The secondary is all back. With a second year in the 3-4 all of the defense should be better just from the simple fact they will know the system better. The only other position people think someone might be able to step into as a freshman is rb with Crowell if he commits. If he doesn't then Ealey will be the guy most counted on with hopefully either Malcome or King providing depth at the position. At wr some depth would be nice and if someone really stepped up as a freshman then that would be great but not something that is being counted on. Murray should be improved with a year starting experience plus the coaches won't be quite as afraid of his being hurt with Lemay on the roster and Mason having a year to have learned the system and so should be better should Murray get hurt. This means they will be more apt to let Murray just make plays instead of holding him back. Does all this mean we will have the kind of season we all think UGA should have, maybe maybe not. Will I be cheering and hoping that all the things we need to go right do so that UGA has a great season, you better count on it. So if others and I want to look for good signs that things are going to be better you sir will just have to deal with it.
Ok, Paul,
This blog has responses indicating that this is different, this 2011 year. That, now, we have a # 8 ranked recruiting class to-date. So, therefore everything is fixed.
1 poster even said that we fixed losing 6 linebackers gaining a commitment from a 4.74 linebacker who is listed as a DE, obviously with that kind of lack of speed. Hell, Aaron Murray is faster than that, and Aaron Murray is slower than every linebacker in The entire SEC.
So, if you don't want to hear the reply, skip on past the post. I will be damned if this year will be different from 9-4 along with the 4+ losses a season average of the last 5 years - NEXT YEAR.
We have done nothing to fill the obvious holes on this team.
We have done nothing to fix the play calls.
And, yet here we are with posts that low and behold this year is different. DISNEYdawgs.com
"If Richt goes 13-1 and wins a national championship you will be complaining about the 1 loss."
You are out of your freaking mind.
I really do feel bad for some of you people. You can't enjoy any good news whatsoever. No matter what happens you'll complain and go on and on repeating the same thing over and over again. You can't add anything new to the conversation and frankly it's getting really old listening to you people cry. Grow up and look for some positives during this difficult time in Dawg nation.
BuLLdawg go get some Kleenex and have a good cry over our recruiting class.
Bulldawg is like the autistic guy in Rain Man, he just repeats mindless numbers and phrases." I buy my underwear at K mart, I buy my underwear at K mart."
"If Richt goes 13-1 and wins a national championship"
This is what you'll keep repeating.
Bulldawg= boo hoo.... sniff sniff.... boo hoo.
Anon 9:23 Richt has already gone 13-1 and Richt has already won TWO national championships. Duh!
Josh, no big deal and I hope it doesn't seem I'm singling you out, but I had to delete that because technically it's a copyright violation to cut-and-paste anything like that, but especially from a pay site like ESPN insider. I wouldn't want other sites to do it to me or my site either.
@1:47
Justin Houston runs a 4.73 forty
Quit hatin man
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Cute and repeating the same worn out BS over and over is what ?
Anon 11:44. - Bwahhhhhhhh!
Anon/ BuLLdawg@ 11:44. "BS"? Do you kiss your Mom with that dirty mouth?
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