Georgia Recruiting: Two 5-Star DTs Bring High Praise for UGA, Richt
Mark Richt and his Georgia recruiting staff are trying to one-up themselves after landing the state’s No. 1 player and defensive tackle Trenton Thompson in 2015 by courting not one, but two more 5-star defensive linement for 2016.
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If there’s one thing that can hold true about recruiting, it’s all about momentum. Players see teammates or other top recruits flocking to one school, and they don’t want to miss that bus.
Georgia’s 2015 recruiting class — finishing sixth in the nation according to 247 Sports — boasted the nation’s top player, defensive tackle Trenton Thompson. Not being one to rest on his laurels, and certainly being opportunistic enough to capitalize on the momentum, Richt and his staff have two more of Georgia’s top defensive linemen, Julian Rochester (Powder Springs, Ga./McEachern HS) and Derrick Brown (Buford, Ga./Lanier HS), in their sights.
Both are 5-star defensive tackles, with Brown being listed as the state’s No. 1 prospect, and Rochester coming in at No. 2.
Both Brown and Rochester were in Atlanta for the Nike Opening Atlanta Regional, with Rochester sitting out the action due to an arm injury, but both players spoke about how the recruiting process has been going, and what their thoughts are on UGA.
“I love the atmosphere there,” Brown told Bleacher Report. “When I go there, it feels like home.”
Rochester chimed in his own praise for Athens, and the Georgia coaching staff. “I like Coach Rocker, Coach Pruitt and Coach Richt,” Rochester said. “All of them, Coach Sherrer too. They just treat me like family, and they have since I was a youngster. It’s been cool to go through this process and have them build that relationship with me.”
Relationship building is what recruiting has become all about, and with Richt signing an extension during the offseason, as well as defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and some of his staff, prospects can feel reasonably comfortable that the coaches they’ve developed a rapport and bond with will still be there when they step on campus.
Of course, Richt and Georgia aren’t alone in trying to woo these two young defensive studs. Both Auburn and Alabama have been knocking at their doors, and trying to pluck some homegrown talent right out from under Richt’s nose.
Good luck with that, fellas.
Jeremy Pruitt’s mark has already been made even in just one full recruiting season, having pulled in one of the nation’s best defensive classes. The momentum is there, and the players are looking at Georgia’s defense in a different light. Pulling in two (or more) 5-star ringers like Brown and Rochester would be a huge sign that the Bulldog defense is rising to elite status.