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Georgia Bulldogs National Signing Day 2012: Welcome the New Recruits!

Welcome to National Signing Day! The fax lines are open, the Dawg Sports National Signing Day open comment thread is up and running, and coverage is being provided by SB Nation, Seth Emerson, and GeorgiaDogs.com. Below, you will find the list of Georgia signees, which will be updated throughout the day, as signed letters of intent are received. Ladies and gentlemen, here is the latest crop of Bulldogs:

Star-divide

Player Position Home town Height Weight Rivals Stars
John Atkins DL Thomson, Ga. 6’3” 305 3
Collin Barber P Cartersville, Ga. 6’1” 190 2
Faton Bauta ATH Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 6’2” 222 3
Mark Beard OL Coffeyville, Kans. (JUCO) 6’5” 294 3
Josh Dawson DE Tucker, Ga. 6’4” 220 4
Sheldon Dawson ATH Memphis, Tenn. 5’11” 178 3
James DeLoach DE Millen, Ga. 6’2” 249 3
Ty Flournoy-Smith TE Moultrie, Ga. 6’3” 230 3
Leonard Floyd OLB Eastman, Ga. 6’5” 211 4
Todd Gurley RB Tarboro, N.C. 6’1” 209 4
Josh Harvey-Clemons OLB Valdosta, Ga. 6’5” 200 5
Quayvon Hicks FB Blackshear, Ga. 6’2” 249 3
Jordan Jenkins DE/OLB Hamilton, Ga. 6’3” 242 4
Keith Marshall TB Raleigh, N.C. 5’11” 195 4
Marshall Morgan K Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 6’3” 195 3
Greg Pyke OT Baltimore, Md. 6’5” 290 3
Jonathan Taylor DT Millen, Ga. 6’4” 317 4
John Theus OT Jacksonville, Fla. 6’5” 305 5
Blake Tibbs WR Lithonia, Ga. 6’1” 170 3

Go ‘Dawgs!

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Comments

Can we get some stars on the graph?

You know 5 star, 4 star and such? Not criticizing because I sure as hell can’t do it, but just asking.

We're looking into that.

It will require some research, and some revisions to the code, so your patience is appreciated, but we’re checking on that right now.

Thanks.

I got lots of that. I am a lifer DAWG fan

Like I said not complaining just asking.

You ask, we deliver.

Special thanks to RedCrake for getting me the star info. We’ll try to keep current with everything as the day progresses.

Thanks.

It really means nothing I guess but it helps the hype.

reply fail. :(
It's all right.

We appreciate the suggestion, and I’m glad we were able to help!

Is JaQuay Williams still teetering?
Not anymore.

It is reported he chose the Warplainseaglementiger thingys

Tiglesmen.

That’s the name the pros use. ;-)

Not that I really care BUT

No wonder those are a bunch of confused people around there.

Fixed that for you

Tiglesmen Bagmen

Apparently, it's signing day for more than one type of football!

From UGA Soccer coach Steve Holeman:

Already [have] four NLIs in! Mariah Dickey, Andie Fontanetta, Elizabeth Johnson, and Cara Smith are officially Bulldogs!

Sheldon Dawson?

A DB how many of those do we got now?

Forgot the info.

ajcuga AJC UGA
Memphis DB Sheldon Dawson confirms commitment to #UGA. No. 17 for Dogs, who now have No. 1 players from TN, NC and FL.
30 Jan
Retweeted 82 times

AJC

Always misses something. UGA has the #1 player from TN, NC, FL, and GEORGIA!

This is officially the only type of soccer comment . . .

. . . I will permit today! :)

Welcome, Georgia soccer gals!

All the best soccer teams wear red
And as a preliminary stop on tankertoad...

I should make that, “wear red, and come from towns with international acclaimed musical superstars”.

Table.

As in, “I move to table all discussion of soccer teams other than the Georgia women’s soccer team until a day that is not today.”

Is there a second?

(sound of crickets)

(Ah, teamwork…)

I'll second the "Table"

But thats probably not what you meant

Good luck with Saha, btw.

Hope y’all get more out of him than we did. So much potential, yet so much suckage.

I commented to that effect on your Bama iz da cheaterz fanshot
Seriously, . . .

. . . I will hurt people.

Talking about European soccer on National Signing Day is like playing cricket on the Fourth of July.

Perhaps this will calm you

Not like y'all need him, with Adebayor, and no more Europe

to clog the schedule.

Its a low risk signing

But like you said, we don’t need him… thats what frustrates the hell out of me with Levy

Depth is never a bad thing

just glad my guys didn’t waste about 10m on the striker from Rangers like vine’s team did. And he claims they have no money.

(Yes, it’s signing day today Kyle, but yesterday was transfer deadline day too).

And frankly, I’m hoping Spurs can get hot and play their best down the stretch without the annoyance of Europa like the two teams ahead of y’all, because well, I’d much rather y’all win the league than the two teams ahead of y’all. Spurs for 1st, LFC for 4th!

Don't forget the League One star that magically didn't immediately translate to the EPL!

/Sigh

Oh, I'm talking roundball all day, for diversity's sake...

We’ve got the bounceyhoops tonight. And it’s a real game, not this unhealthy fauning over teenage boys you buncha Sandusky’s.

/toosoon?
//yepit’stoosoon

oh dang, I saw that and I was about to elbow drop....you beat me too it.
All the best soccer teams in the U.S., at least.
Josh Harvey-Clements

Great!!!

Yay US......

