Want to attack every day with the latest Georgia football recruiting info? That’s the Intel. This entry is about the latest with 5-star junior RB Rueben Owens II after his latest unofficial visit to UGA.

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Rueben Owens. 5-star junior RB. He is a potential dazzling addition to the “RBU” brand in Athens.

The nation’s No. 2 RB, who feels confident enough in his game to call himself a four-down RB, returned to the home of the national champions just over a week ago.

It went well. To be expected. It is doubtful we will ever report that a visit from a 2-star, 3-star, 4-star or a 5-star didn’t go well in Athens.

With a player like Owens, the things to look for are what he said that seem in line with what other future “RBU” backs said on their early visits in Athens.

Or to look for things that sound unique to his specific recruiting story. While recapping his most recent visit, there was something he said that stands out.

“I’m really looking for a family,” Owens said. “With Georgia, they are a family.”

The young man has at least three catchy nicknames. Everyone knows “The Black Unicorn” by now but he’s low-key partial to the “4SoCrazy” handle.

“That’s because I wear number four and I can do some crazy things on the field,” he said.

With that, let’s recap a few intriguing things that Owens had to say about his latest trip:

  • “It was a great visit. They showed me great hospitality. I talked to coach [Kirby] Smart 1-on-1. I liked the things that he was saying.”
  • “He was just telling me how they were going to be able to use me. Be able to use me out of the backfield. Because I can catch the ball, too. How he was going to get the ball to me and all that. How the deals and stuff work. NIL stuff. How it is not all about that.”
  • “You know at Georgia you have a chance to make it to the next level so they don’t try to rush in through it and to get to all of that.”
  • “It was a great visit. It was one of my best visits I have had so far.”
  • “That [national championship] trophy it was pretty heavy. It wasn’t a light trophy, you know? It was just nice to hold it. Some schools don’t let you do that. [Georgia] just got a national championship and they were nice enough to let you hold the trophy.”
  • “Coach [Dell] McGee was just basically saying how he was going to get me better. He was saying how he put other running backs in the league and that kind of stuff. Coach McGee is a real cool guy. He’s pretty nice.”
  • “He tells you how he can get you better. How you are going to get better in the program. He just doesn’t tell you how great you are. Other coaches will just tell you how much they want you and how great you are. He will tell you the things you need to do to get better.”
  • “Coach Smart, he kept it real with me.”
  • “It is real crazy. I mean I’m a young kid. I never thought I would be talking to head coaches of big-time colleges. It has always been a dream and for that to happen is amazing.
  • “He was just telling me how I was one of the best backs in the nation and he would like for me to be there at Georgia. Because it is ‘RBU’ and stuff.”

Owens said it did mean something to him to see Georgia finally be able to win it all.

“They have got a chance to make it back-to-back, too,” he said. “They have got a real good team coming back.”

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5-star junior RB prospect Ruebenn Owens II took another unofficial visit to UGA on the last weekend before the February dead period went into effect. (Instagram) (Instagram/Dawgnation)

Rueben Owens: What the 5-star junior RB is looking for

The nation’s No. 2 junior RB established a top five of Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M and USC late last month.

He said the most recent visit was about hanging around other players in his class and having fun. He said he spent a great deal of that UGA trip hanging with 4-star Orlando-area OT Payton Kirkland.

Owens was once committed to Texas. He did so early last year, but then de-committed last June. He’s said in the past he’s not a big fan of all the visits and recruiting.

When the time is right, he will be ready to make that bond and just build a real strong relationship from there.

He had a top five last January. That was when the 2022 guys were still working on their top 12s and top 8s. It was even a time when some of the 2021 recruits were just getting to their final five schools, too.

Owens will enroll early in January of 2023.

“I don’t know when I am going to make a decision. It is going to be soon, though.”

Will he really be making a decision sometime relatively soon?

Yes, sir,” he said.

