ATHENS, Ga. - Georgia fans can only hope that the Bulldogs' football recruiting efforts down the stretch take a turn for the better by the time the last fax rolls in on Wednesday's signing day.
That's because on Monday defensive tackle target Jeff Whitaker from Warner Robins announced he would sign with Auburn, Frostproof (Fla.) cornerback commitment Nickell Robey eliminated Georgia from his list and Lowndes linebacker Telvin Smith said he is sticking with his Florida State commitment after giving the Bulldogs another look.
Whitaker said Miami was his runner-up, ahead of Georgia.
"It just felt comfortable," Whitaker said during his announcement, which was streamed at DawgPost.com. "It was like no question. I couldn't turn away from it. It just felt like home when I went to Auburn." Robey, who had wavered with his commitment for some time, is no longer considering Georgia, said Brad Metheny, who coached Robey this past season.
Robey took a visit over the weekend to Southern California and also was still looking at West Virginia and South Florida.
Robey gave a non-binding commitment to Georgia last summer, but has been looking at his options since the fall when there was uncertainty about the future of defensive coordinator Willie Martinez, who was fired after the season.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Smith committed to the Seminoles last July, but Georgia coaches had been talking to Smith about signing with the Bulldogs.
"I feel like Florida State is about to take off," said Smith, who made his announcement on Valdosta radio station 99.5 FM. "The players that are already there from Lowndes High will be able to look after me." Georgia coach Mark Richt and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham visited Smith last week in Valdosta. Smith took an official visit to Georgia and returned to Athens again over the weekend.
Smith is rated as the nation's No. 18 outside linebacker by Rivals.com and No. 27 by Scout.com.
Georgia remains a top contender for Stephenson defensive tackle Mike Thornton and a finalist with Florida State for receiver Christian Green from Tampa Catholic.
Georgia receiver commitment Da'Rick Rogers from Calhoun - rated by Rivals and Scout.com as the state's top prospect - will be most closely watched to see if he signs with the Bulldogs or switches to Tennessee on Wednesday.
It is time for Mark Richt to step down or be fired.
This is nothing new. This sort of thing happens every year, at every school. And it especially happens when there are coaching changes. You have to remember, this is involving young kids here...16-17-18 year old kids...some of them want to stay close to home, some want to get as far away as possible from home, some want to go to school with their old classmates, some want to be there with a girlfriend or a sibling. There are just too many variables that determine a kid's decision. That's why I don't waste my time worrying about what kid goes where. I leave that up to the millionaire head coaches!
I'd say that is a little harsh. UGA had a rough season but Richt's tenure has been quite successful considering the stiff SEC competition as of late. If Knowshon and Stafford had stuck around UGA could have been much more competitive. Same goes for the injury to Sturdivant. They need to make a run at the SEC East this year or things could go downhill fast for the program.
What Rogers does will be interesting. We have Vince Dooley's son at UT now. Will he pull UGA recruits? This is war. Vince has already said he will pull for his son. Richt has done a good job and had us ranked number one in the country not long a go.
Sorry, but I think the job Coach Richt is doing and the example he sets for GA football players as students, competitors and human beings is hard to beat. I hope Richt stays with UGA for many more years to come and look forward to the year he wins big for Georgia!
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