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UGA recruiting: 10 things to know about the Nike Atlanta Opening regional

Jeff Sentell

BUFORD, Ga. — The Nike Atlanta Opening regional never disappoints. There were players upon players competing in the annual talent showcase. It was again held at Buford High School and it provided a constant trickle of information on all things UGA recruiting.

Conditions were chilly. It wasn’t the time for anyone to try to test their physical wares in anything near optimal conditions.

What did we learn? Well, quite a lot actually.

10 things DawgNation has to know about the Atlanta stop

1) Affirmation Sunday, Part 1: Those who read this space from time to time always seem to tell me they are worried about an Alabama or a Clemson swooping in to flip 5-star OLB commit Nolan Smith. Well, Smith relayed on Sunday just how hard that is still going to be. 

2) Affirmation Sunday, Part II: We will have a detailed interview with 5-star commit Dominick Blaylock later this week, but he did more than show what he can do in the camp setting. He said that Bulldog fans shouldn’t worry so much about another program breaking up its matching set of 5-star commits for 2019. Blaylock fully expects 5-star Jadon Haselwood to join him in Athens. He said he will not be taking any official visits other than the one he plans to UGA.

3) Affirmation Sunday, Part III: Just how good are those 5-star pledges? Well, the Nike Atlanta Opening regional affirmed their worth beyond their online rankings. Blaylock, Haselwood and Smith were all immediately named to the Opening finals after the camp.

4) Check these tweets: Want to see what some of those UGA commits can do? Check out a grab bag of tweets of some of their top reps from the camp.

5) More on those UGA 5-star commits at WR: Blaylock is a special player, but it appears he made a great decision to play college ball in the South. He said he tested very well with his initial events during the combine testing, but each subsequent rep got slower. He had a very impressive short shuttle time of 4.0 seconds on Sunday and a low 40 time of 4.5 seconds.

Blaylock had the day’s fourth-best Sparq rating posting a 114.90 rating. Haselwood checked in at No. 14 with a score of 104.04.

Chad Simmons of Rivals.com also provided a cool nugget about Haselwood. He had a busier weekend than all of us. Really.

6) Kyle Hamilton is legit: Kyle Hamilton, he of the 3-star rating, continues to show that his skills are far north of that level of perceived value. Hamilton came away with one of the top Sparq ratings at the event. The 6-foot-4 Marist standout did so while coming in at 188 pounds and taking a lot of 1-on-1 reps as a cornerback. He’s a safety on Saturdays. Hamilton’s 109.74 Sparq rating placed No. 8 at the camp along that testing. He didn’t start well along his 4.79 in the 40 but didn’t lean on any excuse, but then he posted a 35.2 vertical, a 4.25 short shuttle run and a power ball toss of 43 feet. He had never done that before, but the ball almost lept out of the testing area.

7) Best player that UGA has not offered: There were a lot of young candidates on hand that might fit that bill, but the clearest example to this question in the rising senior category would be Buford guard Riley Simonds. He’s as physical as it gets and would be an asset to any line. Anywhere. Simons, at 6-foot-3 and about 310 pounds, ranks as a 3-star recruit. He’s the No. 20 guard for 2019. Simons is a mauler and a simple guy who doesn’t really dive deep into the recruiting stuff. Heavyweights like Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Florida among the 25 offers on his 247Sports player profile page. Buford coach John Ford was told by the Alabama staff that Simonds is their No. 1 target at guard for 2019.

 

8) Best in-state player that the Bulldogs are losing to another program: That’s 4-star receiver, Jermaine Burton. Burton, a Miami commit, is an elite WR in the class of 2020. He was once at Hapeville Charter Academy but then transferred to IMG Academy for his sophomore year. Burton quickly took over a starting spot at IMG. He’s decided to transfer back to Georgia and will play for Marietta High. Burton was named the receiver MVP at the Atlanta regional. He also won the “Fastest Man” competition on Sunday.

9) The state of Georgia will continue to churn out the elite QBs: Let’s think about Davis Mills and Jake Fromm in 2017. Those guys were followed up by 5-stars Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields in 2018. Well, there might be a dip in the 2019 cycle when it comes to some of the nation’s top 5 QBs, but that will revert back to the previous trend in 2020. Harrison Bailey is terrific. So is Max Johnson of Oconee County. The 6-foot-5 Johnson really impressed me on Sunday. He doesn’t do a lot of the camp stuff. Let’s also not forget Buford freshman Aaron McLaughlin in the class of 2021. Those guys all look like top 5 QBs for their respective cycles.

10) It sounds like UGA might have a shot at the DB MVP: Want to add another name to the DB board for the Bulldogs in 2019? Consider the merits of 4-star Louisiana CB Chester Kimbrough. The 6-foot, 175-pounder flashed brightly for most of the camp. He could likely leave the state because he does not hold an LSU offer. It seems like the Tigers are digging in for a pair of in-state corners which rate No. 2 and No. 15 overall nationally. Kimbrough has a UGA offer. SEC Country’s Sam Spiegelman covers LSU. He feels that Mississippi State, Alabama, Michigan, Florida, Georgia and Kansas are the main schools to monitor for the 4-star New Orleans cornerback.

 

Bonus) Riverdale 4-star DE Dante Walker is no longer a major target for the UGA staff: It appears that the Bulldogs are looking elsewhere. Walker told DawgNation at the event that the Bulldogs have not been recruiting him as hard as they once were.

Was that it? Not hardly. We saved a few choice updates for the first few days of the week.

NEXT 5-star commit Nolan Smith shares some candid thoughts at the The Opening Atlanta regional
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