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Georgia hosts its final flock of recruits for the year 2016 this weekend. These visits carry tremendous weight for three key reasons:
- It is the last weekend before the curtain falls on the NCAA-manded dead period on Dec. 11.
- It is the last weekend to impress December graduates before they make their choices to enroll early.
- This weekend offers up the last best chance to impress a player who could immediately contribute next season on the offensive line.
DawgNation has confirmed the following official visitors for this weekend. These recruits take on a heavy flavor in the January enrollee category.
As always, this list and the decisions of these players are fluid and subject to change. There are a lot of players coming in this weekend, so I’m going to organize them in what I feel is the most reader-friendly manner.
- Georgia commitments making their official visit
- Undecided prospects making an official visit
- Committed prospects taking an official visit to UGA
We’ll start with the foundation of the class. That would be the committed prospects that will be taking an official visit to Georgia. These young men should be seen as extremely solid commits. They are not in town to solidify their commitment. They are visiting this week to entice others to do so.
Each of these young men would likely wear the Hairy Dawg suit if asked to do so by the coaching staff. These guys — not to mention their families — will be very important ambassadors for the program this weekend.
Georgia commits on their official visit
— 4-star QB Jake Fromm (Houston County High School / Warner Robins, Ga.)
National ranking: No. 3 pro-style passer and No. 45 overall
Enroll early: Yes
Committed since: He flipped from Alabama to Georgia on March 3, 2016. (This will be his only official visit.)
Watch out for: Everyone. Fromm will no doubt talk up all the big offensive linemen in town this week. That’s a priority for sure.
— 4-star DE Malik Herring (Mary Persons High School / Forsyth, Ga.)
National ranking: No. 5 strong-side DE and No. 149 overall
Enroll early: No
Committed since: He chose Georgia on Dec. 1. (This is his first official visit.)
Watch out for: Herring also loves Georgia and has definitely enjoyed being a public commitment ever since he made his decision last week. He told DawgNation that he silently committed to Georgia right after Kirby Smart was hired.
— 4-star WR Jeremiah Holloman (Newton High School / Covington, Ga.)
National ranking: No. 19 WR and No. 131 overall
Enroll early: Yes
Committed since: He chose Georgia on Dec. 1.
Watch out for: Holloman loves Georgia and has definitely enjoyed being a public commitment ever since he made his decision last week. He signed his financial aid papers more than two months ago.
— 5-star safety Richard LeCounte III (Liberty County High School / Riceboro, Ga.)
National ranking: No. 2 safety and No. 27 overall
Enroll early: Yes
Committed since: Birth? Just a joke. He chose Georgia on Dec. 13, 2015.
Watch out for: LeCounte will work every man in town hard this week, but I’m betting he will never leave the side of his good friend Stanford Samuels III.
FSU commit on an official visit
— 5-star CB Stanford Samuels III (Charles W. Flannagan / Riceboro, Ga.)
National ranking: No. 3 cornerback and No. 20 overall
Enroll early: Yes
Committed since: He’s been committed to FSU since June 16, 2016.
Watch out for: I believe that Georgia finishes no worse than No. 2 for Samuels. LeCounte will make sure of that. Samuels has also taken official visits to Alabama and Michigan. His father played for Georgia coach Kirby Smart back in his FSU graduate assistant days. That relationship has remained close over the years. If Georgia pulls off a wild flip with a grand slam visit, those will be the two big reasons why. An immediate playing opportunity wouldn’t hurt either.
UPDATE: Alabama 4-star OT commitment Elliot Baker has decided not to take an official visit to UGA this weekend. He’s shutting his recruiting down to focus on finals and his pledge to the Crimson Tide.
Undecided prospects on an official visit
— Unrated DT Rosheem Collins (East Central Community College / Waycross, Ga.)
National ranking: Collins is unranked.
Enroll early: Yes
Also considering: Austin Peay, Colorado, Toledo, Middle Tennessee
Watch out for: The 6-foot-1, 295-pounder is currently on an official visit to Toldeo at this time. His official visit lineup also includes Austin Peay, Colorado and Middle Tennessee. He will have two seasons of eligibility at Georgia and does not plan a redshirt. Collins told DawgNation that he’s now qualified to play at UGA and an offer this weekend would likely end his recruiting process.
