Tag: UNC Football

James Hurst may be the Terron Armstead backup the Saints have needed

The New Orleans Saints reached an agreement with Ravens free agent James Hurst, who may have the skills to back up LT Terron Armstead.

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Terron Armstead has all the talent in the world, and he’s so close to putting it all together. Armstead earned recognition as a Pro Bowler in each of the last two years, along with second-team All-Pro status in 2018. But he still hasn’t strung together 16 healthy games in a single season. The 28-year-old came close in 2019 (starting all 15 games he played), but a late-season high-ankle sprain tripped him up. It was the first time he’d appeared in more than 10 games since 2015.

Great as he’s been when healthy, the Saints haven’t really come up with even a short-term solution for when Armstead is out. Their go-to answer has been to slide starting left guard Andrus Peat over to tackle, his college position, calling up a backup like Senio Kelmete or Nick Easton in Peat’s place.

When Armstead missed last year’s Thanksgiving Day game with the Atlanta Falcons — when Peat was also out with an injury — the Saints were forced to put career guard Patrick Omameh at left tackle. Thankfully, Omameh was up to the occasion, and the Falcons defensive line wasn’t talented enough to take advantage of the mismatch.

One injury shouldn’t affect two positions like this, and it looks like the Saints might have finally taken action against it. That’s where former Baltimore Ravens backup James Hurst steps in. Even though he’s suspended the first four weeks with a performance-enhancing substances violation, he might be the best option the Saints have for the next twelve weeks and the playoffs.

Hurst has the pedigree to give the Saints confidence that he can hold down the left tackle spot, whether in a pinch or for a couple of weeks. He’s started nearly as many games at left tackle (16) as at left guard (19) in the NFL, and has a background lining up out on the edge with 48 starts in that alignment at North Carolina. He earned All-ACC honors three years in college, twice making the conference’s first-team list. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds, with 33 3/4-inch arms, he fits the prototype teams look for.

Now, sure: the Ravens valued his versatility enough to move him all over the line, and the Saints should, too. If Hurst doesn’t cut the mustard in training camp at left tackle, he could try out as a backup at other spots much like Easton did last year. Initially signed as a center, the Saints quickly moved Easton to guard full-time after comparing him against then-rookie Erik McCoy, and reserves like Cameron Tom and Will Clapp.

But you have to like Hurst’s chances. The fact that he has started nearly a full season at left tackle in the NFL already (totaling more than 3,200 snaps in his career, at different spots) is significant. And he’s clearly the most qualified of his competition, which includes Omameh, second-year pros like Ethan Greenidge, Derrick Kelly, and a few undrafted rookies in Utah’s Darrin Paulo and Oregon’s Calvin Throckmorton. This is a roster battle Hurst should win.

In a year with such high stakes and maybe Drew Brees’ last shot at a second Super Bowl on the line, the Saints can’t afford any chances. Adding Hurst now gives them greater insurance in case injuries hit the starting lineup again. And his veteran presence should be helpful once training camp gets here, considering the shortened offseason. Hopefully things shake out so that he’ll be in position to help the team when they call his number.

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4-star DT and Georgia recruiting target sets new commitment date

4-star DT Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, a Georgia football recruiting target, set a new commitment date.

Last week, 2021 four-star defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins released a top six of Georgia, North Carolina, Florida State, South Carolina, Penn State and Tennessee.

Prior to revealing his final group, the 6-foot-5-inch, 298-pounder tweeted that he would announce his decision on Sunday, May 17.

Shortly after, he decided he needed some more time to make this life-changing decision.

Ingram-Dawkins now has a new commitment date of June 26, which is his birthday.

“I’m committing June 26th, on my birthday,” Ingram-Dawkins said on Instagram Live.

247Sports has Ingram-Dawkins as the nation’s No. 17 ranked defensive tackle and as the top player in the state of South Carolina.

Per the composite rankings, he is considered the nation’s 408th overall player.

Per 247Sports, South Carolina is viewed as the leader for Ingram-Dawkins, with Georgia close behind.

But Ingram-Dawkins said he does not pay much attention to the crystal ball on his 247Sports player profile.

