ATHENS — About half of Georgia’s 2012 signees were rated as four- or five-star prospects.
James DeLoach wasn’t one of them.
Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham thinks he knows why the freshman outside linebacker was overlooked.
He committed to Georgia in June 2011, when the Bulldogs were only about a quarter of the way done securing their signing class.
“Everybody forgets about him and they go focus on the guys that haven’t made a decision yet,” Grantham said. “Here’s a guy who committed to Georgia because he loved Georgia, he’s worked hard and is a big, physical man, and he’s going to have a bright future here and we’re going to get him ready to play.
The 6-foot-3, 270-pounder from Jenkins County High in Millen — the same school that high-profile defensive line signee Jonathan Taylor hails from — moves well
in space for his size, Grantham said.
“He can set the edge on things,” Grantham said.
Along with Jordan Jenkins and Josh Dawson, DeLoach is one of three freshmen outside linebackers that appear on track to play this season.
Jenkins is working as an edge rusher at the same outside linebacker spot as Jarvis Jones, but Jenkins may be in the mix to start opposite Jones.
Few Penn State players contacted
Georgia contacted only a small number of Penn State players it had interest in possibly having as transfers, according to recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner.
The school sent a list of 18 players to Penn State. The school released the list to media outlets that requested it.
“We didn’t even contact probably a fifth of them,” Garner said. “If there’s anybody that you think you want that you may ever want to contact, we turned the name in.”
Just like other schools did, but their lists didn’t get out.
“Where’s everybody else’s list at?” Garner said. “Did they not have to do that? ... They need to call Nick and see what list they sent in.”
That would be Alabama’s Nick Saban.
Garner said that Georgia actually contacted about three or four Penn State players before deciding not to continue recruiting them.
“There were a couple of guys that were some need positions that we looked at,” Garner said. “If there were some interest, it could have worked.”
Georgia could be able to sign in the neighborhood of 34 players in its 2013 recruiting class because early enrollees can count back. Garner said nine of 10 recruits could join the program at midyear.
The Bulldogs have 69 players on the team now who were recruited on scholarship.
Taylor likely to
be redshirted
The one freshman on defense who is on track for a redshirt season is Taylor, as Georgia already has John Jenkins, Kwame Geathers and Mike Thornton at nose guard.
“It doesn’t make much sense to play him with Kwame and Big John right now,” Grantham said. “That’s a case where we’re going to work and develop him, but we’re going to get him ready for down the road.”
In the meantime, Taylor is working with position coach Garner, who is known to treat his freshmen differently when they get on campus than when he was recruiting them.
“Do you remember the ‘Six Million Dollar Man?’ ” Garner asked, referring to a 1970s television show. “We must rebuild him. ... Then you can make him bigger, faster, stronger, everything. You’ve got to tear it down to the foundation to build it back up.”
Quick hits
• After four practices, quarterback Aaron Murray has been “awesome,” Bobo said. “He’s throwing the ball extremely accurate.”
• Georgia will practice in full pads this morning for the first time this preseason.