Finally, a first-hand look at the future

The most exciting football I’ll watch over Winter Break probably won’t be the Liberty Bowl. In no way does that mean I’m more excited about recruiting than I am about an actual UGA game. I mean no disrespect to Jeffrey Godfrey and UCF; I’ve heard from 2 Live Crew frontman Uncle Luke all year about how good he is, and how he should be starting for Miami right now. I actually think the Liberty Bowl will be closer than it seems, simply because I’ve never been impressed with our defense against mobile QBs in the past. But I’ll most likely feel the most excited about UGA football in the week after New Year’s.

All eyes are gonna be on San Antonio and Tampa for the Army and Under Armour All-American games, and with good reason. The fallout from coaching shakeups will have the vultures of the coaching ranks out in full force for these next two months, we’ll hear plenty about whether or not Will Muschamp can switch some recruits from Texas to Florida, and if Kirby Smart indeed goes to Gainesville with him, we’ll hear the same about Alabama’s commits. Finishing the recruiting year off with a bang is big for the perception of a program, and even bigger for recruits sitting at home watching, and if all goes like it’s rumored to be going, the UGA coaching staff has done a phenomenal job planning for the future. A few things to watch for:

Army All-American Game:

You know how everyone says our defense will be fine when Grantham gets “his players” in the system? Well you’ll get a first-hand look at those players in this game.

Sterling Bailey and Ray Drew vs. Garrett Greenlea, Matthew Hegarty, Tyler Johnstone, Ryker Mathews, Greg Robinson:

This matchup will showcase two highly-ranked Georgia defensive linemen going against a solid corps of offensive linemen. The OL vs. DL drills should be fun to watch.

Safety Corey Moore and CB Damian Swann vs. WRs DeAnthony Arnett, Victor Blackwell, George Farmer, Trey Metoyer, Jaxon Shipley, Kasen Williams:

The Army game took more kids from the state of Georgia than I’ve noticed in recent years. The game always picks national playmakers though, and this year is no different; the lowest-ranked receiver on the West squad is ranked thirteenth by Rivals. Corey Moore is a competitive ballhawk who’s an impressive safety and coverage and one of the hardest-hitting safeties in the country. Swann showed his skills this past summer, when he shut down Charone Peake, who Rivals compares to Braylon Edwards, at the Mark Richt camp. He’s an exceptional athlete who could excel on both sides of the ball.

Under Armour All-American Game:

Quan Bray, Malcolm Mitchell, Justin Scott-Wesley, vs. Ha’Sean Clinton-Dix, Enrique Florence, Nick Waisome:

This should be a great matchup. It’s pretty much Georgia vs. Florida and Alabama. I’m anxious to see the fastest guy in Georgia and arguably the best three skill players in the South on either side of the ball (Quan Bray, Malcolm Mitchell, Nick Waisome) going at it.

If you have ESPNU, you should be able to watch Under Armour practices throughout the week of the game.

The best part of the weekend besides the actual game will be the recruiting announcements, we should expect to see Ray Drew, Jay Rome, Malcolm Mitchell, Damian Swann, and possibly Quan Bray make their choices known, likely committing to the Dawgs that weekend. The buzz around UGA’s recruiting class should be huge.