GradyNewsource Grady Newsource
WR Blake Tibbs has sent his letter into #UGA.
2 minutes ago

Now officially reported by Seth Emerson.

Welcome, Blake!

Yeah i suppose I should do research,

But that is what you professionals are for. :) Fans tell the rumors.

Professionals?

You mean I’m supposed to be getting paid for this?

:-)

If you are an editor, you are a Pro.

IMHO anyway.

With all of the advertising around here I would

think anyone Id’d as staff should get something for their time. I really did think you guys were paid employees.

One rule of thumb that I've learned is safe to assume vis a vis the Internet:

If they’re offering free content and the website isn’t named the same thing as a TV channel, they’re probably not getting paid much, if anything. :-)

Maybe we should unionize, and then go on strike
Updated!

Thanks!

This is the best day of the year

that there is no football.

ESPN's Cara Capuano appears to be actually on campus in the UGA athletics office:

She tweeted a little earlier:

“Is it singing to us again?” asks Rhonda Kilpatrick, #UGA compliance staffer in charge of checking signatures. “It” is the FAX.

A funny from the world of the twits.

Man, looks like #UGA is getting a huge recruiting class. If Richt doesn’t do something w/ this class this year he #mightdontmakeit

What time does Avery Young commit?
2:30ish
Thanks!

I can check out for a little while, then.

Josh Dawson?
Is a Dawg.

just announced.

LOL

dawgsports T. Kyle King
Tucker outside linebacker Josh Dawson ditches ’Dores, signs with #Dawgs. #Georgia #Bulldogs #NSD #NSD2012 #UGA

How long until JHC

is downgraded to a 4 star after signing with UGA?

On another note Cordarelle Patterson is going to UT.

Rumor is he's going to be a one and done

What better place to do that than one where the coach recruited you is likely also one and done?

Still would have been nice to have him as a KR/PR for next season after losing Boykin
Put Marshall back there?
With the way and people we have recruited

I have a feeling that the coaches were envisioning CP as the deep threat and maybe using Malcom Mitchell as a CB/Nickel Back some next year

I would be shocked to see Mitchell play defense this year.

For one, he showed far too much promise on offense, and two, we have a nice crop of DBs waiting to come in and play, including Damian Swann, Corey Moore, Nick Marshall, etc.

I do not see Mitchell playing DB. Too much risk. If we were thin, maybe, but we arent thin there until maybe 2013.
My thoughts as well

Seems like a great way to break that speed in to the attack (if Crowell steps up at TB this summer and can take over the role like we thought he would a year ago).

Sheldon Dawson

Will fill that role very nicely if Branden Smith has any problems.

I can only remember a couple good returns by Smith.

He tends to be a straight line runner and not quite as shifty as he needs to be. I’d like to strive for finding the next Boykin kind of guy who is a threat to return it every time.

And comparing Boykin to Smith

Smith doesn’t do near as good of a job of running through arm tackles.

I agree.

VERY few punts or kickoffs are ever returned for TD’s without breaking at least one or two arm tackles.

Unconfirmed by me. :)

DE/OLB Jordan Jenkins from Harris County has faxed in his LOI to #UGA.

???????????????????????????????

ajcuga AJC UGA
OLB Jordan Jenkins of Harris County, also considered No. 1 prospect in state, officially in for #UGA.

GeorgiaDogs.com finally started their real live coverage.

The PowerPoint slideshow of current commitments finally stopped, and they just interviewed Coach Grantham.

I love that Keith Marshall is pretty much thought of as a consensus top 2 running back in the nation but only

carries at 4 star ranking. Seems pretty counterintuitive to me. Not to get up on stars or anything because they don’t matter at the end of the day. But anyone with the physicals gifts to beat Mitchell in a foot race should probably be a 5-Star.

He only carries a 4-star rivals ranking.

ESPN and Scout both have him listed as a five star.

What is the preference for Rivals over Scout rankings?

KM is a 5 star on Scout. None of it matters unless they do work. Go Dawgs!

I think Rivals generally tends to be a little more respected...

but that could just be me. On that same note, though, Rivals has lower rankings for a number of these guys than ESPN and Scout do.

Honestly, I had to pick one and go with it, . . .

. . . and I went with Rivals.com, but I could’ve gone a different way; that’s just the one I picked.

CaptJackSparrow asked for it, and RedCrake e-mailed me everyone’s Rivals, Scout, and ESPN rankings, so the choice of star system is on me. Quite honestly, I didn’t have any particularly good reason for going with that one over the other two. If I blew the call, my bad.

I don't think its an issue

Like I said… thats generally what most media outlets go with.

No problem--just seeing what I was missing. I only go to scout because it is close to dawgsports.com just a page over at dawgpost.
I think Rivals is the site most articles generally refer to across all media.

But I don’t personally like their ranking system… I generally look at Rivals/Scout/ESPN to get a consensus.

Another soccer international comes to Georgia!

From Steve Holeman:

Soccer adds Toriana Patterson to the 2012 class! Tori plays for the Jamaica U-20 National Team.
Transfer period ended yesterday though

how much did she cost?

Surely you aren't suggesting...

… that the college recruiting process is chock-full of secret under-the-table payments and enticements to young players?

At least we got one Patterson today.
Avery Young may have committed

Cat out of the bag a little early?

Didn't they accidentally show Chester Brown signing earlier today?

I hope this is correct information, but today can be hectic so I’d be skeptical about this.

