HurricaneVision
Staff Writer
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2012
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Now that we have the majority of the coaches named and we know basically the offensive and defensive systems we will run I wanted to take a look at Richt’s recruiting during his time with Georgia. I’ll be going through his recruiting position-by-position until I get through all 293 recruits from 2002 to 2014. I chose 2002 to start for a couple of reasons:
- It’s easier because most of the sites start at 2002
- It’s difficult to evaluate him on the 2001 recruiting class due to limited time to put a class together
I’ve covered the QB's, RB's, WR's, TE's, and OT's. Now I'll move on to OG's.
Richt recruited 55 OL during this time and 21 of them were OG's. The G's averaged 6-4 and 297 lbs. with an average of 3.44 stars. So the G's were slightly shorter than the OT's and slightly heavier, while being higher rated at this position than his OT recruits. Richt tends to have a type when it comes to OT moreso than he does with OG. He wants T's that are lighter on their feet that he can develop and grow, while he prefers the guards to have more present bulk at the time of recruiting them. This isn't really a surprise given the nature of the positions, but he also took more under-the-radar types at T than he did at G. This could be a function of the position, as T's are in more limited supply than true G prospects are, and T's that fail can often times be shielded inside at G, so they fuel the success ratio of the position.
Here are the OG's recruited, with two not making it to campus (Randall Swoopes and Ben Harden):
Josh Brock- 6-4, 280 and 3.50 stars. From GA and made 2 career starts. Left program.
Max Jean-Gilles- 6-5, 340 and 4.00 stars. From FL, made 38 career starts and was All-SEC and was drafted. Huge and strong, but mediocre athlete.
Bartley Miller- 6-5, 275 and 3.00 stars. From GA and made 0 career starts. Injuries ended career and stayed on medical scholarship.
Zeb McKinzey- 6-4, 280 and 4.00 stars. From GA and made 0 career starts. Left program.
Fernando Velasco- 6-4, 325 and 3.00 stars. From GA and made 26 career starts. Lettered as freshman and carved out NFL career. Great 3-star evaluation.
Seth Watts- 6-5, 290 and 4.00 stars. From GA and made 0 career starts. Left program.
Chris Little- 6-4, 340 and 3.67 stars. From GA and made 0 career starts. Injuries ended career and stayed on medical scholarship.
Tanner Strickland- 6-4, 315 and 3.00 stars. From GA and made 3 career starts. Valuable 3-star stuck out career and provided depth.
Jonathan Owens- 6-5, 295 and 3.00 stars. From AL and made 1 career start. Left program.
Chris Burnette- 6-2, 300 and 4.00 stars. From GA, made 37 career starts and was All-SEC. Excellent career.
Dallas Lee- 6-4, 290 and 3.33 stars. From GA, made 33 career starts. Great 3-star evaluation.
Watts Dantzler- 6-7, 314 and 3.33 stars. From GA and made 0 career starts. Stayed with the program, but never started.
Greg Pyke- 6-5, 315 and 3.00 stars. From MD, made 22 career starts and was All-SEC. Big evaluation to get All-SEC from 3-star.
Josh Cardiello- 6-3, 280 and 3.33 stars. From GA and made 0 career starts. Left program.
Brandon Kublanow- 6-3, 289 and 4.00 stars. From GA and made 25 career starts. All-SEC guard.
Jake Edwards- 6-4, 271 and 3.00 stars. From GA and made 0 career starts. 2014 recruit.
Dyshon Sims- 6-5, 270 and 4.00 stars. From GA and made 1 career start. 2014 recruit.
Isaiah Wynn- 6-2, 269 and 4.00 stars. From FL and made 13 career starts. 2014 recruit already starting. Big hit on evaluation.
Scott Haverkamp- 6-5, 298 and 3.00 stars. A JUCO recruit who made 3 career starts. Wish for more from a JUCO.
What does this tell us?
Bigger is better. Richt recruited eight G's who were already 300 lbs. when they signed, and of those eight four of them were multi-year starters. Three were All-SEC (38%). This makes sense as there is less to project in how they'll move once they gain the requisite weight needed to play OL in the SEC. He recruited 11 G's under 300 lbs. and there were only three of those players who were multi-year starters and only one of them made all-conference (9%). The sample size is small enough not to change your philosophy entirely, but meaningful enough to consider it when evaluating prospects moving forward as I believe there is less projection necessary.
Can Richt identify talent at OG?
Richt did quite well in this position group, as a 3.44 average rating is quite good. Couple that with the fact that G prospects are rarely given the 5-star moniker, you can certainly see signs of a man who can evaluate G's. Kublanow started two years in a row as a 2013 recruit and made all-conference, while Wynn is already starting and was a 2014 guy. Greg Pyke, Dallas Lee, and Fernando Velasco were 3-star recruits who ended up being multi-year starters.
What does this mean for our current players?
I'd still expect one of Darling, McDermott, Odogwu to move inside to G, as Richt likes more of a power scheme and asks players to block head up more often than we previously did. To do this, you tend to like more size, and require less athleticism. People tend to think of a G as a guy who gets lots of help from other OL, but that's entirely true. While the LG gets lots of assistance from the C in pass protection, the player who receives the least amount of help as far as double teams go is the RG. The LG needs to have a bit more athleticism, as when you run power you will often pull the LG and have him get to a LB or kick out the DE (or even "trap" him on certain situations). This means someone like McDermott would probably fit better as a LG, where he will get a bit more help with stout DT's, but also have the feet to get to the second level, while someone like Odogwu or Isidora would have the requisite size to hold the nose man-up and not have a great deal of assistance.
