Georgia Bulldogs

The Opening, a four-day event at Nike Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., brought together 150 of the nation's top football prospects to participate in a variety of drills and competitions under the guidance of NFL stars. Several University of Georgia commitments and targets took part in The Opening, giving our scouts another opportunity to watch them work. Here is what we learned:

Commitments

QB Brice Ramsey (Kingsland, Ga./Camden County: With Ramsey it has always been about his lack of experience in a multiple passing game scheme that puts him behind the curve to some degree. Perhaps no other player at The Opening made more improvement from the first day to the last. His improvement in overall accuracy and ability to adjust and learn the nuances of his teammates in a short period of time was impressive. Stock is up.

WR Reggie Davis (Tallahassee, Fla./Lincoln): Very good player, but somewhat straight-lined in his movements. Big value as a returner in our minds. Is still developing as a pure receiver.

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Going back one season, three players have left the Georgia football team only to return days later. This week linebacker Brandon Burrows followed in the steps of running back Ken Malcome and safety Marc Deas when he returned to Athens after asking for a transfer. Some players have transferred and not returned, while others have been dismissed for disciplinary issues. Add to those players the ones who have left early for the NFL or failed to qualify academically and Georgia heads into the season with just 75 players on scholarship. Five of those players are former walk-ons. With that in mind, we asked our staff and our readers the following DawgNation Roundtable discussion question:

"What in your opinion has led Georgia to having only 75 players on scholarship?"

David Ching: Georgia easily could have remedied its roster shortages under old recruiting rules that allowed a team to sign as many players as it wanted as long as it stayed under the 85-player limit. Over-signing rules introduced another element to the equation that made determining the size of signing classes more difficult. That made an impact at Georgia, as the Bulldogs have lost several players from their last several signing classes for various reasons (academic, disciplinary, playing time).

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Fifty-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.

52. Todd Gurley
Freshman, Running back
6-foot-1, 195 pounds

Fall forecast: Gurley seemingly had an opportunity to play as a freshman even before Isaiah Crowell’s dismissal -- a development that made the star freshman signee an even more likely contributor.

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Five-star linebacker Reuben Foster (Auburn, Ala./Auburn) might not be in attendance at Friday's Dawg Night in Athens, Ga., but the University of Georgia has a chance to take a big step in restocking its inside linebacker corps as ESPN 300 prospect Tim Kimbrough Jr. (Indianapolis/Warren Central) will be back in town.

As a junior, Kimbrough made 176 tackles, 27 tackles for loss 7.5 sacks, as well as two forced fumbles.

More than 20 programs have offered the linebacker, who first visited Athens in March. The Bulldogs offered Kimbrough (6-foot-1, 227 pounds) on the spot. With a return trip just days away, the No. 11 inside linebacker prospect in the country has UGA high on his list.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Bo Scarbrough, a top running back in the 2014 class, is set to make his college decision this month. The product of Northridge High School will commit at 10:45 a.m. ET July 23 on his school campus, according to his coach Mike Smith.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound tailback has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Mississippi State, Troy and UCLA. He most recently visited Georgia, along with Crimson Tide commitment Reuben Foster (Auburn, Ala./Auburn).

"[Recruiting] has become hard on him," Smith said of Scarbrough. "The phones don’t quit ringing. The bull crap don’t stop coming. All of them have the same things they want to say. Basically, that’s all they can say. ‘We want you here. You’re a good player.’ All that kind of stuff.

"I told him we’re going to sit down this summer and the guys you know you don’t want to see, we’re going to be honest with them and tell them that."

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Fifty-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.

53. Mike Gilliard
Senior, Linebacker
6-foot-2, 220 pounds

Fall forecast: Gilliard was a backup inside linebacker when the 2011 season started, but both of Georgia’s starters -- Alec Ogletree and Christian Robinson -- suffered foot injuries by the end of Game 2, creating an opportunity for Gilliard to see regular playing time. He took advantage of the chance, providing steady play while Ogletree and Robinson were out and starting 11 consecutive games.

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SUWANEE, Ga. -- While much of the anticipation of the annual Dawg Night camp at the University of Georgia will be focused on 2013 prospects, one defensive lineman for the 2014 class is trying to impress the Bulldogs coaching staff. Dante Sawyer (Suwanee, Ga./North Gwinnett) has been to Athens once this summer, and he looks forward to the return trip.

“I went to Georgia for the Mark Richt camp,” Sawyer said. “It went very well. They invited me back on Friday for Dawg Night.”

The invitation to the exclusive camp came from Georgia’s defensive line coach, who saw potential in the young prospect.

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This Friday’s Dawg Night figures to be one of the biggest recruiting events of the year for the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs staff will direct much of their attention to the 2014 and 2015 talent set to come together between the hedges. The coaches are hoping that two rising juniors, who have grown close in the past few months, decide to play together in Athens. One of them is already planning on it.

Nick Glass (Atlanta/St. Pius X) has been committed to Georgia for several months, and the 6-foot-1, 195-pound defensive back has become one of the strongest recruiters for the defending SEC East Champions. He is excited about his first Dawg Night.

“I am looking forward to bonding with the other commits and talking to a few targets that UGA has their sights on,” Glass said. “I want to sell the school that I feel is best, so I tell them the positives -- and even the negatives, but mostly positives -- and then they end up falling in love with it after I tell them everything.”

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