UGA recruiting: Which commitments will sign during the new early period?
Want to attack every day with the latest UGA recruiting info? That’s what the Intel will bring at least five days a week. The play sheet Thursday calls for a quick study about the new early signing period. Which commitments plan to sign early? Which ones still aren’t sure yet?
This seems like a good day to delve into the early signing period. New for the 2018 cycle, recruits can make their college commitments official from Dec. 20-22, in addition to Feb. 7, 2018, which is National Signing Day.
There are a few things to know about the new early period:
- Prospects who plan to enroll early now can use this date to sign instead of needing to use the financial aid form that had been prevalent in the past.
- Recruits who do not wish to enroll early can still sign during the early period. They will not have to report until the traditional summer semester time frame.
- The new period offers an off-ramp from the recruiting madness for those who are ready and see no need to draw things out until February.
- The early period comes right after a dead period for recruiting that falls on Dec. 18. A potential storyline to watch out for will be the instant flip on the new early signing day. Prospects can change their path abruptly and not give the flipped school any chance to recover from a sudden de-commitment.
Which UGA commits will sign during the early period?
Plans can change. That said, DawgNation surveyed the 2018 commits and got the following responses. The data in the table presented below has been gathered within the last five days.
Will he sign early? Enroll early? Do we see him as a freshman All-American? (Just kidding about that last one.)
| Player | 247Sports Composite rank | Sign early? | Enroll early? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-star QB Justin Fields | No. 1 QB | Undecided | Undecided |
| 5-star RB Zamir White | No. 1 RB | Yes | Yes |
| 4-star RB James Cook | No. 3 RB | Yes | No |
| 4-star OLB Adam Anderson | No. 2 OLB | No | No |
| 4-star DE/OLB Azeez Ojulari | No. 6 WDE | Yes* | No |
| 4-star WR Kearis Jackson | No. 25 WR | Yes | Yes |
| 4-star WR Elijah Moore | No. 41 WR | No | No |
| 4-star DT Devonte Wyatt | No. 4 DT (JUCO) | Yes | Yes |
| 4-star OL Warren Ericson | No. 5 C | Yes | Yes |
| 4-star DT Jordan Davis | No. 27 DT | Undecided | No |
| 4-star CB Christoper Smith II | No 28 CB | Yes | No |
| 4-star LB/S Aaron Brule‘ | No. 40 S | Yes | No |
| 3-star TE John FitzPatrick | No. 20 TE | Yes | No |
| 3-star OL Owen Condon | No. 40 OT | Yes | No |
| 3-star DT Tramel Walthour | No. 45 DT | No | No |
| 3-star S Rachad Wildgoose | No. 63 S | No | No |
| 3-star DE/OLB Jaevon Becton | No. 59 WDE | No | No |
| 3-star P Jake Camarda | No. 12 K | Yes | No |
- — Indicates a recent update after publication
We can extrapolate the following from those findings:
Bulldogs commits who plan to sign early: 11* of 18 (with at least two undecideds)
Bulldogs commits who plan to enroll early: 4 (Justin Fields is still undecided)
The information in the table provides addresses only half of the equation about signing, and then enrolling, early.
There is also the matter of what several of UGA’s top targets plan to do.
Which UGA recruiting targets plan to sign and enroll early?
It’s also worth looking at what those blue-chip players who aren’t committed to Georgia plan to do.
That is another matter. That also requires a snapshot of what those top UGA targets plan to do in regard to the new early signing period and mid-year enrollment.
Here’s a look at some of the top targets and their current plans:
| Player | 247Sports Composite rank | Sign early? | Enroll early? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-star WDE Micah Parsons | No. 1 WDE | Y | N |
| 5-star OG Jamaree Salyer | No. 1 OG | Y | N |
| 5-star OT Cade Mays | No. 2 OT | Y | Y |
| 5-star WDE KJ Henry | No. 2 WDE | Y | Y |
| 5-star SDE Brenton Cox | No. 2 SDE | Y | Y |
| 5-star CB Tyson Campbell | No. 3 CB | N | N |
| 4-star CB Isaac Taylor-Stuart | No. 4 CB | N | N |
| 4-star OG Trey Hill | No. 2 OG | Y | Y |
| 4-star TE Luke Ford | No. 2 TE | TBD* | N |
| 4-star DT Robert Cooper | No. 5 DT | N | N |
| 4-star LB Channing Tindall | No. 5 OLB | N | N |
| 4-star LB/S Otis Reese | No. 8 OLB | Undecided | N |
| 4-star WR Alontae Taylor | No. 29 WR | Y | Y |
- — Indicates a recent update after publication
Zamir White scheduled to have surgery in Athens Thursday
Zamir White was bowling Wednesday night, the night before his scheduled knee surgery in Athens.
That might seem very much out of the norm, but that just sort of seems like something that the nation’s No. 1 running back would do.
This is the guy who owns a pair of horses, who barely sweats at all on the practice field and usually skips the water breaks during the hottest days of summer practice.
Remember the story about how he stood and signed autographs for about 15 minutes in the cold after the game in he tore his right ACL?
White told DawgNation that a helmet caught the side of his knee but he was going to be okay. He walked without any noticeable limp or even a grimace.
His injury wasn’t known at the time. It is now.
He opted to hit the lanes prior to his surgery. His mother’s tweet captured the moment.
In Athens bowling with my favorite guy before surgery in AM….minor setback for a major comeback…I’m going to miss Friday night lights at Pate stadium but Georgia here we come…..stay tuned we about to have some fun between the hedges @zeus1_34 pic.twitter.com/nha5dlEXPF
— Shanee White (@WhiteNae) November 30, 2017
Some current and future Bulldogs responded with their own unique show of support.
Wishing the best of luck to my boy @zeus1_34 on his surgery today. Gonna come back better than ever. 🐶🐾
— Justin Fields (@justnfields) November 30, 2017
Good luck to @zeus1_34 on his surgery today #bounceback
— +Isaiah Wilson+ (@_LayZay_) November 30, 2017
Prayers up to my boy @zeus1_34 speedy recovery lil bro 💯
— Richard LeCounte III (@LilEasy_35) November 30, 2017
Miss any Intel? The DawgNation recruiting archive will get you up to speed faster than Georgia All-America candidate Roquan Smith can find the football after the snap.
