10 Biggest Georgia Recruiting Busts of the Mark Richt Era

Valdosta, GA, USA; Lowndes High School outside linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons smiles after announcing that he would be signing with the Georgia Bulldogs on national signing day at Lowndes High School. Mandatory Credit: Paul Abell-USA TODAY SPORTS

The Georgia recruiting rankings have consistently received high marks under head coach Mark Richt, but even the best coaches end up with a dud now and then.

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The names of football players who started off big in high school, were highly recruited and then went on to great success at both Georgia and after college is a long and distinguished list. You find names like Fred Gibson, Thomas Davis, Leonard Pope, Tim Jennings, Odell Thurman, Akeem Dent, Geno Atkins, Matthew Stafford and (of course) Todd Gurley, just to name a few.

But there are also those for whom the Georgia recruiting staff had high hopes, and fans even higher expectations, who simply didn’t pan out for one reason or another.

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Recruiting services can assign stars and give rankings and add up points till the cows come home, but ultimately it’s how these kids perform when the arrive on campus and when they are part of a team in a major university that matters.

Not playing up to potential, discipline problems, inability to stay healthy…all contributing factors to those who could be considered recruiting “busts”. If you had to list them — and list them we will — it’s the makings of what could have been the big part of a potential All-American team.

Here are Georgia’s 10 biggest recruiting busts of the Mark Richt era thus far.

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