Tag: smael mondon

Tennessee target, 5-star linebacker makes commitment decision

Tennessee target, 5-star linebacker makes commitment decision.

Smael Mondon Jr. is one of the most coveted defensive prospects in the 2021 class.

The linebacker prospect from Dallas, Georgia is a high priority for several schools, including Tennessee.

The Vols were included in Mondon’s top five schools, however the 5-star linebacker announced his commitment to Georgia.

Mondon is the No. 2 outside linebacker on the 247Sports Composite. He is listed as the No. 3 player in Georgia.

The Paulding County speedy prospect stands at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds.

Mondon is the third 5-star prospect committed to Georgia, along with Amarius Mims, another Tennessee target. The Bulldogs have the No. 5 2021 recruiting class.

Tennessee currently has the No. 11 recruiting class in the 2021 cycle.

Vols’ 2021 football commitment tracker

Georgia football lands another 5-star: LB Smael Mondon

Five-star outside linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. has committed to the University of Georgia.

Five-star outside linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. has committed to the University of Georgia football program. Mondon Jr. picked the Georgia Bulldogs over several SEC foes: LSU, Auburn, Tennessee and Florida.

The Paulding County High School linebacker plays football in Dallas, Georgia. Mondon ranks as the nation’s No. 27 overall player, the No. 2 outside linebacker and the No. 3 player in the state of Georgia, per 247Sports.

Kirby Smart and Georgia are securing the state’s top talent this year. The Dawgs have landed verbal commitments from all three of Georgia’s five-star recruits.

Georgia was viewed as the heavy favorite to land Mondon, so his commitment isn’t shocking.

At six-foot-three and 220 pounds, Mondon will be a versatile linebacker in college football. He also plays running back in high school.

In addition to football, Mondon competed in the 100 meters, 200, long jump and triple jump for the Paulding County track team last year. He has solid speed, which is key for linebackers in modern college football. Sideline to sideline speed will help him cover running backs in the passing game, an immediate need for the Georgia Bulldog defense.

Georgia offered Mondon back in 2019. Now, Mondon announced his commitment at his high school. Tweet per Matt DeBary of Dawg Post:

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5-star LB Smael Mondon, top UGA target, ready to make commitment

Five-star outside linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. is favored to commit to the University of Georgia.

Five-star outside linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. released his top five schools earlier this year and is now ready to make his commitment. Now, the elite in-state class of 2021 recruit will be make his commitment at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 18.

Mondon Jr. will decide between LSU, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee and Florida.

The Paulding County High School linebacker plays football in Dallas, Georgia. Mondon ranks as the nation’s No. 27 overall player, the No. 2 outside linebacker and the No. 3 player in the state of Georgia, per 247Sports.

Kirby Smart and Georgia are looking to secure the state’s top talent in the class of 2021. The Dawgs already landed the commitments from the top two Georgia prospects in the class.

Georgia is viewed as the heavy favorite to land Mondon; all nine crystal ball votes go to UGA on his 247Sports player profile page. 

At six-foot-three and 220 pounds, Mondon will likely be a versatile linebacker in college football. He also plays running back in high school.

In addition to football, Mondon competed in the 100 meters, 200, long jump and triple jump for the Paulding County track team last year. He has solid speed, which is key for linebackers who are expected to cover large areas of the field. Mondon’s speed may help him cover running backs in the passing game, an immediate need for the Georgia Bulldog defense.

Georgia offered Mondon back in 2019. He and the Georgia coaches met several times including two visits by coaches and one trip to Athens. Recruiting has been in a dead period since the onset of COVID-19.

Mondon announced his commitment date and time via his Twitter account:

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5-star UGA target Smael Mondon announces commitment date

Five-star outside linebacker Smael Mondon is ready to make his commitment. Mondon is projected to join the Georgia Bulldogs.

Five-star outside linebacker Smael Mondon released his top five schools over the summer. Now, the elite in-state recruit, Mondon, has set his commitment date for Nov. 18.

Mondon put LSU, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee and Florida in his list of top five schools. He released the same top five when setting his commitment date.

Out of Paulding County High School in Dallas, Georgia, Mondon ranks as the nation’s No. 27 overall player, the No. 2 outside linebacker and the No. 3 player in the state of Georgia, per 247Sports. Kirby Smart and Georgia are looking to secure the state’s top talent in the class of 2021. The Dawgs already landed the top Georgia prospect in the class.

Georgia is viewed as the favorite to land Mondon, with all nine crystal ball votes going to UGA on his 247Sports player profile page. 

At 6 feet, 3 inches and 220 pounds, Mondon will likely be an inside linebacker in college football. He additionally plays running back in high school.

In addition to football, Mondon competed in the 100 meters, 200, long jump and triple jump for the Paulding County track team last year. He has solid speed, which is now key for linebackers who are expected to cover large swaths of the field these days.

Georgia offered Mondon back in 2019. He and the Georgia coaches met in person three times in the month of January, including two visits by coaches and one trip to Athens.

