Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.
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THE STORYLINE
Four players from Loganville (Ga.) Grayson committed last week. None of them picked Georgia.
Four-star offensive lineman Wanya Morris selected Tennessee, four-star linebacker Owen Pappoe chose Auburn, four-star defensive back Kenyatta Watson went with Texas and four-star defensive end Kevin Harris committed to Alabama.
This story is far more complicated, though, since according to rumors, Pappoe was really the biggest target out of the bunch and Georgia was not coming after the others as hard as some other programs even if Morris has five-star potential. The other four-star at Grayson this recruiting cycle is four-star receiver Kenyon Jackson and he committed to Texas A&M in late April.
The Bulldogs will not stop pursuing Pappoe and National Signing Day is still far off, but Georgia has never had much luck at powerhouse Grayson, even if it’s less than an hour from Athens.
Five-star Robert Nkemdiche was the No. 1 prospect in the 2013 class. He picked Ole Miss. Grayson has had 10 four-star prospects in the Rivals.com era dating back to 2002 (five this cycle) and the only one to pick Georgia was DB Deangelo Gibbs in the 2017 class. Twenty-seven three-star prospects have played there with only one - DE Justin Young in the 2015 class - picking the Bulldogs.
Georgia is far from struggling. Coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs have the fourth-best recruiting class nationally with a five-star commitment from in-state WR Jadon Haselwood. Only Oklahoma, Alabama and Florida State are ranked ahead of Georgia.
Can the Bulldogs flip at least Pappoe out of the Grayson standouts since that recruitment does not seem completely wrapped up yet and since Smart and his staff made the top linebacker such a big priority or will Georgia strike out again?
FIRST TAKE: CHAD SIMMONS, RIVALS.COM RECRUITING ANALYST
“The biggest target for Smart and Georgia out of the Grayson Four was Pappoe. They all had offers at different points in their recruitment, but over the last couple of months, Georgia was only in pursuit of the Rivals100 linebacker. There is no reason for Georgia to be concerned. A lot of top prospects have interest in Georgia, some in and some out of the Bulldogs' home state, so they will get their share of elite talent this cycle.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM NATIONAL RECRUITING DIRECTOR
“Grayson kids don’t go to Georgia. It’s just one of those things. I wouldn’t read anything into it. The Bulldogs were supposed to lead for Pappoe as of a few months ago but it’s not surprising to see that one turn. The other players were always leaning toward other programs as well.
“It’s just not a feeder program for Georgia. If I’m a Georgia fan I’m really not upset, I kind of expected it.”
