Tag: Mekhail Sherman

UGA football player card: LB MJ Sherman

Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Mekhail “MJ” Sherman came to Athens as a four-star recruit.

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MJ Sherman, Linebacker (No. 8):

Class: Freshman

Height: 6-2

Weight: 235 pounds

Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland

High School: St. John’s College

Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Mekhail “MJ” Sherman came to Athens as a four-star recruit. Sherman plays primarily outside linebacker, but is quite a versatile player. With his excellent size (six-foot-two and 235 pounds) and speed (4.5 forty yard dash) Sherman can play both inside and outside linebacker.

Sherman will be yet another versatile piece in Georgia’s stacked linebacker core. The Dawgs have Jermaine Johnson, Azeez Ojulari, Adam Anderson, Nolan Smith, Robert Beal, and more returning at outside linebacker.

Sherman tore his ACL during his junior season, but bounced back his senior year and had one of the best high school seasons of any outside linebacker in the country. He’s certainly got the talent to play as a true freshman.

Sherman has been training hard this offseason. He’s got NFL level talent.

Take a peak at Georgia’s impressive linebacker group:

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Projected 2020 Georgia football depth chart: Linebackers

We project what Georgia’s line-backing core will look like in 2020 after a record breaking year for the Bulldogs defense in 2019.

The 2019 Georgia defense might have been the best in program history. The Bulldogs finished the season ranked No. 1 in scoring defense, No. 3 in total defense and only allowed two rushing touchdowns all year.

The Georgia defense in 2020 will look a little different, mainly because of the departures of safety J.R. Reed and linebacker Tae Crowder to the NFL. However, Georgia returns a majority of starters from the record-setting unit in 2019, led by coach Kirby Smart and one of the most experienced linebackers in the SEC, Monty Rice.

Here is our projection of what the linebacker depth chart will look like in the Fall:

MIKE 

Monty Rice (32) – Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

1. Monty Rice (Sr.)

2. Quay Walker (Jr.)

3. Rian Davis (RFr.)

WILL

Nakobe Dean (17) –  Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

1. Nakobe Dean (So.)

2. Channing Tindall (Jr.)

3. Trezmen Marshall (So.)

SAM

Jermaine Johnson (11) –  Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

1. Jermaine Johnson (Sr.)

2. Walter Grant (Sr.)

3. Adam Anderson (Jr.)

JACK

Azeez Ojulari (13) – Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

1. Azeez Ojulari (RSo.)

2. Nolan Smith (So.)

3. Mekhail Sherman (Fr.) / Robert Beal (RJr.)

Georgia football: A 2020 recruiting summary so far

Georgia football has jumped to the #3 spot on the 2020 national football recruiting rankings. They trail only Clemson and Alabama.

The Georgia Bulldogs have already had a very successful offseason recruiting wise.

The Dawgs now have three 5-star commits signed and still have more to go after.

5-star athlete/tight end Darnell Washington has signed with Georgia already and is ranked as the #1 2020 athlete and #6 overall prospect, on ESPN’s top 300.  The 6 foot 7.5 inch TE will bring a whole new dimension to the Bulldog receiving corps and will provide amazing protection to whoever is in the driving seat under center for Georgia’s offense next season.

5-star outside linebacker Mekhail Sherman has also signed with the Dawgs and is ranked as the #1 OLB recruit in the 2020 class.  Sherman is 6’3″ 234 lbs and his highlight tapes are scary good.  Sherman will help beef up an already strong UGA LB group and was a huge signing for Georgia.

The last 5-star so far for the 2020 class is offensive tackle Broderick Jones.  Jones is a 6’5″ 275 lb offensive lineman out of Lithonia, Georgia that could likely battle for a starting spot on next years team.  With Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson projected to go very early in the 2020 NFL Draft, there will be a massive hole to fill on the Dawgs O-Line, and Jones could be the man to fill that void.  Jones is ranked as the #2 OT in the 2020 class.

4-star RB signee Kendall Milton is the #6 ranked RB in the 2020 class and will play a major role in helping Georgia’s run game when D’Andre Swift departs for the NFL, currently favored to be the 1st running back selected in the 2020 Draft.

4-star OT Tate Ratledge will aid Broderick Jones in making up for some big offensive line losses this offseason.

4-star QB Carson Beck will be on the hunt for the starting job if Fromm decides to forgo his senior year and head to the NFL.  He will likely have to beat out Stetson Bennett and D’Wan Mathis (if healthy).

4-star safety Major Burns, who flipped from LSU late in his commitment will hope to step in and replace J.R. Reed, who will also be entering to the NFL Draft.

The Dawgs currently sit at #3 on the national 2020 recruiting list with three 5-stars, fourteen 4-stars, and three 3-stars all signed.

UGA football five-star signee Mekhail Sherman highlights

2020 UGA five-star signee Mekhail Sherman played football at St. John’s College High School and is from Washington, DC.

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs signed a great one in five-star linebacker Mekhail Sherman. Sherman is a versatile linebacker who can play several different positions.

Sherman played football at St. John’s College High School and is from Washington, DC. At 6-3, 234 lbs, the five-star plays both inside and outside linebacker. Coaches covet versatility nowadays. Offenses are becoming more multiple and more versatile, so defenses are countering with more versatile players of their own.

Sherman looks like he could make an impact in Athens as a freshman:

Sherman frequently won at the line of scrimmage at the high school level. He showed good coverage skills and had some impressive highlights as a Junior (video per Hudl):

He joins a UGA defense loaded with five-stars. The Dawgs will lose seniors  J.R. Reed, Tae Crowder, Tyler Clark, David Marshall, Michael Barnett and others to the NFL this season.

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What Mekhail Sherman brings to Georgia football

Georgia’s signing day began with securing its highest ranked commit, five-star outside linebacker Mekhail Sherman out of Washington, D.C.

Georgia’s signing day began with securing its highest ranked commit, five-star outside linebacker Mekhail Sherman out of Washington, D.C.

At six-foot-three and 235 pounds, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Sherman bulks up to 245 or even 250 with help from Georgia’s nutritionists and strength and conditioning staff. This would allow him to play more of a role in setting the edge and occasionally playing weak-side defensive end.

At his current size, Sherman is versatile enough to play middle linebacker or even at STAR, the hybrid linebacker-defensive back position; he covers tight ends and running backs well, can drop into zone coverage and possesses the excellent footwork and 4.53 speed necessary to allow him to change directions swiftly.

Having previously played running back in high school, he diagnoses run plays exceptionally quickly and, once he sees where the ball is, disengages with blockers and accelerates toward the ball carrier.

He’s a sideline-to-sideline runner at great speed much like Roquan Smith but with size more comparable to Lorenzo Carter, Leonard Floyd, or Davin Bellamy (with the edge rush ability to match). Changing direction and honing in on tailbacks at his size is difficult to fathom.

In other words, he’s a jack-of-all trades and master of a few of them.

This presents the question: where will he line up within the Dawgs’ defensive front? The answer is: likely a little bit of everywhere.

Georgia’s first early signee of 2020 is in

Georgia’s early signing period began this morning by securing their top commitment.

Georgia’s early signing period began this morning by securing their top commitment.

Mekhail Sherman, a five-star defensive end who’s been a Bulldog pledge since early May, signed his letter of intent to play for the Dawgs next fall.