10 Biggest Georgia Recruiting Surprises of the Mark Richt Era

Image – OnlineAthens.com

Georgia’s Odell Thurman leaps for Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell

No. 8: Odell Thurman

Year: 2003
Position: Linebacker
Original Ranking: 3-star, NR

Thurman came to Athens in one of Richt’s weaker recruiting classes (relatively speaking) and not a lot was expected out of the middle linebacker out of Milledgeville, Ga.

At 6’1 and 210 pounds, Thurman was undersized and wasn’t particularly speedy, but he had heart and a motor that wouldn’t quit and he got the opportunity to show it off at Georgia. He played two years and was named an All-SEC player as well as becoming a semi-finalist for the 2004 Dick Butkus Award.

In Georgia’s 26-7 win over Auburn in 2003, Thurman intercepted a Jason Campbell pass in the fourth quarter and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown, cementing his legacy with the Bulldogs.

Next: Kris Durham