Pittsburgh Steelers Weekend Workout at Georgia's Facility Huge for Recruiting

The Georgia Bulldogs football program perennially produces players who eventually compete at the professional level. However, several established NFL veterans invaded Athens on Saturday to polish their skills at team practice facilities. 

First-year Georgia offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer welcomed the core of a potentially prolific Pittsburgh Steelers offensive attack, working through drills with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le'Veon Bell and a trio of wide receivers—Antonio Brown, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Markus Wheaton:

None of these Steelers players attended the university, but they opted to tune up for their upcoming training camp by spending some time with Schottenheimer, who previously served as offensive coordinator with the St. Louis Rams and New York Jets. 

They were joined on the field by his father, Marty Schottenheimer, who won 200 NFL games as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers. A third generation of Schottenheimers, including Brian's son Sutton, also spent time with the pack of Pittsburgh standouts:

"

Great having Big Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers workout at our facility today! Sutton and buddies loved it! pic.twitter.com/5eTG2ZXfXz

— Brian Schottenheimer (@CoachSchottyUGA) May 10, 2015"

The Steelers featured one of the league's most well-balanced and explosive offenses in 2014. Brian Schottenheimer received largely mixed reviews during his NFL tenure, but he clearly commands respect from athletes who competed for and against him.

He replaced Mike Bobo in Athens after the longtime Bulldogs offensive coordinator accepted the head coach position at Colorado State. Despite his NFL notoriety, Schottenheimer does have a college football background.

His playing career included reserve quarterback roles at Kansas and Florida. He served as an assistant at Syracuse and Southern California before leaping to the NFL in 2001.

Most top college football prospects have aspirations of extending their career beyond four years on campus. Securing the payday and fame that can accompany an NFL opportunity is typically among top priorities, so the presence of a coach who has directed professional rosters for a the past decade-and-a-half is appealing.

Schottenheimer's ability to recruit offensive weapons to Athens will be greatly aided when young athletes see current NFL players taking the time to visit Georgia and learn some new tricks from the Georgia assistant. 

The Bulldogs are well aware an event like this can stir up positive publicity on the recruiting trail:

Schottenheimer inherited quite an offensive haul in Georgia's 2016 class when he came to town. The group already featured commitments from No. 1 overall quarterback recruit Jacob Eason and 4-star offensive tackle Ben Cleveland.

He has since assembled more promising pieces on that side of the ball, highlighted by top in-state offensive lineman E.J. Price and 4-star wide receiver Darion Anderson. 

The exposure of a visit from two-time Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger, reigning NFL receiving leader Antonio Brown and their fellow Steelers playmakers should add more momentum to Georgia's recruiting efforts on offense.

Recruit ratings courtesy of 247Sports.