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2012 Signing Class

FOR ADVERTISING OR TO SUBSCRIBE: 1-877-456-4624

www.bulldawgillustrated.com

Cha Cha Cha Publishing Inc.

Editor Vance Leavy

Editorial & Ad DirectorCheri Leavy

Sports GuruJeff Dantzler

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SportsMurray Poole

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Signing Class, February 28, 2012

From the editor : vance leavyWell after a several month layoff, it sure is nice to be sitting in front of my

laptop again putting the final touches to another issue of BI. This one is some-what special because it’s the first issue of our tenth year of covering our num-ber one passion … Georgia football and its fan base. And I’m happy to reportthat the issue delivers with plenty of insight about the team. And, of course,we’ve captured some fun photos of great Bulldog backers showing their pridefor old UGA.

In case you missed it, Coach Richt and his staff garnered another solidgroup of young man who have committed to continuing their football careersat Georgia. Here at BI, we’ve always taken a little different approach to the re-cruiting hoopla that has become such a massive part of college football. Ratherthan releasing our issue right after Signing Day, we prefer to let the dust settlein order to have the opportunity to learn a littlemore about a few of the members of the signingclass.

But rather than talking to the student-ath-lete himself, we go to the foundation, the parentor guardian who has guided the young man tothis point in his life. Our questions go beyondthe playing field because we like to remindeveryone that these great athletes are also youngmen who are trying to figure out their next stepsthrough life like all 17-year-olds.

Beginning on page 12, enjoy Murray Poole’sconversations with six of our new signees par-ents. From learning that several of these newBulldogs have given their mother flowers as a thank you to a couple of themenjoying watching Pokéman and Pocahontas, the interviews are always en-joyable and a reminder that Coach Richt and crew always land quality youngmen, first and foremost.

Three of the 2012 class are already enrolled at Georgia and are picturedon our cover. I went with the Ring Team? tagline because I heard it men-tioned on ESPN’s coverage on Signing Day. And I don’t know about you, butI kind of like that the class coming behind last year’s Dream Team has suchhigh aspirations.

In his column space on page 5, Murray Poole goes one on one withKeith Marshall, who is one of the early enrollees. The running back fromRaleigh, North Carolina came to Athens with tons of accolades on the foot-

ball field, but those are equaled by his prowess in theclassroom and his community. And oh by the way, theyoungster can fly, just ask UGA receiver Malcolm Mitchell,who Marshall beat in a couple of sprint races during hisfirst week on campus.

Our Signing Day coverage is also highlighted by JeffDantzler’s take on page 4 and Carlton DeVooght’s on pages8 and 9. Both JD and Carlton are very pleased with thisyear’s class. It was extremely high on quality, despite beingsmall in total size. But that does leave our staff the abilityto pick up a few more in the coming months and have the

opportunity to land a mega class in 2013, which most gurus are saying is thedeepest in decades as far as top, talented players coming out of the state ofGeorgia. Also, don’t miss our photos from Signing Day on page 9 and someof the Bulldog Nation’s comments on the 2012 class.

The rest of this issue contains photos from two events that occurred re-cently that represents the success of individuals that are alumni and backersof the University of Georgia.

On page 6, check out this year’s class of the Bulldog 100. The event puton by the UGA Alumni Association recognizes the fastest growing businessesthat are owned or operated by UGA Alumni. It’s always fun to see the pridein these folks’ faces at this event. Not only are they proud of their company’ssuccess, but also of their university for producing so many bright individu-

als. And then on page 10, don’t miss our pho-

tos from the athletic association’s EndowmentLuncheon. Without question, this is one ofCheri and my favorite events of the year. Oncea year, anyone who has endowed an athleticscholarship is invited to Athens to enjoy lunchwith the student-athlete who is the direct re-cipient of the generous donation. This year wesat with several members of the football team,a cheerleader and a freshman on the men’s ten-nis team (pictured on this page). Listening tothe chatter at the table certainly makes you sovery proud of the student-athletes at Georgia.

Not only were their manners impeccable, their interests beyond sports werefascinating. Two football players at our table played the guitar. Our cheerleaderwas zeroing in on her future of becoming a PA. What a pleasure to share alunch with such a crew of bright youngsters, who are on the verge of beingquality adults.

Ok, enough of the mushy stuff … back to football. With the 2012 Signing Class in the books, the UGA team will begin

spring practice in the coming weeks. And I loved hearing that Coach Richt iscommitted to putting the best football players on the field at all times. This isa long time coming in my opinion. You can’t fault Richt for wanting to playas many players as possible like he’s done in his 11 years. But we all know howfine the line is when trying to win the SEC and playing for the national cham-pionship.

