Georgia Bulldogs

ATHENS, Ga. -- With the spring evaluation period in full swing, Georgia’s football coaches continue to work on assembling next year’s signing class.

This week in DawgNation, we took a look at some prospects who might receive scholarship offers from Mark Richt’s staff in the coming days and weeks. We also heard from the head coach himself as he discussed some of the recruiting issues facing college staffs these days.

As for specific prospects, we provided updates this week on several players, including:

• ESPN 150 guard Isaiah Wynn (St. Petersburg, Fla./Lakewood Senior)
• ESPN 150 receiver Saeed Blacknall (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan)
• 2016 offensive tackle Ben Cleveland (Toccoa, Ga./Stephens County)

We also had our own Kipp Adams appear on a new video feature called “SEC Official Visit,” where he discussed the new commitments -- ESPN 150 honorees Sony Michel and Jeb Blazevich -- who joined Georgia’s 2014 class last week.

It was quiet on the team side with players preparing for summer and taking their final exams this week. We still delivered a few team-related stories from both the local and national perspective.

At the beginning of the week, just after the conclusion of last week’s NFL draft, we looked forward to next year and examined some of Georgia’s top prospects for the 2014 draft. Along those lines, ESPN Insider Brock Huard also previewed next year’s draft, naming Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray as one of the top five quarterback prospects for next year.

ESPN Insider’s Travis Haney threw compliments toward another Bulldog, naming outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins as one of his top candidates to enjoy a breakout season this fall.

We also reviewed one of the big talking points of Georgia's spring practice -- that Georgia will have more game-ready offensive linemen capable of rotating this fall -- and examined whether position coach Will Friend might follow through with that possibility this fall.

We also rehashed a couple of interesting conversations with defensive end Ray Drew and safety Connor Norman as we continued our “Spring Cleaning” series and reviewed the previous weeks’ post-spring position reviews with an all-inclusive recap.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Without question, the highlight around DawgNation this week came Tuesday when tight end Jeb Blazevich (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian) became the first ESPN 150 honoree to join Georgia’s 2014 signing class -- just three days before another one, running back Sony Michel (Plantation, Fla./American Heritage), joined him.

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The University of Georgia is close to filling one of its biggest needs in the 2014 class. After grabbing ESPN 150 running back Sony Michel (Plantation, Fla./American Heritage), the Bulldogs could accomplish a big goal next month when in-state target Nick Chubb (Cedartown, Ga./Cedartown) is expected to make his decision following the completion of his school’s spring practice in late May.

And for Chubb, Michel’s decision could be a good thing.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- The news of Sony Michel’s commitment to Georgia will not only soothe the Bulldogs coaching staff's depth chart fears, it will also serve as a salve to ease some hurt feelings among Bulldogs fans.

First and foremost, Michel is the nation’s No. 2 running back prospect and should arrive on campus when the dynamic duo of Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall start their junior years and what could be their final season on campus. A year or two of their tutelage will prove helpful for Michel, who will face less pressure to come in and take over a job. In return, Michel will help spread the load at tailback.

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The spring evaluation period is upon us and the Georgia staff has hit the road to see some of its top prospects.

Last week, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo checked in on 2015 quarterback Tyler Queen (Acworth, Ga./North Cobb), offensive line coach Will Friend visited juco offensive tackle target Dontavius Blair (Anniston, Ala./Garden City Community College), defensive line coach Chris Wilson checked in on massive nose guard target Charles Mosley (Brighton, Tenn./Brighton), and also saw and subsequently offered a scholarship to 2015 offensive lineman Drew Richmond (Memphis, Tenn./Memphis University).

They will once again stop by the high schools of these several prominent recruits this week:

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The IMG 7v7 Southeast Regional Championship in Bradenton, Fla., on Saturday and Sunday will feature several ESPN 150 players. This star-studded event will feature the South Florida Express, one of the top 7-on-7 teams in the country, and Team Tampa, which won the IMG 7v7 National Championships last year. Here's a look at five things to watch at this weekends events.

1. Wide receiver position is loaded
There will be a plethora of top wide receivers in Bradenton this weekend. Ermon Lane (Homestead, Fla./Homestead), the No. 1-ranked wide receiver in the country, will have a chance to showcase his abilities against some elite talent. Additionally, Travis Rudolph (West Palm Beach, Fla./Cardinal Newman), Artavis Scott (Tarpon Springs, Fla./East Lake), Moral Stephens (Perry, Fla./Taylor County), Kenric Young (Gainesville, Fla./Gainesville), Isaiah Ford (Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian), Garrett Johnson (Winter Garden, Fla./West Orange) and 2015 wideout Da'Vante Phillips (Miami/Central) are scheduled to participate.

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With today’s release of the ESPN 150, we thought to take a look at where the Georgia Bulldogs stand with their targets on the list.

1. QB Deshaun Watson (Gainesville, Ga./Gainesville) 6-foot-3, 196 pounds
ESPN 150 Rank: 13

Why they want him: Watson is the only quarterback with an offer from the Bulldogs, and deservedly so. He can beat teams with his arm or his legs, and is fundamentally sound in all aspects of the game. The most prolific high school passer ever in Georgia with one season left to play, Watson has already etched his name as one of the best prep quarterbacks in Peach State history. The University of Georgia would like him to do the same down the road in Athens.

Who else wants him: Clemson got a commitment from Watson on signing day 2011, but programs like Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State and Oregon are hoping he reconsiders the early pledge. He intends to take all five official visits, possibly to the aforementioned schools. An early enrollee, the battle for Watson could get very intense over the next few months.

Odds they get him: 20 percent

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- ESPN Watch List running back Sony Michel (Plantation, Fla./American Heritage) has a top five of Florida, Florida State, Miami (Fla.), Georgia and Notre Dame and is closing in on his decision. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound back visited Florida for its spring game on Saturday and said he enjoyed his trip to Gainesville.

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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:

• Plenty of talent expected to visit for G-Day
• RB recruiting close to done?
• Latest on Stanley Williams
• 2015 RB on the radar
• Short visit for ESPN Watch List DE

Get Inside the DawgHouse now.

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MIAMI, Fla. -- Sony Michel (Plantation, Fla./American Heritage) has spent the spring working on his hands and trying to become a student of the game as he prepares for the next level. Now at 205 pounds, Michel hopes to add to his 4,819 career rushing yards and 57 touchdowns this fall, but the ESPN Watch List running back also admitted he could be ready to make a decision well before his senior season.

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The Bulldogs have brought in several high-profile out-of-state talents during the Mark Richt era, including Matthew Stafford, A.J. Green, Aaron Murray, John Jenkins and more recently, John Theus, Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall. Here is a look at five 2014 out-of-state recruits that Georgia has targeted that could be priorities for the next recruiting cycle.

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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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