georgia football 2022 signing class grades

As the dust settled on National Signing Day, the Georgia Bulldogs came away with 29 signees and the No. 3 ranked recruiting class for the 2022 recruiting cycle.

Much of the work had been done in December, yet Georgia still added five more players to the program on Wednesday.

“I’m certainly proud of the group we’ve got. I’m excited about this recruiting class,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “The number one reason that I’m excited is that 19 of them are midyears. We’ve got 19 midyear enrollees who’ve been very impactful in adding depth to our roster. As they begin to work out and go through our academics, our equipment staff, our nutrition staff, our player development staff, everybody has commented about this group. How serious they are, how well-mannered they are, and how they handle their business.

“That’s always good to know that you’ve got the right kind of kids in your organization.”

Below is a look at Georgia’s signing class as a whole and how it did in terms of meeting its needs.

*Indicates early enrollee

Quarterback: A-: Gunner Stockton*

Georgia quickly identified Stockton as its top target in the 2022 recruiting cycle. Once Will Muschamp and Mike Bobo — who are now both on staff at Georgia — left South Carolina, Georgia’s stability was able to win out for Stockton’s services.

Stockton did see his ranking dip, but that can largely be attributed to the fact that he did not go through the elite 11 offseason program, limiting the amount of time evaluators could study Stockton. Georgia signed 5-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff in the previous class, and that would cause some quarterbacks to look elsewhere.

But Stockton never waivered. Smart spoke a lot about finding players who fit the program’s culture and core values. Stockton fits that description perfectly, hence the high letter grade.

Running back, B+: Branson Robinson, Andrew Paul

The running back talent pool wasn’t as deep as it had been in years past, but Georgia still did well in landing Robinson and Paul. The Bulldogs signed Robinson in December, landing the No. 4 ranked running back in the class. Georgia then beat out Clemson, Michigan and others for the late-rising Paul on Wednesday.

The Bulldogs have to replace both Zamir White and James Cook, two key leaders at the position. It remains to be seen whether Robinson and Paul can help make up for what Georgia will lose in Cook and White, especially when neither Robinson and Paul enrolled early.

Georgia is also likely to take two running backs again in the 2023 running back class as well. But with Dell McGee recruiting the position, you can bet Georgia will be able to close on some more elite talent.

Wide receivers, C: CJ Smith*, De’Nylon Morrissette*, Dillon Bell, Cole Speer

As Adonai Mitchell showed last year, recruiting rankings aren’t the end-all, be-all when it comes to evaluating positions. But it’s hard to ignore what has happened at the wide receiver position in the last two cycles.

The highest-ranked wide receiver Georgia has signed in that time is Smith, who came in as the No. 225 prospect in this class. By comparison, Georgia has signed a top-100 recruit at every other position in that span.

Perhaps that’s why Georgia has a new wide receivers coach in Bryan McClendon, who will replace Cortez Hankton. McClendon will make $700,000 in an effort to upgrade the position.

Georgia also may not be done adding at this position either. Depth was a major issue for the position in 2021 and when factoring transfers and NFL draft departures, Georgia will be in the same spot from a numbers standpoint next season. Look for Georgia to try and land an impact wide receiver via the transfer portal after spring practice.

Tight end, A: Oscar Delp*

A year after signing Brock Bowers, Georgia went out and landed a top-100 overall player in Delp to come to Athens. Todd Hartley continues to get it done on the recruiting trail for Georgia, and his ability to develop isn’t too shabby either.

Delp walks into a loaded tight end, with Bowers and Darnell Washington both returning. That Delp is unafraid of the competition ahead of him is another strong sign that he should fit in well with the culture that Smart is fostering at Georgia.

Offensive line, B: Earnest Greene*, Aliou Bah*, Jacob Hood*, Drew Bobo, Griffin Scroogs*

This group looked similar to the wide receiver position until the late addition of Greene. That most of the room is already in Athens is also a plus, given the physical adjustments they’ll need to make at the college level.

It’s also worth mentioning that the offensive line wasn’t a huge need, given Georgia signed six top-100 recruits in the past two recruiting cycles. Some of those names are still trying to crack the two-deep at Georgia. That’s why it took on some more developmental prospects in this recruiting cycle.

Defensive line, A: Mykel Williams*, Bear Alexander*, Christen Miller, Shone Washington*

Georgia could very well see three defensive linemen taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Tray Scott responded by going out and signing the single best defensive line class in his time at Georgia. Williams is the top-ranked overall signee for the class and could go a long way in replacing what Travon Walker brought.

Alexander will miss spring practice with shoulder surgery but Georgia did add Miller on National Signing Day. Smart is very excited about what Miller will bring to both this room and defense going forward.

“Christen Miller is a worker. He’s one of the most impressive kids in terms of leadership, that I’ve seen at this age,” Smart said. “He willed and pushed that Cedar Grove (HS) team to success. I value that. I value seeing the kids leaving here that we’re just in the last class. I’m excited about what he can do.”

Edge rusher, A-: Marvin Jones Jr., Darris Smith, CJ Madden*

The only reason this group didn’t earn an A is that none of the signees will be able to participate in spring practice, as Jones and Smith arrive this summer and Madden is out due to shoulder surgery.

But for Georgia to get a 5-star player in Jones and high-upside prospects in Smith and Madden without a set outside linebacker coach speaks to the group effort it takes in recruiting. Georgia’s edge rushers already got a big boost when Nolan Smith and Robert Beal announced their returns for 2022. With this crop of signees, Georgia shouldn’t feel much of a drop-off when the two ultimately do leave.

Linebacker, A-: Jalon Walker*, CJ Washington*, EJ Lightsey

Georgia had to replace an all-time great group of inside linebackers in Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker and Channing Tindall. The Bulldogs helped themselves by signing a great class in the 2021 cycle and backed that up with another strong class in 2022.

Walker will be a key leader for the program, while Lightsey played for a state-championship winning program. Washington comes from the same high school as Nick Chubb and Washington’s work ethic is similar to that of Chubb. Talent will not be an issue going forward for Glenn Schumann.

Defensive back, A: Malaki Starks*, Jaheim Singletary, Daylen Everette*, Julian Humphrey, JaCorey Thomas*

Three 5-star prospects. Four top-100 overall players. This isn’t just the top position haul for Georgia in the 2022 recruiting cycle, it’s on the shortlist for the best position groups of all-time under Smart.

Starks and Thomas provide immediate help at the safety position. Everette will see a lot of reps this spring, as Georgia has just four scholarship cornerbacks at the moment. When Singletary and Humphrey arrive this summer, they’ll provide even more to the cornerback position.

Georgia may still look to the transfer portal if the right player becomes available, but it’s nearly impossible to do much better than the defensive back group that Georgia signed.

Final grade: A

Maybe you can quibble with the wide receiver position. Or you might sound an awful lot like Dudley Dursley by complaining that Georgia only signed the No. 3 class in the recruiting cycle, behind Texas A&M and Alabama.

But the class filled obvious needs at defensive back and defensive line. It brought in top-100 players at all but one position. And the Bulldogs have 19 early enrollees, the most in the country.

That’s really important to what Smart wants to continue to build at Georgia. He believes this class will continue to strengthen the culture at Georgia, even in a time of transfer portal and NIL uncertainty.

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