– 2018 OG –
North Gwinnett HS, Duluth, GA
Today on Bulldawg Illustrated’s UGA Recruiting Daily we look at Georgia’s 2018 offensive line recruiting focusing on the offensive guards and centers.
Georgia currently has two O-linemen committed for 2018 including Owen Condon, an offensive tackle out of Bishop McGuinness, Oklahoma City, OK and offensive guard/center Warren Ericson out of North Gwinnett High School, Suwannee, GA. After taking five in 2017, two of which are considered interior linemen in Netori Johnson and Justin Shaffer, and with the emergence of redshirt freshmen RG Solomon Kindley and fellow redshirt freshmen Ben Cleveland, how many OGs is the Georgia staff looking to add in this recruiting cycle?
I would not be surprised to see UGA sign five O-linemen again and three of those could be interior linemen in 2018. With center Lamont Gaillard heading into his senior and final season in 2018 and PWO transfer Sean Fogarty also likely finishing up his college career at UGA next year, the Bulldogs will need to look to not only continue to build their depth across the entire line but also to find a couple prospects that could play center.
There are several candidates in the 2018 class, including current UGA commit Warren Ericson, UGA target and offer Trey Hill along with a prospect whose name you have not heard of in Bryce Jones, out of Peachtree Ridge. Let’s also look at Jamaree Salyer, who may be one of the best guards to come out of high school in a number of years.
TODAY’S FEATURED PROSPECTS
If position ranking is noted, it is 247 Sports latest composite ranking of the player.
WARREN ERICSON
CLASS: 2018
POSITION: OL – No. 5 Center
HT, WT: 6 foot 4, and 317 lbs
SCHOOL: North Gwinnett High School
CITY, STATE: Suwanee, GA
STATUS: COMMITTED TO UGA on 06/02/2017.
UGA OFFER: Yes, offered on 02/25/2017.
# OFFERS: 29
NEWS & NOTES: Warren Ericson was offered by the Georgia coaching staff back in February and the North Gwinnett High School offensvie lineman committed to UGA just four months later on June 2nd. The 6 foot 4 and 317 lbs Ericson is an aggressive O-lineman who has a nasty streak where he can be seen drive blocking opponents into the ground all the way through the whistle. Ericson could be the Bulldogs next man up at center and he could also end up playing at OG.
Ericson’s North Gwinnett Bulldogs are 7-1 on the season, ranked No. 7 in the state of Georgia’s Class 7A, and sit in first place in Region 6. The Bulldogs Friday night road game against (5-3) Collins Hill, who are (3-1) and currently in second place in Region 6, should determine who walks away with the region title for 2017. North Gwinnett will close out their regular season on the road on Nov. 3rd with (1-7) Discovery.
2017 HIGHLIGHTS vs. HILLGROVE HS – CLICK HERE
2017 HIGHLIGHTS vs. WALTON HS – CLICK HERE
2016 JUNIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2015 SOPHOMORE SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
TREY HILL
CLASS: 2018
POSITION: OL – No. 2 OG
HT, WT: 6 foot 3.25, and 346 lbs
SCHOOL: Houston County High School
CITY, STATE: Warner Robins, GA
STATUS: Undeclared
UGA OFFER: Yes, offered on 06/03/2016.
# OFFERS: 33
NEWS & NOTES: Hill has held an offer from the Bulldogs for over a year. Of note, UGA is also recruiting Hill as a potential center. He visited Georgia on Junior Day back on 02/18/2017 and on G-Day 04/22/2017. Who else has the Houston Co. big man’s attention? Hill also visited Auburn twice over the summer and FSU has also made a big push for Hill recently. Hill was at Kearis Jackson’s family BBQ in Fort Valley, GA at Jackson’s commitment announcement on August 19th. Since football season started, he has been back to visit Auburn on an unofficial on September 2nd and then Florida on September 16th.
He most recently visited Athens a couple of weeks ago on Oct. 14th for Georgia’s homecoming game versus Missouri. Hill also visited Georgia on Sept. 23rd for the Mississippi State game. While teams like Auburn and FSU have pushed hard to nab Hill from the Peach State, as I have been saying, UGA is not out of it here. The Dogs have a lot of recruiting momentum and his last two visits to Athens have made good impressions on the Houston County big man. It also cannot hurt that his former high school teammate, quarterback Jake Fromm, is starting for Georgia right now.
Hill and Houston County are having a tough season this year with 2 wins in 8 games in Class 6A in Region 1. Getting win No. 3 isn’t going to be easy as they go on the road to face (6-3) Northside High School this Friday.
2016 JUNIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2015 SOPHOMORE SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
BRYCE JONES
CLASS: 2018
POSITION: OL – OG, Center
HT, WT: 6 foot 3, and 296 lbs
SCHOOL: Peachtree Ridge High School
CITY, STATE: Suwanee, GA
STATUS: Undeclared
UGA OFFER: N/A
# OFFERS: N/A
NEWS & NOTES: Bryce Jones doesn’t have an offer as of yet, at least not one that he has made public, but he has gotten a lot of interest from a couple of dozen programs. Jones is strong as an ox and explodes quickly out of his stance, playing with good pad level and showing that he knows how to use his hands. Frankly, it is a little bit of a head-scratcher as to why he hasn’t yet received an offer to play college football. But he has a plan “B.” Jones is an accomplished high school wrestler and he has received several wrestling scholarships.
Jones’ high school team, Peachtree Ridge has had a rough go of it this season having won just one of their 8 games, but they will look to try to get win No. 2 on the year when they host Duluth on Friday. The Lions and Bryce Jones will close out their regular season with a home stand against Collins Hill on Nov. 3rd.
Highlights – CLICK HERE
JAMAREE SALYER
CLASS: 2018
POSITION: OL – No. 1 OG
HT, WT: 6 foot 4, and 342 lbs
SCHOOL: Pace Academy
CITY, STATE: Atlanta, GA
STATUS: Undeclared
UGA OFFER: Yes, offered on 05/07/2015
# OFFERS: 29
NEWS & NOTES: Salyer is another talented Peach State offensive lineman in the 2018 class. He is the No. 1 OG overall and the No. 3 player from the state of Georgia, No. 7 overall nationally. He has held an offer from Georgia for over 2 years. Salyer visited UGA back on G-Day on 04/22/2017. A few weeks ago, I mentioned that it looked like it was a Georgia vs. Clemson battle for Salyer, and in an interview with Rivals that has been picked up by other media outlets like Fanbuzz.com, Salyer confirmed that his top two schools are UGA and Clemson.
Salyer visited UGA for their season opener versus Appalachian State on September 2nd and again on September 23rd for the Mississippi State game. He plans to announce his decision after the high school football season and before Christmas during the early signing period in December. So how much of a battle is it for Salyer between the Tigers an the Bulldogs? As of right now, I think Georgia is a heavy favorite to land Salyer.
Salyer and (3-4) Pace Academy hosts (5-3) Lovett for a Region 5 game in Class AAA on Friday.
2016 JUNIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2015 SOPHOMORE SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE