Georgia Bulldogs

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Cornerback Nick Marshall, cornerback Chris Sanders and receiver Sanford Seay have been dismissed from Georgia’s football team for violating team rules.

“It’s a privilege to play college football and to be a part of this team and University,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said in a university release. “Along with that privilege comes certain responsibilities. Mistakes were made, and part of our job is helping them learn from mistakes. Going forward, we are committed to assisting them find opportunities where they can continue their education.”

Multiple sources said Seay and Marshall were connected to an incident involving the theft of money, but Georgia did not officially confirm that as the reason for their dismissal.

“Me and Nick’s mother were informed this morning by Georgia that Nick was no longer on the team,” Wilcox County coach Mark Ledford said Friday morning. “Any other details would need to be released by the university.”

The trio came to Georgia a year ago as members of the heralded “Dream Team” of recruits, with Marshall contributing as a true freshman last fall, Sanders playing the first three games before suffering a season-ending injury, and Seay redshirting.

The multitalented Marshall played quarterback in high school, but contributed at cornerback and on special teams for the Bulldogs in the 2011 season.

After appearing in 13 games in a reserve role and making five tackles last season, Marshall was expected to compete for more playing time at cornerback this season. Sanders also likely would have figured more heavily into the Bulldogs’ plans in the secondary.

Seay would have joined a big group of contenders at receiver, as everyone will return from last season except departed senior Israel Troupe. Justin Scott-Wesley is coming off a redshirt season and Blake Tibbs will enter the mix after signing with the Bulldogs on Wednesday.

Marshall was also a star guard in high school basketball and publicly stated his intention to walk on with Georgia's basketball team during the football offseason, although he did not do so.

Now that the fax machines have quit churning, who in the SEC fared the best on signing day and who best filled their needs?

Let’s take a team-by-team look:

Alabama: The Crimson Tide lost three starting linebackers and three starting defensive backs, so they needed to re-tool their defense. They were also looking for playmakers at the receiver position. Junior college cornerbacks Travell Dixon and Deion Belue are already enrolled in school, as are ESPNU 150 receivers Chris Black and Amari Cooper. The Crimson Tide went into LSU’s back yard and signed Landon Collins, the top-rated safety in America, and receiver Eddie Williams of Panama City, Fla., was ESPN’s No. 2-rated athlete nationally. ESPN grade: A

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National signing day is finally over and the SEC once again showed its dominance.

With the ESPN.com class rankings finalized, the SEC came away looking pretty good yet again, as the conference had eight teams in the top 25 rankings.

Alabama led the way with the No. 1 class in the country, after inking 26 commitments, including 13 ESPNU 150 members. Florida finished fourth, with 23 signees and nine ESPNU 150 members. And Georgia rounded out the top five with 18 signees. Georgia waited until Thursday morning to finally get No. 1 outside linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons (Valdosta, Ga./Lowndes) to fax his letter of intent in, after family issues prevented it Wednesday. That gave the Bulldogs 19 signees and six ESPNU 150 members.

There are still a couple of prospects unsigned and waiting to make their decisions, so the 2012 recruiting season isn't quite done for some teams.

As we try to say goodbye to the 2012 recruiting class, we'll end things with an awards ceremony. It's time to hand out our 2012 recruiting superlatives!

Take a look:

Top class -- Alabama: Alabama had most of its stellar class done before national signing day even started. The Crimson Tide was in it for a few top prospects Wednesday, but most importantly, Alabama didn't lose any significant prospects, including No. 1 safety Landon Collins (Geismar, La./Dutchtown), whose mother had her eyes set on him signing with LSU. Beyond bringing in 13 ESPNU 150 members, Alabama met every need on both offense and defense.

Biggest surprise -- Torshiro Davis flips to Texas: Davis was supposed to be LSU's headliner in its 2012 class, and seemed to be locked up ... until the 11th hour. The LSU coaches waited and waited for his letter of intent to come in Wednesday, but it never did. Instead, Davis pulled a shocker and signed with Texas. LSU usually doesn't let top players leave the state of Louisiana, but did Wednesday.

Recruiter of the year -- D.J. Durkin, Florida: The Gators' linebackers coach went into North Carolina and cleaned up for Florida. He helped to secure commitments from four of the state's top 14 players, including No. 1 offensive tackle D.J. Humphries (Charlotte, N.C./Mallard Creek) and No. 4 defensive end Jonathan Bullard (Shelby, N.C./Crest).

Player you’ll see often next season -- Dorial Green-Beckham: Missouri needed a big-play receiver in its lineup to make its transition to the SEC complete, and got it in Green-Beckham, who has drawn comparisons to Calvin Johnson, A.J. Green and Julio Jones. He'll see plenty of playing time this fall.