Gotta go now. I’ll leave you with two items though. First, get to Athens in the coming weeks and months to support the

other UGA athletic teams. If you went to UGA, then you know there’s noth-ing better than Athens in the spring. Bring your family, support a UGA teamand indulge in one of the many awesome eateries in town.

Finally, I leave you echoing what Tavarres King said about the 2012 sea-son. “There’s no goal too high for our team this year.” Now if that doesn’t getyou fired up, then shame on you.

See you at the G-Day game on April 14.Go Dawgs

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Future championships are largelywon in February. There is the constantargument of recruiting vs. development,but it’s a flawed one. It takes both to winat the highest levels. Alabama, whichhas won two of the last three nationalchampionships, has accrued and culti-vated great talent. The Crimson Tide’slast five recruiting classes have beenranked No. 1, No. 1, No. 3, No. 2 andNo. 1 nationally.

You’ve got to have the horses. Georgia is blessed to be in a state

that produces high-end prep talent. Andlots of it. In fact, according toRivals.com, well respected recruitingweb site, the Peach State has producedthe third most four and five star (thebluest of the blue chippers) prospects inthe nation over the past five years. Get-ting their fair share, and even more thantheir fair share of the state’s best prep tal-ent, is the recipe for autumn gridirongreatness.

Build from the state, supplementwith high-end out-of-staters.

Though it wasn’t a grand slam,Georgia’s widely acclaimed recruitingclass of 2011, was considered one of thenations’ best because a majority of thestate’s elite players picked Georgia. TheBulldogs haul of 26 players featured 19from within the state’s borders. Thatclass was ranked fifth nationally. Thirdin the Southeastern Conference.

As a quick aside, this is a statisticallesson that I hope most SEC fans havelearned. A top ten class in this leaguemay place you fifth in this league. If youdon’t consistently have top flight classes,you won’t contend. It’s the ultimatekeeping up with the Joneses. How elsedo you explain the six straight nationaltitles and consistently pumping out themost NFL players? It’s the ultimate re-load.

Back to the state and Georgia’s classof 2012: Per Capita, excellent. Num-bers, disappointing.

What Georgia got was very good.The Bulldogs haul of 19 players was ex-cellent. But the Bulldogs could havepulled in at least seven more and didnot. With the February dismissal ofthree second year players, the Bulldogshave 75 players on scholarship whowere signed out of high school or trans-fers.

That’s ten below the minimum.That’s a self-induced probation.

According to Rivals.com, there were24 players who were four/five star play-ers in the Peach State this year.

The Bulldogs signed six. The Bulldogs must do better. And the Georgia coaching staff will

be the first to tell you so. Now the Bulldogs did an excellent

job of pulling in some elite out of stateprospects, highlighted by North Car-olina tailback Keith Marshall, an earlyenrollee, and Jacksonville offensivetackle John Theus. Georgia also did anexcellent job of pulling in some of thebest in-state prospects, such as outsidelinebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons, line-backer/defensive end Jordan Jenkins anddefensive tackle Johnathan Taylor.

Georgia’s 2012 crop of 19 playersfeatured 11 from the state.

Amongst those 11 in-state prospectsis a quartet of “three-star” signees whocould very well turn into standouts.

John Atkins, a massive defensivetackle from Thomson, Moultrie tight endTy Smith, Blackshear fullback QuayvonHicks and wide receiver Blake Tibbs ofAtlanta weren’t considered to be eliteprospects. But all are good players whocommitted early and badly wanted to beat Georgia.

Jenkins, Taylor and Harvey-Clemons are at the top of the list of de-fensive heir apparent(s) in this season’sclass. That’s the young standouts fillingbackup roles and playing on specialteams ready to step in the following yearwhen upper class stars depart for theNFL. And as good as this season’s de-fense should be, a vast majority of Geor-gia’s starters will be moving on.

On field success and recruiting is achicken or the egg argument, but theygo hand-in-hand.

At LSU, Nick Saban and Les Milessecured that talented state’s borders andthe Tigers started and continued win-ning big.

The Bayou Bengals have played inthe BCS Championship Game threetimes in the past nine seasons. If LSUcan do it, Georgia can do it.

Now the Tigers have no legitimatein-state recruiting foe. Georgia doeshave Tech, but more menacing is theproximity of several of the Dogs top ri-vals to the Peach State’s borders. Whichis why recent recruiting triumphs thepast two years in places like Valdosta,Columbus and Thomasville has been ex-tremely important. After all, Gainesville,Auburn and Tallahassee are closer tothese hotbeds than America’s greatestcollege town Athens, Ga. Even with thegeography, UGA is the majority party ofevery county in the state. And with thatflag planted firmly and the enormousshadow this great university casts, con-trolling the state is within the Bulldogspower.

