Opinion on 5 of the Hottest UGA Recruiting Stories of the Week
Here’s Kimberley Nash’s perspective on five of the biggest UGA recruiting stories that people are talking about this week:
1. Samuel Sloman: Can I Kick It?
UGA may not spend a scholarship on a kicker this recruiting cycle, but there’s a homegrown talent who would love to be the next guy tasked with the job.
Samuel Sloman is the, currently unranked, senior place kicker for Atlanta’s Pace Academy. He’s a longtime fan of the UGA football program and he’s been booming the ball well this season.
To this point, he’s been one of the most consistent scorers on the team.
UGA will need a kicker/punter, in the near future. Whether they fill that role via walk-on or scholarship is neither here nor there as both Marshall Morgan and Colin Barber will exit after this season.
UGA has missed on a couple of kickers already this recruiting cycle, and Rodrigo Blankenship was brought in last season as a preferred walk-on. He’s poised to take Morgan’s place next year. That said, if Sloman were to have his dream of playing for UGA to come true, it would likely be as a walk-on.
I’ll tell you this much, UGA would do well to make sure the next guy they bring in to boot kicks is a lot more consistent. While Morgan has done well in his time at UGA, his play from week to week is reminiscent of something Forrest Gump said. You know…that thing about the chocolates and never knowing what you’re going to get?
Seriously, Morgan is a talented kid but, from week to week I wonder if he’s going to be money or mayhem.
Oh, one more thing about Sloman that’s worth noting: his background is in soccer. The last time UGA nabbed a guy with a soccer pedigree to boot field goals, he didn’t turn out half bad.
You might remember him. His name was Billy Bennett.
2.Tremayne Anchrum: No Room at the Inn?
UGA recently told McEachern 3-star offensive lineman, Tremayne Anchrum, that they were no longer in the market for him. Well, maybe that’s not what they said exactly, but according to Anchrum’s father, it was made clear that the odds were no longer in his son’s favor and he should pursue other avenues.
“Somebody committed (Tuesday) morning,” Anchrum, Sr. told the AJC’s DawgNation.com. “They still wanted us to come down for a visit, but the numbers didn’t work.”
If somebody committed Tuesday, that’s great! Why? Because if UGA is willing to turn away the possibility of having Anchrum, then they must have a bigger fish on the hook.
4-star offensive tackle Willie Allen (Louisiana) is a name that is sure to crop up as a silent. He’s
given the impression that he doesn’t much care for the limelight and it would certainly allow him to focus on his season without having to concern himself with whether or not UGA has a spot for him.
However, his decision to wait until after the season to take visits makes me skeptical. According to his high school coach, a few weeks back, he isn’t even thinking about recruiting. And, numbers or no numbers at UGA, Allen is a guy who will have plenty of Division I options no matter when he decides to commit.
3-star Demetri Moore (Mississippi Delta junior college) is also a possibility to have silently committed. Despite his love for the Auburn Tigers, he recently made it clear that their decision to offer him only after UGA did was something he didn’t like.
On the other hand, why bother committing to a school you haven’t even seen yet?
Moore may not be fielding a ton of big-time offers, but he doesn’t strike me as a guy who’s ready to make that big of a move without first giving it a closer look.
If I’m honest about it, there’s just as much of a chance no one committed, and the numbers don’t work because they don’t work.
Anchrum didn’t exactly have UGA in the driver’s seat, so maybe it was simply a mutual parting of ways.
In any event, we’ll find out soon enough I’m sure.
3. Jauan Williams: UGA is Recruiting Him Very Consistently
Jauan Williams is a 4-star offensive tackle out of Washington, D.C. and he’s been hearing plenty from offensive line coach Rob Sale.
UGA isn’t one of his top contenders, but Williams told 247Sports’s Ryan Bartow that Sale has been very consistent in his recruitment of him and UGA is pushing hard for an official visit. So far, Sale hasn’t been able to get Williams to bite, but if he continues to go after him as hard as he has thus far, his persistence could net the desired result.
As of now, the front-runners for Williams would appear to be Alabama, Florida State, and LSU, but he has a lot of suitors and is not yet ready to name a clear cut leader.
4. Big Names in Town for UGA/South Carolina this Weekend
All eyes will be on UGA this weekend as they play the South Carolina Gamecocks in Sanford Stadium.
Steve Spurrier’s team will attempt to re-establish themselves as an SEC contender, and erase the stink of an unexpected loss to the Kentucky Wildcats, by trying to spoil UGA QB Greyson Lambert’s SEC home debut. And, if there ever was a coach who could play spoiler, it’s Spurrier.
Even so, the storyline to watch, from a recruiting standpoint will be about how well the team performs and how much they can impress those who will be in attendance to watch.
Devwah Whaley (4-star running back from Texas) will be in town on an official visit. It will be his chance to see first hand how well a 1-2 punch at running back is executed. After all, should he decide to sign with UGA, he’ll definitely be a part of such a tandem with 4-star running back commit Elijah Holyfield already in the fold.
Kyle Davis (5-star receiver from Archer) could potentially be in attendance as well (unofficially), and you can bet he’ll be interested to see how well guys like Terry Godwin and Michael Chigbu are used at the wide receiver spot. Is UGA getting its playmakers the ball or are they falling flat?
At the moment, the UGA offense is so vanilla you can frost enough cupcakes to feed the state of Georgia and still have some left over. That said, with all those signature names watching, what better time than the present to make a good impression?
5. E.J. Price: What’s the Deal With Him and UGA?
E.J. Price’s (the 4-star offensive tackle from Archer) recruitment is one I’ve scratched my head over because its been so…perplexing.
Price will be in town to watch UGA play South Carolina this weekend, unofficially, but the fact that he will be there at all is a surprise given the perception that UGA, and him, have moved on from each other.
Yes, Price has stated on numerous occasions that there is nothing to the chatter that UGA is no longer recruiting him. However, the fact that UGA has reached out to so many offensive line targets, since Price’s decommitment from them this past June, leads me to believe there is nothing there.
And yet, he’s planning to be on campus this weekend to take in the game.
Of course, that means nothing. He did have a great relationship with UGA’s coaching staff, and he’s certainly close with a number of the prospects UGA is recruiting, so he could just be hanging out. Nothing more.
Even so, his presence is still sure to spark conversation.
Personally, I still believe he’ll end up signing elsewhere. I don’t know that for sure, of course, but the way his recruitment has evolved over the last few months, it would surprise me to see him in a red and black uniform next season.
That’s just my two cents.
Kimberley Nash has blogged about UGA Football Recruiting since 2011.