Mondon announced his commitment date via his Twitter account:

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Watch: Georgia is LBU

Georgia football former players and current coaches release ‘LBU’ hype video in an effort to recruit the top LBs in the country to UGA.

A number of former Georgia players and current coaches have released an ‘LBU’ hype video in an effort to recruit the top linebacker prospects in the nation to Athens.

The video features former Dawg linebackers such as Roquan Smith, Natrez Patrick and Tae Crowder, who have now made it to the NFL, crediting UGA and its coaches for preparing them for the next level.

WATCH:

Glenn Schumann, the Georgia inside linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator, gets high praise throughout the video.

“Being coached by the best linebacker coach in the country, coach Schumann, everything we did at Georgia I do now in the league,” said Smith.

Smith was the recipient of the 2017 Butkus Award, awarded annually to the most outstanding linebacker in college football.  Smith is the only Georgia player to receive this high honor.  That year, Smith also won the title of SEC Defensive Player of the Year, First-team All-SEC as well as the SEC Championship Game MVP.

“The linebackers should be the tone-setters for the defense, I want my energy to be contagious to other people on the field and I want my players’ energy to be contagious.” said Schumann in the hype video.

Current Georgia linebackers Nakobe Dean, Monty Rice and Quay Walker are also featured in the video.  These three are all expected to play pivotal roles in Georgia’s defense in 2020, a defense that finished No. 1 overall in team defense in 2019 and allowed only two rushing touchdowns all season.

In Georgia’s 2020 No.1 overall recruiting class, the sole linebacker committed is 4-star Washington, D.C. native MJ Sherman, listed as the No. 2 outside linebacker recruit in the country by 247Sports.

For the 2021 class, Georgia currently has the No. 10 inside linebacker committed in 4-star Baltimore, MD native Jamon Dumas-Johnson.

The Dawgs hope to land 2021 5-star Dallas, GA native Smael Mondon, who is listed at 6-foot-3, 220 lbs and the No. 2 outside linebacker in the country.  247Sports experts have all given their Crystal Ball predictions for Mondon in favor of Georgia.

With the departure of Rice and his fellow rising senior Nate McBride coming following this season, the emphasis on locking down the next wave of linebackers is huge for the Georgia coaching staff.

This video shows why players want to come to Georgia, and that is ultimately to be NFL ready by the end of their college careers.  Showcasing the likes of NFL stars Roquan Smith and Natrez Patrick, as well as Tae Crowder’s transformation from a 2-star wide receiver to an NFL linebacker, is the perfect plan to recruit the top linebackers in the country to Georgia.

5-star LB recruit has LSU in list of top schools

Each of Mondon’s finalists were SEC programs.

The LSU Tigers are on another level on the recruiting front right now.

Just last week, the defending national champions picked up three commitments in a span of four days, moving LSU into the No. 6 spot in 247Sports team rankings for the 2021 class.

Several of the country’s top uncommitted players have the defending champions among their finalists, including five-star linebacker Smael Mondon.

Mondon, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound linebacker from Paulding County High School in Dallas, Ga., recently released a top-five and included LSU in that group.

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Mondon’s finalists were all from the SEC and included Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and Auburn.

After he released his list, Mondon spoke to Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports and said distance would not be a factor in his decision as the other four of Mondon’s finalists are reasonably close to his Georgia residence.

“Being home state is not too much of a factor,” Mondon said. “If I go to Auburn it’s the same distance from my house as Georgia is. Tennessee is close by and Florida is not too much farther.”

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When asked what he liked about the defending national champion LSU Tigers, Mondon spoke of the culture and his relationships with the coaches.

The culture at the program, they have a good team culture. Coach O seems like a real personable coach and seems like he cares about all their players. I used to talk to their d-coordinator Dave Aranda and I started talking to Bo Pelini and there’s no drop off relationship-wise.

Mondon did not indicate a decision would be made.

According to 247Sports internal rankings, Mondon is the No. 9 overall player in the 2021 class and the No. 1 linebacker.

Consider Mondon a major priority for head coach Ed Orgeron.

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5-star LB Smael Mondon releases top five

Smael Mondon, one of the top linebackers in the class of 20201, released his top five schools Sunday afternoon, and Auburn is part of the All SEC group that will battle it our for the coveted recruit. 

Smael Mondon, one of the top linebackers in the class of 2021, released his top five schools Sunday afternoon, and Auburn is part of the all-SEC group that will battle it out for the coveted recruit.

Mondon has Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and LSU as his top schools and talked with 247Sports Steve Wiltfong about each one.

Auburn: “I just felt like it’s a good program for me. I felt like I fit in there. Whenever I visit Auburn it’s a place I can see it being my home. I feel like I have a good relationship with their coaching staff there. T-Will (Travis Williams) my position coach he’s a real genuine dude.”

Florida: “My relationship with Christian Robinson. I see the program trending upwards. With C-Rob he played the position that he coaches so that gives him a different understanding than a lot of coaches. T-Will is the only other one who played it, not saying you have to play the position to coach it but you have more insight into it.”

