Honor Roll: Could a UGA commit soon be recruited by SEC rivals as a QB?
Deejay Dallas committed to UGA at Dawg Night back on July 18. Was he going to be a defensive back? He expressed, shortly after his commitment, that he’d sure like to catch passes from fellow 2017 commitment Bailey Hockman at UGA.
Well, he’s excelling at another position this fall. Dallas has been terrific at quarterback since he shifted over to that position for Glynn Academy approximately a month ago. Dallas has had his big games, but he exploded Friday night as a dual threat by piling up 221 rushing yards and several highlight clips.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder can spin the ball. His coach Rocky Hidalgo says he’s got an SEC arm and the film he’s stacking up might cause programs like an Auburn, Ole Miss or Oregon to begin to recruit him as a dual-threat quarterback.
“I guess that he has surpassed my expectation with his his poise and command of the passing game,” Hidalgo said. “I didn’t expect him to be as good as he is in the passing game so fast.”
Hidalgo watches his work these days and wonders why he took so long to move him under center.
“If the Auburns and Ole Miss programs of the world who want a guy who can read it and throw it and pull the football, then Deejay would be their guy,” Hidalgo said. “He’s a major college quarterback in that offense. He’s just like Nick Marshall. That’s who he is. He’s that guy. He can make you look silly with his feet and he can throw the football wherever he wants to throw it.”
Scan to the bottom of this week’s UGA Honor Roll. The buried treasure will be a few clips of Dallas under center.
“Even when he’s wrong, he makes it right,” Hidalgo said. “He’s hard to tackle one-on-one. He is slippery. He did some things like you’d seen in “The Matrix” (movie) the other day. … He’s had some 5-yard gains this year that have just been amazing where two people has surrounded him and he just makes them miss. He’s really sporty. And on top of all that, he’s such a great kid. He’s been such a natural leader and has taken over the team as a leader when he became the quarterback. It was like he flipped the team leader switch on with everything else.”
UGA Honor Roll
Derrick Brown, DL, Lanier, Ga. (undecided)
What: The senior had 12 total tackles and three tackles for losses in Lanier’s 31-10 win against Salem. The 5-star defensive tackle prospect also added two quarterback pressures, one sack and a deflected pass. Brown has set up his five official visits of UGA, Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee and Mississippi State. He’s not stating any leaders, but UGA is considered by many to be the frontrunner for his eventual signature on scholarship papers.
Brian Burns, DE/OLB, Plantation, Fla. (undecided)
What: The highly-coveted senior defensive end had six tackles and another impressive seven quarterback pressures for American Heritage (Fla.) in a 51-27 win against Jackson. He also added one sack and recovered a fumble that was wiped off the stat sheet by offsetting penalties. He stated in the past that UGA, Alabama and Florida were his co-leaders. He has yet to take an official visit this fall, but expect to see FSU and LSU in his final group, too. Burns hails from the same prep program that sent Isaiah McKenzie, Sony Michel and Marshall Morgan to UGA.
Nico Collins, WR, Pinson, Ala. (undecided)
What: The junior receiver from Clay-Chalkville (Ala.) continues to put up bountiful numbers and had an All-State season as a sophomore in 2014. The 6-foot-5, 200-pounder caught a 36-yard touchdown pass in a 52-27 win for a team that’s currently rated No. 6 in the nation by USA Today. UGA, Alabama, and Auburn would be in his top group of schools. Collins has made several trips to UGA.
Deejay Dallas, ATH, Brunswick, Ga. (committed to UGA)
What: Dallas, as noted above, continues to put up Xbox and PlayStation-type numbers ever since he was shifted from his receiver and safety spot to quarterback for Glynn Academy. He completed 6 of his 9 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown, but took that dual-threat passer stuff to the extreme with 23 carries for 221 yards and one touchdown. That’s 9.6 yards per carry. Dallas committed to UGA at Dawg Night back on July 18.