The crystal ball is their way of  projecting where a recruit will land by having  a few recruiting analysts make predictions for specific players.

Georgia offered him in January and got him on campus in early-March.

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Georgia recruiting target JJ Jones moves up decision date

JJ Jones, a Georgia football recruiting target, has moved up his decision date.

Earlier in May, 2021 four-star wide receiver JJ Jones announced his top five schools on Twitter.

North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Georgia made the cut for the Myrtle Beach High School prospect.

He had planned to announce his final decision on his birthday, August 5, but tweeted on Wednesday night that he will now be committing sometime next week.

Per the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Jones ranks as the nation’s 68 wide receiver, No. 3 player in South Carolina and No. 417 overall player in America.

Right now, 247Sports sees North Carolina as the favorite to land Jones, with South Carolina in second place.

In 2019, as a junior, Jones caught 45 passes for 707 yards and 15 touchdowns while being named to the All-Region team and third-team All State.

 

4-star DT Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins delays commitment: Considering UGA, Vols, FSU, more

4-star DT Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins has delayed his decision. He is considering Georgia football, South Carolina, UNC, Penn State, FSU and Vols.

On Monday, 2021 4-star defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins released a top-six of Georgia, North Carolina, Florida State, South Carolina, Penn State and Tennessee.

Shortly before revealing his final group, the 6-foot-5, 298 pounder announced that he would be announcing his decision on Sunday, May 17, at 3 p.m.

However, one day later, Ingram-Dawkins made a tweet saying that he’s decided to give his commitment “a little more thought.”

“I’ve decided to give my commitment a little more thought before making it on Sunday!!,” he said in a Tweet. “This is a life-changing decision that is very important to me!!”

247Sports has Ingram-Dawkins as the nation’s No. 17 ranked defensive tackle and as the top player in the state of South Carolina.

According to SportsTalkSC, Ingram-Dawkins will wait roughly 2-3 weeks.

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Georgia football makes big jump in 2021 national recruiting rankings

Georgia football made a big jump in the recruiting rankings following a commitment from 4-star DE Elijah Jeudy.

After a commitment by 4-star defensive end Elijah Juedy on Sunday, Georgia moved from No. 14 to No. 7 in the 2021 national recruiting rankings according to 247Sports.

That makes seven total commits in the 2021 Bulldog recruiting class:

5-star QB Brock Vandagriff

4-star OT Micah Morris

4-star ATH David Daniel

4-star RB Lovasea Carroll

4-star SDE Jonathan Jefferson

4-star WDE Elijah Jeudy

3-star DT Marlin Dean

Ohio State currently leads the 2021 recruiting class rankings followed by North Carolina, Clemson, Florida, USC and Notre Dame.

Georgia football recruiting: 5-star RB TreVeyon Henderson sets commitment time

5-star Georgia football RB target Treveyon Henderson has announced his commitment time.

Georgia fans received some good news last week when five-star running back TreVeyon Henderson included the Bulldogs in his most recent cut.

Henderson cut his list of schools to nine: Georgia, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Texas, Ohio State, North Carolina, Penn State, Michigan and Oklahoma.

And now, it appears the 5-star ball carrier from Hopewell, Virginia is ready to commit.

On Thursday night, Henderson tweeted that he has made a decision, and then the following afternoon he posted that he will be committing at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Henderson ranks as the nation’s No. 17 overall prospect, No. 2 running back and No. 3 player in his state.

Ohio State is viewed as his leader, per the 247Sports Crystal Ball, which has 18 predictions going to the Buckeyes. Oklahoma and Virginia Tech are viewed as his other top choices.

The Buckeyes possess the nation’s top recruiting class for the 2021 cycle and recently landed a commitment from another elite running back, Georgia target Evan Pryor. If Ohio State lands both Pryor and Henderson in this class, that should secure the best 1-2 running back punch in 2021.

Henderson took a visit to Georgia in early February and holds over 40 offers.

One-time UGA commit includes Georgia football in top-eight

Jared Wilson, a former Georgia football commit, included UGA in his top-eight schools.

Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Florida State, Clemson, Arkansas, Florida and North Carolina.

