Georgia football: What is the legacy of the 2016 recruiting class?
Top of the class
After Eason were eight more players ranked in the top 200 of the 247Sports Composite player rankings. Those eight players are a confusing group to judge. The group starts with Mecole Hardman, a beloved Georgia bulldog who now wears a Super Bowl ring. Hardman played defense his freshman year, but moved to wide receiver as a sophomore while also returning punts and had a fantastic two years before leaving for the NFL after his junior season.
Isaac Nauta made that jump as well but his decision followed a more disappointing career at Georgia. Nauta had great chemistry with Eason, but not so much with Fromm. Whether his career was hampered by that chemistry, lack of focus within the scheme or something else, we’ll never know.
The fourth best recruit from that class is actually still with the Georgia Bulldogs. Julian Rochester accepted a medical redshirt in 2019 and is eligible to return in 2020. The massive defensive tackle hasn’t exactly conquered the trenches in the SEC, but he’s been solid throughout his career and it’s good to have him back in 2020.
Next is Ben Cleveland and there probably isn’t a more confusing player to judge. When he’s been on the field, Cleveland has lived up to the hype as one of the SEC’s best offensive linemen. But getting to the field has been an issue. Cleveland looked like a bust throughout his redshirt freshman season and there wasn’t much optimism from practice.
All of a sudden, he became a starter late in the 2017 season and he was whopping opposing linemen. Throughout his career, he’s dealt with aggravating injuries and an academic suspension that has forced him to miss playing time. Like Rochester, Cleveland has one more year left as a Georgia football player.
The rest of the top 200 players in the 2016 class starts with a couple of forgettable names. Defensive end Chauncey Manac had one season at Georgia before transferring to a junior college. He now plays for Louisiana Lafayette. Defensive lineman Michail Carter spent his entire career at Georgia, but he never played much.
However, this first group of players is bolstered on the backend by tight end Charlie Woerner and running back Elijah Holyfield. Woerner started a lot of games and was a great blocker, but he never received much attention in the passing game. Holyfield waited behind a pair of legends in Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. After they left, Holyfield took over with a 1,018-yard season as a junior.