Future Thorpe Award winner -- Landon Collins: Alabama is stockpiled with talent in its secondary, but Collins is someone who shouldn't have to sit and wait very long in Tuscaloosa. With his athleticism and game-changing ability, he should see the field in some capacity next season, but he might be a real star in the future. He can play down in the box like a linebacker and be a ballhawk in the secondary. This award will definitely be on his mind.

Biggest headache -- Woodrow Clemons: Josh Harvey-Clemons' grandfather appeared to be the only thing standing in the way of him faxing his LOI to Georgia. As his legal guardian, Clemons had to sign his grandson's LOI in order for it to be valid, but he wanted him to sign with Florida. After refusing to sign in Wednesday, Clemons did the right thing early Thursday morning by signing Harvey-Clemons' LOI to the right school

Most underrated -- South Carolina: Steve Spurrier and his staff had a pretty quiet national signing day, but the Gamecocks had a heck of a class. South Carolina's class ranks 16th, but has really good balance on both sides, and No. 5 wide receiver Shaq Roland (Lexington, S.C./Lexington), No. 5 safety Chaz Elder (College Park, Ga./Benjamin E. Banneker) and No. 6 running back Mike Davis (Stone Mountain, Ga./Stephenson) should compete for early playing time.

Program on the rise -- Vanderbilt: James Franklin's first full class at Vanderbilt was a total success. It spent most of the year in ESPN's top 25 before a late fall, but met the needs of what Franklin wanted. He got bigger and more athletic on the offensive line, and added really good depth to the linebacker spot. For the first time, Vanderbilt was really competing with the bigger SEC schools for prospects. Franklin signed a lot of speed and athleticism, and the types of players who wouldn't have considered Vanderbilt in the past.

How the game was won: Auburn (13-9, 3-5 SEC) built a 26-15 halftime lead as Georgia (10-11, 1-6) had a horrendous first half on offense. A double-digit halftime deficit was significant in a game with so little offense, but Georgia rallied to challenge late in the game. The Bulldogs were never able to overtake the Tigers, however, after their season-low 15 first-half points put them in such a difficult position.

Turning point: Despite their horrible first half, the Bulldogs trailed 51-49 following Gerald Robinson’s fast-break layup off a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope dish with 52 seconds to play. Auburn’s Kenny Gabriel responded by converting a three-point play off a Marcus Thornton foul with 38 seconds left, however, as the Tigers managed to hold on for the win.

Stat of the game: 4-23. Auburn didn’t score a field goal until nearly 10 minutes into the game, but Georgia was even worse from the floor in the first half. The Bulldogs hit only four of 23 shots (18 percent) before the break.

Player of the game: Varez Ward. The Auburn guard entered the game hitting only 60 percent of his foul shots, but made a huge impact from the line against Georgia. He consistently drove the lane to draw fouls and then converted his free throws. Ward finished 12-for-12 at the line to account for most of his game-high 17 points.

What it means: Georgia’s late-game struggles continue, having had a chance to win several times in SEC play only to blow opportunities in the closing minutes. This was an ugly performance overall by the Bulldogs, but they still had a chance to win in the final minute and could not. Auburn didn’t perform much better, but it continued its success on its new home floor. The Tigers are now 12-1 at home this season.

Todd Gurley has quite the doubleheader of activity scheduled today.

This morning he faxed in his letter of intent to officially become part of Georgia’s 2012 football signing class. Then at 6 p.m. ET, Gurley will represent the United States in the International Bowl -- an all-star game in Austin, Texas, that pits an under-19 team of Americans against a “World” team composed of players from outside the U.S.

After a lengthy playoff run that resulted in a third consecutive state championship for Gurley’s Tarboro (N.C.) High School, this will be the 18th game in which he has competed since the start of the 2011 football season.

“It’s a blessing, man, just to be able to get anywhere in the playoffs,” Gurley said. “Some people don’t get in the playoffs or lose in the first round. I’m kind of blessed that we played all those playoff games. It felt real good. And this feels good, to go out and represent my country and know what that feels like.”

Although Georgia already has a stable of backs on campus -- including his friend and fellow North Carolinian Keith Marshall, who enrolled in January -- Gurley is not concerned about having to share carries.

In fact, he likes the Bulldogs’ tailback depth.

“Most people wouldn’t want to share, but I don’t really care about that,” Gurley said. “These days, most people are using two or three backs, especially in the SEC when you’re banged up week in and week out. You never know what’s going to happen.”

In fact, Marshall’s presence was a factor in Gurley also selecting the Bulldogs.

“I don’t think that’s the only reason he came here, but I think we definitely wanted to play together,” Marshall said. “When I committed, that was my main goal -- to get him to come here.”

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