Georgia football: Setting the stage for the early signing period and beyond

The Georgia football program completed quite a successful final official visit weekend. That was important heading into the first day of the early signing period on Wednesday.

Just how successful? The quick take here is it should be a very good day for DawgNation. The week-long push was that vital to the class and the official visit parade (at least 11 prospects in town) that ensued over the weekend went that well.

Some of those answers will come on Dec. 18. That’s the first day of the early signing period, but far from the only decision day.

There are also the announcement showcases for major Georgia targets on the stages of the Under Armour All-American Game in Florida (Jan. 2) and the All-American Bowl in Texas (Jan. 4) to consider here as the class rounds into form.

With all of that, the finish line for 2020 recruiting will then fall on Wednesday, February 5, 2020.

Contrarians might look at it as an extended period of delayed gratification (or the opposite) to get one’s arms around how well the Georgia football program recruited in 2020.

Another way would be to call it the “4 Days of Georgia football recruiting” for the 2020 cycle. It was almost five days until the recent Jordan Burch announcement moved his decision up a day this week.

Want to know which Georgia targets are set to make their choices known on which days?

Here is a look at our most informed timeline about how it might all shake out. The ratings and rankings information used below are all derived from the latest 247Sports Composite standard.

Dec. 18th signings

5-star OLB Mekhail Sherman is the highest-rated commitment in the 2020 Georgia class. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)

Current UGA commitments (14 of the 16 current verbals)

Mekhail Sherman/5-star OLB/St. John’s College/Washington, D.C./– Speedy hybrid LB has the tenacity to play inside but the wheels and length to also work out on the edge with his 4.5 speed. The nation’s No. 2 OLB recruit chose UGA in May. Rates as the nation’s No. 18 overall prospect. See the definitive Mekhail Sherman story right now on DawgNation

Tate Ratledge/4-star OT/Darlington School/Rome, Ga.: Physical athlete is listed as the nation’s No. 3 OT recruit for 2020. That places him at No. 36 overall in the class. Still hard to believe the near 6-foot-7 bruiser also punted for his high school team. Check out how he used a Herschel Walker picture to recommit to the G.

Kendall Milton/4-star RB/Buchanan High School/Clovis, Calif./– Rates as the nation’s No. 7 RB prospect and No. 37 overall prospect. Terrific prospect both on and off the field. Check out his latest good deeds off the field.

Marcus Rosemy/4-star WR/St. Thomas Aquinas/Fort Lauderdale, Fla.: The nation’s No. 7 WR finished up as a Florida state champion. He’s now the nation’s No. 41 overall prospect for 2020. Great size (6-2.5 and 195) and is also a polished route runner. He recently told DawgNation he sees a great opportunity to come in and help right away at UGA.

Jalen Carter/4-star DT/Apopka HS/Apopka, Fla.: Impressive size athlete who has put together a ton of highlight dunks on the basketball court. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound prospect rates as the No. 6 DT and No. 53 overall for this cycle on the 247Sports Composite. The pure 247Sports rating even pegs him as the nation’s No. 2 DT and at No. 20 overall.

Jalen Kimber/4-star CB/Mansfield Timberview/Arlington, Tex.: Kimber is now the nation’s No. 8 CB and No. 127 overall for 2020. Set to enroll early after the All-American Bowl in Texas. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Texan has true 4.4 speed in the 40. Kimber is a driven young man motivated to honor his grandmother’s memory.

Major Burns/4-star S/Madison Prep/Baton Rouge, La. — Burns was once committed to Texas A&M, then LSU and then chose Georgia on the day before the early signing period. He rates as the nation’s No. 12 S and No. 155 overall prospect but could also be a corner or a hybrid DB in Athens.

Chad Lindberg/4-star OT/Clear Creek HS/League City, Tex. — Big-time Texas hoss in all things. The 6-foot-6.5, 325-pounder throws the shot put at a state championship level and also had a sterling 5.38 grade-point average heading into his senior year. That placed him among the top 30 in his class. He wants to bring back a master’s degree and will arrive academically as a sophomore with his high school credits. Ranks as nation’s No. 17 OT and at No. 168 overall. He told DawgNation on Monday he will sign on Dec. 18, but he did not announce where that was going to be.

