Georgia signs 19 new players after late defections

ATHENS, Ga. -- A month of additions and subtractions ended Wednesday with the University of Georgia signing 19 football players.

The Bulldogs had 20 commitments after the Independence Bowl but lost four down the stretch, including standout receiver Da'Rick Rogers from Calhoun High School. They added three players in the late going, but it wasn't enough to extend Georgia's streak of top-10 recruiting hauls.

"There may have been some surprises from the public, but we knew everything that was going on," Bulldogs recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner said.

Georgia had been the only school nationally to finish among the top 10 in Rivals.com's team rankings every year since 2002, but the Bulldogs were ranked 16th as of Wednesday night. They were 21st in Scout.com's rankings after finishing fourth last year.

With Florida producing the No. 1 class and Tennessee attaining a top-10 haul despite the transition from Lane Kiffin to Derek Dooley, Georgia's slippage didn't sit well with some fans who attended the signing day festivities. One told Bulldogs coach Mark Richt that he and his staff had become complacent.

"This staff is not complacent by any stretch," Richt said. "I appreciate your comments, sir. God bless you. I'm glad you're here. You're not complacent, are you?"

Such a signing-day exchange had not occurred at Georgia since 2000, when Bulldogs fans were irate Jim Donnan lost an in-state lineman (Mo Mitchell) to Florida and three in-state linebackers (Daryl Smith, Keyaron Fox and Hobie Holiday) to Georgia Tech. Included in Georgia's class that year were quarterback David Greene, tailback Musa Smith, receiver Reggie Brown, defensive tackle Johnathan Sullivan and safety Sean Jones, which became a nucleus for the '02 SEC champions.

Richt admitted the Dec. 2 firings of defensive coordinator Willie Martinez, defensive ends coach Jon Fabris and linebackers coach John Jancek took a toll on this class. More than six weeks transpired before Richt named defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and secondary coach Scott Lakatos, and he has yet to announce a third hire.

"It did put a strain on these young men that we had committed," Richt said. "I think it drives the point home even more that it is very much about relationships."

When asked about those who defected, such as Rogers and cornerback Nickell Robey of Frostproof, Fla., Richt said they appropriately called with their intentions.

Garner thought this class could get as high as 25, but he said Wednesday that he didn't want to sign anybody just to meet a quota. He feels very good about those the Bulldogs did ink, which includes four of Rivals.com's top 100 players -- safety Alec Ogletree (40), defensive end T.J. Stripling (45), tackle Brent Benedict (76) and defensive tackle Garrison Smith (79).

Georgia had two in-state additions Wednesday, signing defensive tackle Mike Thornton of Stephenson High in Stone Mountain and receiver Lonnie Outlaw of Wilcox County in Rochelle. Wilcox County coach Mark Ledford said Outlaw likely will have to start out at Georgia Military.

The most intriguing signee is quarterback Hutson Mason of Lassiter High in Marietta. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder is a Parade All-American and Georgia's Gatorade player of the year, yet he is rated the 97th best player in the state by Rivals.com.

Mason threw for 4,560 yards and 54 touchdowns as a senior, setting state records in each category.

"We initially were not going to sign a quarterback in this class, but we had him in camp, and I thought he did an outstanding job," offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. "He's a very accurate passer and has a good body to get bigger, and he's a very good athlete who was involved in AAU basketball growing up. He actually reminded me of a young David Greene with his demeanor and the way he threw the ball."

Odds and ends

Richt said Wednesday that Richard Samuel, who started the first six games last season at tailback, would begin this spring working at linebacker. ... Logan Gray still plans to start out at quarterback. ... Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said Wednesday that he is close to naming Martinez as his secondary coach. ... Georgia athletic director Damon Evans has received a new five-year deal that runs through 2015 and contains a $20,000 salary bump to $460,000.