Georgia Bulldogs

DawgNation writer Kipp Adams joined SportsNation to talk about Georgia recruiting on Tuesday afternoon.

Here is the transcript.

DawgNation’s Radi Nabulsi was on ESPN’s Athens affiliate 960 The Ref this morning talking about the NFL draft, Georgia football and recruiting. Some of the questions answered were:

• What is the latest news from the Rising Seniors game?
• Does the Rising Seniors game help Georgia recruiting?
• Any Georgia surprises in the NFL Draft?
• What affect will the draft have on the Bulldogs’ recruiting class?

Listen to the radio show here.

Todd McShay examines three players who could be gems and looks ahead to top prospects for the 2013 NFL Draft.

Shaq Wiggins (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek), a Georgia verbal commitment and the ninth rated cornerback in the ESPN 150 talks with DawgNation's Radi Nabulsi at the Atlanta Nike Football Training Camp.

ESPN HS caught up with Norcross, Ga., running back and Georgia target Alvin Kamara.

Here is some of the interview:

ESPNHS: How big is it in your development as a player to get an invite to The Opening?
Kamara: It feels great. I mean, those are the top 150 prospects in the nation, so to get invited to be a part of that is great. And I feel like with my performance at the NFTC, I definitely earned it.

ESPNHS: You're ranked number 79 in the ESPN 150 among a lot of other Georgia players. How do you feel about where you're ranked?
Kamara: I kind of just busted onto the scene whereas guys like Reuben (Foster) and (Robert) Nkemdiche have been on the map, so I understand and I'm not mad about it. But I'm going to work hard so I can move on up toward the top with some of those guys.

Read the full story here.

Raekwon McMillan (Hinesville, Ga./Liberty County High School), a class of 2014 inside linebacker talks with DawgNation's Radi Nabulsi at the Atlanta Nike Football Training Camp.

Tray Matthews (Newnan, Ga./Newnan), a Georgia verbal commitment and the ninth rated safety in the ESPN 150 talks with DawgNation's Radi Nabulsi at the Atlanta Nike Football Training Camp.

The SEC led the country for the sixth straight year with 42 NFL draft selections, and all 12 teams had at least one player drafted.

The Big Ten was second with 41 draft selections, and then it dropped off to 31 selections by the ACC.

The SEC was the only conference to have had a player selected from every one of its teams. Alabama led the country in total draft selections with eight, followed by Georgia and Oklahoma with seven each.

Here's the SEC rundown by team:

• Alabama: 8
• Georgia: 7
• South Carolina: 6
• LSU: 5
• Arkansas: 4
• Mississippi State: 3
• Florida: 2
• Kentucky: 2
• Vanderbilt: 2
• Auburn: 1
• Ole Miss: 1
• Tennessee: 1

Now, here's a round-by-round listing of all 42 SEC players drafted:

First Round (9)

Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama – 3^rd to Browns

Morris Claiborne, DB, LSU – 6^th to Cowboys

Mark Barron, SAF, Alabama – 7^th to Bucs

Stephon Gilmore, DB, South Carolina – 10^th to Bills

Fletcher Cox, DL, Mississippi State – 12^th to Eagles

Michael Brockers, DL, LSU – 14^th to Rams

Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama – 17^th to Bengals

Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina – 18^th to Chargers

Dont'a Hightower, ILB, Alabama – 25^th to Patriots

Second Round (5)

Courtney Upshaw, LB, Alabama – 35^th overall / 3^rd to Ravens

Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia – 42^nd overall / 9^th to Bills

Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina – 45^th overall / 13^th to Bears

Casey Hayward, CB, Vanderbilt – 62^nd overall / 30^th to Packers

Rueben Randle, WR, LSU – 63^rd overall / 31^st to Giants

Third Round (2)

Brandon Taylor, SAF, LSU – 73^rd overall / 10^th to Chargers

Jake Bequette, DE, Arkansas – 90^th overall / 27^th to Patriots

Fourth Round (10)