He wants to take his five official visits first. Look for that to happen in April and May. Does that mean he could make a summer decision? Does that feel like that could be his timeline?

“Yes, sir,” he said.

What are the biggest boxes Georgia checks off for him?

“Just how it is Georgia,” he said. “That’s a big school. A big SEC school. Georgia is for sure the type of school that can get you to the next level.”

He tried on the traditional Georgia red jersey with the gray pants. On a previous trip, he tried on the black jersey with the gray pants for this photoshoot.

That red and gray was his favorite look, he said.

What does he look for on every visit that will key him in on whether on not a school is a great fit?

“To see if my parents like it,” he said. “To see if they like the vibe, too.”

His parents were on that recent trip to Athens.

“My Mom liked it a lot,” he said. “My Dad did, too. He’s been to Georgia before, too. He likes Coach McGee a lot and he likes Coach Smart, too.”

Owens said that his next visit will be on March 5 to Alabama.

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5-star junior RB prospect Ruebenn Owens II took another unofficial visit to UGA on the last weekend before the February dead period went into effect. (Instagram) (Instagram/Dawgnation)

Rueben Owens II: Going through his other top schools

How does Owens feel about his top five options? He took a quick lap around all of his favorites and the reason why each program stands out.

  • Alabama: “They are a powerhouse. Coach [Nick] Saban, he is a real nice guy. He’s straightforward with you. He also tells you how you can get better, too. Then you know down at ‘Bama you are going to be going against the best of the best every day.”
  • USC: “Coach [Lincoln] Riley has been on me since my freshman year when he was at OU. Just seeing him going to USC makes me want to put USC in the picture.”
  • Texas: “The same thing with them. They have been with me since my freshman year. Texas, you know I am a Texas kid. So like you know Texas has recruited me pretty hard at a young age. So I’m sticking with them because I like them. I like Texas and also you know I like Austin very much.”
  • Texas A&M: “They’ve got a real big class now. They’ve been recruiting since my freshman year, too. College Station it is just a vibe, bro. I have just been vibing with them. Coach Charlie Robinson. Coach Jimbo [Fisher] and you know they are just some real nice guys.”

There was a time about a year ago where Owens said it felt to him like Oklahoma was recruiting him harder than almost every other program. What about now?

He did say that Georgia, Texas and Texas &M have been doing so now. But then added that was basically the case with his entire top five. Owens also said that Miami has made a big recent push, too.

Will it matter to him where a guy like Kirkland goes? What about Arch Manning? He did say that was a factor.

“I do want to have a good class with the school I end up going to,” he said. “I do want some of the other 2023s to join me.”

Owens did mention NIL. He said the name, image and likeness trend is something that comes to mind. It is probably the most popular recruiting topic right now when it comes to Texas and Texas A&M in his home state.

As discussed earlier, he said that UGA did not focus its pitch around that.

“The NIL thing is kind of big like that,” Owens said. “Who wouldn’t want it? I mean what young kid wouldn’t want to get paid big money. But it is not all about that.”

He will wear No. 4 in college. When he’s not working on his game, he loves to play the popular video game franchise “Fortnite” online and with friends.

Owens just delivered a season in 2021 that would be hard for really old school Tecmo Bowl, old school NCAA Football and the modern Madden player to match in video game football.

  • 2899 yards on 12.1 yards per carry as a junior
  • 12 games of 100-plus yards and 223 rushing yards per game in 2021
  • 46 rushing TDs in 13 games
  • 4500 rushing yards and 76 TDs for his past two seasons.
  • Rushing average of 11.6 yards per attempt as a marked man in 2020 and 2021
  • Caught 15 passes for 252 yards (16.8 ypc) in 2021
  • Was named The MaxPreps.com National Junior Player of the Year for 2021

Check out his junior highlight reel below. You’ll see a lot of explosives of him running his favored stretch and zone-read run plays:

SENTELL'S INTEL

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