Signing day preview: 3 things to watch as Georgia wraps up its 2020 recruiting class

Sequels typically don’t live up to the hype of the original. Nowadays, National Signing Day is no different.

The early signing period in December has taken some of the shine away from the first Wednesday in February. Still, it’s a date that remains circled on the college football calendar.

For Georgia, there has been significant recruiting news since the early signing period concluded. There are also a pair of commits to keep an eye on when the second signing period gets under way.

Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart will address the newest additions Wednesday, his first public comments since the Sugar Bowl.

Welcome, grad transfers

The biggest news for Georgia came at the most important position. Wake Forest graduate transfer quarterback Jamie Newman committed to the Bulldogs on Jan. 11, filling the void left by departing signal caller Jake Fromm.

Newman passed for 2,868 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for the Demon Deacons in 2019. He, along with newly hired offensive coordinator Todd Monken, should bring a more aggressive and dynamic approach to the Georgia offense, especially the passing game.

Speaking of the aerial attack, Georgia added another weapon via the grad transfer market in tight end Tre’ McKitty. The former Florida State Seminole caught 49 passes for 497 yards and two touchdowns over the past two seasons in Tallahassee. He joins a tight end room that replaces the top two tight ends from the 2019 team, Eli Wolf and Charlie Woerner.

New kids on the block

Newman and McKitty are new additions with experience. However, two future freshmen were also added to the fold since December.

First came four-star running back Daijun Edwards, who committed last week. The 5-foot-10, 201-pound back is the 21st-rated at the position in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite, and he gives the Bulldogs two running backs in the 2020 class.

Then, on Sunday, the Bulldogs landed three-star receiver Ladd McConkey from North Murray High School in Chatsworth. Georgia came in late for the in-state recruit, offering him less than two weeks before he committed, but McConkey ultimately made the decision to stay home.

Ones to watch

Edwards and McConkey are two of the four 2020 commits who have yet to sign their letters of intent. The other two have been the subject of much speculation.

Offensive line recruits Broderick Jones and Sedrick Van Pran have been committed for a while — Jones since April 2018 and Van Pran since last August. But after former offensive line coach Sam Pittman left to take the head coaching job at Arkansas, it was speculated these two might explore other options.

Jones, a five-star prospect ranked as the No. 2 offensive tackle recruit in the country, visited Arkansas and Illinois in January. He also was rumored to be taking a visit to Auburn last weekend but ended up not making the trip.

In his most recent tweet from Jan. 27, he thanked the Georgia staff after an official visit to Athens and ended his post with “#stillcommitted.”

Van Pran, meanwhile, has taken visits to Alabama and Florida since the early signing period. The top-rated center recruit in the 2020 class also visited Athens the same weekend as Jones.

Both Van Pran and Jones still seem to be strongly committed to the Bulldogs. However, it won’t be official until both put pen to paper on Wednesday.

This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 1:39 PM.