New coaches get trial by fire

ATHENS — The buildup seemed interminable. The finish was frenetic. It was trial by fire to say the least for Georgia’s two new defensive coaches, and while the end results were mixed, Todd Grantham and Scott Lakatos chalked it up as a job well done.

“There really wasn’t a lot of time left in the recruiting period when we brought Todd and Scott in. As soon as we could get them out on the road we got them out on the road,” head coach Mark Richt said. “I’ll say that one thing I really love about these two men is they really understand what they want and what they are looking for. They are tremendous evaluators and they are the right kind of people.”

Although he had just a few weeks to try to close the deal with recruits and keep Georgia’s commitment prepared to sign on the dotted line Wednesday, Lakatos said the process went surprisingly smoothly.

“They were more than receptive, and they were very congratulatory for myself and Todd, and excited about the future,” Lakatos said. “People were very encouraged about Georgia.”

As excited as recruits may have been about the future, it was still hard to erase some of the doubts. It took six weeks for Richt to bring in Grantham following the firings of defensive coordinator Willie Martinez and two other assistants, and the process took its toll on the recruiting class.

“Recruiting is a lot about relationships,” Richt said. “Any time there is some kind of change on your staff for whatever reason, the relationships that have been built throughout this recruiting process were broken. I think the timing of the hire taking as long as it did, it did put a strain on these young men that we had committed. We know that some guys changed their mind.”

Those were the short-term costs of making changes on the staff. Grantham remains excited that the long-term benefits will more than outweight the price Georgia may have paid on signing day.

As his head coach noted, relationships are key on the recruiting trail. And as smoothly as Grantham’s transition may have been so far, it’s tough to build strong bonds in just a few weeks. But moving forward, he remains hopeful all that will change.

“It’s all about developing a relationship with players and coaches so they know if they send a young man to Georgia he’s going to get a quality education and he’s going to be developed as a player,” Grantham said. “I think as we move forward, it’s going to be nothing but a positive, because that comes from getting out there and getting to know the people in the state.”

On the move

Georgia landed a five-star linebacker on signing day, but it had nothing to do with this year’s recruiting class.

Richt announced Wednesday that rising junior Richard Samuel would switch from running back, where he had played in his first two seasons, to linebacker starting in spring practice.

“That’s a move we decided to make, and he was anxious to make that move,” Richt said. “So we’re going to see how that works out.”

Grantham, who will coach Georgia’s linebackers, said the decision for Samuel to move was actually made before he was hired, but after watching film, it was a decision he fully endorsed.

“I watched his tape and any time you have guys who are athletic, who are that size, that can run, you like to have those guys and we look forward to working with him in the spring and seeing how he fits into the plans,” Grantham said.

Samuel rushed for 395 yards and two touchdowns last season, but was relegated to third-string duty by season’s end.

Gray staying put?

While Samuel is shifting positions, the future for quarterback Logan Gray remains in limbo.

It was rumored that Gray, a rising junior, would swap positions to wide receiver or defensive back, after Georgia’s regular-season finale against Georgia Tech. Those rumors heated up when the Bulldogs suddenly offered a scholarship to quarterback Hutson Mason, who was one of Georgia’s 19 signees. But as it stands, Richt said, little has changed for Gray.

“The last I’ve heard that’s exactly what he plans on doing,” Richt said. “I don’t know that he might not spend some time trying to do a couple of them.”

Another hard hitter

The star of Georgia’s signing class might be safety Jakar Hamilton, a junior college transfer who garnered the nickname, “The Hit Man” at Georgia Military College. But to ask Hamilton, he’s particularly impressed with the ferocity of another top Bulldogs’ signee – safety Alec Ogletree.

“He’s a hard-hitter,” Hamilton said. “I’ve seen his highlight film, and he’s got really good speed, and I feel if you’re in his area, he’s going to knock your head off. He’s an incredible player, and I can’t wait for him to get here so me and (Bacarri) Rambo get him ready and get him going.”

Delayed entry

Georgia’s 19th signee came as a bit of a surprise when Wilcox County wide receiver Lonnie Outlaw turned in his letter-of-intent in the afternoon.

The 6-foot-5 receiver wasn’t highly recruited, but his head coach, Mark Ledford, said Georgia showed an interest on Monday and made the offer Wednesday morning.

Outlaw is short on high school credits still, however, meaning he won’t qualify for the 2010 class. Instead, Ledford said, Outlaw is expected to play the next two seasons at Georgia Military College and transfer to Georgia for the 2012 season.