Kirby Smart and his staff did it again. The University of Georgia pulled in another top-ranked recruiting class in 2020. Mind you, this is the third straight No. 1 recruiting class for the football program according to Rivals’ rankings and second in three years per 247Sports. Even though the roster is loaded with talent, there are 25 incoming freshmen in this class who are hungry for playing time. Of note, the Georgia coaching staff signed four defensive backs, five wide receivers and seven offensive linemen, which is reflected in the eight new Bulldogs who potentially could make an immediate impact this fall. So without further ado, here they are…
- JERMAINE BURTON, Wide Receiver
While Georgia returns three of its top four pass-catchers for 2020 in Dominque Blaylock, George Pickens, and Demetris Robertson, there is a reason the Bulldog coaching staff went out and signed five wide receivers in the incoming freshmen class. One of those five is 6-1, 190-pound Jermaine Burton out of Calabasas, California. With a good combination of size and speed, the ability to line up on the outside or in the slot, and the big plus that he is a physical blocker, Burton could have an early impact on offense.
- JALEN CARTER, Defensive Line
Can Apopka, Florida basketball and football star Jalen Carter come in and make an impact on the Dawgs’ D-line? Are Georgia peaches the sweetest and best? The short answer is yes … to both questions. At 6-3, 300-pound, Carter came out of high school as a five-star defensive tackle prospect that can play the three-technique at either end or tackle, and he also has the strength to play at nose tackle.
- KENDALL MILTON, Running Back
Georgia might as well be known as “Running Back U” with a storied history of tailbacks that have carried the pigskin between the hedges. While the team loses D’Andre Swift and Brian Herrien, returning are James Cook, Kenny McIntosh, and Zamir White at RB. But a there is a 6-1, 220-pound early enrollee out of Buchanan High School, Clovis, California by the name of Kendall Milton that fans should quickly become familiar with. He is already one of the biggest backs on the roster, and Milton has the size and strength to run over and through defenders as well as the athleticism to break ankles.
- MARCUS ROSEMY, Wide Receiver
You might be noticing a theme here … The 6-3, 195-pound Marcus Rosemy out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida is one of three wide receivers on my eight impact freshmen for the Bulldogs. There is going to be a lot of competition at this position and the coaching staff is looking for players to step up and line up with Pickens to create one-on-one matchups. Out of all of Georgia’s 2020 receiver signees, Rosemy is the most polished of the group.
- ARIAN SMITH, Wide Receiver
One thing that seemed to missing off of the 2019 Georgia team was a homerun threat on kickoff and punt returns as well as speed in the receiving corps, a vacuum that was left by the departure of Mecole Hardman two seasons ago. That is something that Lakeland High School’s Arian Smith could change. The 6-1, 170-pound wideout has speed to burn. He is touted as one of the fastest prospects in the 2020 class and won the fastest man challenge at the Under Armour All-American practices in 2019.
- DARNELL WASHINGTON, Tight End
While graduate transfer out of Miami, Tre’ McKitty, will look to be provide a veteran presence to replace Charlie Woerner and Eli Wolf at tight end, it is going to be hard to keep Darnell Washington out of Desert Pines High School, Las Vegas, Nevada off the field. He has the size and athleticism to make an immediate impact at the position which should give opposing defensive coordinators fits on how they defend the the 6-7, 260-pound Washington.
- JARED ZIRKEL, Kicker
Replacing placekicker Rodrigo Blankenship is going to be a tall order for Georgia. Whoever steps into those shoes will have try to not only live up to Blankenship’s consistency on kickoffs, PATs, and field goals but also one of the most beloved players on the roster over the last four seasons. The coaching staff is hoping that the 6-3, 190-pound Jared Zirkel can come in and win that job. The summer enrollee out of Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas looks more like a wide receiver than a kicker and has a cannon for a leg. Zirkel won the Golden Boot at KickingWorld Camp last August and won the 2019 Georgia Football Kicking Competition at UGA defeating 150 competitors.