– Class of 2018 –
(photo from Alontae Taylor / Twitter)
Today on Bulldawg Illustrated’s UGA Recruiting Daily we look at six 2018 wide receiver prospects which include Ja’Marr Chase, Jacob Copeland, Chase Cota, Jalen Jordan, James Mitchell, and Alontae Taylor.
TODAY’S FEATURED PROSPECTS
If position ranking is noted, unless otherwise stated, it is 247 Sports latest composite ranking of the player.
JA’MARR CHASE
CLASS: 2018
POSITION: No. 17 WR
HT, WT: 6 foot 1, and 193 lbs
SCHOOL: Archbishop Rummel High School
CITY, STATE: Metairie, LA
STATUS: Undeclared
UGA OFFER: Yes, offered on April 5th.
# OFFERS: 32
NEWS & NOTES: Ja’Marr Chase originally committed to Kansas on Feb. 4th, but he de-committed from the Jayhawks less than two weeks later on Feb. 12th. The Bulldogs offered Chase back in the spring in April. The wideout from Metairie then chose to commit to Florida over LSU and TCU; however, he has since de-committed again, on Nov. 8th, and reopened up his recruitment.
So is Georgia really in play? I think LSU, Michigan, and TCU are the teams to beat here, but it’s a possibility. Chase did come over to visit the Bulldogs for their home game versus Kentucky on Nov. 18th, and that was key if UGA is to have a shot here. He also took an official visit to Michigan last weekend on Nov. 25th, and now, plans to take an official to TCU on Dec. 15th.
2017 SENIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2016 JUNIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2015 SOPHOMORE SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
JACOB COPELAND
CLASS: 2018
POSITION: No. 7 WR
HT, WT: 6 foot 0, and 192 lbs
SCHOOL: Escambia High School
CITY, STATE: Pensacola, FL
STATUS: Undeclared
UGA OFFER: Yes, offered on 04/10/2016
# OFFERS: 31
NEWS & NOTES: Jacob Copeland was offered by Georgia over a year ago back in April of 2016. The talented wide receiver out of Pensacola, FL ended up committing to Florida on August 2nd, but he recently de-committed from the Gators on Nov. 25th, reopening up his recruitment. So… the question as with several other of the recent prospects at wideout who have de-committed from other programs, do the Bulldogs have a shot here?
I think Alabama is the school to beat here. Outside of Florida, it is the school he has visited the most, and before he committed and de-committed from the Gators, it was pretty much down to the Tide and Florida.
2016 JUNIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2015 SOPHOMORE SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2014 FRESHMAN SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
CHASE COTA
CLASS: 2018
POSITION: No. 21 WR
HT, WT: 6 foot 3.5, and 195 lbs
SCHOOL: South Medford High School
CITY, STATE: Medford, OR
STATUS: Undeclared
UGA OFFER: Yes, offered on 04/18/2017
# OFFERS: 19
NEWS & NOTES: Chase Cota is a talented wideout on the West Coast that the Georgia staff offered back in April. Is Cota interested in UGA?
He put the Dogs in his top 7 schools on June 27th. So far this fall, the South Medford receiver has taking an official visit to Notre Dame back on Sept. 9th, when the Bulldogs and Irish faced off in South Bend, and he also took an official to UCLA on Sept. 30th. His recruiting is wide open, but Oregon and UCLA appear to be the two top teams at the moment. In the end, don’t be surprised if Cota will stay home and pick the Ducks, though.
2017 SENIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2016 JUNIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
JALEN JORDAN
CLASS: 2018
POSITION: No. 87 WR
HT, WT: 6 foot 5, and 210 lbs
SCHOOL: IMG Academy, Bradenton, FL
CITY, STATE: From St. Francis HS, Alpharetta, GA
STATUS: Undeclared
UGA OFFER: Yes, offered on April 18th.
# OFFERS: 10
NEWS & NOTES: Jalen Jordan is a big, tall receiver that the Dogs offered back in the spring and is similar to Georgia’s 2017 signee Matt Landers. For the last couple of months I thought this was a three school race for Jordan between the Bulldogs, GT, and Tennessee, but with the Vols struggling and their athletic and football coaching search in utter choas, the West Virginia Mountaineers have thrown their hat in the ring and are a legitmate contender. Jordan plans to take an official visit to Rutgers on Dec. 8th who recently offered him on Nov. 15th.
2017 SENIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2016 JUNIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
JAMES MITCHELL
CLASS: 2018
POSITION: TE/WR – No. 64 WR
HT, WT: 6 foot 4, and 218 lbs
SCHOOL: Union High School
CITY, STATE: Big Stone Gap, VA
STATUS: Undeclared
UGA OFFER: Yes, offered on May 18th.
# OFFERS: 16
NEWS & NOTES: UGA offered James Mitchell back on May 18th, and the Big Stone Gap receiver put the Dogs in his top five on July 20th. He is a name you may not have heard much of, but he put the Bulldogs in his final top three on Sunday, Nov. 5th along with Duke and VT. This is an interesting one to keep an eye because Mitchell is not unlike Charlie Woerner in build; so, the question is whether or not he will play receiver in college or morph into a TE?
I learned my lesson with emphatically insisting a player like Woerner would stay at WR, and boy was I wrong on that one. In other words, it would not surprise me to see Mitchell develop into a TE. Either way, he is a big receiving target who is physical and can line up at either position and be effective. And to say he is a heck of an athlete is an understatement. Mitchell lined up at QB for the Union HS this season when their starting QB went down with an injury. The big man is also a pretty good basketball player.
I wish I had more highlights to share, but most of his football highlights have been switched to private.
2017 WEEK 5 PLAYER OF THE WEEK – CLICK HERE
CAMP HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2016-2017 B-BALL HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
ALONTAE TAYLOR
CLASS: 2018
POSITION: Athlete (CB, WR) – No. 25 WR
HT, WT: 6 foot 1, and 182 lbs
SCHOOL: Coffee County Central High School
CITY, STATE: Manchester, TN
STATUS: Undeclared
UGA OFFER: Yes, offered on 02/11/2017.
# OFFERS: 25
NEWS & NOTES: Georgia offered Alontae Taylor back in February. The Machester, TN athlete had been committed to the Volunteers since June of last year, but he de-committed from Tennessee on Sunday, Nov. 12th. What are the Bulldogs’ chances of bringing Taylor into the fold of this stellar 2018 recruiting class?
The ye ‘ole Magic 8-ball says very likely. Since his de-commitment, Taylor’s recruitment has really picked up and Alabama, GT, Louisville, as well as Wake Forest are programs that are really looking hard at the Coffee County Central High product, but I do think Georgia stands a very good chance of landing the talented athlete.
Taylor took an official visit to Athens on Nov. 18th to see Georgia’s final home game of the season, a 42-13 win over Kentucky. He was scheduled to take an official to Tennessee on Dec. 9th and then cancelled that to make room for an official to Alabama on Dec. 8th. Now, he has changed his plans again and the official to Bama is off, and he will be taking one to Tennessee on Dec. 8th. Before the official to Knoxville, Taylor will take one to Wake Forest on Dec. 2nd. Taylor should be making his decision soon as he plans on being an early enrollee as well as signing during the early signing period between Dec. 20th and Dec. 22nd.
I’ve featured Taylor as a defensive back prospect as well and that is because he could potentially play at ethier wide receiver or at cornerback at the collegiate level. And it looks like the Georgia coaching staff is pitching to him to be able to come in and compete at both to see where he is a best fit at.
2017 SENIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2016 JUNIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2015 SOPHOMORE SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE