Tag: Darnell Washington

New additions should open up the Georgia football passing game

With the addition of an elite tight end recruit and a grad transfer, UGA football improves on offense.

The University of Georgia Bulldogs have the top recruiting class in the whole nation as of noon on National Signing Day. In the Early Signing Period, head coach Kirby Smart and his subordinate recruiters were already able to sign 19 key incoming high school recruits, including a run on top talent from out of state. None looms larger than 5-star Darnell Washington, the 6-7 tight end out of Las Vegas, considered one of the elite athletes at any position.

Under outgoing one-year offensive coordinator James Coley, the Bulldogs struggled to pass the ball to the middle of the football field, and at times had trouble converting on third downs. Thusly, the defense had to keep UGA in low-scoring games. With Air Raid expert Todd Monken taking over the play calling duties, and a couple other very experienced coaching minds added to the offensive think tank, scoring should increase in 2020.

Dec 30, 2018; Tampa, FL, USA;Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Todd Monken prior to the game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The spotlight shines brightest on Wake Forest grad transfer Jamie Newman, the presumed starter under center in Athens. But also keep an eye out for FSU grad transfer Tre’ McKitty (6-5), another tall tight end weapon.

Newman’s dual-threat arsenal includes his ability to run the football, which will draw defensive attention. The plan seems to be for Monken to open up the passing offense. Georgia loses stud runner D’Andre Swift to the NFL along with four offensive line starters, but the middle of the football field should be relatively open for tight ends to roam free and move the chains.

Five-star Tennessee target commits to Georgia

Five-star Tennessee target commits to Georgia.

ORLANDO — Five-star tight end prospect Darnell Washington revealed he is signed to play for Georgia, making his official announcement at halftime of the Under Armour All-America game.

Washington was a top target for Tennessee throughout the recruiting process, and signed during the Early Signing Period, but delayed his announcement.

“I just had a feel,” said Washington. “It’s all about the feel, the coaches. I gave it a lot of thought, and it’s best for me and my family.”

The 6-foot-7, 261-pound prospect comes all the way from Las Vegas, Nevada, and adds a large, powerful weapon to an already highly-touted 2020 recruiting class for Georgia.

Officially listed as the nation’s tenth-ranked player and No. 1 overall athlete on the 247 Sports Composite, Georgia beat out schools such as Tennessee, Alabama, Florida and Miami for his signature.

While Tennessee will have five scholarship tight ends on the roster in 2020, Washington would have been the first to join a 2020 class that currently sits at No. 15 in the country.

5-star TE makes commitment at All-America Game

Five-star tight end Darnell Washington makes commitment at Under Armour All-America game

Five-star Desert Pines tight end Darnell Washington has made his commitment at the Under Armour All-America Game.

The No. 10 prospect in the Class of 2020 will be playing in Athens for Coach  Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs next season. Washington picked the Dawgs late in his recruitment over Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Miami and others.

With this commitment, the Bulldogs will move up a bit in the recruiting rankings, just one month before everything wraps up on National Signing Day. Of course, there’s still a lot of drama with five-star running back Zach Evans and a few other top prospects, who could choose Georgia down the stretch here.

Make sure to follow along with the UGA Wire throughout recruiting season, as we bring you the latest on all things Georgia football.

Georgia looks to add a 5-star to its 2020 class tonight

Georgia football will look to add a few five-star players this week in Kelee Ringo, Darnell Washington and Zach Evans.

Tonight at the Under Armour All-America Game, Georgia will look to add more talent its already top-five ranked 2020 recruiting class.

Originally, Georgia fans were expecting to hear two 5-star names pick the Dawgs, RB Zach Evans and TE Darnell Washington, however, there’s been a schedule change.

Evans, who many expect to choose UGA, will not be announcing tonight according to Craig Haubert.

But there’s still Darnell Washington, a 6’8″ athletic freak out of Las Vegas.

Washington ranks as the nation’s No. 10 overall player and is likely to pick up a Georgia hat tonight at halftime of the high school all-star game.

If Washington does indeed choose the Dawgs, he would be the third 5-star in the class.

As for Evans, his chaotic recruitment will continue and we will keep you updated on whatever we see on that front.

Kelee Ringo, a 5-star CB out of Arizona, is another big time player that Georgia is expected to land this week.

Ringo will announce at the Adidas All-American Bowl on January 4. He has already signed his letter of intent.

UGA recruiting target five-star RB Zach Evans pushes back commitment

Five Star Under Armor All-American RB Zach Evans has delayed his commitment. The UGA target played football at North Shore High School.

Five-star Georgia Bulldog recruiting target Zach Evans has pushed back his commitment time. Evans, a talented running back, was initially expected to commit during the Under Armor All-American Game.

