Georgia National Signing Day 2015: 5 Takeaways from Bulldogs' Class

On a day epitomized by drama, twists and turns, the Georgia Bulldogs managed to weather the storm and pull in yet another stellar recruiting class on national signing day.

In total, head coach Mark Richt and his assistants received 21 signed letters of intent to go along with seven already enrolled members of the class of 2015. And this class has a little bit of everything.

A longstanding commitment from Trent Thompson, the nation's best player (per the 247Sports Composite), was honored while prospects like Kirby Choates capitalized on rising stock to give the Bulldogs a few surprise signings.

The Peach State was well represented by 14 new home-state Dawgs, but 14 signees played most recently in other states.

Defensive depth was provided and offensive holes were filled.

The true measure of this group will be determined on the field over the next four years, but here are five takeaways from Georgia's 2015 recruiting class.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand, all stats courtesy of sports-reference.com and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.com.

Chaos Reigns Supreme on Georgia's National Signing Day

Photo courtesy of 247Sports.com.

Terry Godwin committed to Georgia on Wednesday evening.

By lunchtime on national signing day, gloom, doom and utter bewilderment was setting in for Bulldog fans.

Darius Slayton, who was committed to Georgia heading into the final days of his recruitment, chose Auburn. Star linebacker Roquan Smith announced his decision to attend UCLA. Defensive back Deontai Williams flipped from Georgia to Ohio—not Ohio State.

The momentum of Georgia's 2015 class was sent into a tailspin by those three misses combined with recent decommitments from wide receiver Van Jefferson and athlete Shaquery Wilson and the general shakiness of a commitment from 5-star athlete Terry Godwin.

But the unfinished day still had plenty of highs and lows in store for the Bulldogs.

Wilson, a Miami native who had previously flipped to West Virginia, re-committed to Georgia and sent in signed paperwork early Wednesday afternoon.

In Tennessee, Jefferson pushed back his announcement, and that indecision opened the door for speculation aplenty regarding a possible flip back to Georgia. Ultimately, however, he remained loyal to his recent commitment to Ole Miss.

Meanwhile Trent Thompson, Georgia's top signee, spent time with Smith at his high school and news spread that UCLA defensive coordinator (and Smith's lead recruiter) Jeff Ulbrich was hired by the Atlanta Falcons.  The end result of Thompson's efforts and Ulbrich's departure remains unknown.

Fortunately, Georgia got good news as the evening wound down with the signing of Godwin, one of the most explosive players in this class. 

Big Class for Georgia's Defensive Front

Undeniably, the strength of this Georgia class can be found on the defensive front.

Georgia signed six defensive linemen who were ranked among the top 15 players in the nation at their respective position (per the 247Sports Composite).

• Trent Thompson: No. 1 Defensive Tackle
• Jonathan Ledbetter: No. 5 Strong-Side Defensive End
• Natrez Patrick: No. 5 Weak-Side Defensive End
• D'Andre Walker: No. 8 Weak-Side Defensive End
• Chauncey Rivers: No. 9 Weak-Side Defensive End
• Michael Barnett: No. 15 Strong-Side Defensive End

Add Roquan Smith, the nation's fifth-best outside linebacker, and Chuks Amaechi, the nation's second-best JUCO inside linebacker, to the equation and the front-seven is absolutely stacked for Georgia.

But it's not just quality that makes this group stand out; it's also quantity. In addition to the names already mentioned, Georgia added 4-star outside linebacker Gary McCrae, 3-star inside linebacker Juwan Taylor and 3-star defensive tackles DaQuan Hawkins and Justin Young.

Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt should have a field day with these young stars, and Mark Richt sang praises of the group according to GeorgiaDogs.com. "It's truly important to have the big men up front. I think we did a good job there," he said in what sounded like quite an understatement.

No Room for Error on Offense

Photo courtesy of 247Sports.com.

Jayson Stanley is a new Dawg.

As deep and talented as Georgia's 2015 recruiting class is, there aren't a ton of offensive playmakers coming to Athens.

Terry Godwin is a transcendent talent and will be capable of contributing immediately on offense (and possible special teams), but the misses on Darius Slayton and Van Jefferson hurt the passing game. To be fair, wide receivers Jayson Stanley (a 4-star wide receiver) and Michael Chigbu (3-star) are plenty capable and Shaquery Wilson may settle at receiver (if not, defensive back).

But outside of Godwin, none of those players ranks among the top 200 in the 247Sports Composite. Further, the number of potential pass-catchers is alarmingly low for an offense looking to replace Chris Conley and Michael Bennett, Georgia's top two receivers in each of the past two seasons.

There is existing talent at the receiver position in Athens, but it is unproven. Georgia missed an opportunity to add top-tier depth at the position.

Additionally, Georgia appears to be betting hard on the health of running back Nick Chubb as the Bulldogs' lone running back recruit, Tae Crowder, was flipped from Georgia Southern and held only one other SEC scholarship offer (Kentucky).

Chubb was healthy (outside of a hand injury) as a true freshman, but his top backups Sony Michel and Keith Marshall  have battled injuries in the past. 

There's not much room for error among this group of playmakers. These players need to be ready to contribute immediately.

Jeremy Pruitt Nabbed Two Stars

Photo courtesy of 247Sports.com.

Rashad Roundtree should see early playing time.

Rashad Roundtree and Rico McGraw may have been lost in the dramatics of national signing day and hidden behind a massive (in size and importance) defensive front. But they weren't flying under defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt's radar.

Pruitt, whose secondary was plagued by injuries and attrition but still found a way to improve in 2014, now has two college-ready toys to play with in the defensive backfield.  

Roundtree, the nation's fifth-best safety, according to the 247Sports Composite, had offers from just about everyone thanks to his size and athleticism.

McGraw, meanwhile, was originally a Georgia commit before flipping to Alabama and then coming back to the Bulldogs.

Pruitt has no problem playing young players in his secondary—just ask Dominick Sanders, a starter of every game as a freshman in 2014. Expect Roundtree and McGraw to play early and often.

This Class Still Isn't Finished

Photo courtesy of 247Sports.com.

Roquan Smith could still be a Bulldog.

Obviously, the possible addition of Roquan Smith still looms large. According to Rob Seibel of Macon's Telegraph, Smith has backed off of his commitment to UCLA and is reopening is recruitment. No time table has been established for a decision.

But even beyond Smith, work is not done for this class. Eight players over the last five years have signed with Georgia but failed to make it onto campus in time for their freshman seasons. There are still academic hurdles to be cleared before this class can be made whole.

If all goes according to plan, however, the class of 2015 should be a worthy foundation for the future of this program.