— 4-star S DeAngelo Gibbs (Grayson High School / Loganville, Ga.)
National ranking: Nation’s No. 3 safety and No. 41 overall
Enroll early: Yes
Also considering: Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee
Watch out for: Gibbs is an Alpha target among several alphas in town this weekend. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder is one of the biggest priorities for Georgia in the Class of 2017. He’s taken dozens of trips to Athens, but it was big for Georgia to secure his last official visit before the dead period. I think this is largely an Alabama and Georgia battle here.
— 3-star DB Lonnie Johnson Jr. (Garden City Community College / Gary, Ind.)
National ranking: Nation’s No. 2 junior college safety and No. 45 overall in the JUCO ranks
Enroll early: Yes
Also considering: Arkansas State, Kentucky and Louisiana Tech
Watch out for: Johnson just picked up an offer from Georgia earlier this week and scheduled his official visit the very next day. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder committed to Ohio State in high school but was an academic hardship. He expects to make his decision next Tuesday from his high school. The chances for the Bulldogs appear very high.
— 5-star OT Isaiah Wilson (Brooklyn Poly Prep / Brooklyn, NY)
National ranking: Nation’s No. 7 OT and No. 32 overall
Enroll early: No
Also considering: Alabama, Florida State and Michigan
Watch out for: Georgia needs Wilson and he would likely play very fast at tackle. That said, this battle seems tilted uphill for the Bulldogs. Michigan appears the team to beat and Alabama would also be a very attractive alternative. This visit needs to be amazing to sway a prospect who calls himself a life-long Georgia fans who grew up watching the red and black on TV. This will be his last official visit and he’s hinted of late at making a commitment on Christmas Day.
NOTE: Those are the officials that DawgNation has confirmed at this time. Reports are out there that major Georgia LB target Monty Rice and junior college offensive tackle D’Marcus Hayes will also be in town.
I cannot present that name with any accuracy at this moment. The coaches at James Clemens High School are not even certain of Rice’s plans at this time. The 3-star LB is set to make his decision known at a school ceremony on Dec. 12.
I’m working to confirm those visits. When I do, I will update the above listing accordingly.
Solomon sets up his third and fourth officials
Lee County 4-star DT Aubrey Solomon told Ryan Bartow of 247Sports that he will officially visit USC out in California on Jan. 13 and Florida on Jan. 27.
The 6-foot-4, 305-pounder is widely considered as the top defensive tackle in the Southeast this year. The U.S. Army All-American rates as the nation’s No. 2 DT and the No. 31 overall prospect for 2017.
DawgNation has had Solomon as the top remaining uncommitted UGA target for the last several months.
Solomon has already taken officials to Alabama and Michigan. Those two programs — along with UGA — should be considered the teams to beat at this time.
It is not certain if Solomon will use an official visit to see Georgia again. He could easily take another unofficial to Athens and he already has a high comfort level with the Georgia coaches, players and support staff.
Auburn, Oregon and UGA seem like the best bets at landing his final official visit. Solomon’s recruitment — at the very least — is expected to extend beyond National Signing Day.
Saban and Alabama going in-home with DeAngelo Gibbs
Nick Saban and Alabama will go on an in-home visit Thursday night with Gibbs.
Gibbs ranks right behind Solomon on DawgNation’s list of the top remaining undecided targets for Georgia in this year’s signing class. Timing is everything here with Gibbs.
The Grayson High senior will graduate in December, play in the Under Armour All-American game and then report to his new team in early January.
As stated above, he’s set to take an official visit to UGA this weekend. That will take place after Grayson’s appearance in the Georgia High School Association’s Class AAAAAAA state championship game against Roswell.
The nation’s No. 2 safety has been to UGA at least 30 times so it was big for the Bulldogs to land that visit.
Don’t underestimate Alabama. While I still have Gibbs projected into the eventual Class of 2017 at Georgia, I feel that Alabama is his most likely destination aside from playing in-state.
Gibbs recently took an official visit to Auburn last weekend. He also used another official to see Alabama take on Texas A&M on Oct. 22.
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Follow Jeff Sentell on Twitter for the latest on who’s on their way to play Between the Hedges. Unless otherwise indicated, player rankings and ratings are from the 247Sports Composite.