Georgia Bulldogs

The going away party Leonard Floyd’s family threw for him may have been a bit premature. The outside linebacker from Dodge County (Ga.) told DawgNation on Saturday that he would be reporting Thursday to Athens to join the rest of the 2012 signing class after passing a summer school class. That departure appears to be delayed.

“The Clearinghouse red-flagged some of the classes I took in school,” Leonard said Monday. “Now I have to wait on my high school to call up the NCAA and talk to them about the classes I took.”

Floyd did not enroll in summer classes at Georgia because he had to take a class at Dodge County. He passed the world geography course with a 91. When asked how long it might be before the school responds, Floyd said, “I hope as soon as possible.”

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Georgia recruiting questions and more were answered in Monday's chat with DawgNation recruiting writer Kipp Adams. Check out the chat transcript here.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Running back Bo Scarbrough (Tuscaloosa, Ala./North Ridge) hitched a ride to the University of Georgia with the unlikeliest of travel companions on Friday. The class of 2014 standout made the trip from Tuscaloosa to Athens with ESPN 150 Alabama commit Reuben Foster (Auburn, Ala./Auburn). Foster, who normally destroys running backs, went out of his way to help Scarbrough visit Georgia.

“He had never been to Athens before so I said, ‘Let’s go.’ ” Foster said. “He had a great time. He is going to be a beast.”

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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- ESPN 150 defensive tackle Kelsey Griffin (Hoschton, Ga./Mill Creek) will spend the week of the July 4 holiday making some travel plans and doing his homework. The Under Armour All-American is looking to do some trimming to his very long offer list.

“I am just trying to visit a couple of more schools so I can make a top five list,” Griffin said. “It is coming real soon, like next week or in a week and a half. I am working on it.”

Some programs have already made the cut.

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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Cornerback Chris Murphy (Marietta, Ga./Lassiter) picked up his first offer at the beginning of May and has seen his recruitment start to catch fire. On Wednesday, while taking ion a 7-on-7 tournament, he spoke to DawgNation about all the increased attention.

“I have offers from the University of North Carolina and Vanderbilt,” Murphy said. “I think Purdue is going to be the next offer. Illinois is coming close to offering and UCLA too.”

The Boilermakers did extend Murphy an offer the next day and more are likely on the way.

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Sixty-one days remain until Georgia kicks off its season opener against Buffalo on Sept. 1. In the days counting down to the opener, DawgNation will profile, with our “Around the Hedges in 80 Days” series, a Bulldogs player we expect to make an impact. We will review each player’s career thus far and project his long-term potential as we progress through our alphabetical list, from center David Andrews to receiver Rantavious Wooten.

61. Zach DeBell
Redshirt freshman, Offensive line
6-foot-6, 273 pounds

Fall forecast: Much like fellow redshirt freshman offensive tackle Xzavier Ward, DeBell is a complete unknown entering preseason camp. Both players contended with injuries last fall, after arriving in June as raw prospects who were obvious redshirt candidates because they needed to add weight to their oversized frames.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- ESPN 150 five-star linebacker Reuben Foster (Auburn, Ala./Auburn) could not have picked a better time to visit Georgia. His arrival Friday in Athens was a welcomed bit of good news on a day that included the Bulldogs dismissing five-star running back Isaiah Crowell. Foster was making his second trip to Athens in as many weeks.

“It wasn’t a football trip but it kind of was,” Foster said. “I never spent the night in Athens. I wanted to spend time in Athens without being questioned about football and everything. It was amazing, too.”

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BRADENTON, Fla. – ESPN 150 athlete Alvin Bailey (Seffner, Fla./Armwood) just wrapped up a trip of schools that included visits to Notre Dame, Michigan and Clemson. The 6-foot, 175-pound junior described what he liked about each program.

Notre Dame: “It’s a very tradition-oriented school. I saw a lot of religious people walking around there. Like a lot of nuns and other people involved with the church. Overall it was a laid back place though. Everyone was happy. I met with the academic advisor and he was great. He laid out everything for me and it’s a school with great academics and great athletics."

Michigan: “As soon as we got into town we could see the JumboTron with the big M and the stadium. And it’s the biggest stadium I’ve ever stepped foot in. I took a picture next to the JumboTron and then went inside talked to the coaches. The coaches were a lot of fun and I saw some of the facilities, like the weight room and stuff, before meeting with the academic advisor.