Ben Jones, C, Georgia – 99^th overall / 4^th to Texans

Joe Adams, WR, Arkansas – 104^th overall / 9^th to Panthers

Bobby Massie, OT, Ole Miss – 112^th overall / 17^th to Cardinals

Jaye Howard, DT, Florida – 114^th overall / 19^th to Seahawks

Orson Charles, TE, Georgia – 116^th overall / 21^st to Bengals

Jarius Wright, WR, Arkansas – 118^th overall / 23^rd to Vikings

Brandon Boykin, CB, Georgia – 123^rd overall / 28^th to Eagles

Ron Brooks, CB, LSU – 124^th overall / 29^th to Bills

Brandon Mosley, OT, Auburn – 131^st overall / 36^th to Giants

Greg Childs, WR, Arkansas – 134^th overall / 39^th to Vikings

Fifth Round (6)

Josh Chapman, DT, Alabama – 136^th overall / 1^st to Colts

Malik Jackson, DE, Tennessee – 137^th overall / 2^nd to Broncos

De’Quan Menzie, CB, Alabama – 146^th overall / 11^th to Chiefs

Rokevious Watkins, OG, South Carolina – 150^th overall / 15^th to Rams

Chris Rainey, RB, Florida – 159^th overall / 24^th to Steelers

Vick Ballard, RB, Mississippi State – 170^th overall / 35^th to Colts

Sixth Round (4)

Blair Walsh, PK, Georgia – 175^th overall / 5^th to Vikings

Winston Guy, SAF, Kentucky – 181^st overall / 11^th to Seahawks

Danny Trevathan, LB, Kentucky – 188^th overall / 18^th to Broncos

Charles Mitchell, SAF, Mississippi State – 192^nd overall / 22^nd to Falcons

Seventh Round (6)

Justin Anderson, OT, Georgia – 208^th overall / 1^st to Colts

Tim Fugger, DE, Vanderbilt – 214^th overall / 7^th to Colts

DeAngelo Tyson, DE, Georgia – 236^th overall / 29^th to Ravens

Antonio Allen, SS, South Carolina – 242th overall / 35^th to Jets

Brad Smelley, TE, Alabama – 247^th overall / 40^th to Browns

Travian Robertson, DT, South Carolina – 249^th overall / 42^nd to Falcons

Brendan Langley (Marietta, Ga./Kell), the tenth rated athlete in the ESPN 150 talks with DawgNation's Radi Nabulsi at the Atlanta Nike Football Training Camp.

Results: Georgia closed out a rocky week by winning Sunday’s final game in a three-game series at No. 6 LSU 5-3. Prior to that victory, the Bulldogs had lost 4-3 to Georgia Tech at Turner Field and 6-5 and 8-4 against LSU this week.

Georgia record: 25-20 (9-12 SEC)

Highlight of the week: Georgia’s bullpen surrendered the winning runs late in each of the previous three games, but the Bulldogs’ relievers came through big against LSU on Sunday. Jay Swinford, Chase Hawkins and Earl Daniels combined to toss four scoreless innings, with Daniels striking out the SEC’s leading hitter Raph Rhymes with the bases loaded in the ninth inning to end the game.

(Read full post)

With all seven rounds of the NFL draft complete, Georgia finished with seven players selected -- a total that ties with Oklahoma for second most of any school, trailing only Alabama’s eight.

Unlike Alabama, which had four players selected in Thursday’s first round, the bulk of Georgia’s picks came on the final day. The Bulldogs had no first-round selections and only offensive lineman Cordy Glenn selected Friday, when the second and third rounds were held.

A projected first-round pick, Glenn slipped into the second round and went to the Buffalo Bills with the 41st overall pick. Then six Bulldogs came off the board Saturday, including three in the third round -- center Ben Jones to Houston, tight end Orson Charles to Cincinnati and cornerback Brandon Boykin to Philadelphia.

Kicker Blair Walsh went in the sixth round to Minnesota, offensive lineman Justin Anderson went to Indianapolis to lead off the seventh round and defensive lineman DeAngelo Tyson went to Baltimore near the end of the draft.

