Georgia football fans are counting down to the start of the early signing period on Dec. 18, and DawgNation is chronicling all the buildup with the Signing Day Spotlight — presented by Kroger. Each day, host Brandon Adams will recap the big news for UGA fans from around the recruiting trail as the Bulldogs attempt to once again assemble one of the country’s top classes. On this edition of the Signing Day Spotlight, former UGA All-American Jon Stinchcomb offers an evaluation of UGA’s latest commit, three-star offensive lineman Devin Willock.
Former UGA All-American sees plenty of potential in Bulldogs’ latest commit
Attrition is a fact of life for the nation’s top programs. Sometimes that attrition comes in the form of players departing early for the NFL, and sometimes it comes from the coaching staff.
Georgia was forced to deal with the latter last week when Sam Pittman, UGA’s offensive line coach for the last three years, left the program to become Arkansas head coach. The timing is never convenient for an issue such as that, but Pittman’s departure coming as close as it did to the start of the early signing period created a complicated issue for coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs.
However, it appears UGA will be just fine without Pittman. New offensive line coach Matt Luke acted quickly to convince 4-star offensive tackle Tate Ratledge to maintain his commitment, and Luke helped secure a new pledge from three-star offensive lineman — and former Penn State commit — Devin Willock.
Willock is the subject of this edition of Signing Day Spotlight (video linked below).
Former UGA All-American Jon Stinchcomb was asked about Willock Monday on DawgNation Daily. Jon was quick to praise Willock’s physicality, and also offered an evaluation of some areas in which Willock can improve when he arrives on campus.
Stinchcomb is part of a tremendous legacy of Bulldogs offensive linemen, and in recent years a number of names have been added to those hallowed ranks thanks to Pittman’s recruiting and coaching prowess. However, Pittman’s absence shouldn’t leave fans to assume his former position group will falter.
The Bulldogs’ offensive linemen are likely in good hands with Luke, and he’ll soon get an opportunity to make his mark on the program. Undoubtedly, working to help Willock and other 2020 signees develop will be a big part of that task.