This coming season is a very impor-tant one. Georgia has a highly manage-able schedule and a great deal of talentreturning. A record superior to last sea-son’s 10-2 mark through the first 12games and a return to Atlanta is ex-pected. If the Bulldogs achieve this andwin the SEC Championship Game, adate in the BCS Championship Gamewould be on the agenda.

And the top two prospects in thenation for next season at this point arePeach State products.

Alabama won the national title andfollowed it up with the country’s topclass.

Georgia can do that this season. It’s the chicken and the egg.It’s taking advantage of a talented

team and huge schedule break. It’s getting the best of the best in this

state and adding in elite out-of-staters. It’s having a superb class, like Bama

and LSU have done, a “dream team,”every year.

It’s daring to be great.

It’s daring to be great

jeff dantzler

www.bulldawgillustrated.com 5

A burner already enrolled in UGA classesYou watch his high school video tape and

shake your head.Because on that video, No. 4, Keith Mar-

shall of Millbrook High in Raleigh, N.C., makesall of the rest of the players on the field appear likethey’re running in slow motion.

Yes indeed, the Georgia Bulldogs now al-ready have a tailback in school who can run fast… very fast!

In fact, if the 4.22 seconds in the 40-yarddash that Marshall said he was clocked at hishigh school is accurate, Mark Richt, Mike Boboand the Georgia staff will dress out a player inSanford Stadium who belongs in the world-classspeed category. Yes, right there in the same speedzone that guys like Herschel Walker and Bo Jack-son were in.

And the Bulldogs are not only getting a five-star rated football player who can turn on the jetsin the open field but they’re also getting a verysmart football player. In fact, Marshall’s GPAwhen he finished his high school work at Mill-brook in December and then enrolled at UGA inJanuary was 4.31, thereby joining a rare runningback club that has a higher class-room averagethan a 40 time on the track. He was also a mem-ber of the National Honor Society.

And before he’s logged a single carry atGeorgia, Marshall has already begun picking upadditional honors off the playing field. In Los An-geles recently, Marshall won the Watkins Award,which goes to a top high school scholar-athlete aspresented by The National Alliance of AfricanAmerican Athletes. The coveted award is given toyoung, talented African-American athletes who,“by their example, help promote high academicstandards and a commitment to communityservice.”

Keith Marshall was undoubtedly thecherry on top of the Bulldogs’ solid 2012 re-cruiting class. Ranked as the No. 1 running backin the nation by Scout.com, he joins Bolles of-fensive tackle John Theus, Harris County out-side linebacker Jordan Jenkins and Lowndesoutside linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons as theonly five-star rated players in the class. The 5-11,now 201-pound Marshall rushed for 4,552yards in his prep career and also scored 332points. As a senior, Marshall rushed for 1,891yards and 25 touchdowns. Marshall was also the100-meter champion in the AAAA state meet.

But despite his eye-popping prep creden-tials, the low-key Marshall isn’t making any boldstatements as to what he’s going to do in the redjersey of the Georgia Bulldogs. Yes, Marshall isconfident in his abilities but as a guy who’s just at-tending classes at UGA and going through theoff-season conditioning program in attemptingto get ready for the start of spring drills on March20, he said he’s simply trying to transition tobeing a college student at the moment.

“It’s been a new experience here of coursebut I’m adjusting well,” said Marshall. “Enrollingearly like I did and getting a head start, I’m ableto get myself acclimated to college life before theseason and all that stuff and, physically, I can getmy body ready to compete.”

Marshall said he’s not overly concernedabout meeting the high expectations the BulldogNation has of him. “That’s why you have team-mates and coaches and everything so I’m not re-ally worried about all that,” he said. “Like I say, Iwork hard and take care of what I can do,”adding his goal for the upcoming spring prac-tice is “to just learn the playbook and compete.”

And yes, Marshall knows he has to com-pete for the tailback job with a guy named IsaiahCrowell, who despite some obvious bumps inthe road, did win the SEC Freshman of the Yearaward while running for 847 yards this past sea-son.

“A lot of people ask me why would I comehere with Isaiah, because obviously he’s a greatplayer but I think that will make me better,” Mar-shall declared. “You have to compete every dayif you want to play. That will make him betterand make me better, too. I talked to him the daybefore I committed just to see what he thoughtabout everything and he was supportive ineverything. Isaiah’s a real cool guy. Like I said, he’sa great player and I think he can make me bet-ter and hopefully I can make him better and wecan feed off each other and the other runningbacks, too.”

