Georgia Bulldogs

Running back Tyshon Dye (Elberton, Ga./Elbert County) will be one of the most sought-after recruits from the South. Now word is starting to spread across the country, as Dye picked up an offer from USC this week.

“They did and I was kind of surprised at that one,” Dye said. “They are from the West Coast and there is so much talent over there. I am way over here. I am shocked but I think that’s pretty cool. I would sure like to look into USC.”

Clemson was Dye’s first offer, last summer. Then came Georgia.

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Signing day was more than a week ago, but the Georgia Bulldogs are still hoping for a couple of additions to the 2012 class. The graduation of three starters at offensive line, the decision by offensive lineman Avery Young (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Palm Beach Gardens) to sign with Auburn, and the loss of commit Chester Brown (Hinesville, Ga./Bradwell Institute) due to apparent citizenship status issues have put the Bulldogs in need of some serious help along the line. After watching film, the Georgia staff this week targeted one of the top juco offensive linemen in the country.

“UGA contacted us two days ago and said they had just received film on Fehoko Fanaika (San Mateo, Calif./College of San Mateo) and that they really liked him,” College of San Mateo assistant head coach Tim Tulloch said. “He said they lost three starters to the draft and lost a few guys to injury, and they needed someone to come in physically ready and experienced like 'Hoko. They wanted to know more about his work ethic and character, and after I walked them through that they said they wanted him.”

Coach Will Friend made sure to let Fanaika know he is needed in Athens and is hoping for the chance to tell him in person soon.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Whatever could have gone right for Georgia against Arkansas on Wednesday went right to near perfection in a surprising 81-59 win that could damage the Razorbacks’ hopes for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

“I feel like everybody was playing hard and we were defending,” said Georgia senior Gerald Robinson, who led the Bulldogs with a career-high 27 points. “I think we held them to a pretty good shooting percentage [26 percent] in the first half, so that’s the main thing. Everybody was defending -- all five people on the floor, helping each other out. I feel like that was a big team-building moment for us tonight.”

A Bulldogs team (11-12, 2-7 SEC) that has struggled offensively throughout the season scored 81 points, a season high for a regulation game, and won by their largest margin of the regular season. That included a scorching 53-percent shooting effort from the floor and 9-for-20 from 3-point range.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- The UGA Athletic Association Board of Directors' quarterly meeting Wednesday brought little in the way of decisive action, but plenty of discussion of what is on the horizon.

Included in the discussions were contract talks, the possibility of a college football playoff and scheduling possibilities in the newly reconfigured 14-team SEC.

The board -- which had two members openly express concerns about the direction of Georgia’s football program at its last meeting -- met in executive session to discuss a contract extension for head football coach Mark Richt.

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Oklahoma’s foray into Florida continues.

The Sooners are in hot pursuit of running back Greg Bryant Jr. (Delray Beach, Fla./Armerican Heritage-Boca-Delray), widely regarded as one of the top junior running back prospects. The Sooners signed three recruits from Florida in the class of 2012 and already have offered four other Florida prospects in the class of 2013.

“My son is really loving Oklahoma,” said Greg Bryant Sr., Bryant’s father. “I talk to him a lot about different schools, and he doesn’t know where he wants to go, but he definitely likes Oklahoma.

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On the weekend before signing day, Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) Watch List wide receiver Ahmad Fulwood took a trip to Clemson for its junior day.

It was the second trip to Clemson for the 6-foot-3, 190-pound junior, and he wanted to check out some of the other parts of the campus.

"I really focused on a lot of non-football things for this trip," Fulwood said. "I wanted to look around the campus and the neighborhood.

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One of the top players in the nation lives in the state of Georgia, yet he doesn’t have an offer from the in-state Bulldogs. For talented athlete Juwaan Williams (Tucker, Ga./Tucker), that might change as he recently visited Athens for junior day.

“It went well,” Williams said. “The facilities and campus are beautiful. I had the opportunity to ask questions to some of the players there and it was a good atmosphere all the way around.”

A bright young man, Williams understands the promises and hyperbole of the recruiting trail and he knows the players are a great source of information.

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Born in Kansas, Vonn Bell (Rossville, Ga./Ridgeland) spent several years in Dallas, Texas before moving to Chattanooga, Tenn., when he was in first grade. When he arrived at Ridgeland High School last summer, where his mother, Vanessa Bell, is a teacher, he was like any other teenager. Bell did his best to avoid doing his chores and enjoyed going out with his friends. But once he got on the football field, Ridgeland head coach Mark Mariakas quickly realized that Bell was anything but normal.

“We knew as soon as he got on campus during the summer he was special,” Mariakas said. “Right off the bat he brought a lot of athleticism to the team, as well as leadership qualities. He got better every week, and I have to say he is the most productive player we have had here at Ridgeland. He is a great offensive player, but there were times when he took over ballgames on defense, which was remarkable to watch.”

Bell made plays all over the field en route to making first-team All-State. He tallied a school record 180 tackles, 119 solo, two tackles for loss, five interceptions, five fumbles recovered, three fumbles returned for touchdowns and three forced fumbles. He also had 37 rushes for 280 yards and five touchdowns, and 31 catches for 487 yards and six touchdowns. Bell, who sees himself as an aggressive ball hawk at the next level, got his first offer -- from Georgia -- a month ago. The news did not surprise Mariakas at all.

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Since the Bulldogs only signed 19 players last Wednesday and then dismissed three players a few days later, Georgia could really use some help filling out its remaining open scholarship positions. Of particular need are the defensive secondary and the receiving corps. With that in mind the Georgia coaches are looking around, and they have identified one potential target in running back and wide receiver Mario Alford (Greenville, Ga./Georgia Military College).

GMC assistant coach Joe Windon told DawgNation that the Georgia coaches “made contact with him and they are starting the process.”

“They are talking to me,” Alford said. “They told me they are interested in me. They are going to my spring game and we are going to go from there. I like Georgia. Two of my boys out of high school signed with them, Kenarious Gates and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, so I am real interested.”

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