Georgia Football: Position-by-Position Grades for 2015 Recruiting Class

When national signing day came to end on February 5, the Georgia Bulldogs finished with 29 signed players. But a few days later, that number went up to 30 when Roquan Smith signed with the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs finished with the sixth-best class in the nation, fourth-best in the conference and second-best in the division, according to 247 Sports.

But how good is the class? Did the Bulldogs hit on every target this year, or did they let some players slip from them? Here are position-by-position grades for the 2015 recruiting class.

Quarterbacks

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The Bulldogs did not sign a quarterback this year, but in the grand scheme of things they really didn’t need to.

Not many scholarships were offered to quarterbacks this year, because they are set with Brice Ramsey, Faton Bauta and Jacob Park, who took a redshirt in 2014.

But the real key was getting class-of-2016 prospect Jacob Eason to commit. He’s arguably the best pro-style quarterback in the country, and he has the tools to be the next standout quarterback for the Dawgs.

Grade: A

Running Backs

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Another position that was not a huge need was running back, and that has a lot to do with Nick Chubb and Sony Michel being sophomores this upcoming season. Also, Keith Marshall is coming back from a medical redshirt year, so he’s looking to get back to where he was in 2012.

The Bulldogs did have one commit in Chris Carson, but he decommitted a few days before national signing day to commit to Oklahoma State. So the Bulldogs offered Tae Crowder from Harris County, Georgia, who is 6’3’’ and 220 pounds. He will be expected to do many things in the Bulldogs offense down the road.

Grade: B

Receivers/Tight Ends

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Wide receiver was an area of need because the Bulldogs will be without Justin Scott-Wesley and Malcolm Mitchell after the 2015 season.

Signing Terry Godwin was big for UGA, because he’s very athletic that has great hands. But Jayson Stanley could be the next deep threat for the Bulldogs, because he can stretch the field and has the size to separate from defenders.

As far as the tight end position goes, the Bulldogs weren’t in need for one, because Jeb Blazevich and Jay Rome make a solid tandem. However, Jackson Harris has too much of an upside to pass up.  Harris is still developing as a receiver, but he’s a great blocker, and that could get him early playing time.

Grade: A-

Offensive Line

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Overall, the Bulldogs did a good job getting in-state players. But if there’s one area at which they could have improved, it would be offensive line.

However, that isn’t to say the talent the Bulldogs sign is lacking, because Patrick Allen and Sam Madden have the ability to play offensive guard as well as tackle.

But the in-state players, DeVondre Seymour and Sage Hardin, are no slouches, either. Out of the four, Seymour has the best chance to play right away because of his experience in the JUCO level.

Offensive line coach Rob Sale wishes they would have signed in-state players such as Mitch Hyatt and Chuma Edoga, but this is a solid group that could be cohesive down the road.

Grade: B+

Defensive Line

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Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt was looking to improve the defensive line, and he did that in a huge way.

And it starts with Trent Thompson, who is considered the best prospect in the country. He and Jonathan Ledbetter could be the next Marcus Stroud and Richard Seymour.

But let’s not forget about Justin Young. In his senior season at Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia, he registered 20 sacks. DaQuan Hawkins and Michael Barnett are also talented linemen that will see some time on the field soon.

This is by far the best defensive line class the Bulldogs have signed in the Mark Richt era.

Grade: A+

Linebackers

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Pruitt also wanted to strengthen the linebacker corps, and he was able to do that as well.

At inside linenbacker, the Bulldogs signed Chucks Amaechi and Jake Ganus. Both players are versatile, and both can make plays in the backfield.

At outside linebacker, the Bulldogs added D’Andre Walker and Natrez Patrick. Walker notched 23.5 sacks his senior year in high school, while Patrick played outside and inside linebacker last season and notched 19 sacks.

But the wild card in all this is Smith. He is not the biggest linebacker, but he can strike at the point of attack, can play in space and can react quickly to developing plays.

Grade:  A

Defensive Backs

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In Pruitt’s defense, there are never enough defensive backs, so he, along with the rest of the coaching staff, were unable to hit on all their targets.

At cornerback, the Bulldogs landed Juwan Briscoe and Rico McGraw. Brisoce has a chance to see a lot of playing time this season, while McGraw can play either corner or safety.

Speaking of safety, Jarvis Wilson and Jonathan Abram are already on campus working out with the team. They could also see a lot of action this season, especially on special teams.

Rashad Roundtree is the best safety prospect in the class, but the coaches may take it easy on him for the sake of development. And Kirby Choates could be the next Aaron Davis in terms of not being highly recruited, but he could make noise in fall camp.

Overall, this group has a chance to make the secondary bigger, stronger and faster.

Grade: A