[JRL]

Despite several early commitments, Garner still going strong

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/26/08

Athens - It would appear maybe the recruiting side of Rodney Garner's job might be a tad easier this year.
Georgia may give less than 20 scholarships; five of those are already filled and a few more are tantalizingly close to being filled. So maybe Garner could get a minute or two of relaxing time to spend with the six women in his life - his wife and five daughters.

Not a chance, Georgia's recruiting coordinator said. "You have to work harder," Garner said. There are several reasons for this, he said.
The first is that Georgia is not exactly sure how many scholarships it may have. "There is always attrition," he said.

So while Georgia may not have the scholarship to give now, it could have it in the future. But other schools are able to tell recruits that they have a spot for them right now. Georgia has to hedge its bets when it comes to recruiting between 20 and 25 players.

"It's a Catch-22," Garner said. Georgia wants those players, may even need those players, but it can only offer so many scholarships or it might find itself in a pinch like Clemson. Clemson oversigned its class and was forced to not renew Atlanta native Ray Ray McElrathbey's scholarship. (Scholarships are given on a year-by-year basis.)

Bulldogs coach Mark Richt has always said that once a player signs at Georgia, that player's scholarship is good for all four or five years. So Richt and Georgia do not want to get themselves into a situation where they would oversign.

That means having to tell recruits to hold on before they commit. Not many 17-year-old have that type of patience.
It becomes even more difficult when considering specific positions. Take linebacker. Georgia has two committed - Dexter Moody from ECI and Chase Vasser from Chestatee. Vasser committed right after Moody because he had been told there were only two spots for linebackers and he wanted one of those. But Georgia is also extremely interested in Jarvis Jones from Columbus Carver.

Georgia already has several young linebackers in the program. The strongside linebacker spot is becoming less and less utilized in defensive game plans, and the Bulldogs have a possible overflow of talent at that position. But, then again, what if someone transfers, fails out or is removed from school? "You think you may not have a spot at that position but then you may have one," Garner said. But sometimes it is hard to know until it is too late.