HurricaneVision
Staff Writer
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2012
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We've covered many positions for Richt from his time at UGA, but now we get to the one the board loves to talk about; the DT's. These guys are the 0-techniques, the 1-techniques, the War Daddy's.
As a reminder, I started with the year 2002 so as to give Richt a full year to establish his system and forge relationships.
Richt recruited 11 NT's during this timeframe, and they averaged 6-4, 314 pounds and averaged 3.58 stars. One NT did not make it to campus (DeAndre Johnson). Here are the remaining 10 NT's:
Darrius Swain (2002)- 6-4, 295 pounds and averaged 3.50 stars. From VA prep school, he made 4 career starts and provided solid depth.
Kade Weston (2005)- 6-5, 315 pounds and averaged 4.50 stars. From NJ, he made 21 career starts. He was All-SEC and a 7th round pick. Motor ran cold and was an underachiever.
Ricardo Crawford (2006)- 6-1, 303 pounds and averaged 3.00 stars. From NC, he made one career start and ended up leaving the program.
Kwame Geathers (2009)- 6-6, 320 pounds and averaged 3.00 stars. From SC, he made 8 career starts. You could argue he should be listed under the T's since he moved positions to NT, but this is where he played. Conditioning was always an issue for him.
Johnathan Jenkins (2011)- 6-4, 340 pounds and averaged 4.00 stars. From Junior College, he made 20 career starts. He was All-SEC and was drafted into the league. He struggled with weight and academics.
Jonathan Taylor (2012)- 6-4, 315 pounds and averaged 4.00 stars. From GA, he made zero career starts. He ended up leaving the program.
John Atkins (2013)- 6-3, 305 pounds and averaged 3.67 stars. From VA prep school, he has made three career starts.
Toby Johnson (2013)- 6-4, 305 pounds and averaged 4.00 stars. From Junior College, he made four career starts. Was a bit of a bust for such a highly recruited NT.
Chris Mayes (2013)- 6-4, 315 pounds and averaged 3.00 stars. From Junior College, he made 19 career starts.
Lamont Gaillard (2014)- 6-2, 328 pounds and averaged 3.67 stars. From NC, he redshirted and was moved to G. Bit of a flop for a highly recruited NT who really didn't play OL like he did DL in high school. They have him down to 298 pounds at this point.
What does this tell us?
Similar to other positions we have reviewed, when Richt decides he needs depth at a position, he will attack that position with multiple players in one class. The 2002 and 2013 classes kind of looked to shore up depth issues that crept into the program. He hasn't been afraid to sprinkle in more Juco's on the DL as well.
What does this mean for our current players?
Obviously Norton and Jenkins are locked into NT, but Richt has always looked to have a third NT redshirting if possible. Ryan Fines really only fits this team as a NT who occupies blockers as the 0 or 1 technique. As he has shown, he will move a guy to a different position if he feels it is best, so it wouldn't shock me to see a guy moved either to NT or away from NT and to the OL (Fines). Look for this position to have someone added in the next class.
Overall evaluation?
This position is a bit of a mixed bag, and honestly, I was the least impressed with his recruiting of big men than any other defensive position. He ended up with several kids who left the program, several who were suspended for academics, several who struggled with their weight, and very few who actually overachieved. Of all the defensive positions in football, this position tends to have the highest percentage of kids who struggled with those areas, so keep that in mind as well. Additionally, the NT position will be reduced in importance in this scheme. It's even possible we only have a NT on the field for ~40% of the defensive snaps next year, opting to go with a speed rushing package more often instead.
As a reminder, I started with the year 2002 so as to give Richt a full year to establish his system and forge relationships.
Richt recruited 11 NT's during this timeframe, and they averaged 6-4, 314 pounds and averaged 3.58 stars. One NT did not make it to campus (DeAndre Johnson). Here are the remaining 10 NT's:
Darrius Swain (2002)- 6-4, 295 pounds and averaged 3.50 stars. From VA prep school, he made 4 career starts and provided solid depth.
Kade Weston (2005)- 6-5, 315 pounds and averaged 4.50 stars. From NJ, he made 21 career starts. He was All-SEC and a 7th round pick. Motor ran cold and was an underachiever.
Ricardo Crawford (2006)- 6-1, 303 pounds and averaged 3.00 stars. From NC, he made one career start and ended up leaving the program.
Kwame Geathers (2009)- 6-6, 320 pounds and averaged 3.00 stars. From SC, he made 8 career starts. You could argue he should be listed under the T's since he moved positions to NT, but this is where he played. Conditioning was always an issue for him.
Johnathan Jenkins (2011)- 6-4, 340 pounds and averaged 4.00 stars. From Junior College, he made 20 career starts. He was All-SEC and was drafted into the league. He struggled with weight and academics.
Jonathan Taylor (2012)- 6-4, 315 pounds and averaged 4.00 stars. From GA, he made zero career starts. He ended up leaving the program.
John Atkins (2013)- 6-3, 305 pounds and averaged 3.67 stars. From VA prep school, he has made three career starts.
Toby Johnson (2013)- 6-4, 305 pounds and averaged 4.00 stars. From Junior College, he made four career starts. Was a bit of a bust for such a highly recruited NT.
Chris Mayes (2013)- 6-4, 315 pounds and averaged 3.00 stars. From Junior College, he made 19 career starts.
Lamont Gaillard (2014)- 6-2, 328 pounds and averaged 3.67 stars. From NC, he redshirted and was moved to G. Bit of a flop for a highly recruited NT who really didn't play OL like he did DL in high school. They have him down to 298 pounds at this point.
What does this tell us?
Similar to other positions we have reviewed, when Richt decides he needs depth at a position, he will attack that position with multiple players in one class. The 2002 and 2013 classes kind of looked to shore up depth issues that crept into the program. He hasn't been afraid to sprinkle in more Juco's on the DL as well.
What does this mean for our current players?
Obviously Norton and Jenkins are locked into NT, but Richt has always looked to have a third NT redshirting if possible. Ryan Fines really only fits this team as a NT who occupies blockers as the 0 or 1 technique. As he has shown, he will move a guy to a different position if he feels it is best, so it wouldn't shock me to see a guy moved either to NT or away from NT and to the OL (Fines). Look for this position to have someone added in the next class.
Overall evaluation?
This position is a bit of a mixed bag, and honestly, I was the least impressed with his recruiting of big men than any other defensive position. He ended up with several kids who left the program, several who were suspended for academics, several who struggled with their weight, and very few who actually overachieved. Of all the defensive positions in football, this position tends to have the highest percentage of kids who struggled with those areas, so keep that in mind as well. Additionally, the NT position will be reduced in importance in this scheme. It's even possible we only have a NT on the field for ~40% of the defensive snaps next year, opting to go with a speed rushing package more often instead.
