Georgia Bulldogs Fill Key Holes with 2009 Recruiting Class

As we close the books on another recruiting season, we find the Georgia Bulldogs in a familiar place, the top 10 of the recruiting heap. They may not have had a huge class, but the quality of the players they signed far outweighs the quantity.

As we headed into the post-season, there were some glaring holes that certainly needed to be addressed. Did we get the job done?

Quarterback

We lost Matthew Stafford to the glare and glitz of the NFL, leaving behind Joe Cox and Logan Gray to fill his big shoes. Now, I have full confidence in Joe Cox, but he is a senior this year and we needed to add some depth to that position for the future. We did that in spades, adding both Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray.

Aaron Murray isn't as physically-imposing as Matthew Stafford was, but he makes up for that in his maturity and leadership potential. He won't blow you away with his speed, but he does have decent mobility in the pocket and makes good decisions when throwing into zone coverage.

Zach Mettenberger is a local product, hailing just a few miles south of Athens, GA. At 6'5, 228, he definitely is a beast. He needs to work on his accuracy and touch, but has a lot of potential. He could end up being the toast of this years QB class.

Running Back

We all know about the loss of Knowshon Moreno. Luckily, Mark Richt and his staff will still have Caleb King and Richard Samuel for Joe Cox to hand the ball off to. Running back has been a solid position for us historically, so I don't see that the Dawgs needed to add anything here. However, in the SEC, it never hurts to have depth at key positions.

Washaun Ealey won't blow you away with his speed, but he has great vision and balance on the field and can find the holes when you need him to. He doesn't do any one thing phenomenally, but can do everything well. An excellent addition to an already talented running back corps.

Wide Receiver

We lost Mohammed Massaquoi to graduation, but we still have Tavarres King, Michael Moore, and the very talented A.J. Green. 

Yesterday, however, the Dawgs addressed the departure of Massaquoi by stealing away the third-ranked WR in the nation, Marlon Brown.

He has great hands and size, and will pose some serious match-up problems for the corners in the SEC. There will be a bit of a learning curve for him as he may need to add a little more muscle to that frame, but offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has to be salivating at the fact that he will have another great option at WR to go along an already talented A.J. Green.

Georgia also added was Rantavious Wooten; he's not as big as Brown, but he will be excellent as a slot receiver as well as being a decent deep ball threat. 

Cornerback

Asher Allen left early for the NFL, leaving behind a lot of inexperience in the secondary.

Enter in Branden Smith. He has all the tools to be a shutdown corner in the SEC. He doesn't have great size, but that won't stop him from making some big-time plays in the league.

The coaches at Georgia are already eyeing him as a dual-threat; he will likely play on both sides of the ball, a la Champ Bailey (the former Georgia cornerback known for playing on both sides). He'll compete with Brandon Boykin and Vance Cuff for a starting position, and has an opportunity to play very early next season.

The Dawgs also added Jordan Love. At 6'0, he has decent size, and he runs a very respectable 4.4, which means he should do a fairly nice job of keeping up with the big time wide receivers in his conference.

Offensive Line

One area that the Dawgs can never have too much depth at is the offensive line. Every year we seem to suffer with a host of season-ending injuries. Last season's line was pieced together almost on a game by game basis during the early part of the season, but still performed exceptionally well under the circumstances.

We added big time OT, Austin Long. This very-talented left tackle seemed to be on everyone's wish list this year (Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, FSU, and Auburn), but Georgia managed to pry him away from all of them and I have no doubt that he will make his presence felt early.

Others added were talented guards, Chris Burnette and Dallas Lee, both of whom are in-state products; everyone is well aware of the treasure trove of o-line prospects that come from this great state. Richt and company continue to dig into that box and pick the best talent his home state can offer.

Linebackers and Defensive Line

We added two strong prospects in Chase Vasser and Dexter Moody. Both are from within the state and are rated highly at their respective positions.

Georgia didn't do a great job of pass rushing last season, so this should definitely help. Along with the additions of Montez Robinson and Abry Jones, the Bulldog pass rush should be greatly improved over last years.

Personally, I think the Bulldogs and Rodney Garner did a phenomenal job filling in some key holes left by departing players. I expect them to be in the mix again next season for an SEC title. Florida will be a tough win to get, but anything is possible.

The countdown to next season has begun. Only 200+ days to go until Oklahoma State.