Georgia's newest coach already making big gains on the recruiting trail

One of Georgia football's newest staffers, outside linebackers coach Larry Knight, is already making quite a splash.

Knight has wasted zero time getting to work on the recruiting trail, building relationships with some key targets for the Bulldogs. That includes Class of 2028 edge rusher, Merrick Ham.

Ham recently visited a practice in Athens and seemed to be pleased with what he saw. While it's still very early on in his recruitment process, it's a positive sign that Georgia is making headway at this stage.

“I spent the most time with Coach Knight and those conversations were good," Ham said in an interview with On3. "I really liked Coach Knight’s demeanor and how he interacted with the players during technique work because he wasn’t letting them cheat themselves.”

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Ham is currently playing out his high school career at Marietta High School (Marietta, Ga.). The 247Sports database does not yet have him ranked and has yet to determine where he ranks among recruits where stars are concerned.

He currently holds 13 offers from programs spanning multiple conferences, including Auburn, Duke, Florida, Georgia, Indiana and Pittsburgh.

Even at this point in the process, Ham sees Georgia both as a strong enviroment and an ideal landing spot for the type of defensive player he is.

“I know that Georgia is one of the best teams in college football," Ham continued. “I think I fit in well with my length coming off the line. I think they see me fitting in as a physical pass rush threat.” 

New Georgia OLBs coach Larry Knight is already hard at work on the recruiting trail

Larry Knight began his time with the Georgia Bulldogs late in the month of February. So, the fact he's already in such a rhythm in roughly two months is a big thing.

Knight replaces Chidera Uzo-Diribe, who departed from Athens to take the next step in his career with the Dallas Cowboys. Uzo-Diribe had already begun building a relationship with Ham and other prospects, which is something Knight is going to have to both continue and build upon.

Head coach Kirby Smart clearly has a lot of faith in the abilities of Knight, who signed a $400,000 contract to take over the position for the team. He indicated that much in a statement that was put out.

“We are excited to add a coach and a man of Coach Knight’s caliber to the staff,” Smart said in statement following Knight's hiring. “He has produced on the field at all of his coaching stops and has also proven his worth as one of the best recruiters around."

That last part is ringing true, and the situation with Ham is a perfect illustration of it.

Knight's previous stops include Georgia Tech, where he served as the defensive recruiting coordinator and the defensive line coach for the Yellow Jackets from 2019-2022.

There, he signed top-25 classes, and hit a high point when he put together a 2022 class that held the second-highest percentage of four-star recruits in program history, according to the team's official website.

How he carries over this success, and the mentality in which it took to create it, over to Georgia will be something to watch.

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