With the recent G-Day game in the books and stellar performances from the defensive side of the ball, the Georgia Bulldogs are continuing on in efforts to ensure that opposing offenses are stifled in the future.
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One of the top defensive targets the Dawgs are trying to land is 2017 cornerback William Poole III and for good reasons.
This past Saturday the Georgia Bulldogs held its annual G-Day game drawing over 46,000 onlookers who caught a glimpse of the 2015 Dawgs in action. The Black team came up with a victory over the Red team 24-17, and as expected the question of who will be the starting quarterback in 2015 still remains a mystery as all of the UGA gunslingers saw action during the event. The Black team fielded the first-team defense and the second team offense and the Red team was composed of the second-team defense and first team offense.
While much remains to be seen in regards to the offensive side of the ball, the annual G-Day Spring game did offer some insight as it pertains to the UGA defense: it is very aggressive and highly effective.
There were mistakes from both sides of the defensive units as one might expect from a spring game and there were a couple of moments where the secondary was torched downfield, but overall the defense was impressive. Altogether the defense had some 14 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, and an interception with a return of over 50 yards leaving no speculation that the defense units were the winners of the day.
With defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt further establishing himself in Athens, the UGA defense continues to improve and is expected to be one of the best in the SEC and in the nation. Such a fact and status will provide Georgia fans will some added reassurance and comfort as the Dawgs have clamored over recent years where the defense was the weakest link and failed to perform.
The newfound success of the Georgia defense has not curbed the program from going after big name defensive recruiting targets as can be seen by the commitments of 2016 recruits Chauncey Manac, Malek Young, and Tyrique McGhee.
The latter two are top cornerbacks within the 2016 recruiting class but this has not stopped UGA from looking even further into the future with respect to the defensive position. The Dawgs have also offered 2017 cornerback William Poole III, and for good reason.
WILLIAM POOLE III SOPHOMORE HIGHLIGHTS – Hudl
Poole III (6’0, 170), is an elite 4-Star cornerback who plays for Hapeville Charter High School in Atlanta, Georgia. While he is young and raw he has garnered a lot of attention as of late and has offers from multiple NCAA Division I powerhouses such as Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, Kentucky, and Tennessee among others. His youthfulness cannot be overlooked but neither can the fact that he plays with veracity and has the ability to flat lay out his opponents.
Poole III is listed as the 15th overall CB and the 21st overall prospect in the state of Georgia for the 2017 Class per 247Sports.com Composite Rankings. He recently won the Rivals Camp Series MVP DB Award this past March which has only added fuel to the fire of those seeking to land the standout cornerback. Along with his previously mentioned abilities Poole III has an uncanny aptitude to lock down on his opposing targets.
The Georgia faithful should be proud to know that Poole III has already declared UGA to be his #1. Moreover, he has stated that the Bulldogs offer him a family feel and that he has established a cordial relationship with defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt. He has further added that he could see himself under the coaching leadership of Pruitt. The Hapeville Charter star recently spoke with UGA Football Live and stated that if he was an upcoming senior in high school that he would be a Bulldog right now.
2017 4★ CB @WPoole_8 tells me: "#UGA is my #1 and if I was an upcoming senior I would be a Bulldog right now."
— UGA Football Live (@UGAfootballLive) April 14, 2015
All signs appear that the phenom cornerback will be a Georgia Bulldog in the future. If such is the case, Poole III would be another viable tool to be utilized for the Dawgs in firmly establishing a formidable defense against all opponents.
This would especially be true given his defensive and playmaking abilities. His lock down talents against balls thrown towards wide receivers would certainly be an asset for UGA who has struggled with such at times in the secondary in recent years. One can only hope that his love and affinity with “The Classic City” will continue to grow and prosper and that he will be wearing the red and black in the near future.