Carson Beck/4-star QB/Mandarin HS/Jacksonville, Fla./The nation’s No. 8 pro-style QB has seen his ratings dip to No. 204 overall across the last few months. Beck wields a strong and accurate arm and very good size. He’s closing in on the 6-foot-5 mark. Beck will enroll early and go through bowl practices. Florida 8A state champion as a junior. Ripped through the playoffs to become a rare junior to earn the coveted “Mr. Football” honor after the 2018 season. He battled through a depleted roster and receiver core during his senior year.

Warren Brinson/4-star DT/IMG Academy/Bradenton, Fla.: Brinson de-committed and re-committed back to the UGA class in June. He did so a day after naming Florida and Georgia as his top two schools. The Savannah native rates as the nation’s No. 26 DT and the No. 254 overall prospect for 2020. He plans to enroll early in January.

Nazir Stackhouse/4-star DT/Columbia HS/Decatur, Ga.: Nation’s No. 27 DT prospect also checks in at No. 257 overall. Stackhouse was the first pledge for the 2020 class back in December of 2017. Recently told DawgNation he will sign on Wednesday and take his one official visit in January.

Justin Robinson/4-star WR/Eagles Landing Christian Academy/Stockbridge, Ga./Nation’s No. 48 WR despite having just played two seasons of varsity football up to this point. Big upside. He’s 6 feet, 4 inches and a solid 206 pounds right now. He just became a part of a 3-time state championship team at Eagles Landing, will go up to UGA for bowl practices and enroll early in January.

Devin Willock/3-star/Paramus Catholic/Paramus, NJ: The 3-star OT was once committed to Penn State and set to take his official visit there on Dec. 9. Willock then de-committed on Dec. 11 and took an abrupt official to a longtime “dream school” in UGA. He committed over the weekend and will sign on Wednesday. The 6-foot-6.5, 350-pound senior is not able to enroll early, but certainly wishes he could.

Jared Zirkel/3-star/Tivy High/Kerrville, Tex: The 3-star kicker rates as the nation’s No. 5 prospect at his position on the 247Sports Composite. The recruiting services which only rate kickers offer up a more comprehensive view here. Zirkel already has an NFL-caliber leg on kickoffs. He was able to drill a 59-yard field goal as a junior.

Dec. 18th decisions

Current UGA targets (7)

5-star SDE Jordan Burch is the highest-rated remaining recruiting target for Georgia in this cycle. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)

Jordan Burch/5-star SDE/Hgt: 6-5/Wgt: 270 (Undecided) — 2:30 p.m.

Hammond School/Columbia, SC — Nation’s No. 2 strong-side DE and No. 5 overall prospect.

Schools considering: Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and LSU

Jermaine Burton/4-star WR/Hgt: 6-0.5/Wgt: 190 (LSU commit)

Calabasas HS/Calabasas, Calif. — Nation’s No. 8 WR and No. 52 overall prospect

Schools considering: Georgia or LSU

Arian Smith/4-star WR/Hgt: 6-1/Wgt: 175 (Undecided) — 1:05 PM

Lakeland Senior HS/Lakeland, Fla. — Nation’s No. 14 WR and No. 72 overall prospect

Schools considering: Alabama or Georgia

C.J. Stroud/4-star QB/Hgt: 6-2.5/Wgt: 195(Undecided) — Noon

Rancho Cucamonga/Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. — Nation’s No. 2 pro-style QB and No. 83 overall prospect

Schools considering: Georgia, Michigan or Ohio State

Eric Reed Jr./4-star S/Hgt: 6-0/Wgt: 195 (Undecided) — 4 PM

Calvary Baptist/Shreveport, La. — Nation’s No. 17 S and No. 166 overall prospect

Schools considering: Auburn or Georgia

KEEP IN MIND 1): There is a chance that Major Burns could also wait until the Under Armour All-American Game. He’s slated to be in that game and he is also an early enrollee candidate.

