ATHENS — UGA recruiting pulled out a lot of stops for a G-Day that had to go off with a closed west end zone. The thinking was to make sure the boys were impressed.
Well, they were. Clearly.
All any observer had to do was look around and see all the nice touches. The big smiles. The selfies upon selfies and Snapchat traffic.
The vantage point from where all the recruits got to check out the DawgWalk somehow felt right even though all the construction placed it on an entirely differently labyrinth of steps and twists on the route to Sanford Stadium.
Did you see the lanyards the recruits wore? They had “Rose Bowl Champions” emblazoned on them.
Forgive the crowd if they missed it, though. They might have been distracted by all the stars.
The recruits on hand were another impressive max lift for the recruiting muscle of the program, which finished the 2018 cycle with the nation’s top-ranked class.
They were a part of the second-largest G-Day crowd and the largest spring game crowd for the SEC this spring.
UGA hosted:
- The nation’s No. 1 wide receiver Jadon Haselwood (A UGA commit)
- …and the nation’s No. 5 overall prospect Nolan Smith (A UGA commit)
- …and the nation’s No. 1 running back Trey Sanders (undecided)
- …plus the nation’s No. 1 center Clay Webb (undecided)
- ..and the nation’s No. 2 WR Dominick Blaylock (another UGA commit)
- …and the nation’s No. 3 defensive tackle Travon Walker (undecided)
- That’s five of the nation’s top 11 prospects for 2019.
- Georgia also hosted the nation’s No. 1 overall prospect for 2020 in 5-star Bryan Bresee.
Check out the pictures from Saturday between the hedges in Sanford Stadium.
Jadon Hasewlood rates as the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver and the No. 2 overall prospect in the Class of 2019. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Jadon Haselwood will be the first 5-star receiver for the Bulldogs since Marlon Brown in 2009. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
UGA 5-star defensive end commit Nolan Smith ranks as the nation’s No. 5 overall prospect for 2019. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Five-star prospect Trey Sanders (IMG Academy/Bradenton, Fla.) ranks as the nation’s No. 1 running back for 2019 in the 247Sports composite. He was once committed to Alabama. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Five-star prospect Dominick Blaylock rates as the nation’s No. 2 wide receiver for 2019. He committed to UGA in July 2017. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Five-star prospect Clay Webb (Oxford HS/Oxford, Ala.) ranks as the nation’s No. 1 center for 2019. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Four-star prospect Travon Walker (Upson-Lee HS/Thomaston, Ga.) ranks as the nation’s No. 3 defensive tackle for 2019. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Travon Walker is one of the most important targets for the Bulldogs in 2019. He also rates as the nation’s No. 32 overall prospect. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Four-star prospect Lewis Cine rates as the nation’s No. 3 safety and the No. 37 overall player for 2019. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Four-star athlete Trezmen Marshall (left) rates as the nation’s No. 82 overall prospect for 2019. If he chooses UGA, he would be an inside linebacker for the Bulldogs. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Don’t let his 3-star rating fool you. Safety Kyle Hamilton is one of the biggest targets for UGA in the Class of 2019. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Kyle Hamilton has UGA in his top group. A decision may not be too far away. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Four-star defensive end Bill Norton committed to UGA in March. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Four-star linebacker JD Bertrand (Blessed Trinity/Roswell, Ga.) committed to UGA in July 2017. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Class of 2020 targets
Five-star defensive end Bryan Bresee rates as the nation’s No. 1 overall prospect for 2020. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Bryan Bresee visited UGA on March 4. He came back for G-Day to see what a game day would feel like. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Four-star prospect Jacolbe Cowan (Providence Day/Charlotte, N.C.) ranks as the nation’s No. 3 strongside defensive end and the No. 37 overall prospect for 2020. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
4-star DT Nazir Stackhouse (Stephenson HS/Stone Mountain, Ga.) is the first UGA commitment in the class of 2020. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Stackhouse was waving the pom poms frequently at G-Day on April 21. The nation’s No. 13 DT prospect on 247Sports should be seen as a very solid commit at this time. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Lejond Cavazos is not rated on the 247Sports composite but will be one of the top prospects in the Class of 2020. He holds offers from Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State, among others. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)
Four-star wide receiver Jermaine Burton (Marietta HS/Marietta, Ga.) is currently committed to Miami. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)