It is UGA Honor Roll time again. That’s when DawgNation rounds up all the best performances and serves up a Top 10 (give or take) list of performances by UGA’s commitments and targets from this past Friday’s games.
Who had the biggest night? That’s hard to say, but a performance from 2016 UGA commitment Malek Young at a new position stands out. Young — a defensive back commit — was thrust under center Friday night in relief of an injured teammates and performed well.
The only other eye-opener of that caliber was a return to form by RB commitment Elijah Holyfield. The senior running back scored three times in a 28-7 victory against Whitewater to show he’s still got the big-play ability after being slowed by a foot injury earlier this year.
We also could highlight what defensive stalwarts Derrick Brown and Brian Burns seem to do every week, but those guys have made the spectacular look so routine on a weekly basis we’ll let a few other names get in on the attaboys, too.
UGA Honor Roll
Derrick Brown, DL, Lanier, Ga. (undecided)
What: The state of Georgia’s No. 1 prospect had seven total tackles in a 48-21 win at Winder-Barrow. Lanier moved to 9-0 thanks to his all-around showing that included a half-sack and two stops for losses. Brown also ran for a first down on a fake punt and made a key block on a 9-yard scoring run. The 5-star senior set his official visit schedule among UGA, Auburn, Alabama, Mississippi State and Tennessee.
Brian Burns, DE/OLB, Plantation, Fla. (undecided)
What: The 4-star defensive lineman cut out of the Leonard Floyd mold had three sacks, one forced fumble, one pass deflection, two total tackles and a ridiculous 11 quarterback pressures Friday in a 38-15 win against Hallandale. The 6-foot-5 senior hails from the same alma mater which has sent Isaiah McKenzie, Sony Michel and Marshall Morgan to UGA. He currently has a top group which includes UGA, Alabama and Florida.
Chad Clay, DB/WR, Suwanee, Ga. (committed to UGA)
What: Clay is committed to UGA, but still plans two final official visits to Oklahoma and Mississippi State. He had five tackles, two pass break-ups and a fumble recovery for Peachtree Ridge in a 28-13 win against Collins Hill. Clay will take those visits, but he did recently tell DawgNation that he was pretty much locked in with UGA.
Deejay Dallas, QB/ATH, Brunswick, Ga. (committed to UGA)
What: Dallas continues to shine at quarterback this fall. He committed to UGA to play either defensive back or receiver, but every week he looks more and more like an ideal dual-threat quarterback in the right offense. Dallas ran eight times for 102 yards and a touchdown, but also completed 7 of his 11 pass attempts for 132 yards and another three scores in a 49-3 win against Statesboro.
Randrecous Davis, WR, Atlanta, Ga. (committed to UGA)
What: The senior returned a punt 51 yards for a touchdown for Mays in a 41-7 win against Tri-Cities. The Raiders will now face Stephenson next week for the region title. Davis also caught a 31-yard pass in the win. He’s now scored 15 touchdowns this fall in just nine games.
Jacob Eason, QB, Lake Stevens, Wash. (committed to UGA)
What: The 5-star QB helped move his team’s record to 9-0 with another near-perfect night through the air. Eason completed 19 of his 23 passes for 314 yards and four scores in a 56-14 win against Jackson High. That victory meant Eason had led his Vikings to their third consecutive Wesco AAAA league title. For video of his night, click here.
Mecole Hardman, Jr, ATH, Elberton, Ga. (undecided)
What: The U.S. Army All-American had eight carries for 127 yards and two scores in an easy win against East Jackson. Hardman is one of UGA’s priority targets for the 2016 class and the 5-star recently told DawgNation he was considering giving up his long-standing plan to be a silent commitment.
Bailey Hockman, QB, Powder Springs, Ga. (committed to UGA)
What: Hockman, a 4-star recruit, provided another helping that the quarterback spot at UGA will be in good hands in the near future. The junior left-hander completed 15 of his 23 attempts for 142 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-0 win against Harrison. The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder committed to UGA back in June.
Grant Holloway, WR, Chesapeake, Va. (undecided)
What: Holloway is as fast as any player UGA is recruiting and he lived up to it again on Friday night. The receiver came up with an 85-yard scoring run in an otherwise dreary night along a 59-18 loss to Nansemond River. Holloway has narrowed his choices down to running track and playing football in the SEC for either UGA or Florida.
Elijah Holyfield, RB, College Park, Ga. (committed to UGA)
What: The senior ran 22 times for 132 yards and two scores in Woodward Academy’s 28-7 win against Whitewater. He also showed that he has recovered from a foot injury that caused him to miss almost a month by taking the game’s opening kickoff 80 yards for another touchdown. He committed to UGA back in September.
Antwuan Jackson, DT, Ellenwood, Ga. (undecided)
What: The senior has Auburn and Ohio State as his top schools, but UGA is in the mix with Alabama after that. The 4-star prospect had six tackles in Friday night’s 33-20 win against South Atlanta. Jackson made five of those tackles behind the line of scrimmage and his sixth stop of that tally also went for no gain.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Cartersville, Ga. (undecided)
What: The 5-star sophomore QB completed 12 of his 14 attempts for 343 yards and five touchdowns that all came in the first half of a 49-0 win against Lafayette. Lawrence has now completed 18 of his last 22 passes for nine touchdowns. The 6-foot-5 sophomore has been rated as the nation’s No. 1 overall prospect for 2018. He’s going to have a lot of options, but look for his final decision to include UGA and Tennessee.
Tyrique McGhee, DB, Fort Valley, Ga. (committed to UGA)
What: The senior scored a rushing touchdown for Peach County with two seconds left in the first half of a 22-17 win against Westside-Macon. He also caught three passes for 81 yards. McGhee hauled in a key 51-yard touchdown pass with 1:27 left to play. He’s committed to play defensive back at UGA.
Tre’ Nixon, WR, Viera, Fla. (undecided)
What: The Viera Voice reports that Nixon caught touchdown passes of 4 and 79 yards in a 45-6 thrashing of South Fork. The 4-star receiver with the blinding 4.3 speed is expected to make his decision in the next two weeks. UGA and Penn State are seen as the leaders, but he’s not singled out any team from a top group of UGA, Auburn, Florida, Penn State and Texas A&M of late.
Devwah Whaley, RB, Beaumont, Tex. (undecided)
What: According to the Port Arthur News, the 4-star running back had 27 carries for 119 yards in a 21-7 loss to Port Neches-Groves. Whaley, a senior, also scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. UGA has a great shot with Whaley, but he’s also going to take official visits to Arkansas and Texas A&M down the stretch.
Malek Young, DB, Pompano Beach, Fla. (committed to UGA)
What: Auburn and Ohio State are charging hard after Young for the same reason why he showed he can be an impact player a new position on Friday night. Young will be a defensive back in college, but he’s usually the key offensive cog for Florida’s Coconut Creek High School. The senior caught five passes for 138 yards and a touchdown but was thrust under center after an injury to the starting quarterback. He completed 7 of his 12 passes for 79 yards and another touchdown in that role.
Here are a few clips of the guys in action on Friday night:
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.