Georgia football: who is Darion Green-Warren, recent Oklahoma decommit

Georgia football is building its 2020 recruiting class. The class already includes five players, all of which are four or five-star prospects.

Commitments are cool, but Georgia football got the next best thing yesterday. Four-star cornerback Darion Green-Warren visited Athens as an Oklahoma commit over last weekend. But after experiencing Athens and a little bit of Georgia football, Green-Warren is no longer committed to the Sooners. On twitter, Green-Warren said:

"“Ever since I was seven it has always been a dream of mine to wear the Crimson and Cream. I’ve always looked forward to running onto the field at Gaylord Family Memorial. I understand in life things don’t always go the way you plan. I would like to Thank Coach Riley for giving me the opportunity and believing in me. With that being said I’ve decided to de-commit from the University of Oklahoma and re-open my recruitment. I’m a firm believer that God doesn’t make mistakes.”"

This is obviously great news for Georgia football, but can they finish the deal with Green-Warren? And how much are the coaches going to pursue him over other cornerbacks in the nation? The most important question though, who is Darion Green-Warren?

Green-Warren is the total package on defense. If he was larger, he’d be a solid commit as a safety or even as a linebacker because he’s a great athlete with even better instincts and fundamentals. He’s best at corner though because opposing receivers struggle getting open when he’s covering them in man. Green-Warren is a prototypical cover corner in that aspect. He intercepts a lot of passes, but if his tight coverage skills translates to college, he won’t pick off a lot of passes simply because college quarterbacks are smart enough to not throw in the direction of corners like him.

But his impact on the field extends to more than just tight coverage. He’s also great in zone and he sees the field very well. He can tell where the play is going and he bolts to the area. You can see that on the highlight film when he makes plays on the short, outside routes.

With his skill set, he might not even be a corner at some programs. Some schools, Georgia included, might look at his ability to bolt to the ball-carrier and use him more as a modern nickel, the corner-safety hybrid that almost every major college program has in 2019. Sticking to corner might be a waste of his talents, especially if the school he eventually decides on already has wealth of talent at the position.

Georgia doesn’t yet have a cornerback committed for 2020. The only defensive commits are linemen. Last year’s class included no. 3 high school cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and no. 2 junior college CD D.J. Daniel. The Bulldogs also expect to start a pair of sophomores at corner this year. Green-Warren’s interest in Georgia should hinge on how early he wants to play. If he wants to immediately be high on a depth chart, Athens probably isn’t the place to go. But if he wants to grind his way to the top, Georgia is the place to be.