Seth Emerson

Telegraph Sports Writer

Local impact:

Nick Marshall of Wilcox County made his commitment before last football season, and was among the first group of signees to fax in his letter-of-intent on Wednesday. Marshall could play right away at defensive back, and secondary coach Scott Lakatos said they could have some packages for Marshall on offense too. Marshall played quarterback at Wilcox County.

Starters lost: Offense-5. Defense-3.

Top needs:

RB, WR, OL, NT, LB, DB

Signings by state:

Georgia: 19

Florida: 4

North Carolina: 1

Tennessee: 1

Star breakdown (from Rivals):

5-star: 2

4-star: 11

3-star: 10

2-star: 2

1-star: 0

Gem of the class:

Isaiah Crowell was a must-get for Georgia. The Columbus tailback happened to be one of the nation’s top-ranked players in a year where the Bulldogs needed had a need at that position. He will have an immediate chance to earn the starting tailback spot.

Surprise:

Sanford Seay hails from the same high school, Lee County, that just produced the National League rookie of the year Buster Posey. So why not have Seay come out of nowhere too? He has good size (6-2, 200) and just seems to have a nose for catching the ball: A three-star prospect according to Rivals and Scout, Seay had 120 career receptions, including 22 touchdowns.

Quote:

“This class is really gonna represent about one-third of our football team. So I think it certainly it’s helping us. We lost some great talent. So to say did it offset some of the guys that just left. I can’t say they’ll have that immediate of an impact. But over the course of their careers I’m hoping this is the best class that we’ve ever signed to this point that I’ve ever been at Georgia.”

- Head coach Mark Richt

The list:

Name Position Ht./Wt. School/Hometown

David Andrews OL 6-2/275 Wesleyan/Norcross

Comment: Played center at Wesleyan, will likely redshirt while he puts on weight.

Sterling Bailey OLB 6-5/260 East Hall/Gainesville

Comment: A four-star prospect according to Rivals, Bailey played DE in high school but projects as linebacker in the 3-4 at Georgia.

Devin Bowman ATH 6-0/175 Ridgeland/Rossville

Comment: His brother Adarius played at Oklahoma State and is now in the CFL.

Chris Conley WR 6-3/180 North Paulding/Dallas, Ga.

Comment: Had 61 catches for 1,021 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior.

Isaiah Crowell RB 5-11/210 Carver/Columbus

Comment: Stock rose to five-star status after rushing for 1,721 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior.

Watts Dantzler OL 6-7/315 Dalton/Dalton

Comment: Projects as a tackle because of size, but also is a good basketball player.

Zach DeBell OL 6-7/265 Tarpon Springs/Tarpon Springs, Fla.

Comment: Another tackle prospect, DeBell needs to put on weight, and may redshirt in 2011 for that reason.

Ray Drew OLB 6-5/243 Thomas County Central/Thomasville

Comment: USA Today named the consensus five-star recruit to its first-team All-USA team.

Quintavius Harrow LB-DB 6-0/190 Carver/Columbus

Comment: Crowell’s high school teammate played linebacker in high school, recording 45 tackles and three sacks as a senior.

Amarlo Herrera ILB 6-1/224 North Clayton/College Park

Comment: A consensus four-star recruit who had 181 career tackles at North Clayton.

Christian LeMay QB 6-2/200 Butler/Matthews, N.C.

Comment: Enrolled early after having to sit senior season following off-field discipline.

Hunter Long OL 6-3/293 Briarcrest Christian/Eads, Tenn.

Comment: A three-star recruit according to Rivals and Scout, Long will get a look at center.

Nick Marshall CB-ATH 6-2/185 Wilcox County/Rochelle

Comment: Also a basketball star, Marshall will get first shot at cornerback but could have offensive plays designed for him, either at QB or WR.

Chris Mayes DT 6-5/295 Spalding/Griffin

Comment: Blocked two kicks as a senior, in addition to nine tackles-for-loss.

Malcolm Mitchell DB-WR 6-1/187 Valdosta/Valdosta

Comment: Set Valdosta High’s single-season reception record with 77 catches, in addition to 1,419 yards and seven touchdowns.

Corey Moore DB 6-1/195 Griffin/Griffin

Comment: A consensus four-star prospect who was picked to 2010 Army All-America team.

Jay Rome TE 6-5/255 Valdosta/Valdosta

Comment: Served as captain of one team in last month’s Under Armour All-American game.

Chris Sanders DB 6-1/176 Tucker/Tucker

Comment: As a sophomore played linebacker and safety while leading Tucker to a state title.

Justin Scott-Wesley WR 6-1/210 Mitchell County/Camilla

Comment: Has size and speed, according to Bulldog coaches, just needs to work on catching ability.

Sanford Seay WR 6-2/198 Lee County/Leesburg

Comment: Had 68 catches for 1,105 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior.

Damian Swann DB 6-0/198 Grady/Atlanta

Comment: He’ll play on defense, but the nation’s No. 47 overall prospect (according to Rivals) will get a look on offense too.

Nathan Theus OL 6-3/255 Bolles/Jacksonville, Fla.

Comment: A long-snapper specialist, Theus’ brother John is one of the nation’s top offensive line recruits for next year’s class.

Kent Turene MLB 6-3/230 Boyd Anderson/Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.

Comment: Originally committed to Southern California, then switched after visiting Georgia two weekends ago, making it official on Wednesday.

Xzavier Ward OL 6-7/270 Colquitt County/Moultrie

Comment: Has good size for tackle, but will almost certainly redshirt while putting on weight.

Ramik Wilson LB 6-3/218 Jefferson/Tampa, Fla.

Comment: Recorded 90 tackles, nine sacks and two interceptions as a senior.