Could be

Obviously, official confirmation will be in around 3 hours.

I just hope they are right

I keep reading things about him going to UF

Probably easier on everyone to count on him going to UF

until he actually commits to us. Georgiadogs may have just loaded his profile for if/when he announces for them. Makes it quicker to post.

I'm thinking the same thing.

No reason to think our OL curse will be lifted between now and 2 pm.

We only have 2 OLine commitments, and we have, like, 4 QBs on the roster.

We’re going A-11, I tells ya.

3 OL commits

Theus, Pike and Beard (JUCO)

Ah, I forgot about Beard... even with the chart.

I are read good.

Would still like to have 3 more OL commits
Not going to happen.

Hopefully Young is good for 2.5, but I’m not sure we get him.

We need our last class to live up to its potential, and for Theus and Beard to be ready to help. Pike and Young (if he commits) are going to need more time to contribute.

If we get Avery Young

that gives us 4 OL commits. Not ideal but that will give us about 10 scholorship OL going into next year

What is this wild luxury you speak of, actually having a 2-deep on the OL?
I think he meant a 2-derp OL.

That’s what we’re used to, right?

I think we have some good young talent on the OL

The key is YOUNG talent. If Will Friend can coach these guys up in time for next year we could be very good on Offensive Line for the next 2-3 years

That's my take. Recruit a mess of them every year, because its not about this year, its bout 2-4 years from now.

I am happy to have Gurley, but I would trade him for the best OL recruit in the nation – and people will say I am crazy, but how many years as UGA not gotten top RB recruits? But how many years have we gone “my goodness, what are we going to do on our O line?”. IF you block well enough, you dont need Herschel.

that would certainly please our favorite pilot.
I just wanted to say

that I’m busy as hell at work and risking life, limb and paycheck by letting all you know that I’m jealous.
#should’vetakenthedayoff!

Jokingly mentioned that to the boss yesterday

he laughed.

/wasn’treallyjoking

My boss played football at the Academy, I mentioned signing day to him and got a black stare.
er, blank. I hate work computers.
For a second there..

I thought you were making a Fisher DeBerry joke.

We are loaded at OLB now.

With the most important position in Grantham’s 3-4 (besides possibly the nose tackle) taken care of, I am really looking forward to the next 3 or 4 seasons on defense.

Another kicky-ball player comes in:
Just off the fax machine is the paperwork for Emma Sonnett!

Sonnett is a great player from Fellowship Christian in Atlanta. Her twin sister will be playing for Virginia.

How far

can she kick a football?

shes a phenomenal player

i know her and Johnson personally, if i remember right, Johnson played for the USJR Olympic team.

The elite Atlanta schools still coming through for UGA. At least _one_ of our programs has Atlanta locked in.

(looking at you Coach Fox).

nice to see a few kickers on the commit list
Wow

Georgia lists Palm Beach Gardens OT Avery Young as a signee on its website. Florida & Auburn were contenders.

Chester Brown was listed as well

Take it with a grain of salt.

Where are you getting that, jokastrength?

I’ve been checking the list all day, and, as of right now, I don’t see Avery Young listed.

He has a page at Georgiadogs.com.

That’s not the same as being on the official “Signed with Georgia” list.

Every player that they’ve offered probably has a page in case they sign.

Thanks, vineyarddawg.

That comment truly baffled me; GeorgiaDogs.com doesn’t post the names on the signee list until the LOIs are received. Heck, the last time I checked, Josh Harvey-Clemons wasn’t listed yet. I’m pretty sure it’s an NCAA violation to list them as signees before their paperwork has been confirmed.

Oh, good grief!

Do you believe this crap?

Yes. Yes, you do, because it’s the Journal-Constitution.

NCAA VIOLATION FOR thUGA!!!

/Self-penalized
//Mark Richt no longer allowed to butt-dial his wife.

This IT staff is out of control, PAWL.
I honestly can't wait until the day

that the AJC goes out of business and closes it’s doors forever.

Can't see at work - hate blind links, warning T Kyle King. What is it?
IT mishap allowed Avery Young's profile to be accessed at GeorgiaDogs.com.

AJC used “conspiracy” in the headline.

They really take douchebag to a new level don't they?

I remember growing up and Lewis was there and the AJC had UGA folks on staff and they liked us and stuff. AJC sports is no better than a rag at the Walmart line.

I miss Celestine Sibley.

That is all.

I remember her. No specific articles, but like many things I share with you offline, that was just part of "growing up in the ATL"
Question regarding over signing rule that was instated...

I notice on Rivals that Bamer and Texas still have 27 commits which is baffling but Miami has a mind-numbing 32 commits. What the heck is that about and how are these teams going to get to 25 with the new rules in place? Where are the teeth of the rule and who will actually enforce it once a kid signs LOI? Seems like a murky mess.

I know you can "backcount" three, if you have room from the last class.

Also, the signing rules only apply until May 1 (or 31, can’t remember), so if you can convince a kid to commit but not send in his paperwork until May, he can sign and play this year as long as he doesn’t put you over the 85 overall limit.

You don't have to sign at all

some kids don’t, and just enroll at their school of choice. A LOI is not mandatory for a scholarshipped athlete.

Keith Marshall technically didn't sign an LOI.

He just enrolled at Georgia in January.

I think the 25 is actually an SEC rule not NCAA, but then you still have Alabama
You are correct

the NCAA adopts the 25 limit for the 2013 signing class. As for Alabama, no one understands Saban Math. According to their 2011 FB roster they had 85 players that signed LOI’s, so they cannon back count and gray shirts count to the 25 man limit. Interesting to see what plays out with their 2 lowest recruits

That's it!

