and Shane Beamer (middle), UGA’s tight ends coach/special teams coordinator
(photo from Luke Ford / Twitter)
Today on Bulldawg Illustrated’s UGA recruiting daily we take a look at Georgia’s tight end recruiting and two 2018 prospects as well as two 2019 prospects and one 2029 prospect.
TODAY’S FEATURED PROSPECTS
If position ranking is noted, unless otherwise stated, it is 247 Sports latest composite ranking of the player.
LUKE FORD
CLASS: 2018
POSITION: No. 2 TE
HT, WT: 6 foot 6, and 250 lbs
SCHOOL: Carterville High School
CITY, STATE: Carterville, IL
STATUS: Undeclared
UGA OFFER: Yes, offered on 02/24/2017.
# OFFERS: 31
NEWS & NOTES: Luke Ford was offered by UGA back in February and then committed to Arkansas a month later in March. However, Ford then de-committed from the Razorbacks on June 10th, reopening up his recruitment. He visited UGA during the summer on July 15th and also visited Texas, Michigan, and Illinois during the month of July. Could Ford be the second TE the Bulldogs are looking to get a commitment from for the 2018 class?
I do think he is their No. 1 target left on the board at that position. Alabama has been the team to beat here since the summer, but the recent commitment of 2018 QB Justin Fields to the Bulldogs along with Alabama favoring JUCO prospect Dominick Wood-Anderson looks like it has turned things back to Georgia’s favor. College football is like a marathon roller coaster ride, and Ford’s recruitment is no exception.
Ford did visit the Crimson Tide on Oct. 14th, and then Ford was in Athens for the Bulldogs home game versus South Carolina on Nov. 4th and had a great visit by all accounts. He took an official visit to Texas on Nov. 11th, and recently took an official visit to Auburn for Nov. 25th. UGA’s Shane Beamer visited Ford and his family and their home back on Nov. 30th and Ford has also had in-home visits from Texas and Auburn coaches. Georgia gets one of Ford’s remaining three officials and he is has scheduled it for Dec. 15th. Right now, Bulldawg Bob’s old Magic 8-Ball says there is a 90% chance that Luke Ford ends up committing to and signing with Georgia.
Ford only got to play in 5 games his senior season due to breaking his collarbone into the 4th game this fall, but he had a successful recovery and actually ended up playing in Carterville High School’s playoff game. Ford is still undecided on whether or not he will sign during the early signing period from Dec. 20-22. He is not planning on enrolling early either.
2017 SENIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2016 JUNIOR SEASON OFFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2016 JUNIOR SEASON DEFENSIVE (OLB, DE) HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2015 SOPHOMORE SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
TOMMY TREMBLE
CLASS: 2018
POSITION: No. 20 TE
HT, WT: 6 foot 4, and 225 lbs
SCHOOL: Wesleyan High School
CITY, STATE: Norcross, GA
STATUS: Undeclared
UGA OFFER: Yes, offered on 04/08/2017.
# OFFERS: 26
NEWS & NOTES: Tommy Tremble is a legacy recruit, the son of former UGA defensive back Greg Tremble, and was ecstatic when Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs extended an offer to him back in the spring on the same day he visited on April 8th. He came back to Athens a couple of months later and attended Kirby Smart Football Camp on June 2nd. How much does Tremble like Georgia?
He put UGA in his top 6 schools he announced on July 4th. The Dogs were considered a leader after he was offered, but Notre Dame has made a big push and there is a high probability that the Irish land Tremble. Whether or not Tremble comes to UGA may hinge on where Ford commits to, which is very likely at the moment, but he still regards UGA highly.
Tremble visited the Bulldogs for their homecoming game versus Missouri on October 14th, and then he visited Notre Dame a week later on Oct. 21st, that was an official visit. The Wesleyan High School senior was back in Athens on Nov. 4th for Georgia’s game versus South Carolina, and he has since been back to Notre Dame, taking a visit to South Bend on Nov. 18th. He recently took an official visit Michigan a couple of weeks ago on Nov. 25th.
2016 JUNIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2015 SOPHOMORE SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
RYLAND GOEDE
CLASS: 2019
POSITION: No. 5 TE
HT, WT: 6 foot 7, and 235 lbs
SCHOOL: Kennesaw Mt. High School
CITY, STATE: Acworth, GA
STATUS: Undeclared
UGA OFFER: Yes, offered on 07/21/2016.
# OFFERS: 18
NEWS & NOTES: Ryland Goede has held an offer from the Bulldogs for over a year, and the Kennesaw Mountain TE has visited Georgia a number of times the past year including this fall for the Mississippi State game back on September 23rd, UGA’s homecoming versus Missouri on October 14th, and the Bulldogs’ game versus South Carolina on Nov. 4th.
He also visited Clemson and Auburn over the summer in June, and has been back to Auburn again a couple of times this on Nov. 11th and on Nov. 25th. The Kennesaw Mountain High tight end went up north to visit Michigan back on the weekend of Oct. 7th. One other school he has visited recently is Florida on Nov. 18th. As of right now, Goede is a heavy Georgia lean, but NSD 2019 is a long way off.
2017 JUNIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2016 SOPHOMORE SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
GOEDE’S OTHER HUDL HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
ETHAN RAE
CLASS: 2019
POSITION: No. 7 TE
HT, WT: 6 foot 5, and 240 lbs
SCHOOL: Orange Lutheran High School
CITY, STATE: Orange, CA
STATUS: Undeclared
UGA OFFER: Yes, offered on 04/27/2017.
# OFFERS: 12
NEWS & NOTES: UGA offered Ethan Rae back in April. The California high school football prospect is favoring the west coast schools at the moment and that is understandable. But as the 2019 recruiting cycle heats up, it will be interesting to see if Georgia and any of the other programs East of the Mississippi have any pull on Rae.
Rae is still considered one of the top-ten tight ends in the 2019 class, but he has seen his ranking drop some due to a season ending knee injury he suffered back in August. I look for him to return for his senior year and have a monster season, though.
2016 SOPHOMORE SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2015 FRESHMAN SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
ARIK GILBERT
CLASS: 2020
POSITION: No. 2 Athlete – DE, TE, WR
HT, WT: 6 foot 4.5, and 245 lbs
SCHOOL: Marietta High School
CITY, STATE: Marietta, GA
STATUS: Undeclared
UGA OFFER: Yes, offered 07/16/2016.
# OFFERS: 12
NEWS & NOTES: Arik Gilbert is a big, tall sophomore at 6 foot 4.5 out of Marietta High School, and the question is will he play at DE or TE in college. The 2020 prospect has played well on both sides of the ball from what I’ve seen so far, and with his athleticism and size, he could likely excel at either position. He had 54 receptions for 570 yards and 7 TDs for the Blue Devils on offense this year, and on defense, Gilbert had 62 tackles and 6 QB sacks including 9 tackles for a loss.
Gilbert already has 12 scholarship offers from major FBS programs, including UGA, who were one of the first programs to offer him last year as a freshman. I expect that offer list to grow this season. He played at Woodward High School his freshman year and transferred to Marietta for his sophomore season. We are several years away from either the early signing period or National Signing Day 2020, but Georgia is a very early favorite here.
2017 SOPHOMORE SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE
2016 FRESHMAN SEASON HIGHLIGHTS – CLICK HERE