Georgia Bulldogs

SUWANEE, Ga. -- ESPN Watch List prospect Nick Glass (Suwanee, Ga./Peachtree Ridge) has been committed to the University of Georgia for almost a year now, yet schools from coast to coast are hot on the Bulldogs’ heels trying to reel in the 6-foot-2, 203-pound safety.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Perhaps the biggest news to surface around DawgNation this week was that the UGA Athletic Association’s board of directors approved a raise and contract extension for football coach Mark Richt, extending his deal through 2017 and pushing his base pay to $3.2 million.

Athletic director Greg McGarity said after the board meeting that he expects to offer a pay raise to offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, as well, although he did not yet have any specifics to divulge.

Otherwise, the time between national signing day and spring practice (which starts March 2) is typically quiet around the football program. The players are participating in offseason workouts and mat drills, and the 13 newcomers who enrolled in January are getting familiar with their surroundings on campus.

We focused on several of those newcomers in stories this week:

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ATLANTA -- Georgia lost its only outside linebacker commit in Naim Mustafaa when he decided to enroll early at Oklahoma State a few days ago. The Bulldogs are also losing two starters at the position as well with Jarvis Jones heading to the NFL a year early and Cornelius Washington graduating. With no immediate help on the horizon, the Georgia coaches will turn to some of the Class of 2014 standouts.

One player whose recruitment is on the verge of taking off is defensive end Dante Sawyer (Suwanee, Ga./North Gwinnett). The 6-foot-3, 245-pound junior has already received verbal offers from Ohio State and North Carolina, with many more possible.

“I am hearing from Ohio State, Clemson, UCLA, Georgia -- every now and then -- and Alabama,” Sawyer said. “Florida is starting to talk to me a little bit, so I’m looking forward to hearing from some more schools sooner or later.”

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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 safeties:

Current two-deep depth chart:
Shawn Williams (Sr.), Corey Moore (So.)
Bacarri Rambo (Sr.), Connor Norman (So.)

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Coming off a junior season in which he caught 76 passes for 1,236 yards and 11 touchdowns, returned a punt for a touchdown, and helped his team to a 15-0 record and AAAA state championship, ESPN Watch List wideout Demarre Kitt (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek) has become one of the most sought-after Class of 2014 prospects in the Southeast.

As it stands now, two programs are on top for the 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior.

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ATLANTA -- The third annual Rising Seniors program kicked off Thursday with the arrival of 98 of the best players in the state of Georgia in the Class of 2014. The weeklong event is unique among All-Star games because it honors the top juniors, educating the emerging players on the recruiting process and providing a chance to showcase their talent against the best in the Peach State. The All-Star game will be aired live on Monday at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN3.com and WatchESPN.

One player participating in this year’s Rising Seniors program has been a household name in recruiting for almost two years now.

Stanley Williams’ commitment affected by changes at UGA

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ATLANTA, Ga. -- Georgia safety commit Nick Glass (Suwanee, Ga./Peachtree Ridge) was worried when the Bulldogs picked up their fifth safety commit for the Class of 2013. An 2014 ESPN Watch List member, Glass decided that he should see what other programs had to offer. The blood was in the water.

“Ohio State was coming by what seemed like every day,” Glass said. “UCLA brought their entire coaching staff. I talked with Coach [Tommy] Thigpen of Tennessee right after that. South Carolina picked up their recruitment very heavily. Florida State and Clemson also stepped up their recruiting of me. Alabama came by a lot too. They don’t have safeties at all. They have one committed, but he weighs 170 and they say the chances of him moving down to corner are heavy. They told me they need somebody big who can tackle and cover. They have really picked it up and I talk to them a lot and I am really going to look into Alabama.”

Glass reopened his recruitment two weeks ago but maintains that he is still committed to Georgia, for now.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- As Georgia closes out its 2013 recruiting class, the Bulldogs’ coaching staff is hitting the road and the film room to evaluate the next crop of talented recruits. A few offers have already gone out to some members of the Class of 2014, but each week new names emerge.

