signing day helmet
Georgia Bulldogs UGA logoATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia's 2015 collection of signees did not contain a quarterback or a tailback, but it again found a home among the nation's top-10 classes.
The Bulldogs signed 29 players on National Signing Day, with the 29th occurring Wednesday evening when longtime commitment Terry Godwin announced on Fox Sports South that he was staying true to his pledge. Godwin is rated by Rivals.com as the nation's top athlete prospect and is expected to provide immediate punch at receiver.
Three of Georgia's signees, offensive lineman Patrick Allen, cornerback Rico McGraw and athlete prospect Shaquery Wilson, were committed at one point to the Bulldogs before looking elsewhere and then returning.
"It's been interesting, and it's not over yet," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "There are still things swirling around out there. There has been a lot of emotion in this one, and it's a large class, too.
"The more people you sign in the class, at times the more drama you have."
Georgia could wind up with a 30th signee if Roquan Smith of Montezuma, Ga., changes his mind. The No. 6 outside linebacker and the No. 77 overall prospect according to Rivals.com, Smith announced Wednesday on ESPNU that he was picking UCLA over Georgia but had not signed with anyone as of Wednesday evening.
Richt's 15th class of Georgia signees, which includes eight early enrollees, is ranked sixth nationally by Scout.com, seventh by Rivals.com and ninth by 247Sports and ESPN.
Topping Georgia's class is Albany defensive tackle Trenton Thompson, who is rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 overall prospect in the country. He is the highest-rated recruit of the Richt era, topping the likes of 2006 quarterback Matthew Stafford and 2008 receiver A.J. Green.
"Trent is a big, massive man who has got great agility," Richt said. "He's the nicest guy you would ever want to meet, but when he is playing ball, he gets after it. He's just got tremendous quickness for a big man."
At least 19 of Georgia's 29 signees are projected to play for Jeremy Pruitt's defense, with six up front, six linebackers and seven defensive backs. The secondary was Georgia's biggest need given the fact Tray Matthews, Josh Harvey-Clemons, Shaq Wiggins, Brendan Langley and J.J. Green were in the program this time a year ago but left with eligibility remaining.
"There is no doubt we felt like we needed to bolster what's going on in that defensive backfield, and we believe we did that," Richt said. "There are a lot of talented guys who are going to compete well, but it's a situation where I think they saw an opportunity. The goal is to be able to do some things defensively to where we can play a little more man coverage and challenge people a little bit more.
"I think we've got a great bunch of guys to do that."
Safety Rashad Roundtree is the most heralded signee among the defensive backs, which include two early enrollees from Mississippi -- Johnathan Abram and Jarvis Wilson.
"I saw some opportunity, and I really had a good relationship with Coach Pruitt," Abram said. "That helped speed up the process."
Said Wilson: "For me, it felt like a family here. I met Johnathan last spring, and we've been close since."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.