They cannon back count. While the rest of the schools just regular back count 3 guys, Bama cannon back counts as many as ten recruits a year. We need to research this more.

DANG.."cannot" not cannon
I wasn't trying to That Guy you...

just trying to shed light on Saban math, if that’s even possible.

Just caught what you typed

but like a black hole no light escapes Saban math

OK--the Bama thing like you say still sticks out. After all they just canned that one kid and the reason they gave was that they could only sign 25
I hear they are asking some to greyshirt for example Darius Philon who simply "announced" today
I thought that was the main purpose of the rule to basically get rid of grey shirting
Nick Saban don't care

Nick Saban does what he wants. Just glad that one kid signed with Kentucky

THIS.

I was glad that guy didn’t roll over and take what Alabama told him he was going to get and be happy.

Alabama has re-defined their meaning of grayshirting

Now along with official grayshirting (where the player signs a LOI and attends later in the year); they now have the “promised” next year scholarship where the kid remains committed to Alabama, does not sign a LOI…maybe we should refer to this new practice as grayshorting.

Crimson-shirting?
Well whenever Nutt gets a coaching job at Rutgers in 3 years he will do it there too

So maybe Crimson-Scarlet

So it shall be

how many players will be crimson-shorted this year?

And...how in the heck did Miami go through all its junk and they are having room to sign 32 kids--that is a freakin' monstrosity
Sorry..explanation needed. I am and have since birth been a Dawg.

I now live in Alabama and it is nauseating most of the time what with the Bamers and Barners. Oh, and I absolutely cannot stand cheating and playing outside the rules. It smells like the old Bear days when he would recruit kids just to keep them from the other teams.

Coach Richt is on the GeorgiaDogs.com livestream right now.
UGA 2012 class now rated 10th on Scout, 9th on RIvals, 5th on ESPN

Moving on up…

Ummm.... I'm looking at 11th on Rivals.

I’m probably being stupid somehow, but that’s what I see.

Ok. 9th. I see it now.
What's great is that we have 19 signees, while Miami has 31.

And we’re still ranked one spot higher.

So besides Young...

Who else are we waiting on?

That's it.

Unless there’s a crazy commitment out of left field from some recruit who flips schools to take UGA offer, that is all. The coaches might extend a couple late offers if Young doesn’t pan out, but we got most of everyone we wanted, so I don’t even know if there will be any late offers.

Off topic but relevant nonetheless

Football isn’t the only thing that makes Athens special:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ87g7uPyaY&feature=player_embedded

Just to clarify for those who are wondering what that link is...

… it is a like to a politically-motivated YouTube video protesting a proposed Walmart in downtown Athens.

When you’re posting something controversial like that, HipsterDawg, you need to identify what the link is.

The saddest thing about that site is

it’s empty and getting run down. The city has had multiple possible uses for it, and rejects all of them to keep an eyesore. The uses have run the gamut, and whether it’s public/private, a good business, something they’ve said they needed right there (which the walmart grocery is exactly that), they reject it. I love my hometown, but the politics there are full of kooks and causing serious problems.

/endspoliticalrant

Hate blind links, and I have been consistent on this, be it a fanshot or comment -

describe what you are linking too. It may get people in trouble at work, it maybe something not family friendly, it maybe something not DS.

If you link, describe what you are linking to and why.

Apologies

Came across the link and just threw it in without thinking. My fault.

No big deal.

I slipped up in the same way earlier today myself; it happens. Just food for thought for next time.

I did the same thing the other day.

… Linked to a Kids in the Hall sketch. I am indirectly admonished.

All is well. As I said, I am on this with everyone - even my boss of DS.
In fairness...

Since when is keeping Wal-Mart out of downtown Athens considered “controversial”? I thought there was pretty much a consensus among everyone in Athens (Wal-Mart execs notwithstanding) that nobody wants the thing built.

Not everyone.

And because I dislike getting involved in politics at Dawg Sports, I’ll leave it at that.

No, that's not really the case.

There are a number of people who support it, and for very valid reasons. There are others who don’t, for equally valid reasons.

Having said that, if you want to discuss it further, put up a FanPost, label it OT for Off-Topic, and debate away.

It's way off OP for one. It was a blind link for two. And a "consesnsus among everyone" is a generalization that can't be supported.

And this aint the time nor place for non sports politics.

It's Young time.

I don’t think we get him. Would love to be wrong.

Avery Young is a not a Dawg
FIERY DAMN TIGLESMAN, BROTHER.
The Moneyhatz strike again
They sure did pull off quite a few steals today didn't they?

Hmmm

Sounds like we were third on his list.

One guy does not a class break, but getting a guy with his potential would sure ease some depth concerns in the future. This increases the pressure to get top-shelf guys next year. And Beard has a great opportunity.

Legit question...

Why do we struggle at getting o-linemen to commit? I know we got Theus, but lost out on all our other big OL targets.

I’d argue top linemen are more important than the skill position players, yet we tend to focus our efforts on them…

You think it'd be easy for us

We run a good offense to develop good o-lineman, but we seem to focus more on getting the elite skill players for some reason. I’d love to trade one of our blue chip running backs for a blue chip o-lineman.

I don't get it...

No offense to our stud offensive skill players, but the line makes or breaks them. I know Young is only one player, but he isn’t our only miss, as we also lost out on Greene, Tomlinson, etc.

