UGA Honor roll: 5-star receiver Kyle Davis had his best game of the season
How have UGA’s commitments and top recruiting targets done so far this season? The DawgNation.com UGA Honor Roll publishes every weekend recapping the top performances from an assortment of recruits who are extremely high on UGA’s radar.
It is not a recap of how every commitment and target did per se, but more of a collection of the very best from this past Friday night. 5-star Archer receiver Kyle Davis had his best performance of the season. He’s rated as the No. 1 receiver in the nation per the 247sports composite.
He’s a key recruiting target for UGA and is scheduled to make his commitment on Oct. 23. That’s Archer’s Homecoming Game.
UGA Honor Roll
Malcolm Askew, ATH, McCalla, Ala. (undecided)
What: The 4-star junior from McAdory High School is a prized cornerback at the next level, but he caught seven passes for 133 yards on Friday night. He also broke up a pass as a quarterback threw his way on a rare occasion this season. He added four tackles. Askew almost committed to UGA this summer. He has continued to maintain that UGA is his leader as his junior season has gone along.
Derrick Brown, DT, Buford, Ga. (undecided)
What: The 5-star from Lanier High School had three tackles and one sack on Friday night in a 16-8 win against Gainesville. He also had two tackles for losses. Brown also blocked a punt and recovered it. He advanced the ball 20 yards down to the 13-yard line in enemy territory. Brown visited Knoxville this weekend for the UGA-Tennessee game. Both schools will receive official visits.
Chad Clay, CB, Suwanee, Ga. (committed to UGA)
What: The 3-star cornerback was part of a terrific defensive effort on Friday night in Peachtree Ridge’s 42-6 win at North Gwinnett. The senior had four tackles in the victory, but also a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown in the runaway victory.
Davion Curtis, WR, Temple, Tex. (committed to UGA)
What: Temple High School’s 3-star receiver had a dominating performance in a 69-14 victory against Pflungerville Connally on Friday night. He caught four passes for 145 yards and three of those went for touchdowns. Curtis hauled in scoring grabs of 68, 39 and 33 yards in the win.
Kyle Davis, WR, Lawrenceville, Ga. (undecided)
What: The 5-star senior at Archer High School had his biggest game of the season along a 38-3 win against South Gwinnett. The team’s official stats on Maxpreps.com listed him with just one touchdown catch through the first five games, but The Gwinnett Daily Post reported that he exploded for touchdown catches of 60 and 71 yards from quarterback Will Bearden. Davis is set to make his college commitment after Archer’s Homecoming Game on Oct. 23. UGA and Tennessee would appear to be the top contenders and Auburn is also in the mix.
Lyn-J Dixon, RB, Butler, Ga. (undecided)
What: The speedy Taylor County sophomore had 13 carries for 165 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-20 win Friday night against Central-Talbotton. He also had two catches for 47 yards and another touchdown. Dixon already holds the first SEC offers in Taylor County’s football history. He collected an offer from Tennessee over the summer and got his UGA offer earlier this season. Scroll down below to the end of the honor roll for a Hudl highlight clip of the big play.
Jacob Eason, QB, Lake Stevens, Wash. (committed to UGA)
What: The Lake Stevens High School senior completed 23 of his 37 passes for 245 yards in a Top 10 matchup that proved to be his toughest test of the season to this point. Eason’s Vikings fell down 14-0 but surged for a 42-14 victory. Those interceptions were his first of the season. Both came on Hail Mary throws. One was on a third-and-long and the other was at the end of the half. He also ran for a 4-yard touchdown on a counter trap play. He stood in the pocket and worked the ball underneath despite a heavy dose of the blitz from the Monroe defense. He is set to enroll in January.
Mecole Hardman, Jr., ATH, Elberton, Ga. (undecided)
What: The nation’s No. 1 athlete shined for Elbert County in an important bounce-back 20-14 win against Jackson County. He had 29 carries for 158 yards and two touchdowns and was also 7 of 15 through the air for 68 yards. Hardman was in Knoxville this weekend for the UGA-Tennessee game and those schools are regarded as his leaders. He doesn’t say that, but he’s been to UGA and Tennessee probably 10 times each by now. Hardman has already taken an official to Miami and has one to Michigan coming up.
Isaac Nauta, TE, Bradenton, Fla. (undecided)
What: The senior at IMG Academy caught three passes for 64 yards in an easy 42-0 win against Southern Lab. He even did what he should against a school that actually carries a “Kittens” nickname by also hauling in his second touchdown catch of the season at IMG. Nauta went to UGA on an official visit for the Alabama game and by all accounts enjoyed the visit. He’s now gearing up this week for his second official visit of the season this weekend to Michigan for the Michigan State game. Where is he at right now? Most recruiting experts would likely peg UGA as his leader and Michigan, Ole Miss and TCU (three of his other officials) as the biggest competition. Jim Harbaugh is personally recruiting Nauta for his Wolverines.
Leonard Warner, LB, Snellville, Ga. (undecided)
What: The 6-foot-4, 226-pounder came up with a key 38-yard strip-and-score off a fumble he forced that helped Brookwood come back from a 21-0 deficit. His touchdown was a pivotal play early in the second half of an eventual 33-28 comeback victory. Warner told DawgNation.com that UGA is really “working hard” at recruiting him after the victory. UGA is among his Top 5 schools at this point with Alabama, Auburn, Duke and Georgia Tech. There is no particular order to his Top 5.
Nigel Warrior, DB, Suwanee, Ga. (undecided)
What: Warrior, who’s rated as the No. 4 safety in the nation for 2016, made plays in all kinds of ways for his Peachtree Ridge team. The senior had two interceptions in a 42-6 win but also had a 46-yard reception and a 34-yard run on offense. He even capped off his team’s first win against North Gwinnett since 2008 with a pair of celebratory backflips. Warrior has offers UGA, Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee, among others. He took his second trip to Knoxville this weekend of the season for the UGA-Tennessee game. He’s the son of Tennessee all-time great defensive back Dale Carter.
Devwah Whaley, RB, Beaumont, Tex. (undecided)
What: According to the Beaumont Enterprise, the 4-star running back had 24 carries for 109 yards in Beaumont’s 35-20 loss to Nederland in district play. The game story noted that it was the first time all season he did not score a touchdown in district play this year. UGA and Texas A&M are the leaders for the No. 4 RB in the nation this year. He will announce his decision on Jan. 2 at the Under Armour All-American Game, but there has been some speculation that he has already made a silent commitment to UGA.
Jeff Sentell covers UGA recruiting for AJC.com and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on who’s on their way to play Between the Hedges.
