After starting the 2009 recruiting cycle with a flurry of high-quality commitments, the Georgia Bulldogs cooled off a bit. After receiving a verbal pledge in late August from Hargrave Military Academy defensive end Toby Jackson, a commitment that brought the Dawgs’ total to 14 at the time, Georgia went nearly two full months without adding another. Last Thursday, however, the Bulldogs got back to business, earning a pledge from North Cobb defensive tackle Derrick Lott. Thanks to the recruiting efforts of Georgia defensive line coach Rodney Garner, the 6-foot-4, 265-pound Lott decided the ‘Dogs were the team for him despite receiving offers from Louisville, Michigan State, Mississippi, NC State, Oklahoma State, South Carolina, and UCF.
“Georgia is the home-town team, they are close to home, they have a great program, and I just feel at home every time I visit them,” Lott explained in a recent interview with recruiting analyst Chad Simmons. “I got an offer from a top-five program and I get to play for a great school, great coaches, and stay close to home.”
In the recruiting world today, verbal commitments have lost some value. As recruiting has become a year-round process, players have started feeling compelled to commit early and, as a result, often teeter on their decisions and many times experience multiple changes of heart. According to Lott, however, such indecision will have no place in his recruitment.
“All I can say is I am solid to Georgia and I am just going to commit to them,” he said. “You can tell everyone that I am 100-percent committed to Georgia and that is where I am going.”
On the field, despite having under four years of football experience, Lott plays with great speed and quickness. He shows an explosive release off the line and is skilled at finding a way into the backfield. Before making an impact at the next level, however, Lott must add weight to his smallish 265-pound frame
and learn to play less upright and with better leverage on the line of scrimmage. In landing Lott, the Bulldogs earned a commitment from a three-star recruit, the 19th-ranked player in the State of Georgia, and the 49th-best defensive tackle in all the land, according to Rivals.com.
PEACH JOINS GOLD AND BLACK
The Boilermakers from Purdue earned their second commitment from a Georgia athlete in the class of 2009, as Calhoun defensive tackle Eric McDaniel used last Thursday to join fellow Peach State recruit Shayon Green, of Tift County, among the Boilermaker ranks. The 6-foot-2, 295-pound athlete chose Purdue over offers from East Carolina, UAB, Louisville, and NC State. According to his recent interview with GoldandBlack.com, McDaniel simply felt comfortable around the Purdue program. “I took my visit there and it was like the town wasn’t that big a city; it had a homey feel to it,” McDaniel said. “But it still isn’t far from Indianapolis or Chicago if you want to get away. The coaches were great and the players made me feel like I was already part of the team. They’re a great academic school and they still win.”
On the field, Rivals.com’s 67th-ranked defensive tackle shows great speed and quickness for a player of his massive size. In addition, McDaniel is relentless in pursuit, shows impressive strength, and is very physical at the point of attack. As of now, he is considered a solid pledge for the Boilermakers.
Janovitz can be reached at sjanovitz@scoreatl.com.
Loading ...
