The 4 Georgia football 2020 signees who will outplay their recruiting ranking

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The 4 Georgia football 2020 signees who will outplay their recruiting ranking

The final recruiting rankings for the 2020 recruiting cycle were released yesterday. And the Georgia Bulldogs were very well represented by some of the top players in the country. The Bulldogs have the No. 2 class in the country just a week out from National Signing Day.

Georgia also has the highest rated average commit in the country to go along with the No. 2 overall class. Only Clemson has more 5-star prospects in the boat at the moment. The Bulldogs also have a total of 11 players either signed or committed that rank inside the top 100 overall rankings.

Related: Where every Georgia football 2020 commit and signee finished in final recruiting rankings

And yet, gripes still exist. Some Georgia signees saw their rankings drop. It’s worth keeping in mind that these rankings aren’t a predictive measure of how these players will be as college players, but rather how they shape up for the NFL draft.

But from a college perspective, there are a number of players in this class that we feel are going to outplay what their current recruiting ranking might end up being.

Mekhail Sherman: No. 32 overall ranked player in the 247Sports Composite rankings

Sherman is the latest member to join the Dominick Blaylock all-stars. That term is used to describe a player who for just about the entire recruiting cycle was a 5-star prospect, only for the player to drop to a 4-star prospect in the final rankings.

That’s what happened to Sherman. He fell from a top-20 prospect to the No. 32 overall prospect and lost his fifth star in the process. He is still the highest-ranked 4-star prospect in the country.

But given what a possibly healthy Sherman could be at the next level, the loss of his 5-star status is puzzling. At the next level, Sherman figures to bring the type of positional versatility that the current game needs.

This past year at St. John’s College, he played defensive end. He has the body type to move seamlessly to an outside linebacker role. And at the Under Armour All-American game, Sherman also spent the week playing at the inside linebacker position.

He finished the game with six tackles, two of which came in the backfield. After the game, he made it clear about what he showed that week.

“I did what I had to do and did more,” Sherman said. “Just because I had an ACL injury doesn’t mean nothing. That didn’t take away from my ability. I did what I can do best, which is play linebacker and be free.”

Related: Mekhail Sherman’s linebacker play highlights what we learned at Under Armour All-American Game.

The likely reason for the drop stems from long term questions about his knee injury that he sustained early in his junior season. When speaking with reporters, he confided that he still wasn’t 100 percent healthy yet. And during the Under Armour All-American practices, he didn’t always look comfortable on the wet Orlando grass.

But more time will allow Sherman to heal. And he’s extremely well regarded by his fellow Georgia signees. It wouldn’t come as a shock at all to see him as a future team captain. Factor in that he could be a queen of the chessboard in Georgia’s front-7, and there’a good argument to be made he should have retained his 5-star status.

Kendall Milton: No. 53 overall ranked player in the 247Sports Composite rankings

This is more a biased selection than a rational one. DawgNation got to film Milton’s commitment video and spend time around him and his family.

And I came away extremely impressed with what kind of person Milton is. In the months since his commitment, you haven’t heard much from Milton, as he’s remained steadfast in his commitment to Georgia. He’s also emerged as a leader for this class behind the scenes.

Milton could’ve gone to the All-American Bowl and made an attempt to boost his ranking. But instead, he knew that getting to Athens and getting a jump-start on his college career was more beneficial. So that’s what he decided to do.

Milton looks to be the next Georgia running back to take up the ‘RBU’ mantle. Given the success, the Bulldogs have had at this position in recent years, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if Milton ends up becoming a great player.

I can’t really predict how Milton’s college career will turn out. But from the little bit I’ve got to know of Milton, I feel comfortable he’s going to be very successful in life, whether that be on or off the football field.

Jermaine Burton: No. 81 overall ranked player in the 247Sports Composite rankings

This one is a Jeff Sentell special. Burton saw his rankings likely tumble due to the fact that he did not participate in the Under Armour All-American game.

He is the third highest-rated of Georgia’s four 2020 wide receiver signees, but there’s a chance he may end up being the best early on.