It's not the world's largest sample size, but nobody handles college football's early signing period better than Georgia coach Kirby Smart.
The first 72-hour signing window allowed by the NCAA began Wednesday with Smart's Bulldogs signing 18 players for a contingent ranked No. 1 Wednesday night by ESPN, Rivals.com and 247Sports.com. Georgia signed seven of ESPN's top 30 players nationally, a feat never before accomplished since ESPN established its rankings in 2006.
For a second consecutive year, the Bulldogs landed the nation's top offensive line class, which was enhanced Wednesday when Atlanta guard Jamaree Salyer and Knoxville tackle Cade Mays committed and then signed with Georgia. Mays had been committed to Tennessee until early November.
"We are really excited about this class," Smart said Wednesday afternoon in a news conference. "I think everybody would talk about the offensive lineman initially, and that group is really special, but I also think we addressed a lot of areas with the defensive players we lost. We've had senior leadership and 25 sacks between Lorenzo (Carter) and (Davin) Bellamy, and with that going out, we had to find some guys who could come in and help.
"We are excited about the guys who have decided to join us. There are still some areas we need to address, and hopefully we will be able to do that in either the next few days or in January."
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Smart left his news conference with 17 signees, but the Bulldogs got an 18th Wednesday night from Nadab Joseph, a four-star recruit from Miami whom 247Sports.com ranks as the No. 18 cornerback nationally. Joseph had been committed to Alabama.
The Bulldogs also received a commitment Wednesday night from four-star outside linebacker Channing Tindall of Columbia, S.C. He is rated No. 5 at his position and No. 91 overall.
Wednesday's humongous haul came amid Georgia's continuing preparations for its New Year's Day date against Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl, which is serving as a semifinal in the sport's four-team playoff. The Bulldogs are 12-1 overall, having won their first Southeastern Conference championship since 2005 earlier this month.
"I think the university sold itself," Smart said. "I obviously think that our momentum on the field - there were numerous kids who, when we recruited them in the summer, said, 'Coach, I really want to come to Georgia. I just want to know that we are going to play for championships and that it is going to be special.'
"The year that we had kind of created some momentum and a tidal-wave effect to bring in some extra guys."
Headlining Georgia's class is dual-threat quarterback Justin Fields of Kennesaw, Ga., whom ESPN rates as the top player in the country. Fields committed to Penn State early in the recruiting process but instead switched and joined a class that includes the nation's top running back, Zamir White of Laurinburg, N.C.
"As well as Georgia has been able to run the football and control the line of scrimmage, having a quarterback who can create and extend on his own is what college football is right now," ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill said Wednesday. "That's what is creating headaches and nightmares for defensive coordinators, having to tackle in space and having to account for the quarterback in the run game.
"That changes how you defend offenses, but the most important thing about this signing is that Justin Fields does not care about the depth chart. That's where the boxes that you're checking with this young man start adding up to a lot of positives. He comes from a great background. He's a good student, and he just wants to compete."
Smart expects to have eight to 10 early enrollees, including three on the offensive line.
Odds and ends
The Bulldogs worked out Wednesday for two hours in full pads, with the practice including defensive lineman signee Devonte Wyatt, who spent this season at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College. ... White, who tore his ACL during a playoff game, will not go through spring practice. ... The felony charge for forgery against Bulldogs freshman defensive back Latavious Brini, who is redshirting this season, has been dropped.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.