Daily Dawg Thread – 29May2019 – Class Of 2020 4-Star RB Len’Neth Whitehead – By Matthew Hall

The Georgia Football program recently lost one of its main recruiting targets at the running back position for the Class of 2020 when 5-Star RB MarShawn Lloyd of DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, surprisingly committed to the University of South Carolina on Memorial Day.

Lloyd’s announcement and commitment to play for the Gamecocks shocked the recruiting world as the elite running back target had been leaning towards playing for the Dawgs per 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions. While the UGA faithful are no doubt disappointed with Lloyd’s decision to head to “The Palmetto State”, so goes the world of college football recruiting. It truly is an arena and an environment of which sometimes has many twists and turns and where forecasts oftentimes end up being totally inaccurate.

While the loss of Lloyd as a potential running back to play on Saturdays “Between The Hedges” is disheartening, the Dawgs received some positive news concerning the prospect of landing another superlative rusher when the #1 overall rated player in the nation and 5-Star RB for the Class of 2020 RB Zachary Evans placed the Dawgs in his “Top 5” schools of focus via Twitter on Tuesday.

If Evans were to eventually end up “Committing To The G” in the future, he would certainly be a more than expected replacement when considering the miss on Lloyd for the Dawgs’ recruiting class for 2020. While the news of the Georgia Bulldogs ending up in Evans’ “Top 5” is promising and encouraging, it still does not guarantee that he will end up in Athens or play for the Georgia Football program. As so, UGA Head Coach Kirby Smart, Running Backs Coach Dell McGee, and the rest of the Georgia coaching staff must continue on in its efforts to recruit prospective targets to fill the RB position for the offensive well-being of the program for the future. In doing so, it would appear that the Dawgs are in a great position to land a running back that is playing in UGA’s backyard. The Georgia Football program is currently listed as a 100% percent lock to garner a commitment from Class of 2020 4-Star RB Len’Neth Whitehead of Athens Academy in Athens, Georgia.

Whitehead is currently rated the #7 overall ILB in the nation and the #24 overall player in the state of Georgia for the Class of 2020 per 247Sports Composite Rankings. Standing in at 6-1 and 230 pounds, Whitehead is a player that brings a powerful field presence to the gridiron. He possesses raw athleticism and is explosive and powerful regardless of the position or sport in which he is partaking in. Aside from his football abilities, the “Peach State” product has exhibited his athletic capabilities in other sporting realms as well via the example of his possession of one of the top shot put numbers in the country.

While considered one of the best inside linebackers of his respective class, the Athens Academy athlete is a formidable running back as well. As a Junior in 2018, Whitehead rushed for some 1,481 yards and 25 touchdowns. The versatile prospect is instinctive, tackles well, plays with a sense of urgency and toughness, and is a workhorse as it relates to the refining of his skill set as a player both offensively and defensively. Whitehead currently holds 16 offers altogether including ones from Power 5 programs such as Tennessee, Michigan, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Oklahoma among others. He is rumored to be making a visit to the University of Georgia this upcoming weekend and is said to be on tap to take part in a workout for the Georgia Football staff while there. He has previously noted that he plans to be able to come to a commitment decision at some point throughout the Summer and that he will be taking part in official visits during the month of June. Look for the Georgia Football program to fight aggressively to reel in the local running back to play for the Dawgs given that Lloyd is now off the board to the Gamecocks and Evans is only a possibility.