Marshall said he chose Georgia over count-less other schools because of the fact he’s closelyfollowed the great tailback history of the Bull-dogs and, well, because he just liked Georgiafootball early on.

“I know a lot about the history of runningbacks, not just here but everywhere,” Marshall

related. “Obviously Herschel, but I could namea lot of running backs here. I haven’t seen a lot oftape on Herschel but I have the documentary onhim in my room so I’ve watched it.”

Being from ACC country in North Carolina,did the fact he’ll be playing in the top-rated leaguein the land, the SEC, also play a factor in Marshallsigning with the Bulldogs?

“I don’t know if it was the SEC, I’ve just likeGeorgia since I was young and Coach Richt, Iwant to play for him,” he said. “I liked Know-shon Moreno when I was in middle school andwhen he played that game against Hawaii (41-10win in 2009 Sugar Bowl), ever since then Iwanted to come here.”

Oh, and back to that blazing speed Mar-shall will bring to the UGA running back table.“The fastest I’ve ever been timed in the 40 was a4.22 at my school,” he said. “I also ran a 4.25 ata college camp.”

Well, apparently, some of Marshall’s newGeorgia teammates wanted to get an early glanceat that speed out on the Woodruff practice fields.So, several of the Bulldogs set up a little race be-tween Marshall and Georgia’s ultra-talentedfreshman wide receiver of 2011, MalcolmMitchell, who is regarded as one of the fastestguys on the football team. After Mitchell nippedMarshall in the 40-yard dash on their first try, thenewest Bulldog snapped back to beat Mitchell intheir next two races.

“We were just throwing routes and I guessthey got talking about who’s the fastest personand then we just raced,” Marshall recalled. “It washis idea actually; I’ve heard people say I chal-lenged him but it was nothing like that. The firsttime I’m not going to talk about,” he laughed,then acknowledged that he did nip Mitchell inthe next two races. “All the guys thought he wasgoing to win so it was kind of a cool feeling (tobeat him) but we’re teammates and it wasn’t abig deal to me,” he said.

Marshall is especially pleased he’ll be joinedin Athens by his close friend and the other toprunning back from North Carolina, Todd Gurley.“I think he’s a great player and he’s a big guy, he’sbigger than me, probably 210 or something,”said Marshall. “I think we’re a little bit different; Ithink I’m faster and he’s more between the tack-les right now but I think we can complementeach other well.”

Georgia running backs coach Bryan Mc-Clendon has stated that Marshall not only hasthe great speed to break runs to the outside butis plenty strong enough to get the yards fromtackle to tackle as well. “When I went to seeKeith, I saw this guy who had 25 runs and 21were between the tackles,” said McClendon. “Heended up with almost 200 yards. What I've seen,he came in at 199 pounds, which obviously isgreat with the speed and everything else he has.I think he's an every-down back who can doeverything we're going to ask him to do.”

All Georgia head coach Richt knows is thatthe Bulldogs are very fortunate to sign such highcaliber backs as Marshall and Gurley in the samerecruiting year. “To get the top two players (run-ning backs) from any state is very difficult, butthese two guys – who happen to be very goodfriends – are also very high-character youngmen," Richt said. "They're extremely talented andboth are already physical enough to play thisgame, plus they're highly motivated.”

For a Bulldog Nation salivating at thethoughts of seeing Marshall and yes, Gurley too,the Sept. 1, 2012 season kickoff against Buffalocan’t come soon enough.

poole shotsBy Murray Poole

6 Bulldawg Illustrated

2012 Bulldog 100 rankings

Cara and Jeremy Fort, Jason Fort, Jayne and Ken Fort, Brad and April Beem

Patsy andTommyBryan,

Claire andThomas

Bryan andMaggieBryan

Bryan and Kristen Turner and Lauren and Nick Schkabla Byron and Kreslyn Odum Brooks and Sabrina and Chad Collins

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Susan and Stewart Brookes Danny Brown and Tommy Bryan Umang Patel and Vikash Patel

Tina Kukanza, Harriette and Robin Bohannon

Svein Oie, Kay Brown, Dana Strickland Shannon Lambe, Anthony Moore andRyan Barrow

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Debbie and Jim Garrett and Tim Chapman

Frank Eldridge, Cindy Robinett and Kathy andCliff McCurry

Marie Lillie Chamberlain and Andy Garrison

Hal and Vicki Beaver and Scott and ErinBeaver

Judge Steve Jones and Tim Keadle Payson Comer and Steve Howard Erin and Mike Griffin

UGA Alumni AssociationBulldog 100

Atlanta

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March 31, 2012The Morgan Center, Jekyll Island

The final event of the 2011-2012 Music & Merlot Concert Series on Jekyll Island will feature an upbeat evening of beautiful harmony with the UGA Accidentals. The UGA Accidentals, an a cappella ensemble at the University of Georgia has been a glee club tradition for over 30 years!