Why don’t we spend more time recruiting the line? I really don’t know. If we do spend a lot of time and whiff, then we need to re-evaluate how we’re recruiting them.

Jman781, I am frankly tired of it. UGA is a stepping stone for playmakers to the NFL, but we strugggle to get OL.

With a yearly influx of horses, even an above average (not great) RB can do well. But I can already see someone hurt, someone butthurt and leaving, someone on a scooter, and we putting an OLine together with Bandaids while blaming IC for not running harder.

Don't know...

but it’s been a constant issue since day 1 under Richt. Aside from the best friends club of coaches, probably the chief issue, and it may well supersede that.

What's up with Josh Harvey-Clemons?

I heard we don’t have a letter yet and Richt was avoiding discussing him.

Richt isn't allowed to discuss him by name...

until we have a letter of intent signed and in the books. It’s NCAA rules…no letter means Richt will avoid discussing him.

Right, okay.

Panic canceled.

They also said that there are

Logical reasons (maybe meant logistical) reasons behind not receiving it yet. CMR isn’t worried.

Fax broke? Go to Kinkos
There's a joke here somewhere - "teach, I gots to run to the Kinkos so I can be a bulldog."
espn U

just commented that JHC and his family left the school and went home and turned off all communications. Apparently family wanted him to go to UF.

That's kind of sad. As a 4th Gen bulldog, obviously my family was very proud I graduated there, however,

my family would have been happy I graduated anywhere given my abysmal high school record.

This would seriously be a disgusting display of non-support by a family if this is all true.

JHC is 100% to UGA according to espnU

I hope so.

It isn’t clear from this AJC article about JHC’s AWOL LOI whether the grandfather is refusing or just incommunicado, but I’ll feel better when he signs on the line which is dotted.

Does anyone know Josh Harvey-Clemons's date of birth?

I couldn’t find it on Scout.com or Rivals.com. I’m assuming the requirement that his legal guardian countersign the letter of intent indicates that Harvey-Clemons is still 17. Since he’ll surely be 18 by the time he enrolls, surely he can just wait until his 18th birthday and sign the letter of intent by himself then. Am I missing something?

I'm not concerned about his grandpa having the authority to simply keep him from signing

with Georgia, so much as his refusal eventually leading to JHC possibly giving in and going to FSU.

no

a Letter of Intent must be signed within 14 days (from the time the institution issues it to the recruit.)

How messed up would if be if his Grandpa flat out refused

and he ended up going elsewhere…

How messed up is it a kid can't decide where he wants to go to school?

Makes for a great Thanksgiving.

This...

It’s dumb.

Has this ever happened?

I’m sure it has, but I haven’t heard of this happening.

those sorts of issues have happened before
And he would have to be 21

to sign without a guardian’s approval

Wait, you can go to the military at 18 but cant decide where to play football at 18? And you can actually attend class at 18 but cant play football? Wait? I am very confused.
Its the NCAA

NEVER try to make the NCAA make sense.

Still...

… do you have a link for that?

Can you link to the rule?
Preferably, a redundant one.

DOH!

Agreed.

Can you quote me chapter and verse, jadams4148? I don’t know definitively that you’re wrong, but I’d be genuinely surprised if the NCAA requires a prospective student-athlete to be 21 before he is able without parental consent to accept an athletic scholarship to an institution to which he could accept an academic scholarship at 18.

link is below

and it says he cannot sign an NLI without a parent or legal guardian

Got it, thanks.

Didn’t scroll down far enough the first time.

Really?

That’s… odd.

This just doesn't sound right.

I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I can’t see any justification for having to be 21. I can see 18, but not 21.

Read for yourself

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/nli/NLI/Frequently+Asked+Questions/index.html

You are correct. It does indeed say 21.

Doesn’t make if justifiable, but it’s the rules.

So...

His grandfather is going to force his grandson elsewhere?

I dislike some people.

His grandfather can't make him go to college anywhere.

I’m just really worried that if he wasn’t 100% solid on Georgia, that he might just flip to please his family.

He can't make him go to college anywhere...

… but he can apparently prevent him from receiving a scholarship to attend the University of Georgia.

If he flips JHC to some other school not named Florida, I’m going to start calling shenanigans Cam Newtonigans.

the comment

Grandpa made about the collection plates is ringing louder and louder as the day goes on.

Completely forgot about this.

How can the NCAA allow a school’s coach to donate to the recruit’s church, but not let the recruit choose where he goes to school?

This

How is his church anything different from his family? I’m not saying that coaches shouldn’t be allowed to put money in the collection plates at someone’s church, but there should be a line somewhere.

Yes, something like a $50 offering to show generosity.

More than that should be considered a bribe.

Ah, the good old $50. Not enough to look like much, but enough to be the most cash somone probably dropped.
I pulled that number out of my you-know-what

Perhaps it should be even less, but my point stands. It should be generosity, not bribery.

I've collected plenty of offerings

The biggest check I ever saw was when a guy won 25 grand at a fishing tournament. Nobody gives more than $100 out of pure generosity.

...
"We gave everybody a heads up, and they were surprised to see [Muschamp]," Clemons said. "And the collection plate was equally surprised."
Kill the Traitor.
If his grandpa gets his way,

there should be an NCAA investigation into the whole process of coaches making offerings. The day that quote was published, the whole tune of this kid’s recruitment changed. Before, it was all UGA/UF. After that, his grandfather was all FSU and threatens to keep him from signing his LOI.

