Georgia Bulldogs

ATHENS, Ga. -- Fourteen former Georgia players punched their ticket into professional football over the last few days, as eight Bulldogs were picked in the NFL draft and six more signed as free agents.

The eight selections -- linebacker Jarvis Jones (Pittsburgh), linebacker Alec Ogletree (St. Louis), defensive lineman John Jenkins (New Orleans), safety Shawn Williams (Cincinnati), receiver Tavarres King (Denver), cornerback Sanders Commings (Kansas City), defensive end Cornelius Washington (Chicago) and safety Bacarri Rambo (Washington) -- tied the program record for the most in one year.

Add in the free agent deals for receiver Marlon Brown (Houston), nose guard Kwame Geathers (San Diego), linebacker Michael Gilliard (St. Louis), defensive end Abry Jones (Jacksonville), linebacker Christian Robinson (St. Louis) and cornerback Branden Smith (Tampa Bay), and Georgia will be among the best-represented college programs in the NFL rookie camps that will take place over the next couple of weeks.

The numerous NFL departures naturally lead us to begin looking toward next year and how it might shape up for Bulldogs in the draft. Although this will be a smaller group of rising seniors than the ones who are now beginning their professional careers, the number of UGA draft picks in 2014 still could rank among the top college programs.

Among Georgia seniors who are most likely to be picked:

1. Quarterback Aaron Murray: Murray might have been a valuable prospect in the 2013 draft, because of this year’s underwhelming quarterback draft class. He still figures to rank among the top players at his position in the 2014 class, though, particularly if he posts another season with 3,000-plus passing yards and etches his name atop the SEC passing record book, as expected. He’ll have to contend with quarterbacks like Alabama’s AJ McCarron, Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas, LSU’s Zach Mettenberger and Clemson’s Tajh Boyd for top billing, but a big senior season would keep him in the conversation among the best players at the position.

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Editor’s note: Over the next two weeks, we’ll take a closer look at each of Georgia’s position groups at the end of spring practice. Today we examine the offensive line:

Returning players/stats: Chris Burnette, Sr. (12 starts in 2012); Kenarious Gates, Sr. (14 starts); Dallas Lee, Sr. (14 starts); David Andrews, Jr. (14 starts); Mark Beard, Jr. (Two starts); John Theus, So. (14 starts); Austin Long, Sr.; Watts Dantzler, Jr.; Zach DeBell, So.; Hunter Long, Jr.; Xzavier Ward, So.; Greg Pyke, RFr.

Newcomers: Brandon Kublanow, Fr. (ESPN's No. 145 overall prospect in 2013, No. 2 center. Expected to enroll this summer); Aulden Bynum, Fr. (No. 47 OT. Enrolled in January); Josh Cardiello, Fr. (No. 21 OG. Enrolled in January); DeVondre Seymour, Fr. (No. 14 OT. Could enroll this summer)

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Although he started every game at right tackle last season as a true freshman, that doesn’t mean John Theus will remain there this fall.

Offensive line coach Will Friend wasn’t ready to proclaim him a starter at the end of spring practice, at all, but a more reasonable question is probably whether the sophomore starts at left or right tackle. Because it would be a considerable upset if Theus loses a starting spot at any point in his career.

Last season, Theus became the third true freshman offensive tackle to start Georgia’s season opener since freshmen became eligible to play in 1973. And while he wasn’t perfect, he won multiple freshman All-America rosters and validated the excitement that accompanied his signing with Georgia more than a year ago.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Although Josh Cardiello projects as an interior lineman in college, his talent and experience meant that his Buford (Ga.) High School coaches had to fortify their young offensive line with their most productive player at tackle.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- The 11th-hour decommitment is perhaps the recruiting fan’s greatest nightmare as national signing day approaches. And Georgia has had its share of both the heartbreak that accompanies a prospect’s flipping and the elation that comes when a committed player has a change of heart and instead decides to sign with the Bulldogs.

Let’s review some of the notable players who switched their commitment to or from Georgia at the last minute before signing day:

The losses

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ATHENS, Ga. -- With barely two weeks remaining until national signing day, this is a good time to not only project the futures of the respective prospects, but also look backward at players who entered college with modest expectations and performed solidly.

Let’s take a look at five Georgia “sleepers” since 2006 -- when ESPN first started its recruiting enterprise -- who exceeded our expectations after their arrival on campus.

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Editor’s note: Over the next several weeks, we’ll take a look at each position on Georgia’s depth chart and project how it might look in the future. Today we examine Georgia’s offensive guards and centers.

2012 two-deep depth chart:
LG: Dallas Lee (Jr.), Kenarious Gates (Jr.)
RG: Chris Burnette (Jr.), Lee (Jr.)

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Editor’s note: Over the next several weeks, we’ll take a look at each position on Georgia’s depth chart and project how it might look in the future. Today we examine Georgia’s offensive tackles:

2012 two-deep depth chart:
LT: Kenarious Gates (Jr.), Mark Beard (So.)
RT: John Theus (Fr.), Watts Dantzler (So.)

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Let’s take a look at three key plays from No. 7 Georgia’s 45-31 win against No. 16 Nebraska in Tuesday’s Capital One Bowl.

Lynch rolls off McGowan’s pick

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ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia’s recruiting class for 2013 is ranked No. 10 in the new class rankings released Wednesday and with a few key commitments, the Bulldogs could climb the list even higher.

Georgia has had four classes ranked sixth or better in the last five years, the only exception being the 2010 class. That group of signees was small and only three members from that class are starters today. Granted, Alec Ogletree, Jarvis Jones and Kenarious Gates are three of the Bulldogs’ top players, but the 2010 class and the 2010 season left much to be desired. Georgia finished that year 6-7, Mark Richt’s only losing season at Georgia.

The following year Richt and his staff rededicated themselves to the recruiting trail and landed what he called the “Dream Team.” The Class of 2011 was ranked No. 6 in the nation and had an instant impact as Georgia won the SEC East and played in the SEC title game. The two year turnaround from the losing season to being the division champions removed the hot seat talk that had hounded Richt and in 2011 he signed the No. 5 recruiting class in the country.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Let’s take a look at three key plays from Georgia’s 45-14 win against Georgia Southern on Saturday -- and what they mean moving forward for the Bulldogs.

Fourth-down stop

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