Welcome to SECTalk.com -- The SEC's Premier Fan Site!
You are currently accessing our site as a guest which means you can't access all of our features such as social groups, pick 'ems, and many more. By joining our free community you will have access to all of these great features as well as to participating in our forums, contacting other members, and much more. Registration only takes a minute and SECTalk.com is absolutely free, so please join today!
If you have any problems registering, please contact us.
One “monster pickup” a week and Georgia could redefine the meaning of great recruiting class.
The Bulldogs, and especially assistant Stacy Searels, have reason to bask in the afterglow today after landing a commitment from Bolles School offensive tackle Brent Benedict of Jacksonville. They snatched him away from notable adversaries Florida, Alabama, USC, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State and Clemson. Last week, Bulldogs fans rejoiced over beating the Gators to top receiver Da’Rick Rogers.
Here’s what the experts are saying about the Benedict coup:
“This is a monster pickup for Georgia,” said Jamie Newberg of Rivals. “To go down to the Sunshine State and pull one of the top linemen in the nation is huge. They beat Florida in their own backyard, USC and others. Benedict is an exceptional offensive line prospect that’s nasty, has great size, feet and athleticism. The Dawgs have really picked it up in Florida.”
According to Scout.com South Recruiting Analyst Chad Simmons, “Benedict is an aggressive offensive linemen that finishes his blocks, that understands blocking schemes, that can run block, that can pass protect, and that has a high level of intelligence. There are not many faults in his game, but his arm length is a minor concern at tackle. He is one of the best in the country.”
Rivals’ Barry Evrey, one of the sharper analysts in the game, raved about Benedict, who is rated the No. 5 offensive tackle by his organization and the ninth-best by scout.com.
“He’s one of the most athletic big men that I’ve ever seen. Period,” Evrey said. “He’s got a 30-inch vertical jump and off the line of scrimmage he is a legitimate 5.0 or faster. He can fly. Georgia does not have anyone [among the linemen] on the team who is this athletic.”
Benedict told the Sporting News what he learned by playing at Bolles in Jacksonville, what has made him one of the great pickups from the Class of 2010.
“I think I have worked hard and I’ve had the coaching in this program to develop myself,” Benedict said. “I’m pretty well-rounded as a player and as a person in general. A lot of coaches have told me that, that I’m the complete package, that I’m not going to be in trouble off the field. That’s one of my selling points. I’m a straight-forward guy who is looking forward to going to school somewhere, and then I’ll get out there and play a little football on the weekends.”
Considered by many to be one of the more underrated receivers available, Alpharetta High’s Michael Bennett is one thing today.
No longer available.
Bennett, a 6-foot-3, 186-pound rising senior, has committed to Georgia, choosing the Bulldogs instead of Syracuse and a bevy of Big Ten schools — Michigan State, Wisconsin, Indiana and Purdue — all of whom had offered him.
“Getting that first SEC offer, and it was right in town, I just loved the school and loved the coaches, it just felt right when I got the offer,” Bennett told the Athens Banner-Herald.
Bennett impressed Georgia’s coaches at a camp over the weekend.
“When it came time for the 1-on-1’s, I have to admit I was pretty much unstoppable out there,” he told ugasports.com.
Actually, Bennett made his decision at the camp, and confirmed it to ugasports.com on Monday night. The web site held off on publishing his commitment until today at Bennett’s request. Now that he plans to be a Bulldog, he has at least one wide receiver friend he’d like to see join him.
“I am good friends with [Peachtree Ridge's] Bradley Roby, and I hope UGA offers him soon so I can call him up and recruit him to UGA,” Bennett told ugasports.com. “I know a couple other targets, and I plan to let them know big things are going to happen in Athens over the next few years.”
tell us about him, i havent heard of him. With 2 WR commits already, i hope we can still get Ambles.
Hamilton was first team JUCO All-American in 2008 and was nominated for the top defensive back in the Junior College ranks as well. He led GMC in tackles as a freshman safety. I believe he's in the 6'1"-6'2" range and around 200 lbs, 4.5 speed.
One other morsel on Hamilton: he's a freakish athlete - claims a 4.34 40-yard dash, a 42-inch vertical and a 315-pound bench press. Those numbers come from Hamilton himself, which means they are most likely inflated a little bit. However, a quick glance at his highlight film at GA Military reveals that he can run like a deer, and he is not afraid to lay the wood from the safety position.
Finally, the lineage is certainly there with him. His father was the starting point guard for the Pitt basketball team in the mid-1980's, and one of his half-brothers, Mike Goodson, was a five-star tailback recruit who signed with Bama. His other half-brother, Demetri Goodson, signed to play point guard for Gonzaga last year, and he played a good bit this past March in their NCAA Tournament run.
Btw, I think everyone is backing off on Ambles including SoCal so I doubt we will extend an offer his way if there are 'issues'.
what are the issues? hopefully we get him or antonio goodwin
I'm not really sure, that is why I said 'if'. But apparently, USC, FLA, and OU have all pulled offers. Apparently Tn is the only one left standing for his signature???
Do you think Bennett took Meline's scholly? (I heard Meline wanted to commit but UGA told him to wait and work on his grades).
Looks like we may be the leader for Dunkley's services. If he commits, do we back off of Goodwin?
im not as big a fan of out of state recruiting as some others. its good to go get guys if there elite talent but getting 3 star players from florida when we have a bunch of in-state guys leaving is dissappointing.
I'm with ya, Reese. I'd love to land Garrison Smith and Alec Ogletree from in-state. There is enough talent in GA to feed a few elite programs, so I like focusing on GA and cherry picking from other states.
Our recruiting has been outstanding, but just imagine if we had landed a few of the elite in-state recruits from the last few years: Calvin Johnson, Eric Berry, Marcus Heywood, etc.
"I'd rather lose as a Dawg than win as any other team....once a Dawg, always a Dawg---how sweet it is!"
Mark Richt has said if he finds a player out of state and there is a player in GA with comparable talent he would sign the kid from GA.
I trust we arent offering kids who Richt doesnt think can contribute to GA. The one kid who has me a bit worried is the WR Bennett. He apparently dominated in 1 on 1 drills at a UGA camp but this kid is a 3 star without elite speed, or height, we can pray he turns into Hines Ward.
Let all the Bulldog faithfull rally behind the men who now wear the RED AND BLACK with two words. Two simple words that express the sentiments of the entire Bulldog Nation........GO DAWGS!! -Larry Munson
Hybrid Mode
