10 Biggest Georgia Recruiting Surprises of the Mark Richt Era

Oct 26, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins (97) against the Baltimore Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium. Bengals defeated the Ravens 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

No. 4:  Geno Atkins

Year: 2006
Position: Defensive End
Original Ranking: 3-star, No. 29 SDE

Atkins was watched carefully in high school and was thought to be a good, but not great player. Coming in as the 29th ranked strong-side defensive end in the nation, Mark Richt knew he had something special regardless of the scout’s opinions of Atkins’ downside.

What he got was a 3-year starter who ended up with 120 tackles (76 solo), 33.5 tackles for losses and 11 sacks. Atkins proved to be a complete player and is now one of the NFL’s top defensive linemen with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Next: Michael Bennett