ORLANDO, Fla., — Mekhail Sherman wasn’t feeling all that confident in Georgia landing Jermaine Burton.
Burton, the 4-star wide receiver from Calabasas, Calif., was a long-time LSU commitment and the Tigers had seen one wide receiver de-commit and sign elsewhere early in the day as Rakim Jarrett flipped to Maryland. Jarrett was high school teammates with Sherman at St. John’s College in Washington D.C.
But Sherman ended up learning a valuable lesson that most of the Georgia fan base already knows: Don’t bet against Kirby Smart on the recruiting front.
“I didn’t really believe Jermaine Burton was going to flip. Everybody was asking and I didn’t think so,” Sherman said. “And then Recruitology, the Instagram page, said he flipped and I was like, ‘Wow.’ I texted him, ‘You that guy. You did it. You proved me wrong.’
Related: What wide receiver Jermaine Burton brings to Georgia
Sherman even pulled his phone out to show reporters the conversation he had with Smart.
With Sherman — a 5-star outside linebacker signee and the No. 18 overall prospect in the country — there was no such recruiting drama.
Sherman committed to Georgia back in May and was the first player to sign with Georgia during the early signing period.
“Family vibes, family connections,” Sherman said on what was the big factor in his recruitment. “It’s probably the typical recruit thing to say but when my family was comfortable with it, I was comfortable with it.”
Sherman did mention that had Urban Meyer stayed at Ohio State, he likely would’ve been a Buckeye. But when Meyer stepped away from coaching last year, that allowed him to take a step back and a bigger look at his recruitment.
Related: Mekhail Sherman shows his passion with a 700-word answer to a simple question
At the next level, Sherman as said that he projects as an every-down linebacker. He can play off-ball or on the line of scrimmage. He mentioned that he was looking forward to matching up against Broderick Jones, the 5-star offensive tackle that is currently committed to Georgia.
Sherman will be stepping into a crowded inside and outside linebacker room next year, as the Bulldogs return a number of key contributors at both positions.
But early playing time was never going to be a concern for Sherman.
“Georgia told me they rotate at least eight linebackers a game,” Sherman said. If I’m not a part of those eight, it’s my fault. Simple enough.”
Sherman made it clear multiple times that he’s going to Georgia to put in work. Multiple times he used the phrase iron-sharpens-iron and also spoke about his eagerness to get to Georgia and start working hard.
Working hard is nothing new to Sherman, especially following a season-ending knee injury early in his junior season. He spent much of this past offseason rehabbing and was cleared just before the start of his senior season.
He admitted he was getting close to being the same player pre-injury, but added that he needs some fo the weight training and conditioning that Georgia can offer to fully get back to being the player he once was.
Sherman is considered a leader of sorts for this 2020 recruiting cycle. And given his work ethic and attitude, it’s easy to see why that is the case.