Georgia: “It’s my home state. The last couple years they’ve had a real solid defense and shows they put an emphasis on that. Coach (Kirby) Smart he’s like a regular guy, easy to talk to, you can sit down and talk to him like a regular person. You don’t want to feel like you’re talking to your boss even though that’s what he is. You can get comfortable with him. I like (Dan) Lanning too.”

LSU: “The culture at the program, they have a good team culture. Coach (Ed) O(rgeron) seems like a real personable coach and seems like he cares about all their players. I used to talk to their d-coordinator Dave Aranda and I started talking to Bo Pelini and there’s no drop off relationship wise.”

Tennessee: “Coach (Brian) Niedermeyer, they’ve been recruiting me the longest of any school. They were my second offer November of my sophomore year. I’ve been talking to Coach Niedermeyer since that spring. I’ve been up there three times. I’ve been up there enough times to be comfortable there and they’re building a good recruiting class and it shows the program is in the right direction. (Jeremy) Pruitt is a good coach, I’ve seen a lot of stuff he’s done at Alabama as the defensive coordinator.”

Georiga is seen as the favorite to land the 6-foot-3, 220 pound linebacker who is the No. 26 overall player, the No. 2 outside linebacker and the No. 3 player in the state of Georgia, per 247Sports Composite.

5-star Georgia recruit Smael Mondon releases top five

2021 five-star outside linebacker Smael Mondon has released his top five schools including the Georgia Bulldogs.

2021 five-star outside linebacker Smael Mondon confirmed to Dawgs247 earlier this year that he would announce his commitment in June. Mondon has pushed back his commitment, but decided to release his top five schools.

Mondon puts LSU, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida in his top schools.

Out of Paulding County High School in Dallas, Georgia, Mondon ranks as the nation’s No. 26 overall player, the No. 2 outside linebacker and the No. 3 player in the state of Georgia, per 247Sports. Kirby Smart and Georgia are looking to secure the state’s top talent in the class of 2021.

Georgia is viewed as the favorite to land Mondon, with all eight crystal ball votes going to UGA on his 247Sports player profile page. 

At 6 feet, 3 inches and 220 pounds, Mondon will likely be an inside linebacker in college football. He additionally plays running back in high school.

In addition to football, Mondon competed in the 100 meters, 200m, long jump and triple jump for the Paulding County track team last year. He has solid speed, which is key for linebackers nowadays, who are expected to cover large swaths of the field.

Georgia offered Mondon in 2019. He and the Georgia coaches met in person three times in the month of January, including two visits by coaches and one trip to Athens.

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Report: 5-star Georgia recruit Smael Mondon to announce next month

5-star Georgia football recruiting target Smael Mondon told Dawgs247 that he plans to announce his commitment next month.

2021 five-star outside linebacker Smael Mondon confirmed to Dawgs247 last week he will announce his commitment in June.

Out of Paulding County High School in Dallas, Georgia, Mondon ranks as the nation’s No. 27 overall player, the No. 3 outside linebacker and the No. 2 player in the state of Georgia, per 247Sports.

Georgia is viewed as the favorite to land Mondon, with all nine crystal ball votes going to UGA on his 247Sports player profile page. 

At 6 feet, 3 inches and 220 pounds, Mondon will likely be an inside linebacker at the next level.

In addition to football, Mondon competed in the 100 meters, 200m, long jump and triple jump for the Paulding County track team last year.

He also played running back in addition linebacker.

Georgia offered Mondon in May of 2019. He and the Georgia coaches met in person three times in the month of January, including two visits by coaches and one trip to Athens.

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5-star UGA QB commit Brock Vandagriff recruiting top talent to Georgia

Georgia football 5-star QB commit Brock Vandagriff is doing some recruiting of his own on Twitter, encouraging prospects to sign with UGA.

Georgia’s 2021 recruiting class, led by 5-star quarterback commit Brock Vandagriff, is starting to take shape as we head into the summer.

Vandagriff, from Bogart, Georgia, plays for Prince Avenue Christian School and seems to be actively recruiting some of the most talented recruits to play along side him at UGA in 2021.

Tuesday, Vandagriff tweeted 5-star offensive tackle Amarius Mims from Cochran, Georgia, encouraging him to be the next piece of Georgia’s talented offensive line.

Mims (6-7, 315)  is rated as the No. 2 OT and the No. 1 player in Georgia, so we can’t blame Vandagriff for wanting Mims to protect his blindside next year.

Next, Vandagriff continued his recruiting on Twitter by tweeting 5-star linebacker Smael Mondon out of Dallas, Georgia.

Mondon (6-3, 220) is rated as the No. 2 OLB and the No. 3 player in Georgia.

According to the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions, both Mims and Mondon are predicted to sign with Georgia.

I suppose we can add Vandagriff to the list of recruiters with Kirby Smart and the Georgia coaching staff. It’s always nice to see a young leader with the willingness to help his program before he even takes the field.