Want to attack every day with the latest Georgia football recruiting info? That’s what the Intel will bring at least five days a week. The words for Wednesday chronicle a chat with 4-star junior cornerback Tayvion Land. 

While a lot of prospects across the South really have noticed the Bulldogs and their surge up the rankings this season, a Class of 2019 4-star junior cornerback from Virginia is an exception.

Tayvion “Tank” Land has had his eye on UGA for quite some time. Georgia was his top team in March. Georgia was still his top team heading into his unofficial visit for the South Carolina game earlier this month.

Tayion Land said he speaks with UGA assistant coach Shane Beamer almost every day. (Jeff Sentell/Dawgnation)/Dawgnation)

Nothing has changed.  In fact, he said his interest level has only gone up since the Bulldogs started out 9-0 for the first time since 1982.

“I just feel like I can see myself there,” Land said.

Land plays for one of the Mid-Atlantic region’s top programs. He competes for the same Bishop Sullivan program that elite senior inside linebacker Teradja Mitchell (Ohio State) calls home.

The 4-star talent, as rated by the 247Sports composite, doesn’t have the elite size (5-foot-8 and 170 pounds) but his offer sheet shows his worth: Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, N.C. State, Maryland, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. He currently ranks as the nation’s No. 20 cornerback and No. 247 player overall for 2019.

Land said he enjoyed the environment at the South Carolina game but didn’t get to spend as much time with the coaches and players as he would have liked. He said he plans to return soon.

He also has been to Penn State this season.

“I like Georgia better than Penn State just because of the environment and the coaching staff and all that,” Land said.

Virginia Tech was his dream school growing up. The Hokies were his first offer, but he said he still prefers UGA.

Where Tayvion Land’s nickname ‘Tank’ comes from

Land is a physical defender. His tape reflects that.

But he didn’t get the nickname “Tank” from the bruises he puts on receivers. He was dubbed “Tank” at an early age for the same reason UGA freshman OLB Robert Beal was.

Georgia really opened the eyes of Virginia junior cornerback Tayvion ‘Tank’ Land this summer. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation.com)/Dawgnation)

“When I was young, I had a big head,” Land said while describing the turret in between his shoulder pads. “So that’s why I was called ‘Tank.’ I had a tank on top with my head.”

It is an eight-hour trip from the talent-rich Tidewater region in Virginia to Athens, Ga. But the reason he likes UGA shouldn’t be that hard to deduce. It’s assistant coach Shane Beamer. Beamer’s name and résumé grants the chance to connect with top talent across the Mid-Atlantic.

Land visited UGA when he was in the eighth grade with 5-star prospect Levonta Taylor, who signed with Florida State as the nation’s No. 1 cornerback in 2016.

Land returned last summer. That’s when Beamer offered. Georgia is also the one program he hears from the most.

“I talk to Coach Beamer almost every day,” Land said. “He shows me a lot of love.”

Land said he plans to make his decision sometime next summer prior to his senior season.

“I feel like my strength is having good technique at the line,” Land said. “I also feel like I need to continue to get faster. That’s it. For real.”

Who does he play like? Land says his game is a lot like former LSU standout Jalen Mills. Mills is now in his second season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Land said he plans to study architecture in college.

 

An interesting high school transfer 

It is no secret that elite players these days want to play with one another. The top players get to know one another on college visits and at prospect camps.

The upcoming high school transfer of top 2020 offensive tackle Jake Wray to Marietta in Metro Atlanta will be one to watch. Wray, the younger brother of former UGA commit Max Wray, is already a top prospect in his own right.

He holds 19 offers from the big boys in college football. Jake Wray’s offer sheet includes the likes of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisville, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and UCLA.

When Max enrolls at Ohio State in January, the Wray family will see their youngest son Jake begin taking classes at Marietta High.

Wray is a close friend of elite 2020 quarterback prospect Harrison Bailey, who plays at Marietta. Wray fills a clear need at tackle for the Blue Devils. Marietta has had to use a pair of future college defensive end/outside linebacker prospects in Azeez Ojulari and BJ Ojulari at the tackle position over the last two years.

Sophomore OT Jake Wray plans to transfer to Marietta High School in January. The Blue Devils then will have four of the nation’s top 100 prospects in the Class of 2020. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)

The Ojularis have fared very well when called upon, but Wray will be an ideal blindside protector for Bailey. He is transferring from Franklin High in Tennessee.

The Blue Devils are shaping up to have a loaded team in the 2020 class. I would not be surprised to see another huge name also join that program soon.

Wray ― who is about 6-foot-6 and 305 pounds ― is well-connected. He’s been a key contributor on a text thread with all of the nation’s top prospects in 2020 for quite some time.

Could Marietta become the next Grayson High in the near future? It will be worth watching as the moves of all these bona fide prospects take shape.

As it stands now, the Devils will have four of the nation’s top 100 prospects for 2020 on their roster in January. That’s  Bailey, BJ Ojulari, 4-star defensive end/tight end Arik Gilbert and now Wray.

Wray has told me in the past that his brother’s college path will not affect his own. He’ll make the decision based on what he feels is his own best fit.

If he chooses Ohio State, his older brother might only spend one to two seasons with him. Jake Wray is looking for a great four-year fit of his own, too.

He’s rated by 247Sports as the nation’s No. 10 OT for 2020.

Miss any Intel? The DawgNation recruiting archive will get you up to speed faster than Georgia All-America candidate Roquan Smith can find the football after the snap.