Evans is the top rated running back in the country. He’s twice delayed his announcement now, but he’s predicted to join Kirby Smart in Athens. Evans played football at North Shore High School and is from Houston, Texas.

Georgia is still in the running for the commitments of DB Dontae Manning and five-star TE Darnell Washington:

Georgia has a chance to add to it’s already loaded class of 2020 tonight. Several of these prospects have already signed, but have been waiting until the Under Armor All-American Game to announce.

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Will Georgia finish with the No. 1 recruiting class?

These five star prospects can still get Georgia football to the No. 1 spot in the recruiting rankings.

With two 5-stars, 14 4-stars and three 3-stars, Georgia currently has the No. 4 recruiting class in the 2020 cycle.

After early signing day came and went, Georgia fans were pleased with the No. 4 class but still felt like there were some pieces missing.

That’s because of the high expectations that Kirby Smart has set during his time at Georgia, routinely landing top-three recruiting classes.

But then three names emerged as Georgia leans that have either silently signed or intend to do so during February’s signing day.

Georgia still has a great chance to land these three 5-star prospects, which could very well catapult the Dawgs to No. 1 in the rankings.

There’s running back Zach Evans, who is trending heavily to the Bulldogs.

Evans is a 5-star back out of Houston, Texas who ranks as the nation’s No. 14 overall prospect and No. 1 ball carrier in the 2020 class. 63% of 247Sports’ Crystal Ball predictions say Georgia.

If Evans does wind up a Bulldog, he will form a tandem with Kendall Milton,  another top back who ranks as the No. 6 player at the position.

“Evans is expected to commit on air during an all-star game,” wrote Dean Legge of DawgPost.

Darnell Washington is another name to keep an eye on.

He is a 5-star out of Las Vegas who is listed as an athlete but will play tight end in college. Currently, Georgia is the heavy favorite to land Washington, the No. 10 overall player in the country and No. 1 ranked athlete.

Tight end is a position that Georgia needs to fill before this class is wrapped up. As of now Georgia has no tight ends committed or signed to the program.

Washington is a 6-foot-7, 261 pound beast that will be a matchup nightmare at the collegiate level.

He is expected to announce his decision on January 2nd at the Under Armour All-America Game.

Kelee Ringo is a 5-star cornerback out of Scottsdale, Arizona and is currently another heavy Georgia lean. He plans to announce at the All-American Bowl on January 4th and it is not known whether or not he has already signed with a program. Ringo is the No. 8 overall player, No. 1 cornerback and No. 1 overall recruit in the state of Arizona.

Right now, Georgia has one cornerback signed for 2020, 4-star Jalen Kimber who ranks as the No. 127 player in the class.

Ringo is a player that will likely start from day one wherever he goes.

We mentioned 5-star defensive end Jordan Burch today as well. The No. 5 overall player out of Columbia, South Carolina committed to the Gamecocks on early signing day but has not actually signed yet.

His high school coach said that Burch wants to wait and sign with his teammates, however, since he is not signed yet that means Georgia can still contact him until he does. He’s a name to keep an aye on but I would not get too excited just yet.

Georgia looking to close out 2020 recruiting class with a bang

These are some of Georgia football’s top recruiting targets remaining in the class of 2020.

Georgia is currently sitting with the nation’s No. 6-rated recruiting class. The Dawgs have commitments from 15 athletes and have room for 23 this cycle.

During Coach Smart’s tenure, he has always closed the recruiting process strong and produced some unexpected surprises.

Who’s on the radar for UGA this season? The wish list includes talent that fill immediate needs and a few game changers.

Five-star cornerback Kelee Ringo from Arizona is the nation’s top cornerback and No. 1 rated player in the state. He was in Athens last week for his official visit. The Dawgs are battling Oregon, Ohio State, Texas and USC for the 6’2”, 205-pound corner, and at this moment, he’s a strong Georgia lean.

Four-star wide receiver Arian Smith from Lakeland, Florida is a strong Georgia lean. He’s the nation’s No.14 wideout and 13th-rated player in the state. The 6’1”, 175-pound speedster is expected to sign on Wednesday. Alabama, Oklahoma and Florida are still in the mix but Smith and current UGA commit Marcus Rosemy appear to be the future at the wide receiver position.

Four star cornerback Eric Reed from Shreveport, Lousiana visited Athens over the weekend and appears to be headed back to the Classic City this fall. The 6’1”, 205-pound prospect is the nation’s No. 14-rated corner and 7th overall rated player in the state. Auburn, Alabama, and LSU are pushing hard but expect Reed to sign with UGA on Wednesday.

