When Brock Vandagriff committed to Oklahoma over the summer, it seemed like a natural fit.
The 2021 five-star quarterback from Bogart (Ga.) Prince Avenue Christian was going away from home and he turned down Georgia, which is only miles from his house, but Vandagriff playing for Lincoln Riley and that Sooners offense had a lot of potential.
Committed to Oklahoma for about six months, Vandagriff backed off that pledge on Wednesday, saying in a social media post that after revisiting his decision going that far away from home was something he would prefer not to do.
So Oklahoma is now out, leaving a pretty significant hole in its 2021 recruiting class although there is plenty of time to bounce back, and teams closer to Vandagriff’s home look to be the leading contenders.
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This could lead to some interesting dominoes over the coming months.
Georgia is obviously now a major player again for Vandagriff but the Bulldogs have also made serious in-roads with fellow five-star quarterback Caleb Williams, the top dual-threat in the 2021 class, as Vandagriff remained committed to Oklahoma.
Florida is a possibility, Auburn and Tennessee could get in the mix because of family connections, and others could be in play as well. Vandagriff might not want to play out his recruitment much longer which means another - and probably final - decision could be not far off.
We ask Rivals National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell if he thinks Georgia is now absolutely the team to beat for Vandagriff - and what does that mean for the Bulldogs’ offense that continues to look for a spark - or can some of the other regional powers really make a run at the 2021 five-star quarterback?
FARRELL'S TAKE
“It's not a done deal for Georgia by any means as Vandagriff has family ties to Auburn and has liked Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina and others, but you have to think the Dawgs have an edge now. Vandagriff said he was decommitting from Oklahoma because he wanted to play football closer to home and Georgia is the obvious in-state power.
"The problem? Jake Fromm didn’t develop that well and regressed a bit and the Bulldogs' offense hasn’t been very dynamic this season. Vandagriff wants to play in an open offense so there are some issues. But despite that I think Georgia is in very good shape here now.”