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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- ESPN 150 four-star running back Alvin Kamara (Norcross, Ga./Norcross) usually deflects all questions about his personal goals about as easily as he sheds defenders on the field. That is, until he is asked about which Peach State tailback is going to win next season’s rushing title.

“Oh, that is hard to say,” said Kamara, ranked the No. 5 running back in the nation. “I mean with Gwinnett, we are in the hardest region out here, regardless of what anybody else says. I think it will be between me and Tyren, no discredit to Tyshon Dye (Elberton, Ga./Elbert Co.) and the other guys. I mean Tyren had it last year. He tore it up. Of course they give him the ball every play … ”

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Sixty-two days remain until Georgia kicks off its season opener against Buffalo on Sept. 1. In the days counting down to the opener, DawgNation will profile, with our “Around the Hedges in 80 Days” series, a Bulldogs player we expect to make an impact. We will review each player’s career thus far and project his long-term potential as we progress through our alphabetical list, from center David Andrews to receiver Rantavious Wooten.

62. Marc Deas
Sophomore, Safety
6-foot-1, 197 pounds

Fall forecast: Deas will have his work cut out if he wants to contribute beyond special teams and infrequent scrimmage downs this fall. He briefly quit the team during the spring and ended up as a third-team safety behind Bacarri Rambo and Connor Norman. Deas should have a greater chance to contribute early before Rambo returns, but will have to show a lot more consistency to become a regular in the secondary.

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Georgia football signee Leonard Floyd’s family threw a party Saturday to celebrate this being his last weekend at home.

The outside linebacker (Eastman, Ga./Dodge County) leaves for Athens on Thursday after passing a summer school class to reach the number of core class hours required to enter UGA.

“I passed the class. I’m good to go,” Floyd said.

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Under Armour All-America safety Vonn Bell (Rossville, Ga./Ridgeland) has picked up close to 30 offers during the recruiting process, but as is always the case, there can be only one school on top in the end, so the 6-foot, 185-pound ESPN 150 prospect sat down with his family and coaches to try and narrow things down a bit over the summer. On Saturday, Ridgeland head coach Mark Mariakas announced a top seven.

"Vonn Bell made contact with the following schools, Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, Vanderbilt and Clemson, and told them they were on his short list of schools that he will commit to," Mariakas said. "By Labor Day he will cut this list down to two schools and go from there with the process. This list is in no order."

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Sixty-three days remain until Georgia kicks off its season opener against Buffalo on Sept. 1. In the days counting down to the opener, DawgNation will profile, with our “Around the Hedges in 80 Days” series, a Bulldogs player we expect to make an impact. We will review each player’s career thus far and project his long-term potential as we progress through our alphabetical list, from center David Andrews to receiver Rantavious Wooten.

63. Sheldon Dawson
Freshman, Cornerback
5-foot-11, 180 pounds

Fall forecast: Dawson is part of a fairly large group of freshman signees who have a chance to play this fall because of openings at their respective positions. While freshmen like tight end Ty Smith, tailback Keith Marshall and offensive tackle John Theus are all but guaranteed playing time, Georgia’s secondary depth concerns -- particularly early in the season -- could help Dawson avoid a redshirt.

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Back to square one for the Bulldogs. Last year, University of Georgia head coach Mark Richt needed to make a splash in recruiting. Coming off a six-win season in 2010 -- by far the worst of his tenure in Athens -- Richt needed an impact player at running back in the class. The Bulldogs were 73rd in the country in rushing, 10th in the SEC, but Richt was able to put the finishing touches on a top-five class -- one he dubbed the “Dream Team" -- by signing five-star running back and the top prospect in Georgia, Isaiah Crowell.

Friday, following an arrest on felony weapons charges, Crowell was dismissed from the team by Richt, ending Crowell’s career at Georgia after only one season and putting more pressure on his teammates to replace the SEC Freshman of the Year. The latest departure further depletes the overall talent on Georgia’s team, making the 2013 class even more important for the future of the program.

Big class coming in

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ATHENS, Ga. -- With Isaiah Crowell's dismissal from the Georgia football team Friday, the Bulldogs are suddenly without their top returning rusher and last season’s SEC Freshman of the Year.

However, Mark Richt’s coaching staff made tailback a point of recruiting emphasis after experiencing regular uncertainty at the position last season, and the addition of star signees Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley will make Crowell’s departure a bit easier to absorb.

The two freshmen are part of a five-player field who will vie for playing time at tailback in Crowell’s absence. Let’s take a look at the candidates:

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