Kendall Milton and Kenny McIntosh were both highly-touted running backs as recruits.
The pair both earned their first offers as eighth-graders. McIntosh recalls the entire Oklahoma staff coming to his school as a sophomore to recruit. Milton meanwhile couldn’t believe he was being recruited by Ed Orgeron, the very same coach he had seen in the movie The Blind Side.
But in this week’s episode of KM Squared — which airs on Sunday nights at 8 p.m. on the DawgNation homepage — Milton and McIntosh spoke about why the recruiting process goes far beyond the glitz and grammar of the star rankings and visits.
“There’s definitely a lot of pressure on it,” Milton said. “I was 17 making what they call a 40-year decision. It was definitely a tough process but I was blessed to have my family there with me.”
McIntosh signed with Georgia as a member of its 2019 recruiting class. Milton was a key member of the 2020 cycle.
The duo will both look to play key roles for Georgia this season in what might be the deepest running back room in the country.
Milton and McIntosh both had other high-profile suitors elsewhere. But the latter shared a story that shows the other, less friendly side of recruiting.
“I was meeting with the (Alabama) running backs coach. I was with my father, uncle and mother,” McIntosh said. “The running backs coach just stepped out for a second and there was a list on the table.
“The list had running back names and my uncle spotted it. He noticed my name was like third or fourth on the list. Once I saw that, Alabama was off my list. That was just one crazy moment from my own recruitment.”
Georgia and Alabama are not scheduled to play this season, though the two teams are favored to win their respective divisions and meet in the SEC championship game
The Bulldogs will kick off the 2021 season against another elite opponent in the Clemson Tigers, as the two sides meet on Sept. 4 in Charlotte.
The next episode of KM Squared will air on Sunday night at 8 p.m., and then re-air on the DawgNation social media channels at 9 p.m.
More Georgia football stories from around DawgNation
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- Two Georgia Bulldogs win first two medals for U.S. Olympic team
- Mild-mannered Eric Stokes drops ‘blood bath’ line on Texas, Oklahoma SEC addition
- Former Georgia star Maria Taylor joins NBC, will cover Olympics, NFL after ESPN departure
- Jordan Davis, Jake Camarda the lone Bulldogs named Preseason First Team All-SEC
- Georgia football picked to win SEC East, finish behind Alabama at SEC media days
- Tony Barnhart: ‘A lot riding on’ Clemson, Kirby Smart growth at Georgia