I think the fact Traitor was in church says enough. You know he hasnt seen the inside of one in a long while.
Ha. I'm not going to make any assumptions about his church going,

but it’s fair to say that Richt has the reputation that Muschamp doesn’t for a reason.

Even if it is Florida

I’m starting to get suspicious.

No, he can't vine...

see above. LOI’s aren’t mandatory to recieve scholarships.

Technically true...

… but if this were any school other than Georgia that we were talking about, here, I wouldn’t advise the kid just to “trust” on faith that a scholarship would just be there for him if he applied to Georgia and trucked up there on his own.

There’s no commitment on either side in that case, and he would continue to be recruited by every school with a scholarship opening until he actually enrolled at UGA.

And would he even be allowed to enroll during the Summer and practice with the team? I don’t know the NCAA rules about such things, but it seems like there would be an awful lot of faith being placed on both sides in a system that is anything but trustworthy.

I try to refrain from cursing as much as possible (gameday threads excepted)...

… but god damn, NCAA. Really?

I was about to say something similar. How in the world can the NCAA require a guardians permision when you are a legal adult?
You answered you own question when you said "NCAA"
Playing ball is a privilege, not a right.

He doesn’t have to sign the letter and can enroll without it. But, if he wants to sign it, he has to abide by the rules.

Going to class is a priviledge, not a right. Decided as a legal adult.

You can join the freaking Marine Corps, go to the Afgan and get shot at 18. All on your own.

Please don't take this personally, first and thom...

… but that’s a pretty damn heartless thing to say.

Sorry, kid, but we’re just going to stand by while your family forces you to look like an idiot on the national stage and go to a school you chose not to attend.

Typing too fast has yeilded the wrong tone, and I apologize for that

The age of majority is a legal construct. It gives you rights. As I understand it, enrolling in school and accepting an athletic scholarship fall under the umbrella of rights that come from being 18. He can still be a Dawg and still get a scholly. Gramps can’t get in his way.

But Gramps can put himself between Josh and signing a LOI. The NLI program is voluntary (thus, a privilege) and need not make reference to the age of majority. By analogy, Josh can pick a school with which to sign, Gramps can veto his signing, and then Josh can override that veto by going wherever he wants to go. If he wants to go to UGA, he can.

Mr. Clemons is showing his ass pretty badly here, and is doing wrong by his grandson. But I don’t think he can ultimately stop Josh from being a Dawg.

And "playing ball" was the wrong thing to say.

I should have said “singing an LOI”

curses! "siGning" not "sinGing"
We knew what you meant.

Thanks. Well stated.

This makesa small tiny little bit of sense now actually. Although I can't believe I just wrote that.

As a minor, a guardian has to step in. It seems like “18” would over ride that, but the NCAA is treating HS like “minor”. If you want to early enlist in the military, you have to have a parent’s consent.

It’s still bullshit. Parents don’t have to sign anything to pick a school, and I don’t see why sports gets treated differently. I applied for, got accepted too, and enrolled in UGA without my parents signing a thing other than maybe some “who’s your emergency person” type stuff.

I understand where you're coming from, first and thom...

… and though still don’t agree with your point, I appreciate that it was not meant the way I initially took it.

Giddy up.

I’m trying not to have a point, but rather to lay out what I believe to be the rules of the NLI program (along with the limtations on those rules).

If you’re waiting on me to agree with you that the NLI rules are another example of NCAA rules that seemed designed to be harmful, stupid, inconvenient, and heartless, then wait no longer. These rules suck to a degree that can only be explained by a previously-unknown marriage of malice and incompetence.

Sell a jersey - 4 games.

The rest is no biggie.

Not to be all conspiracy theorist or anything...

but I believe it all points back at the NCAA being geared toward taking the freedom out of the hands of the individual athlete and into the hands of the school or NCAA itself. The less freedom you have out of the gate, the more likely it is for these kids to feel like they have to do whatever they’re told, no questions asked for the next few years.

What I don't get, is you can actually attend class at the school. But you need a parent's permission to play sports.

You can go out and break your leg playing intramural softball, but you can’t be on a team.

My head hurts.

Perhaps not.

Signing a LOI isn’t required. He can be a Dawg without a signature, and can get a scholarship without a signature. But other teams can keep recruiting him, and UGA can still commit violations by talking to/about him until he enrolls (if I understand the rules correctly).

He can enroll on his own, but he cannot participate in the NLI program on his own.

Not much of a warm fuzzy, but thanks for a small one.
I'm not nearly as concerned about the signature

as I am his grandfather’s influence over him and possibly convincing him to go somewhere else. It’s obvious that JHC doesn’t make all of his own decisions and that grandad has to have his say.

It's interesting that the NLI rules actually have a procedure to have the additional signature for emancipated minors
Interesting observation, The984.

Gosh, I wonder if any members of the State Bar of Georgia are Bulldog fans. . . .

Strangely enough, I know of a handful.
It says something about me

When, upon hearing that a parent/guardian signature is required if the recruit is under 21, I immediately thought “Huh, what about emancipated minors?”

For those of you that aren’t lawyers, that is what law schools like to call “issue spotting.”

That, to me, sounds like a law suit waiting to happen.
How you make your signature all cool like that?
It's too confusing to post here,

… because it has hypertexty stuff that get translated into links if I put it here. I sent an email.

hypertext - I hatz it.
Didn't scroll down far enough; my bad.

