Want to attack every day with the latest Georgia football recruiting info? That’s what the Intel brings. This entry is a very quick Cliff’s Notes version of what you will read this week on DawgNation with detailed DawgNation stories popping up from the Under Armour All-American camp on Sunday from Denmark High School in Forsyth County.
CUMMING – We’ve said before in this space how much we are not enthused by the word “normalcy” or “normal” all the time these days, but Sunday’s Under Armour All-American Game camp was a return to normal.
For the Georgia football recruiting beat, it meant a return to “Wow.”
It was a big Atlanta camp for a national summer showcase or an All-American game loaded to the gills with players. The defensive line group might have had 8-10 likely future NFL veterans, including a easy crop dusting of at least three future first-round picks. That is even a conversative call there.
It was interesting to see for a couple of positions how the lines between the best in 2022 and 2023 were blurred. There was no tangible difference or the 2023 elite player was just outright better.
If not for the unique tan lines the reporter clan picked up because of their facemasks on a postcard Sunday, it would have felt like a normal right of spring in the typical recruiting calendar.
What was the wow moment? That was seeing the back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back elite defensive line prospects go through a bag drill with coach Corey Beck from Collins Hill. Normally, the big boys are all spaced out. They all went in order on Sunday. There was no way anyone was going to put their camera phone or camera down for the next two minutes of All-Americaness.
What stood out to DawgNation? Here is a very rapid-fire rollout of what we saw and heard and learned on Sunday with 11 big early names that grabbed our attention.
5-star Walter Nolen
Class of 2022 DT
St. Benedictine at Auburndale/Cordova, Tenn.
The 30-second read: Nolen is going to be the one recruit in this class that tantalizes a lot of fan bases. He sounds very wide open, but it also sounds like Georgia will go a long way in the bracket for this one. He likes what Georgia is doing as a program and as a defense and it checks a lot of boxes.
He will visit UGA quickly in June. Georgia has made a move since not making his top 10 list drop earlier this year. When the updated “top targets” list on our weekly “Before the Hedges” program drops this week, his name will finally feel like it belongs on there. He will not be an early enrollee and said on Sunday he would like to see his recruiting process go until the traditional National Signing Day in February.
5-star Lebbeus Overton
Class of 2023 DE/OLB
Milton High School/Milton, Ga.
The 30-second read: Lebbeus Overton was the “EndGame” recruit of this camp. Everyone knew he was going to be very good. The question was just how good? The junior EDGE from Milton High School delivered in every possible way. If one forced this scribe to chart the nation’s best prospects in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 classes, his name would be at the top of the list. There’s no one that can be pointed to as a prospect with a higher upside than Overton at this time.
We can say this is what a No. 1 overall pick looks like when they are a sophomore and won’t feel bashful about it. We hear the name Julius Peppers come up from those that work with him and train him and they’re not wrong. He’s just got a few more inches to grow to look like Peppers.
Wait until you read on DawgNation about the whole football/basketball dual offers thing and the unique approach UGA has taken in recruiting him up to this point.
5-star Malaki Starks
Class of 2022 ATH
Jefferson/Jefferson, Ga.
The 20-second read: The chat with Starks was perhaps the most newsworthy conversation from this camp for the DawgNation reader. That’s why it was an immediate post after the camp on Sunday evening. He doesn’t know his decision yet and he’s basically down to two undisclosed teams. He also did finally take a self-guided independent trip to Clemson recently. He’s set to make his decision on Thursday.
AJ Harris
Class of 2023 CB
Glenwood School/Phenix City, AL
The 20-second read: Face of a secondary? More like a potential face of a program. The 2023 DB has a dream offer from UGA and will take a serious approach to his recruiting. He got the Future 50 invite on Sunday and was named the “Alpha” of the entire event by 247Sports. He picked off two passes, broke up another and forced a coverage sack. I believe that only the elite 2023 WR Cayden Lee of Hillgrove HS in Cobb County came away with a catch with Harris in coverage at the event.
I don’t think I can name 5-6 players at the event who were more impressive than Harris. Georgia is very much in that recruitment. It was a “dream school offer” for Harris. He was laser timed at 4.64 seconds at the event.
Mykel Williams
Class of 2022 DL
Hardaway/Columbus, Ga.
The 20-second read: Williams showed up wearing UGA gear and he wasn’t the only one. His father, John Johnson, was wearing a UGA ballcap, a UGA shirt and a UGA facemask. That’s the man who he was set to honor on his birthday with his commitment decision back on March 15. That has since been postponed and somehow Georgia DT commit Tyre West did not even know about that.
The 6-foot-5, 263-pound rising senior was also invited to the All-American Bowl. An expected timeline here says to look for a lot of visits in June and July and he’d like to be close to a decision or even make one by the start of his senior season. He might try to commit on his younger sister’s August birthday.
Tyler Booker
Class of 2022 OL
IMG Academy/Bradenton, Fla.
The 20-second read: The 6-foot-5, 323-pounder was a little more coy than usual on Sunday. Perhaps it was because we caught up with him while he was polishing off a bag of Doritos after the main interview scrum had hit him up. He is set to name his final five schools on April 12. That’s his 17th birthday. We have never held. the opinion that Georgia was not going to be one of those. The fact that the Connecticut native dropped the edit for his Georgia official visit in mid-June pretty much confirms it.
