Georgia wraps up its second week of Spring practice this week. We have yet to hear from any of the quarterbacks: Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff, or Gunnar Stockton. Junior tight end Brock Bowers provided an update to team media on how the quarterback race is unfolding. “It’s a transition, definitely, but they’ve been here for so long and they’ve taken so many reps, and they’re going to get so many reps coming up, that I’m sure the transition is going to be smooth.” The major news from the week came on the Georgia recruiting front. Here are a few of the recruiting headlines to get you caught up from the week.
Georgia Recruiting: 2023 Tight End Fights On
Georgia was waiting to hear about the commitment from one more touted recruits from the Class of 2023, Duce Robinson. Robinson is a 6-6, 225-pound multi-sport athlete out of Pinnacle high school in Arizona. The senior posted on his Twitter that he was committing to play football at the University of Southern California.
#PLAY ✌🏾 pic.twitter.com/gI1zBLioiT
— Duce Robinson (@Ducerobinson2) March 31, 2023
Robinson would have added to a very deep tight-end room in Athens. Chris Singletary of 247Sports raved about Robinson’s athleticism. “He possesses excellent speed for a player this size along with burst off the line of scrimmage and acceleration once the ball is in the air to track it the hand-eye coordination. He has the physical attributes to be an adequate blocker and set the edge in the run game.”
Georgia still has Bowers and Oscar Delp returning in 2023. Bowers is one of the top tight ends and receivers in the country, having already won the Mackey Award last season. The junior has shown tremendous versatility in his first two years in Athens. Delp will look to take on a larger role this season with Darnell Washington heading to the NFL. Georgia did not strike out at the tight end position in 2023. They brought in Pearce Spurlin and Lawson Luckie. Both are enrolled and have been practicing with the team this spring.
Georgia Recruiting: 2024 Recruiting Prize
Smart did not bring in a quarterback in the Class of 2023. His sights were set on Arch Manning, who decided to take his talents to Austin. Smart focus on 2024 is once again on the nation’s top quarterback. Dylan Raiola is the top-rated prospect and quarterback in the Class of 2024. The 6’3″ 220-pound quarterback is the son of NFL veteran Dominic Raiola.
"It’s an environment that’s competitive and conducive to winning."@adamgorney talks with five-star QB Dylan Raiola's father about their recent trip to Georgia: https://t.co/XkcSRUWGjQ pic.twitter.com/R91PqnkGNs
— Rivals (@Rivals) March 21, 2023
Singletary’s scouting report found few flaws in the younger Raiola. “The ability to change ball speeds led him to make throws into different windows with a trajectory to get to the receiver at a high level. Raiola can make all the throws within the route tree to make plays when he is in the pocket or on the move.” Georgia faces competition from USC and Nebraska on earning Riola’s commitment. He and his family visit Athens in the first month of June.
Georgia Recruiting: A Strong Start to 2024
Georgia is off to another strong start on the recruiting trail in 2024. The Bulldogs currently have the top-rated class and have 11 commitments so far in the class. Smart has six Top 3 classes in eight years at Georgia. Eight of the eleven 2024 commits are either four- or five-star prospects. The five-star include Ellis Robinson IV, the top-rated cornerback, and Landen Thomas, the top-rated tight end. Robinson is out of IMG Academy (FL.) with the makings of a shutdown corner. Thomas is out of Colquitt County (GA). Thomas is 6’4 and 235 pounds and has all the making of plays receiving and blocking. Georgia has one quarterback committed in the class. Three-star quarterback Ryan Puglisi out of Avon Old Farms High School (CT).
Photo courtesy: Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK
