Daily Dawg Thread – 18May2019 – Can The Dawgs Flip Class Of 2020 5-Star OT Paris Johnson Jr.? – By Matthew Hall
The Georgia Football program is playing host to some of the nation’s best talent this weekend in Athens including Class of 2020 5-Star CB Kelee Ringo who is rated as the country’s best at his position. The recruiting event being held in “The Classic City” has been a big hit in the past and will feature an engaging activity that was very popular among prospective targets during last year’s recruiting cycle known as the “UGA Scavenger Hunt”. The event allows for the prospects to draft a better feel of what life is like in Athens, a history lesson about the institution and the football program, and a period of time in which they can bond with the Georgia coaches in a more personal fashion. With such a big recruiting event taking place during the evaluation period this weekend, it is not out of the question that the Dawgs could get some good news in the form of a commitment before the weekend concludes. In any event, it will certainly be a time where many of the nation’s best players in attendance can be pitched to about playing “Between The Hedges” on Saturdays in the future.
While there will assuredly be a great deal of talent on hand, some potential recruiting targets on the UGA board will not make the trip or be present. One of those that will not be in attendance. albeit known in any public way, shape, form, or fashion, is Class of 2020 5-Star OT Paris Johnson Jr. of Princeton High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Johnson will instead be partaking in “The Opening Regionals” on Sunday in Nashville, Tennessee. Does such mean that the Ohio State commit is out of the picture for UGA Football Head Coach Kirby Smart and the Georgia program? The answer to that inquiry depends upon who one asks but given recent events that have transpired over the course of the last couple of months it can inferred that the Dawgs are still legitimate contenders to sway Johnson to bring his talents to Athens and play for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Paris Johnson Jr. is not your ordinary offensive tackle. His elite play has garnered the Cincinnati prospect with being rated the #7 overall prospect in the nation, the #1 overall offensive tackle in the country, and the #1 overall player in the state of Ohio for the Class of 2020 per 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is a massive prospect standing in at 6-7.5 and 295 pounds and fits the mold of the prototypical offensive lineman that UGA O-Line Coach Sam Pittman is vying for in his quest to build the “Great Wall Of Georgia”. Johnson possesses all the tools one would want to obtain in an offensive tackle as he has great length, textbook footwork, versatility, strength, quickness, and he plays with an aggressive chip on his shoulder.
Though committed to Ohio State since February of 2018, Johnson has not been shy about making the rounds across the country to visit other schools to see what they could possibly offer. Some may say that his doing so is a slap in the face to the Buckeyes but he is only doing what every single other highly talented recruit has the option to do: enjoy the recruiting process to the fullest extent. Nonetheless, his visits to other programs does call into question just how strong his commitment to Ohio State truly is. Likewise, it poses the question as to whether another program has what it takes to sway the future collegiate offensive tackle its way. The Georgia Football program is among the schools that Johnson has visited while committed to Ohio State. He made two trips to Athens in March of this year in an unofficial capacity and again on an official visit in April over the G-Day weekend.
While three visits to Athens in two months sure seems promising for the Georgia Football program as they try to lure and reel Johnson in, the offensive tackle has also made trips to other Power 5 schools along the way including the likes of Alabama and LSU. While committed to Ohio State, Paris Johnson Jr. holds in total an astounding 44 offers giving him the leeway to pick and choose as he sees fit should he decide to decommit from Ohio State and choose to play elsewhere. One can rest assured that Sam Pittman and the UGA Football program will continue on it its efforts to flip the best offensive tackle in the country for the Class of 2020 moving ahead. If the aforementioned were to occur, it would be a monumental win for the “Red and Black” offensive line of the future. Can The Dawgs Flip Class Of 2020 5-Star OT Paris Johnson Jr.? Chime in with your thoughts in the Daily Dawg Thread chat forum listed below. Oh, and as always, Go Dawgs!!!
Paris Johnson Jr. – 2018 Highlights