His recent DawgNation feature story was quite insightful. The detailed read on Booker from the UA camp on Sunday will also add some more color to his story. He calls Nolen a “close friend” and a “brother” and he’d like to team up with him in college. We won’t even get any nacho cheese crumbles on your fingers.
Addison Nichols
Class of 2022 OL
Greater Atlanta Christian/Norcross, Ga.
The 20-second read: We’re going to call ourselves out here. If there’s one story we haven’t written yet about a 2022 prospect with a really deep dive, it is Nichols. He has a whopper of a story. That should change soon. We usually smother the OL prospects with QB-sized portions of coverage around these parts. This top 100 prospect has somehow managed to avoid the big story as of yet.
Nichols has already set up his official visit to UGA for the first week of June and then will head to Florida, USC and Ohio State. Tennessee is also a school to watch here. Those ties to that school also do go deep. He’s been to see Rocky Top a whole lot.
Christen Miller
Class of 2022 DL
Cedar Grove/Ellenwood, Ga.
20-second read: Christen Miller wasn’t at the Under Armour camp. Not camping anyway. Yet he was at the camp. Miller has scheduled a couple of official visits to Florida and USC. He’ll take that USC trip with Williams. Ohio State remains a team to watch here. We’re pretty sure he will take all five officials and look to see him save his last OV for UGA. Miller looks like he is putting on some good weight and is getting close to that 290-295 pound mark.
Emory Floyd
Class of 2022 Safety
Hillgrove/Powder Springs, Ga.
The 20-second read: Floyd is probably one of the only humans in the world that can look at a 4.45 laser clocking in the 40-yard dash as somewhat pedestrian. He’s that fast and actually transfers that speed to the field. He camped well and held his own and shined in a lot of spots. There is now a growing chance that he might not make his college decision now on May 7. How big of a chance? We’ll detail that in his forthcoming DawgNation Under Armour recap.
Kayin Lee
Class of 2023 CB
Cedar Grove/Ellenwood, Ga.
The 20-second read: What was the read on Harris? That’s probably a copy-and-paste feeling here with what we wrote about Lee. If UGA can sign both Harris and Lee in the 2023 class, I’m not certain any program can do much better than that. Lee and Harris both look like top 5 cornerback prospects for any cycle.
Lee was named the Defensive Back MVP for the camp. Georgia is also very much in his recruitment. It was also a “dream school offer” for Lee.
Hevin Brown-Shuler
Class of 2024 DL
Pace Academy/Atlanta, Ga.
20-second read: With all the big names at this camp, we felt it was going to take a lot for any 2024 prospect to earn some coverage. Especially for a prospect that far away from their college decision. Well, it did take a lot but Hevin “Hevy Duty” Brown-Shuler delivered anyway. He’s bright, charismatic and talented. Pretty much what we’ve come to expect out of a Pace Academy kid. Grayson 2024 OL Waltclaire Flynn Jr. also caught our attention, too.
“Hevy Duty” has NFL players all through his family and a dream to major in business and play 14-15 years in the NFL. His eyes did light up when he talked about his Georgia offer. This FBU All-American also has offers from Arkansas, FSU, Georgia Tech and Tennessee.
SENTELL’S INTEL
(the recent reads on DawgNation.com)
- Malaki Starks breaks down his pending Alabama, Clemson or UGA decision
- Kayin Lee: Elite DB prospect breaks down a “dream school” offer from UGA
- Huge recruiting weekend for official visitors lining up for UGA in June
- Tony Mitchell: Nation’s No. 1 CB for 2023 already has felt that “home” feeling about UGA
- Nation’s No.1 RB Branson Robinson shares his deep connections to UGA
- De’Nylon Morrissette: Why the elite WR was ready to commit and might still be able to
- Georgia commit Pearce Spurlin III breaks down slick catch at camp and two-sport potential
- Priority target? Gunner Stockton thinks Oscar Delp would be a good potential roommate
- Jordan Allen: Why “Lockdown” still keeps his UGA offer as his pinned tweet
- Why did All-American Jalon Walker say “oh yeah” while discussing UGA in his top 6?
- Priority OL target Tyler Booker is pumped about Georgia adding Gunner Stockton in 2022
- Malaki Starks: A DawgNation Sunday read on a vital UGA recruiting target
- 4-star Tennessee RB Jordan James hits the hole hard on why UGA is his top school
- 2022 CB target Marcus Allen shares strong impression of new DBs coach Jahmile Addae
- Tyre West: Prized DT commitment hints at a potentially dominant D-line class in 2022
- Amarius Mims: The legacy he left behind on Georgia high school football
- WATCH: 2021 signee Dylan Fairchild wins the 7A state heavyweight wrestling title
- Tre’Quon Fegans: Why Georgia feels like “home” for the top 100 overall prospect
- Georgia football: DawgNation’s ultimate 2021 class yearbook
- Big Bear Alexander: When you know this 5-star’s real story, you will be proud
- WATCH: Gunner Stockton’s feet are planted long term; Says he’ll graduate from UGA
- Gunner Stockton: The must-read stories to know on Georgia’s new 5-star QB commit