Marcus Fleming/4-star WR/Hgt: 5-9.5/Wgt: 175 (Undecided)

Northwestern HS/Miami, Fla. — Nation’s No.42 WR and No. 256 overall prospect

Schools considering: Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Maryland and Nebraska.

Mikey Henderson Jr./4-star S/Hgt: 6-1.5/Wgt: 234 (Oklahoma)

Ranchview HS/Carrollton, Tex. — Nation’s No.9 ATH and No. 260 overall prospect

Schools considering: Georgia or Oklahoma (Henderson is very likely to stick with OU)

KEEP IN MIND 1): There is a chance that Major Burns could also wait until the Under Armour All-American Game to announce his decision. He’s slated to be in that game and s also an early enrollee candidate.

Jan. 2 decisions

Major UGA targets (2)

2020 Under Armour All-American game

Darnell Washington made an impromptu unofficial visit to Georgia for the Texas A&M game late last month. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)

Darnell Washington/5-star ATH/Hgt: 6-5/Wgt: 265 (Undecided)

Desert Pines/Las Vega, Nev. — Nation’s No. 1 ATH and No. 10 overall prospect

Schools considering: Florida, Georgia, Miami, Tennessee

NOTE: The update for Tuesday afternoon is that Washington will no longer sign during the early period. There is also some question about whether he will commit on this day, too.

Dontae Manning/4-star CB/Hgt: 6-0/Wgt: 185 (Undecided)

Raytown High School/Kansas City, Mo. — Nation’s No. 6 CB and No. 76 overall prospect

Schools considering: Arizona State, Georgia, Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas A&M

Jan. 4th decision

Current UGA targets (1)

All-American Bowl in Texas

Kelee Ringo has been a priority Georgia target for the last 11 months of the 2020 recruiting cycle. (Kelee Ringo/Twitter)/Dawgnation)

Kelee Ringo/5-star CB/Hgt: 6-2/Wgt: 205 (Undecided)

Saguaro High School/Scottsdale, Ariz. — Nation’s No. 1 CB and No. 8 overall prospect

Schools considering: Georgia, Oregon and Texas

Feb. 5th decisions

Current UGA commitments (2)

5-star OT Broderick Jones is the second-highest-rated commitment in the 2020 class for Georgia. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)

Broderick Jones/5-star OT/Lithonia/Lithonia, Ga.– Rates as the nation’s No. 2 OT prospect and as the nation’s No. 19 overall recruit on the 247Sports Composite ratings. Auburn and Georgia are currently the teams to consider here. DawgNation’s latest Broderick Jones update should provide some clarity on his current thinking.

Sedrick Van Pran-Granger/4-star OC/Warren Easton HS/New Orleans, La.– Georgia was his first SEC offer and the first big-time program he traveled to for an unofficial visit for the Austin Peay game in 2018. He was set to sign with his Warren Easton teammates on Feb. 5 even before the transition with Sam Pittman to Arkansas.

Current UGA targets (2)

McKinnley Jackson/4-star DT/Hgt: 6-2/Wgt: 327 (Undecided)

George County/Lucedale, Miss. — Nation’s No. 12 DT and No. 113 overall prospect

Schools considering: Georgia is a wild card here, but the recent offer and the relationship with former Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke on staff in Athens is something to consider. The Bulldogs could do themselves a big favor by getting involved here with the likes of Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M down the stretch in January.

Daijun Edwards/4-star RB/Hgt: 5-10/Wgt: 201 (Undecided)

Colquitt County/Moultrie, Ga. — Nation’s No. 19 DT and No. 255 overall prospect

Schools considering: Running backs coach Dell McGee has recruited him consistently over the last cycle. It doesn’t appear like the Bulldogs will take an additional back this cycle, but Edwards might wind up at the top of the “best player available” category in late January. Florida and FSU are also schools to consider heavily here.

KEEP IN MIND: Washington could also back up his decision until this date. That’s because he is not an early enrollee and could potentially both commit and sign on this date.

Bottom line: There are 28 prospects listed here and the current thinking is the Georgia class size for 2020 will swell to no more than 23-24 signees for 2020. That also includes the possibility of at least one potential blueshirt candidate.