Love the Future

I'm sure you've heard it already, but last night's Dawg Night may have been the most impressive UGA recruiting event in recent years. Five-star tackle John Theus was the first domino to drop. Even though it was the worst-kept secret in SEC recruiting that Theus would go to Georgia, it was shocking that he ended the process this early, and in the manner he did. Subsequently, he told stud 2013 QB Brice Ramsey his plans, who happens to be close friends with '13 South Carolina WR Tramel Terry and '13 Florida phenom RB Derrick Henry. The result was four gigantic commitments for the Mike Bobo and future Dawg offenses in one night.

I can't remember an offensive line prospect ranked higher than Theus committing to the Dawgs in a long time. Derrick Henry is one of those mind-boggling athletes from Florida, the type that usually opts for one of the Big 3 Sunshine State schools. Tramel Terry is an explosive receiver that will make a great target for LeMay and Ramsey. Theus will anchor the offensive line, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him recruit another bell cow to join him on the line before its all said and done.

The significance of this, might you ask? Well, for one, it shows these younger players' faith in the future of the coaching staff. The 2013 commits all cited that they were extremely fond of Coach Richt as well as their future teammates. This is a great sign, not solely under the condition that Richt will still be at UGA at that time. Terry, Ramsey, and Henry are already close and recruiting for the Dawgs. Terry and Ramsey's fathers have been friends for years, so they've struck up a close relationship. Ramsey and Henry live 17 minutes away from each other according to Mapquest, and have apparently formed a bond of their own. John Theus will join his older brother Nathan in Athens, along with a great deal of friends who signed in 2011 with him.

The ties that bind these prospects together only stokes my optimism about the 2012 and '13 classes, and the afterglow of yesterday's glorious evening only fuels that fire. These guys have committed early enough to fall in love with Athens as a city, the UGA team and fanbase, as well as the school itself. They're already recruiting for their class, in the worst-case scenario, these could be the same guys holding the class together in the event of Richt's departure. While I'm not naive enough to believe all four of these guys will still be on board 18 months from now, I commend them on their early decisions to end the process early and hope they maintain their commitments.