Lyn J-Dixon, RB, Butler, Ga. (undecided)
What: Dixon carried the ball 30 times for 127 yards in a 20-14 loss to Dooly County. He caught what would have been the game-winning touchdowns in the setback, but was ruled out of bounds. The sophomore ran for a school-best 451 yards and five touchdowns last week. The 4-star prospect has SEC offers from Tennessee and UGA.
Jacob Eason, QB, Lake Stevens, Wash. (committed to UGA)
What: Eason put up six touchdowns Friday night in front of a national audience on ESPNU. He completed 13 of his 20 passes for 243 yards and five touchdowns. He added a touchdown on the ground for Lake Stevens in a 63-7 win against Kamiak High School. Eason committed to UGA on Dawg Night in July of 2014 and is set to enroll in January. He has already signed with financial aid papers.
Mecole Hardman, Jr., ATH, Elberton, Ga. (undecided)
What: Hardman will either be a cornerback or a receiver in college, but he continues to shine under center as a running quarterback for Elbert County High School. He had 27 carries for 172 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-7 win against Morgan County. UGA and Tennessee are the frontrunners for his signature on the scholarship papers, but he will also give a hard look to Alabama, Auburn and Michigan. The calendar is drawing closer to the timeline he has shared in the past for when he will make his silent commitment. He does not plan to reveal his choice until National Signing Day in February. Hardman has already taken an official visit to Miami (Fla.) and will also visit Michigan for the Ohio State game.
Grant Holloway, WR, Chesapeake, Va., (undecided)
What: Holloway showed off his blistering speed with a pair of touchdowns for Grassfield (Va.) in a 42-23 win against Lakeland. He hauled in an 80-yard touchdown catch to open the scoring and helped slam the door with a 53-yard punt return in the third quarter. Holloway, a national track champion in the hurdles, has narrowed his choices to UGA and Florida. He could commit at any time, but likely by the end of November. The border rivals will both allow Holloway to play football and run track in the SEC.
Elijah Holyfield, RB, Atlanta, GA. (committed to UGA)
What: Holyfield made a successful return from a foot injury, that had him sidelined for the last four weeks, in a surprising 37-7 win against Sandy Creek. Holyfield returned to the field and scored a 13-yard touchdown among other big plays in the victory.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Cartersville, Ga. (undecided)
What: He’s just a sophomore, but the 5-star prospect is already rated as the nation’s No. 1 prospect for his signing class. Well, he had the sort of game that is expected for a recruit of that stature Friday night in a 49-3 win against Southeast Whitfield. Lawrence completed 6 of his 8 passes for 161 yards and four touchdowns in the rout. That came on just 16 total plays. Tennessee was his leader before the season, followed by UGA.
Devwah Whaley, RB, Beaumont, Tex. (undecided)
What: According to the Beaumont Enterprise, the 4-star prospect had 19 carries for 126 yards and two scores in a 36-21 win against Vidor on Friday night. Whaley took his official visit to UGA on Sept. 19 and loved it. He gave the visit a perfect “10” rating. He is expected to also visit Arkansas and Texas A&M. UGA is perceived as his leader, but Whaley hasn’t made any statements to support that. He told DawgNation that he could potentially make a silent commitment to his favored school in December before he makes his public commitment on Jan.9 at the Under Armour All-American Game.
Jamyest Williams, ATH, Lawrenceville, Ga. (undecided)
What: The junior cornerback prospect continues to dazzle from the running back spot for Archer High School. He had 137 rushing yards, 46 receiving yards, 75 return yards and found the end zone twice in one-half of work in a 42-6 homecoming game win against Central Gwinnett. Williams is considering a host of schools with UGA, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State and Tennessee at the forefront.
Charlie Woerner, WR, Tiger, Ga. (committed to UGA)
What: Woerner, the nephew of UGA All-American safety Scott Woerner, had been taking it easy the last few weeks trying to deal with a sore hip that has been nagging him. He returned to the field and caught five passes for 61 yards and a touchdown in a 43-10 win against Washington-Wilkes. He also added four tackles on defense. That touchdown catch covered 26 yards. The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder can play either tight end or wide receiver at UGA.
Those highlight clips by Dallas are featured below:
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.