I was happy with my analysis of the G position and the way Richt performed there.
- It’s easier because most of the sites start at 2002
- It’s difficult to evaluate him on the 2001 recruiting class due to limited time to put a class together
I’ve covered the QB's, RB's, WR's, TE's, and OT's. Now I'll move on to OG's.
Richt recruited 55 OL during this time and 21 of them were OG's. The G's averaged 6-4 and 297 lbs. with an average of 3.44 stars. So the G's were slightly shorter than the OT's and slightly heavier, while being higher rated at this position than his OT recruits. Richt tends to have a type when it comes to OT moreso than he does with OG. He wants T's that are lighter on their feet that he can develop and grow, while he prefers the guards to have more present bulk at the time of recruiting them. This isn't really a surprise given the nature of the positions, but he also took more under-the-radar types at T than he did at G. This could be a function of the position, as T's are in more limited supply than true G prospects are, and T's that fail can often times be shielded inside at G, so they fuel the success ratio of the position.
Here are the OG's recruited, with two not making it to campus (Randall Swoopes and Ben Harden):
Josh Brock- 6-4, 280 and 3.50 stars. From GA and made 2 career starts. Left program.
Max Jean-Gilles- 6-5, 340 and 4.00 stars. From FL, made 38 career starts and was All-SEC and was drafted. Huge and strong, but mediocre athlete.
Bartley Miller- 6-5, 275 and 3.00 stars. From GA and made 0 career starts. Injuries ended career and stayed on medical scholarship.
Zeb McKinzey- 6-4, 280 and 4.00 stars. From GA and made 0 career starts. Left program.
Fernando Velasco- 6-4, 325 and 3.00 stars. From GA and made 26 career starts. Lettered as freshman and carved out NFL career. Great 3-star evaluation.
Seth Watts- 6-5, 290 and 4.00 stars. From GA and made 0 career starts. Left program.
Chris Little- 6-4, 340 and 3.67 stars. From GA and made 0 career starts. Injuries ended career and stayed on medical scholarship.
Tanner Strickland- 6-4, 315 and 3.00 stars. From GA and made 3 career starts. Valuable 3-star stuck out career and provided depth.
Jonathan Owens- 6-5, 295 and 3.00 stars. From AL and made 1 career start. Left program.
Chris Burnette- 6-2, 300 and 4.00 stars. From GA, made 37 career starts and was All-SEC. Excellent career.
Dallas Lee- 6-4, 290 and 3.33 stars. From GA, made 33 career starts. Great 3-star evaluation.
Watts Dantzler- 6-7, 314 and 3.33 stars. From GA and made 0 career starts. Stayed with the program, but never started.
Greg Pyke- 6-5, 315 and 3.00 stars. From MD, made 22 career starts and was All-SEC. Big evaluation to get All-SEC from 3-star.
Josh Cardiello- 6-3, 280 and 3.33 stars. From GA and made 0 career starts. Left program.
Brandon Kublanow- 6-3, 289 and 4.00 stars. From GA and made 25 career starts. All-SEC guard.
Jake Edwards- 6-4, 271 and 3.00 stars. From GA and made 0 career starts. 2014 recruit.
Dyshon Sims- 6-5, 270 and 4.00 stars. From GA and made 1 career start. 2014 recruit.
Isaiah Wynn- 6-2, 269 and 4.00 stars. From FL and made 13 career starts. 2014 recruit already starting. Big hit on evaluation.
Scott Haverkamp- 6-5, 298 and 3.00 stars. A JUCO recruit who made 3 career starts. Wish for more from a JUCO.
What does this tell us?
Bigger is better. Richt recruited eight G's who were already 300 lbs. when they signed, and of those eight four of them were multi-year starters. Three were All-SEC (38%). This makes sense as there is less to project in how they'll move once they gain the requisite weight needed to play OL in the SEC. He recruited 11 G's under 300 lbs. and there were only three of those players who were multi-year starters and only one of them made all-conference (9%). The sample size is small enough not to change your philosophy entirely, but meaningful enough to consider it when evaluating prospects moving forward as I believe there is less projection necessary.
Can Richt identify talent at OG?
Richt did quite well in this position group, as a 3.44 average rating is quite good. Couple that with the fact that G prospects are rarely given the 5-star moniker, you can certainly see signs of a man who can evaluate G's. Kublanow started two years in a row as a 2013 recruit and made all-conference, while Wynn is already starting and was a 2014 guy. Greg Pyke, Dallas Lee, and Fernando Velasco were 3-star recruits who ended up being multi-year starters.
What does this mean for our current players?
I'd still expect one of Darling, McDermott, Odogwu to move inside to G, as Richt likes more of a power scheme and asks players to block head up more often than we previously did. To do this, you tend to like more size, and require less athleticism. People tend to think of a G as a guy who gets lots of help from other OL, but that's entirely true. While the LG gets lots of assistance from the C in pass protection, the player who receives the least amount of help as far as double teams go is the RG. The LG needs to have a bit more athleticism, as when you run power you will often pull the LG and have him get to a LB or kick out the DE (or even "trap" him on certain situations). This means someone like McDermott would probably fit better as a LG, where he will get a bit more help with stout DT's, but also have the feet to get to the second level, while someone like Odogwu or Isidora would have the requisite size to hold the nose man-up and not have a great deal of assistance.
I was happy with my analysis of the G position and the way Richt performed there.