Here is a recap of the Georgia picks and where they went in the draft (with links to individual recaps):

Second round
OL Cordy Glenn (Buffalo), 41st overall
Fourth round
C Ben Jones (Houston), 99th overall
TE Orson Charles (Cincinnati), 116th overall
CB Brandon Boykin (Philadelphia), 123rd overall
Sixth round
K Blair Walsh (Minnesota), 175th overall
Seventh round
OL Justin Anderson (Indianapolis), 208th overall
DL DeAngelo Tyson (Baltimore), 236th overall

DeAngelo Tyson became the seventh Georgia player to be picked in the NFL draft Saturday when the Baltimore Ravens selected him in the seventh round, 236th overall.

Tyson played defensive tackle early in his career when Georgia ran a 4-3 base defense, then occupied the nose guard spot out of necessity when the Bulldogs shifted to a 3-4 after defensive coordinator Todd Grantham joined the coaching staff in 2010. Tyson played his third position in three years in 2011 when he moved to defensive end, showing the ability to contribute in a variety of roles.

He started 11 games last fall, missing the Coastal Carolina game and the season-ending games against LSU and Michigan State after suffering an ankle injury early in the regular-season finale against Georgia Tech. He finished the season with 20 tackles, 3.5 for a loss, and was fourth on the team with 11 quarterback pressures.

Tyson is the seventh Georgia player selected and fifth on Saturday. Offensive lineman Cordy Glenn went in Friday’s second round to Buffalo, making him the only ex-Bulldog picked on the draft’s first two days. Center Ben Jones (fourth round to Houston), tight end Orson Charles (fourth round to Cincinnati), cornerback Brandon Boykin (fourth round to Philadelphia) and offensive lineman Justin Anderston (seventh round to Indianapolis) were also picked Saturday.

Georgia’s program record for players selected in one draft is eight, set in 2002.

Former Georgia offensive lineman Justin Anderson became the sixth ex-Bulldogs player off the board when the Indianapolis Colts selected him Saturday with the first pick in the seventh round of the NFL draft.

Anderson went to the Colts with the 208th overall pick.

Anderson started all 14 games at right tackle last fall after switching to defense for a season in 2010. He was a freshman All-SEC pick at right tackle in 2008 -- starting seven games -- and started five more in 2009.

At 6-foot-5 and 335 pounds, Anderson could shift inside to guard in the pros.

Most draft analysts projected him as a late-round pick or, more likely, an undrafted free agent, but the Colts selected him as part of their rebuilding project -- potentially as a candidate to help protect new franchise quarterback Andrew Luck, the draft’s first overall selection.

Blair Walsh joined Saturday’s NFL draft parade of former Georgia players when the Minnesota Vikings selected the former Bulldogs kicker with the 175th overall pick in the sixth round.

Walsh is the third place-kicker selected in this year’s draft, following Texas A&M’s Randy Bullock and Greg Zuerlein of Missouri Western, both of whom came off the board Saturday.

He could compete for immediate playing time, as Minnesota experienced its share of kicking problems a year ago. Vikings veteran Ryan Longwell was 25th among NFL kickers in accuracy last year, hitting just 78.6 percent of his field-goal tries (22 of 28).

"The NFL is a fast moving-league and players' careers don’t seem to last too long anymore," Walsh said. "So I don’t know if you can pressure Ryan, I just know he is a great kicker and I’m excited to compete with him. "

(Read full post)

No NFL club has more former Georgia players than the Cincinnati Bengals, who added their sixth ex-Bulldog Saturday when they drafted tight end Orson Charles in the fourth round.

The Bengals drafted Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Green in the first round and offensive lineman Clint Boling in the fourth round last year and defensive lineman Geno Atkins in the fourth round in 2010.

"I guess that [shows] the program that we have built over a couple years at Georgia, so I definitely don’t want to let that tradition down," Charles said Saturday.

(Read full post)