That’s the top-eight for 2021 3-star offensive guard Jared Wilson, who hails from Clemmons, North Carolina.

Wilson originally committed to Georgia back in November and then backed off that commitment in January. On Sunday, he released his top-eight, and it looks like he’s still strongly considering the Bulldogs.

The 6-foot-4, 323 pound junior ranks as America’s No. 383 overall prospect, No. 17 offensive guard and No. 20 in the state of North Carolina.

Right now, 75% of the crystal ball predictions on 247Sports have Wilson signing with Georgia when all is said and done.

Wilson stayed committed to Georgia through the Sam Pittman to Matt Luke transition, but with him still visiting so many other schools, he thought it was best to back off his commitment.

Wilson tweeted after decommitting from Georgia in February:

“Georgia remains one of my top choices for my college academic and football career but at this time, my family and I believe that we need to fully explore all the options that are available.”

“I have an immense amount of respect for the University of Georgia and for their interest in me. It was hard for me to say I was committed to UGA while visiting other schools. At this time I am re-opening my recruitment and de-committing from the University of Georgia. No interviews please.”

Wilson visited Florida State and Florida in early March, prior to the coronavirus shutting down in-person recruiting.

5-star RB includes Georgia football in most recent cut

5-star RB TreVeyon Henderson included Georgia football in his most recent cut.

Georgia fans received some good news on Tuesday when five-star running back TreVeyon Henderson included the Bulldogs in his most recent cut.

Henderson cut his list of schools to nine: Georgia, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Texas, Ohio State, North Carolina, Penn State, Michigan and Oklahoma.

Henderson hails from Hopewell, Virginia. Kirby Smart will have his work cut out for him to persuade the 5-foot, 11-inch, 195-pound Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year to head south to Georgia.

Henderson ranks as the nation’s No. 17 overall prospect, No. 2 running back and No. 3 player in his state.

Ohio State is viewed as his leader, per the 247Sports Crystal Ball. Oklahoma is right there as well.

Henderson took a visit to Georgia in early February and holds over 40 offers.

The Buckeyes possess the nation’s top recruiting class for the 2021 cycle and recently landed a commitment from another elite running back, Georgia target Evan Pryor.

 

Report: UNC expected to hire longtime Georgia football assistant coach

UNC is expected to hire a former Georgia football assistant coach.

Per a report from Bruce Feldman of the Athletic, the North Carolina Tar Heels are expected to hire former Georgia tight end coach John Lilly to the same position in Chapel Hill.

Lilly, who spent eight seasons in Athens as the Dawgs’ tight ends coach and offensive special teams’ coordinator, left UGA in 2015.

In 2016, Lilly was the tight ends coach for the Los Angeles Rams. After taking 2017 off, Lilly joined Jeremy Pruitt’s staff in Knoxville as Tennessee’s Executive Assistant to Head Coach.

Most recently, Lilly spent the 2019 football season as the tight ends coach for the Cleveland Browns and was not retained when the franchise fired Freddie Kitchens.

Lilly will take over at UNC for Tim Brewster, who left to become the tight ends coach at Florida.

Assistant coaches live a bit of a nomadic life, and for Lilly to have eight years in the Classic City was a treat for DawgNation.

During his time with the Bulldogs, Lilly was part of several record-setting seasons: 72 touchdowns in 2012, 484.14 yards per game in 2013 and 41.3 points per game in 2014. All were the best marks in school history. He served as the Bulldogs’ interim offensive coordinator during the 37-14 win over Louisville in the 2014 Belk Bowl and the 24-17 victory over Penn State in the 2016 Tax Slayer Bowl. Both Louisville and Penn State had top 15 nationally-ranked defenses.

He coached star tight ends Arthur Lynch, an All-SEC First Team honoree and fifth-round NFL draft pick; Orson Charles, a fourth-round selection by the Cincinnati Bengals; and Aron White, the Most Outstanding Offensive Player at the 2009 Independence Bowl. He guided Georgia’s punt unit, which included Ray Guy Award winner Drew Butler.

Lilly brings a wealth of knowledge to Carolina and may possibly be a secret weapon for Heels. He is highly respected and has a knack for exploiting a defensive team’s weakness.