The first day back to work after a holiday weekend usually isn’t fun. For DawgNation.com, that’s not the case. We caught up with two 5-stars to put some smiles back on our readers’ faces.

It surely wasn’t a bad day for the SEC, either. A record 10 SEC teams are ranked in the recent AP top 25 poll. Surely, recruits around the country took notice of that.

That dominance is one of the reasons why Rashan Gary, the nation’s No. 1 player, wants to leave New Jersey for the SEC. Good thing for DawgNation readers, we have an update on his status with UGA.

Today’s must-reads

1. UGA still in it for nation’s best player

Rashan Gary (Joshua L. Jones/Special)/Dawgnation)

Rashan Gary visited UGA in July for its Dawg Night prospect camp. It could not have gone any better for UGA. Shortly after his visit, he rated it a “10.” 

His mother, Jennifer Coney, caught up with the AJC’s and DawgNation’s Chuck Kingsbury on Tuesday night to tell him that UGA was still being strongly considered by her son.

That’s great news for the Bulldogs as her son nears his decision to announce a top five and his official visits.

The timeline for when the 5-star plans on announcing a top five and his official visits remains to be seen, but when he does decide to do that, UGA has a great chance to be on his list, according to his mother.

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2. UGA is in good shape with 5-star CB

DawgNation traveled to Hapeville Charter on Tuesday, which is the high school of 5-star corner back William Poole III.

William Poole III (Chris Kirschner/AJC)/Dawgnation)

Poole told us that UGA is his preferred school right now over Clemson, Virginia Tech and Alabama.

The 2017 recruit told us why he likes UGA, when he plans to visit again and mentions a recent conversation he had with Mark Richt.

You can find out all of that here in this video.

3. UGA legend has become a mentor to Bulldogs WR commit

Shortly after Mays High School wide receiver Randrecous Davis committed to UGA, he told the AJC that he wanted to be the next Hines Ward.

Ward caught wind of those comments and reached out to Davis through mutual friends.

Randrecous Davis (Michael Carvell/AJC)/Dawgnation)

The two have gotten so close that Davis considers Ward a mentor now.

It’s great to see a UGA legend like Ward, who is busy preparing for his job as an analyst for NBC’s Sunday Night Football, take some time out of his schedule to mentor a future Bulldog in Davis.

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4. A stat that should help UGA in recruiting

When recruits are asked what they consider when choosing a school, almost always they say playing time.

Good news for recruits considering to play for UGA: you’ll see the field early as a true freshman.

In this past weekend’s game against Louisiana-Monroe, UGA saw 19 true freshmen on the field, which was the most in the country.

Not only does that show the great job UGA did with this past year’s recruiting class, but it also shows future Bulldogs that coaches aren’t lying when they say you’ll play early.

William Poole was asked about his take on 19 freshmen playing this past Saturday. He could not stop smiling over it, and he said that it’s something he definitely will consider moving forward.

5. Elijah Holyfield’s decision won’t affect 4-star RB

UGA is only expected to sign one running back this year, but the Bulldogs coaches have not stopped recruiting 4-star running back Devwah Whaley even after the commitment of Elijah Holyfield.

Whaley, a 4-star prospect from Texas, told Jake Reuse of Rivals.com that Holyfield’s decision doesn’t hurt UGA’s chances of landing him. He had UGA in his top five before Holyfield committed, and he is still considering them.

4-star RB Devwah Whaley was part of a conga line of talents at Dawg Night. (Rob Saye/ Special)/Dawgnation)

“It doesn’t really have a big effect on it,” Whaley said to Reuse. “I’m not going to go away from Georgia because of that. It’s his decision, and I’m not going to base my decision because of that. It doesn’t sway my decision much.”

These comments mirror what he told DawgNation’s Jeff Sentell over a month ago. 

Is it possible that Whaley ends up in red and black? I think right now it’s a long shot, but he will officially visit UGA on Sept. 19 for the South Carolina game. Let’s see where things stand after that trip.