In wake of Kirby Smart's time constraints, Bulldogs finish strong

ATHENS -- He'd only been on the job for a couple of months. It was his duty as his alma mater's head coach to not only keep his recruiting class intact, but to bring in new players in such a short period of time.

The well-respected coach did everything he could to do so and even made a couple of splashes down the stretch. Even so, it wasn't a class that drew a ton of attention, considering the turmoil his team went through during the transition phase.

The year was 2015, and his name is Jim Harbaugh. His recruiting class finished 37th in the nation, according to the 247Sports.com composite.

The first recruiting class is often difficult for a new head coach. While Georgia head coach Kirby Smart went through the same predicament, he did a great job to keep long-committed members Jacob Eason, Ben Cleveland and Julian Rochester in this class. He was then able to add a few big-name players during the past couple of months (Isaac Nauta, Mecole Hardman). He flipped Tyler Simmons from Alabama and David Marshall from Auburn. But he also lost out on a pair of in-state studs in E.J. Price (Southern Cal) and Derrick Brown (Auburn).

At the end of the 2016 edition of National Signing Day, Georgia finished with the ninth-best class in the country. Considering Smart and his staff didn't have their minds fully focused on Georgia until a day after Alabama's national championship win over Clemson, that's quite the accomplishment.

"When you really look at things, Kirby's been hired since the first of December," Georgia 247Sports.com recruiting analyst Rusty Mansell said. "The first time they got together as staff was the first Tuesday after the national championship. Recruiting is about relationships. To do what they did and keep what they had and make decisions on the commit list, when people see what they did, is outstanding, to be honest with you."

Losing Price appeared to be the bigger blow than having Brown commit elsewhere, according to Mansell. Even without Brown, the Bulldogs were able to land Rochester, Marshall, Michail Carter and Tyler Clark on the defensive line, which makes it an exceptional class at the position.

Not getting Price hurts because Georgia now appears thin at offensive tackle. Offensive lineman Solomon Kindley is likely a guard and Chris Barnes also has a good shot at playing an interior position. That leaves Ben Cleveland as the only true tackle in this class, to go along with the players Georgia has returning.

As a result, Smart made it clear that offensive tackle will be a priority for the class of 2017.

"What's the number one need going into 2017? Offensive tackles are what we need," Smart said. "That's the most deficient area on our front. I think if you combed the country and asked every SEC coach, he's going to say we're most deficient at offensive tackle."

While Eason is the star of this recruiting class, Hardman could prove to be a difference-maker early in his career. A potential two-way player at Georgia, Mansell compared Hardman to Carolina Panthers receiver Ted Ginn Jr. offensively and Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Brandon Boykin, a former Georgia player, defensively.

Georgia has an immediate need at receiver, and Hardman very well could factor there as a freshman.

"You look at Mecole, he's more of a natural wide receiver than a corner because he's played more of it," Mansell said. "He's played more with the ball in his hand. The rest of his life and what he'll do with finances, cornerback is best long term. But I do think Mecole could go to the NFL and play wide receiver."

After signing five freshman receivers a year ago, Georgia brought in Hardman, Simmons, Javon Wims and Riley Ridley at the position. Charlie Woerner is a bit of a tweener prospect at receiver and tight end, and the Bulldogs are listing him as a tight end in this class.

Smart believes Georgia should have enough quality players to fight for playing time at the position.

"Let's hope that they at least increase the competition in that room," Smart said. "If you increase competition, sometimes you increase production, and that's what we're hoping."

Two sleepers in this class, according to Mansell, are Simmons and Peach County cornerback Tyrique McGhee. Mansell believes both players are underrated at their three-star tags. He said Simmons received a three-star ranking because he wasn't able to develop before transferring from New Manchester to McEachern.

As for McGhee, what hurt him was a foot injury that prevented from participating in the camp circuit after his junior year. When Peach County faced Calhoun in the playoffs last season, Calhoun coaches called Mansell and asked where McGhee was ranked. The Calhoun coaches were apparently shocked when told he was a three-star player.

"I think people are very much sleeping on him," Mansell said. "He comes from a tough place and plays hard."

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 7:53 PM with the headline "In wake of Kirby Smart's time constraints, Bulldogs finish strong ."