It is just a game, right? When does just one of those define a season? Can big wins sway the hearts of recruits?
The vogue thing for elite prospects to do these days is to mention that wins and losses do not steer their decisions. I agree with that – to a point. Wins and losses do define momentum. They cement the “gut feelings” recruits call upon to choose between two or three can’t-miss scholarship offers.
Alabama at UGA this week is a pivotal game when it comes to rankings and the SEC standings. It can also shape the public perception of each program. Another Alabama loss this early in the season would spark headlines which proclaim (rather foolishly) that Nick Saban’s program is in decline.
A UGA loss would mean more of that “same ol’ Georgia” rhetoric that circulates throughout the SEC. What would a win do? The talk of late among blue-chip recruits and their high school coaches is there’s something different about this UGA staff and the way it recruits. They feel UGA has done a 180-degree turn from how the program marketed itself to elite athletes as recently as two seasons ago.
Alabama is an NFL factory that has stacked up No. 1 recruiting classes. The Crimson Tide has pillaged marquee recruits from Georgia over the years when UGA’s recruiting muscle wasn’t what it is now. There’s no recruiting tool quite like a signature win. That’s the best way UGA can show the program is at Alabama’s level.
There’s no way a win can hurt either program’s chances with an elite recruit, but here are five key prospects that will be paying close attention to this week’s game.
Here are five recruits that the Alabama-UGA game may impact:
5-star TE Isaac Nauta, IMG Academy (uncommitted)
- Resides: Bradenton, FL
- Year: Senior
- Offers from both UGA and Alabama: Yes
5-star prospect Isaac Nauta is the No. 1 tight end in the nation. (IMG Academy/ Special) - Considering both UGA and Alabama: Yes, but he’s higher on UGA
- Why: Lots of things line up well for UGA and Nauta. He’s always had the Bulldogs high on his list. Location is big as he’s part of a close-knit family. He also likes the way UGA features its tight ends, but he also wants to go somewhere that wins the big games. A win this week shows that UGA can do just that. UGA’s recipe for a perfect official visit this weekend when it comes to Nauta would have to include a victory against Alabama, and a Sanford Stadium crowd that the late Larry Munson would call “worse than bonkers.”
5-star ATH Mecole Hardman, Elbert County (uncommitted)
- Resides: Elberton, GA
- Year: Senior
- Offers from both UGA and Alabama: Yes
- Considering both UGA and Alabama: Yes, but he’s higher on UGA.
- Why: Hardman has blinding speed, so we’ll keep this rationale as quick as a blink. UGA and Tennessee are the two favorites to earn his silent commitment. Beating Alabama would be Exhibit A that UGA and Tennessee are heading in two different directions.
4-star ATH Demetris Robertson, Savannah Christian (uncommitted)
- Resides: Savannah, GA
- Year: Senior
- Offers from both UGA and Alabama: Yes
- Considering both UGA and Alabama: Very much so
- Why: Robertson says Stanford is his leader, but he was committed to Alabama for almost a year. He still loves both UGA and the Crimson Tide. His school and neighborhood community all want him to go to UGA. Some of those who know him well in Savannah feel that his decision will come down to Alabama and UGA. Robertson is a thinking “Renaissance Recruit” because he looks at schools differently than most. He stresses academics and doesn’t pay much attention to depth charts. He also has so much respect for Alabama that he’s never picked against them. A UGA win here will make his February decision even more complicated.
4-star ILB Nate McBride, Vidalia (uncommitted)
- Year: Junior
- Resides: Vidalia, GA
- Offers from both UGA and Alabama: Yes
- Considering both UGA and Alabama: Very much so
- Why: McBride has UGA and Alabama among his top schools. He doesn’t have a leader, but Oregon is likely right up there in his unspoken top group, too. McBride considers Alabama coach Nick Saban to be a “legend or a future legend” in college football. Why? Because his teams win games like these. UGA really wants McBride bad and a win might help McBride see Mark Richt in that same light, too. If UGA is poised to become a force on the national stage, it does not lose a speedy in-state tackling machine like McBride to Alabama.
4-star ATH Malcolm Askew, McAdory (uncommitted)
- Year: Junior
- Resides: McCalla, AL
- Offers from both UGA and Alabama: Yes
- Considering both UGA and Alabama: Yes
- Why: Askew almost committed to UGA over the summer. That would’ve been a major coup for UGA defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt to land an elite defensive back prospect who lives about 45 miles from Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
- UGA still leads for Askew. A victory this week only extends that lead over the in-state Crimson Tide. He’s likely to follow his good friend Rico McGraw to UGA anyway, but a signature Bulldogs’ win or two in 2015 only enhances that scenario.
Others to consider: 5-star senior DT Derrick Brown (Buford, Ga.); 4-star senior DB Shyheim Carter, Sr. (Kentwood, Lou.); 4-star junior WR Nico Collins (Pinson, Ala.); 5-star senior LB Ben Davis (Gordo, Ala.); 5-star senior WR Kyle Davis (Lawrenceville, Ga.); 5-star junior ATH DeAngelo Gibbs (Suwanee, Ga. 4-star junior OL Netori Johnson (Committed to Alabama, Ellenwood, Ga.); 5-star senior OL Gregory Little (Allen, Tex.); 4-star senior WR Joshua Hammond (Committed to Florida, Hallandale, Fla.); 5-star junior RB Anthony McFarland, Jr. (Hyattsville, Md.); 4-star RB Brian Robinson (Tuscaloosa, Ala.), 4-star senior DB Nigel Warrior (Suwanee, Ga.)
Jeff Sentell covers UGA recruiting for AJC.com and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on who’s on their way to play Between the Hedges.