With the graduation of tight ends Charlie Woerner and Eli Wolf, five-star tight end Darnell Washington is a must. The Desert Pines High (Las Vegas, NV) athlete is freak-like good. Washington, 6’7”, 261-pounds, is the nation’s No. 1 rated athlete and is matchup nightmare. Alabama, Florida and Tennessee are still seeking his services but but the Bulldogs are in the lead.

Four-star wideout Jermaine Burton from Calabasas, California is currently a LSU commit, but the 6’, 190-pound speedster was in Athens this weekend. The No.6-rated prospect in California is originally from Atlanta and the pull from the Peach State may be too hard to resist.

Four-star cornerback Dontae Manning from Kansas City made the long journey to Athens over the weekend for his official visit. The 6’, 185-pound athlete is the No. 6 rated corner in the country. Texas A&M and Oklahoma were in the lead but saving the final OV for Georgia is a good sign.

Four-star safety Major Burns was also in Athens this weekend. The 6’2”, 177-pound safety from Baton Rouge is a LSU lean but Georgia, Texas A&M and Oklahoma have a shot at the nation’s No. 5 rated safety.

Can Georgia make a final surge and a secure five-star Jordan Burch? The Palmetto State’s No. 1 prospect was on campus this weekend and Coach Smart recently had a home visit with the 6’4”, 275-pound defensive end. Alabama, Clemson, South Carolina and LSU are still in the mix for his signature. Burch is expected to sign on Wednesday.

Georgia football: Bulldogs must have better bowl game, off-season

The Georgia Bulldogs fell to the LSU Tigers 37-10 in the SEC Championship Game. LSU dominated and UGA’s offense never got rolling. Jake Fromm and Georgia receivers couldn’t get in sync all game (more on the receivers later). All of this felt like a …

The Georgia Bulldogs fell to the LSU Tigers 37-10 in the SEC Championship Game. LSU dominated and UGA’s offense never got rolling. Jake Fromm and Georgia receivers couldn’t get in sync all game (more on the receivers later).

All of this felt like a accumulation of Georgia’s weaknesses and errors adding up over the course of the season. But make no mistake about it. Georgia had a despicable off-season in 2018-2019 following the 2018 SEC Championship Game defeat to Alabama. Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs must bounce back better following the crushing loss against LSU.

Last year, following the 2018 SEC title game UGA’s Deandre Baker started the off-season slide when he won the Jim Thorpe Award. Baker set a tone for the off-season that was not ideal. Following winning the award Baker was quoted saying this:

“I’m playing in the Sugar Bowl,” Baker said, per Jake Rowe of 247Sports. “…I just wanted to finish it right with my teammates, that’s all.”

Baker went on to sit out Georgia’s bowl game against Texas: a multi-score defeat to Texas. Players who are going to sit out the bowl game need to decide soon and be honest about it. Coaches need to prepare with the guys they’ve got and start building momentum for 2020. Regardless of who shows up, Georgia needs a win to be making progress as a program.

Baker’s decision was one of the least notable things of the 2018-2019 off-season.

Receivers Mecole Hardman Jr., Riley Ridley, RB Elijah Holyfield, and tight end Isaac Nauta all declared for the NFL early following the Sugar Bowl loss. Georgia lost Justin Fields in a transfer to Ohio State. Fields would’ve looked mighty good in Georgia red and black this season.

Every player has the right to declare for the NFL early, but for many it is not the best choice. There’s no going back. Some players family situations prevent them from being in school. That being said, Holyfield and Nauta would’ve been served better staying in Athens. Each would’ve had large roles in the offense. Neither is set up for NFL success now. Players should do what’s best for them and their families at the end of the day.

Kirby Smart secured yet another talented recruiting class, but that was the least of UGA’s 2018-2019 off-season worries. Seven Georgia players were arrested in 2019 before the Dawgs suited up to play Vanderbilt. WR Jeremiah Holloman proved to be the most costly of UGA’s arrest-related off-season losses. Georgia never made up for his loss and struggled to stretch teams down the field, especially in loses to South Carolina and LSU. Fromm missed Holloman’s back shoulder fade ability as well.

How does UGA have a better off-season this time? Jake Fromm staying would help, but don’t count on that. If he leaves, it may be Georgia’s turn to land a talented QB transfer like D’Eriq King of Houston. Kirby Smart needs borderline players to return and/or not transfer.

Players leave programs and that’s a reality of college football in 2019. Smart must land more recruits. UGA’s class of 2020 is extremely talented, but the Dawgs only have fifteen commitments. They will look add about ten more. Smart needs to land a talented tight end in this class. Darnell Washington or Theo Johnson would be huge for UGA. It’s the most talented tight end class in years.

Lastly, Georgia must stay out of trouble. 2-3 arrests would be excellent in comparison to seven. Yes, last off-season all seven weren’t all serious offenses, but they hurt the team.

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