Georgia National Signing Day 2016: 5 Takeaways from Bulldogs' Class

The Georgia Bulldogs football program is in a transition period, and its 2016 recruiting class will play an important role in establishing a strong foundation moving forward. 

Georgia never finished with a class ranked lower than 12th since 2005, which led to sustained success under former head coach Mark Richt. With Kirby Smart now at the helm, the Bulldogs are still looking looking strong on the recruiting trail. 

With 2016 national signing day in the books, take a look at five thoughts on Smart’s first incoming class as a collegiate head coach.

Smart Impressive in Keeping Together Top Class

Before he even leads his team on the field for the 2016 season, Smart already earned an important victory with this class. 

After the controversial dismissal of Richt, one of the SEC’s most successful coaches in the last decade, Georgia’s class had the potential to implode as many commits, including top quarterback Jacob Eason, were rumored to be looking elsewhere. 

Smart was able to retain Eason and elite offensive tackle Ben Cleveland, while also bringing in Isaac Nauta, the nation’s top tight end, as early enrollees. 

On signing day, Smart solidified his incoming group by securing a commitment from 5-star speedster Mecole Hardman, the country’s top-ranked athlete, on his way to preserving a top-10 class. 

What makes this signing day addition more impressive is that Georgia beat out Alabama for Hardman. Receiver Tyler Simmons also flipped from the Crimson Tide to the Bulldogs on Wednesday. 

The Georgia staff did experience its first big loss when 5-star defensive tackle Derrick Brown, the Peach State’s top-ranked player, chose Auburn over the Bulldogs. Losing the best player from your backyard stings, but Smart will use it as a learning experience to keep further in-state talent at Athens. 

However, the class still has a chance to become even stronger after signing day, as 5-star receiver Demetris Robertson, who will not decide on Wednesday, is seriously considering Georgia. 

Smart showed his recruiting prowess during his time on Alabama’s staff, much like former Crimson Tide assistant and current Florida head coach Jim McElwain. If Smart can accomplish similar success on the field as McElwain did in his first season with the Gators, then Georgia will have no problem remaining among the nation’s best on the recruiting trail.

Bulldogs Are Set at QB

Upon watching Georgia play in 2015, it was pretty blatant that quarterback play held back the offense. 

The Bulldogs ranked 10th in the SEC in passing yards per game with 185 while totaling a measly 14 touchdowns through the air. What makes these numbers more underwhelming is they came against minimal coverage with opposing defenses selling out to stop Georgia’s rushing attack.

Eason comes in as the second-ranked quarterback and fifth overall player in the nation, making him the most touted signal-caller to choose Georgia since Matthew Stafford in 2006. Standing at 6’5” and 210 pounds, the USA Today offensive player of the year has the arm talent to become an All-SEC performer, as is evident in his tape above. 

Starter Greyson Lambert returns after leading Georgia to a 10-2 record, but he was shaky at times and provided no threat downfield. This opens the door for Eason to seriously compete for the top quarterback job. If Lambert fails to develop himself as a more potent threat, look for Eason to take over, especially if the Bulldogs drop a game or two by the second week of October. 

There will undoubtedly be struggles for Eason as a freshman quarterback in the SEC when he sees the field. He will need to adjust to the speed of the defense while working with a receiving group lacking proven playmakers outside of Terry Godwin. Look for Eason to lean on Nick Chubb and Sony Michel in the run game, especially early, as he becomes comfortable in a college setting. 

The Bulldogs look to be settled at quarterback for now, which is huge for Smart as he tries to establish a winning program. Expect Eason to follow in the steps of Stafford and Aaron Murray as great quarterbacks in Georgia history.

Georgia Looking to Beef Up on the Offensive Line

A major challenge of taking over a new program is establishing an identity. 

Offensively, Smart and offensive coordinator Jim Chaney are looking to get big and physical up front, starting with this class. 

Georgia’s starting offensive line averaged out at 290 pounds, which is relatively small for a SEC unit. 

The offensive line will certainly beef up with this incoming class. Cleveland comes in at 319 pounds while Solomon Kindley checks in at 330 pounds. Chris Barnes, the other trench player in the class, comes in at 270 pounds, but he will certainly put on more weight as his college career progresses. Adding 4-star tackle E.J. Price also would have helped this cause, but he instead signed with USC. 

These players will need to mature fast as the Bulldogs lose three starters up front. Cleveland is clearly the most ready for legitimate playing time, so look for him to be squarely in the starting rotation before likely earning a permanent spot by the end of the season. 

With the increased focus on getting bigger up front, expect a difference in the running style in Athens. The Bulldogs frequently used off-tackle blocking schemes and tosses in order to get their smaller linemen out in space. Moving forward, Georgia will likely try to pound the ball more between the tackles in order physically wear down the defense.

The Interior Defensive Line Will Be Stout Despite Losing Brown

Georgia’s defense took some heavy losses from the vaunted 2015 unit, particularly on the front seven. 

The Bulldogs lose both starting interior linemen and three starting linebackers, including star performers Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins. Yet the middle of the defense looks primed to become an excellent unit. 

With Brown’s commitment to Auburn, Georgia missed out on a chance to assemble one of the dominant young interior defensive lines in college football. Yet all is not lost. 

Thanks to the additions of behemoth 6’5",” 321-pound defensive tackle Julian Rochester, ranked 10th best nationally at his position, and fellow 4-stars Michail Carter and Tyler Clark, Georgia still cleaned up on the interior defensive line. 

Add in sophomore Trent Thompson, the nation’s top overall recruit in 2015 who started to come on late in his freshman season, and Georgia has the makings of the SEC’s best interior unit by as early as the 2017 season. Expect Smart, who has plenty of experience with All-SEC defensive linemen, to use these players well.

Linebacker Depth Still an Issue

John Amis/Associated Press

Lorenzo Carter will be productie from the hybrid linebacker spot, but what about the rest of the position group?

While the 2016 recruiting class is definitely a success for Georgia, perhaps the only blemish for Smart and his staff was the lack of added linebackers. 

As previously mentioned, Georgia lost Floyd, leading tackler Jake Ganus and Jenkins, dealing a devastating blow to its linebacker group. Rebuilding this unit looked to be a priority, but the Bulldogs failed to adequately address this problem. 

Smart was able to retain 4-star Jaleel Laguins, ranked nationally as the 10th overall inside linebacker, but not much help is on the way otherwise. 

A guy like 4-star Chauncey Manac has the potential to become a hybrid linebacker and edge-rusher, much like Floyd, but that does not solve Georgia’s issues at the other linebacker spots. Manac will also be behind Lorenzo Carter, who is expected to replace a lot of Floyd's production. The Bulldogs have players like Roquan Smith and Juwan Taylor from its 2015 class who are capable of performing behind the defensive line, but Georgia needs more depth behind them. 

Georgia will be great in the trenches, but it will need to amp up its focus on bringing in linebackers or else the defense could have some holes moving forward.

All rankings are courtesy of 247Sports.com.

All statistics are courtesy of ESPN.com.