I stand corrected, jadams4148. I apologize, and I thank you.

Wow, what an amazingly dumb rule. If Georgia withdrew the athletic scholarship offer and replaced it with an academic scholarship offer, he could accept it at 18.

That's what I been saying Kyle! You can go to the school, but you cant play sportz! WTFO?
I think he can play the sport.

Participation in the program is optional. I read that to say that he can get a scholarship and play the sport without signing.

no worries

Just more hypocrisy surrounding athletes and the NCAA.

Agreed.

I never should’ve doubted you when you stated that the NCAA had imposed a silly rule.

If I'm understanding the above logic

It still wouldn’t be the same because accepting an academic scholarship wouldn’t cut off all access to him by other schools. Signing a NLI locks him in as our recruit and prevents other schools from still recruiting him. Apparently he can still come and play for us, his grandfather’s wishes be damned, but if no NLI is signed and authorized by a guardian, other schools can still contact him to try and flip him to the Dark Side.

That's how I read it.

The benefit of signing an LOI is (1) ending recruiting; and (2) locking in a scholarship. JHC needn’t worry about having a scholarship, but there is something to be said for ending recruiting.

Or, as has been said

he doesn’t have to sign at all. Just let Richt know, and enroll in the summer in Athens. Problem solved. If I’m not mistaken, that’s how all 3 Geathers handled theirs.

Keith Marshall

This is weird. Rivals.com has Marshall as the 48th best player in the nation. ESPNU 150 has Marshall at #5. Both have him as the #2 back in the nation. Whats up with that?

Rivals is a little weird sometimes

I’ve seen those inconsistencies and seen how people that are ranked at or near the top of their position are inexplicably low in other categories. Wondering if some categories aren’t updated as often.

I don't like Rivals

I feel like some people take it for granted that they know what they’re talking about, but sometimes I can’t figure out their reasoning.

As far as being #2 RB and #48 overall, it’s plausible as long as there is only one RB listed ahead of him. Theoretically he could be #1256 overall if there’s only one RB ahead of him on the list and keep his #2 RB rank. That said, I don’t see how the #2 RB can be considered #48 overall. Not a position of that importance.

I don't like rivals, either.

I hate Tech and Auburn.

JHC update.

ESPN insider is reporting JHC stating he is 100% on Georgia and has a video to show it. I believe it is subscription service material, but the fact that it’s posted is of great comfort.

Why does his grandfather afraid of the Dawgs?

Serious question? Depth issues?

Josh Harvey Clemons HAS SIGNED HIS LETTER OF INTENT

per ESPN insider.

He has signed it.

Not sure about Gramps.

Just about to amend my statement to reflect that.

It’s my understanding that JHC signed it and is going. It’s just a matter of time for gramps to either get over himself and sign it, or just wait it out and let JCH enroll in the fall.

Really, though...

What is grampa going to do? Not sign? Then JHC doesn’t go to college? Really?

I’m thinking gramps had to go bail somebody out of jail and it is taking longer than he expected.

Look upthread

He can still go to school on scholarship without signing a LOI. The problem is that other schools can recruit him until the day he enrolls.

After watching his post-decision interview

I’m not nearly as worried as I was before. He seems solid on UGA. Hopefully Woodrow Clemons comes around and we don’t have to wait. (Seriously though, why in the world are we already this familiar with the guys grandpa’s name? He shouldn’t be making a name for himself.)

I know, but

my question is more “Why would grampa do that to the kid?” It would not make any sense for him to treat the kid that way.

I'm not going to judge

I know distance is probably a big issue. It’s not easy or cheap for his family to make the trek from Valdosta to Athens every week. I’m probably naive, but I just don’t believe anything shady is going on in this situation.

I do have a few suspicions

Like how he was between UGA and UF and then out of nowhere Miami and FSU entered the picture. I can understand FSU because of the distance thing, but someone feeling that strongly about a situation like this raises flags, at least in my head.

I think JHC signed it after the announcement

I don’t know if Woodrow Clemons has signed it yet

In the meatime, as we sweat one player, Bama has ran out of fingers and toes to count on.
*insert Bama incest joke which would give them an unnatural number of digits*
are Bama fans still instant Banhammer?

I like the Ring Team nickname

And Keith Marshall – his interview/segment on ESPN3 actually impressed me

/ducks instant Bammer hate

Your positive comment now makes me feel bad about my completely flippant remark right above this
haha don't we're all obnoxious jackasses

you either have fun with it or don’t

I really liked the interview and as a former track runner nut I’m impressed by his athleticism in that field

There is no instant bama banhammer - seriously.

What there is a a low tolerance for every reasonable discussion being responded to with “14”.

Keith Marshall was the greatest recruit in the nation IMHO. The fact he is already in class, with a full off season and all his ability is like a redshirt without the redshirt.

just messing around

and how Marshall doesn’t have a 5* on rivals is beyond me cause I like him a lot

solid back, the good side about being a 4* opposed to the uber 5* recruit is a lack of pressure and it will be easier to develop and he can develop behind other backs

I am hoping we use him in more creative ways than just TB. But we would need an OC for that.

Slipping him out to catch the ball, or just flat out linning him up in the slot with IC and Boo in the backfield – weapons, weapons, weapons.

No instant Bammer hate, Wallacewade04.

As long as you’re not here to bash Georgia and Mark Richt—-which, clearly, you aren’t—-we’re good.

Get this. AJC now thinks Richt committed secondary violation regarding JHC.