We are going to take a position-by-position look at a number of the 2014 prospects whose profile pages you might want to add to your favorites. Here is a look at the safeties Georgia has offered or has on its radar.

Needs: 2, Committed: 1

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ATHENS, Ga. -- The news that Georgia’s recruiting coordinator, Rodney Garner, is accepting the assistant head coach and defensive line coach positions at Auburn University comes at a perilous time for the Bulldogs. There are just fewer than seven weeks until national signing day and Georgia has 30 committed recruits while targeting five to six more nationally ranked prospects.

Some of those prospects gave their thoughts to DawgNation upon hearing the news:

DT Toby Johnson (College Park, Ga./Hutchinson Community College): "That's crazy. I haven't heard anything from anybody about this, so I am just going to make some calls tomorrow and see where this goes. This is why I hate the recruiting process. It will affect me a little bit, but I still like UGA. I just have to see who the new coach is and try and build a relationship with him before February. ... UGA is still my leader until I talk to the coaching staff."

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There will be no shortage of talent, or college coaches, on the field at the Georgia Dome this weekend, as the GHSA football state championships are set to take place. All seven games will be broadcast live on Georgia Public Broadcasting TV, as well as streaming online at gpb.org/sports. Here are some prospects to keep an eye on in each of the seven matchups.

Prince Avenue (11-2) vs. ELCA (12-1): Class A Private, Friday, 2:30 p.m.

The top prospect in the opening matchup of the weekend is ESPN 150 defensive end Isaac Rochell. He committed to Notre Dame over 20 other offers back in June. His teammate, running back Keyante Green, is a ESPN 300 prospect who committed to Purdue during the summer after being previously committed to UCLA. Eagles Landing Christian Academy has two ESPN 2014 Watch List selections to keep an eye on as well in defensive end Andrew Williams and quarterback/athlete Dalton Etheridge. Williams, whose brother Anthony plays defensive end at Georgia Tech, looks to follow Rochell’s path as one of the most coveted prospects in Georgia.

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Florida State defensive end commit Davin Bellamy (Chamblee, Ga./Chamblee) knows he created a stir by visiting Georgia for the Bulldogs' contest with Ole Miss. The ESPN 300 senior said it was more a matter of having a good time than re-evaluating his recruitment.

“It was OK, nothing too spectacular,” Bellamy said. “It was just a fun trip. I talked to Coach [Rodney] Garner and Ben [Brandenburg] -- one of the recruiting guys. Every time I go to UGA, Coach Garner and me have a conversation with each other. I caught up with some of the commits that were there and that I had become friends with. I hung out with Nick Glass (Atlanta/St. Pius X) last night. So it was all good.”

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On Aug. 11, ESPN 300 defensive end Davin Bellamy (Chamblee, Ga./Chamblee) committed to Florida State over Vanderbilt.

Georgia was in the mix earlier in his recruitment, but the interest faded from each side over the summer. Nevertheless, the Bulldogs have not completely stopped showing interest in the 6-foot-5, 235-pound pass rusher, and he decided to visit Georgia on Saturday.

“Coach [Rodney] Garner is still recruiting me and trying to get me up to a game, and I had a bye week this week and it was close by,” Bellamy said. “He knows that I have not taken any visits yet, so he wanted me to come check out a game and see how live it is and get a feel for UGA football.”

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ESPN Watch List linebacker Raekwon McMillan (Hinesville, Ga./Liberty Co.) is not new to recruiting. The junior has been a top target since his sophomore year. He has seen a long list of coaches come by his high school to check on him and let him know that he is a wanted man. He has returned the favor, visiting several of the 15 schools that have offered.

But one recent visit stands out -- the one he took to Georgia just one day ago.

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DawgNation is here to take you Inside the DawgHouse -- a confidential look inside Georgia football recruiting for DawgNation subscribers only. As it will be every week, everything reported Inside the DawgHouse stays on The Pound forum. We are providing this information for our subscribers and hope that you help keep this information protected by keeping it here.

In this week's update:

• Prospects flock to Athens
• Spots filling up

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