2 Georgia Bulldogs named to Jim Thorpe Award Watchlist

2 Georgia Bulldogs are among the nation’s top DBs…

The Jim Thorpe Award, given annually to the nation’s top defensive back, has released its watchlist ahead of the 2022 season.

Two Georgia Bulldogs represent UGA football on the list, including 2021 Freshman All-SEC selection Kelee Ringo at cornerback and senior safety Christopher Smith.

Georgia defensive back Kelee Ringo (5) intercepts a pass intended for Alabama wide receiver Traeshon Holden (11) and returns it for a touchdown late in the second half of the College Football Playoff championship game, Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, in Indianapolis. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Ringo burst on to the scene last season after redshirting in 2020. The former five-star prospect’s natural cover skills helped the Bulldogs to the top pass defense in the nation a year ago.

The Tacoma, W.A., native’s 79-yard interception return for a touchdown sealed the national championship for the Dawgs.

Ringo has been named both preseason First Team All-SEC (Media) and preseason First Team All-American (Walter Camp, Football Foundation, Athlon Sports).

Sep 25, 2021; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Christopher Smith (29) runs after an interception during the first half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Christopher Smith was one of the steady hands in Georgia’s elite secondary last season. The Bulldogs entered the season with a young, talented group that was aided by Smith’s experience.

The former four-star recruit is the most seasoned player returning in the Dawgs’ secondary and has been under head coach Kirby Smart’s tutelage since 2018.

The Atlanta native had his best performance in the national title game, racking up a career-best seven tackles, two pass breakups, a quarterback pressure and a third-quarter interception.

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Key Georgia football players to watch in G-Day

The Georgia Bulldogs will host their first G-Day spring scrimmage in two years on Saturday

The Georgia Bulldogs will host their first G-Day spring scrimmage in two years on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

Over the years, players like Eric Stokes, Jake Fromm, Jacob Eason, and more have performed well in the G-Day game. Will Georgia have any breakout performances?

This season, the focus will be on one positional battle: defensive backs versus wide receivers. Georgia was set at wide receiver this offseason before the Dawgs lost their No. 1 receiver in George Pickens.

Defensively, Georgia is replacing almost the entire secondary. Christopher Smith and Lewis Cine will give the Dawgs some continuity at safety, but there will be a lot of fresh faces at cornerback.

Who will be the most interesting and important players to watch on G-Day?

5-star Georgia football signee moves even higher in 247Sports rankings

Georgia football had a 5-star signee move up even higher in the final 247Sports rankings.

On Tuesday, with 247Sports releasing its final rankings for the 2020 recruiting cycle.

Offensive tackle commit Broderick Jones is officially a 5-star prospect and is the No. 3 offensive tackle in America and No. 4 prospect in Georgia. He jumped  from 41st overall to 30th overall.

Another player who made a nice jump in the rankings is Georgia signee cornerback Kelee Ringo.

Ringo, out of Scottsdale, Arizona, is now the nation’s No. 1 overall cornerback, according to Kipp Adams at Dawgs247.

He also moved from No. 14 to No. 7 overall in the country.

5-star DB signs with Georgia football

5-star DB Kelee Ringo has signed with Georgia football

This 2020 recruiting cycle keeps getting better for the Georgia Bulldogs as five-star defensive back Kelee Ringo comitted to UGA during the All-American Bowl in San Antonio today.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound defensive back from Scottsdale, Arizona, is rated as the nation’s No.1 cornerback, the No. 8-rated overall recruit in the country and top prep in the state. He chose Georgia over other Texas and Oregon. He joins three other, UGA five-star signees/commits for the 2020 recruiting cycle.

During the NBC broadcast and surrounded by family members, Ringo stated, “Kirby Smart knows what he wants to do with the program and on all of my visits in the DB meetings, he just told me that he was going to coach me hard and and develop me and I am looking forward to that.”

Georgia initially offered Ringo in the summer of 2018. He has the size, length and speed to cover wideouts in space and the explosiveness and physicallity Coach Smart seeks. He has the potential to compete for significant playing time his freshman year.

Including Ringo, Georgia now has 19 athletes signed and two commits. The Dawgs have the nation’s No.3-rated class and have the opportunity to sign two more quality recruits, including five-star running back Zach Evans.

5-Star CB Kelee Ringo makes his decision

The #1 ranked CB in the 2020 class has made his decision on where he’ll be playing college football. Kelee Ringo will join Georgia football.

The #1 cornerback recruit in the nation, and #8 overall player Kelee Ringo has made his decision for where he will be playing college football.  He is now officially a Georgia Bulldog.

Ringo signed early with Georgia, but has kept that a secret approaching the All-American Bowl where he recently made his announcement.

Ringo is a 6’2″ 205 lb CB out of Scottsdale, Arizona.  He was considering Oregon, Alabama, Arizona and Arizona State, but made the decision of making Athens his new home, and the Bulldog community couldn’t be happier to have him.

“I feel like I want to live there for the next three or four years. Just built a great relationship with (coaches) and also my everyday life outside of football is a big factor as well.” said Ringo.

Ringo really emphasized how much he felt Athens was his new home.

Ringo’s size and speed make him a very unique player, as most cornerbacks are typically smaller than 6’2″.  He will compliment the Dawgs senior safety Richard LeCounte very well in coverage, with LeCounte announcing he will be returning for his senior year.

Ringo is now the Dawgs highest rated recruit for the 2020 class and will likely bump Georgia up to the #2 spot in national recruiting rankings, just behind Clemson.  This is Kirby Smart’s 4th 5-star and he still has more circling around the recruiting bubble.

It’s a great day to be a Georgia Bulldog folks.

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.