Below is a link to the article. They are saying that since Richt commented on JCH specifically and that the LOI was not signed by all parties, that it’s a secondary violation. Have fun with that.

http://blogs.ajc.com/recruiting/2012/02/01/josh-harvey-clemons-commits-to-uga-on-espn-but-grandfather-wont-sign-off-yet/?cxntfid=blogs_recruiting

It's the very last line of the article if you don't want to sift through the crap.
totally surprised. I am sure they will change the title of the article by tomorrow.
for once

the AJC is correct.

On a technicality that nobody is going to pay attention to.

And by nobody I mean the NCAA suspending him four games.

thUGA STRIKES AGAIN
It's not like they werent trying everything they possibily could to find dirt.

But not one mention of oversigning.

Is it just me or does Carvell grate the nerves?

From his blog posts to his twitter feed, I just am not a fan of the guy.

I made one comment in an AJC thread. I corrected Carvell. He had bad facts. My comment was deleted.

I would love to get Carvell in some live debate. Or a cage match. He may have youth and size, but I got anger and a touch of hate.

I believe he was 1/4 on UGA predictions today

He is surely “in the know”

If someone said "hey TT, would you like to write on the Iowa State Hawkeyes for a living?"

I would say “No, I don’t know a single cotton picking thing about Iowa or the Hawkeyes, that would be wrong.”

This doesnt seem to matter for the AJC UGA sports staff, whom have basically no connection to UGA at all.

You don't even know that Iowa State is the Cyclones!
Also, preemptive

exactly my point. And Carvell doesn't know where the Arch is.
I think you mean the Arches.

/ignorant’ed

Carvell refers to the Arches as McDonalds
The have the Golden Arches, we have the Golden Arcs.

/McDowell’d

Carvell thinks THE Arch is the bar located on Lumpkin and Washington
Everyone knows that Hawkeye

was from Crab Apple Cove…not Iowa

I see what you did there.
I get most of my comments deleted in the same way.

You are allowed to disagree as long as you’re an idiot. If you provide insightful logic or even downright proof that he is wrong, he’ll delete it quicker than you can click the post button.

This makes me think that maybe I should pose as a Tech fan who can't understand why top kids don't sign with us

Then Carvell will quote me and pass it off as “news.”

This is funny

and I like it

That's basically the entire comment thread.

There are twice as many Tech fans as Georgia fans there, because he never deletes their comments no matter how crude and baseless they are. An intelligent comment by a Bulldawg fan gets deleted. It’s so unbalanced that nobody makes an effort to hold a conversation there. Hence the Georgia Tech dominance on the comment section.

Wait...

why does it say that I flagged the comment? I tried to love on it. Did I just pulled a Lennie Small?

Clearly, he committed a secondary violation.

He commented publicly on a recruit before the paperwork was in; there’s no question it’s a violation.

It’s meaningless, and it was inadvertent, but it’s a violation, nonetheless.

Which means what?
Effectively nothing would be my guess.
My guess is that nobody will care since it's such an inadvertent, meaningless violation.

If the AJC doesn’t point it out, it’s doubtful anyone notices.

Small secondary violations in recruiting usually result in losing recruiting privileges, generally with the recruit with which we committed the violations (that sounds dirty)

So, uh, we can’t recruit JHC for a week or something? Not that it would matter if he signs?

That's what I figured...

It’s not newsworthy, but, alas, it was on the AJC.

AJC

Always a Joke of a Commentary

Some Good News
On a day in which coaches are supposed to be celebrating their recruiting efforts, Georgia Tech has announced the resignation of offensive line coach Todd Spencer, who violated NCAA recruiting rules by sending text messages to recruits, the school announced on Wednesday.
Who will coach them how to chop block now?!

Oh wait. Is Vandy’s O-Line coach still up for grabs?

Take out their knees!

Some days you just can't get rid of of bomb.
Aaron Murray agrees with you.
been waiting all afternoon for someone to do something with that. )
I guess they just obliterated any chance of using the "inadvertant" defense.
Thanks, Dawg2011!

And there’s absolutely no risk tankertoad will give you a hard time about not explaining your link! :)

That was most excellent.
Thanks!

I was proud of that one.

Not you, talking about his comment! lol.
Damn!

I get no respect.

Crimson shirt update from upthread:

DL Darius Philon signs with Arkansas instead of waiting on the promises from Bama

Ah the revenge of the spurned Crimson-shirted

may there be MANY more like this young man and Justin Taylor

I'm really glad for Taylor. I think he made a solid choice today.
I believe Robert Deniro's character in Ronin summed up the JHC situation succinctly:

“If there is doubt, then there isn’t any doubt.”

Just got home.

Anything happen today?

Woody says,

“Zees ees KAOS. Ve do not sign here!”

It's been a banner day in Bulldog Nation, not least of all here at Dawg Sports.

The site recorded more than 9,000 visits and over 20,000 page views today, for which we thank you. We are even more appreciative of those of you who took part in the conversation.

As evidenced by our adjustment on the fly when asked to provide star rankings for this year’s recruits this morning, we are open to suggestions, so any feedback you had to offer on this year’s signing day coverage, and where we might improve next year, would be welcome.

Chipper Dawg

Been following for a while and finally made a username on this fine occasion. Very excited for next season great coverage today been watching highlights of these recruits all day and am very impressed. Go Dawgs

Thanks for stopping by!
Great job as always. This is the class site for all Dawg sports...especially football. Thanks for your insight.

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