The annual Music & Merlot Concert Series is produced by the Jekyll Island Authority, the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, and the Jekyll Island Art Association to benefit the Jekyll Island Foundation.

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Ready, set, crawl!Recognized as one of the most scenic triathlons on the East Coast, this USAT-sanctioned event includes Olympic Distance, Sprint Distance, and 5K/10K Run. With so many options, there is something for athletes of every skill level. At the finish line, celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center at Nest Fest! Enjoy educational activities and exhibits culminating with the release of reha-bilitated sea turtle. The Jekyll Island Turtle Crawl benefits the conservation efforts of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.

GREAT DUNES PARK MAY 19, 2012 JEKYLL ISLAND, GA

The 2012 Jekyll Island Turtle Crawl Triathlon is produced by Set-up Events as part of their inaugural Georgia series. For

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Last year’s recruiting class was nicknamed the“Dream Team”. This year, Georgia signed a classthat is smaller on numbers but just as big on tal-ent. Georgia’s 2012 class of signees is filled withblue chip athletes from all over the country. Thisgroup of young men, which is ranked as a top 10class nationally by most recruiting services is fullof athletes at every position. Many of these youngmen will be given the opportunity to earn earlyplaying time with the Bulldogs. They have alsobegun helping to recruit more blue chip talent for2013 class. Here are the newest Bull Pups, start-ing with my favorites, the Big Uglies.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

John Atkins, Thomson High School, Thomson, Georgia (6’4”, 300 lbs.)Atkins is the epitome of an athletic big man. One of my favorite pictures dur-ing last years recruiting season was Atkins lined up as a Goalie for the soc-cer team at Thomson High School. Atkins showed his versatility in the UnderArmor All-Star game, where he lined up at Offensive Guard. This three starathlete explodes off the ball with a powerful punch upon initial contact. Lookfor Atkins to be given every opportunity earn some playing time this fall onthe Defensive Line for the Bulldogs. He chose the Bulldogs over offers fromAlabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State and many other power-house programs.

Jonathan Taylor, Jenkins County High School, Millen, Georgia (6’4”, 315lbs.) All Jonathan Taylor does is dominate opposing Offensive Linemen.This four star athlete is one of the top five Defensive Tackle prospects in thecounty and one of the top five players in the state of Georgia this year. Inthe Under Armor All-Star Game, Taylor drew multiple double teams, but wasstill able to get penetration at the line of scrimmage. Former NFL coach,Herm Edwards singled out Taylor’s play during the Under Armor practices.Taylor picked the home state Bulldogs over offers from top programs acrossthe country. Just like Atkins, Taylor will be given the opportunity to see thefield early next year.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Mark Beard, Coffeyville Community College, Coffeeville, Kansas (6’4”, 300lbs.) Originally from the State of Alabama, Mark Beard was one of the topOffensive Linemen in Junior College football last year. As a Junior Collegetransfer, Beard was able to enroll early and is already in Athens partakingin off-season conditioning with the rest of the team. The Bulldog coacheswill give Beard a look at both Offensive Tackle positions, but this young manis willing to play wherever the team needs him. Beard had offers from allover the country, and looks to earn early playing time next year on the of-fensive line. He will have three years of eligibility left as a part of CoachFriend’s offensive line.

Greg Pyke, Boys Latin School, Baltimore, Maryland, (6’6”, 315 lbs) Pyke isone of the most intriguing commitments in this year’s class. Besides beinga road grader on the gridiron, this young man is also an attacker on his highschool’s Lacrosse team. For those who know Lacrosse, Boys Latin Schoolfrom Baltimore is one of the best Lacrosse teams across the county. For aman his size to play such a position on the lacrosse field, he has to have greatfootwork and athleticism. Coach Friend has indicated that Pyke will likelystart out at Guard, which should make opposing defensive coordinators havenightmares. A man of his size, with his footwork as a lead blocker for aRunning Back will wreak havoc on opposing defenses in the SEC. Pykechose the Bulldogs over offers from Louisville, the home state Terps, Michi-gan State, Penn State, Virginia, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

John Theus, the Bolles School, Jacksonville, Florida (6’6”, 300 lbs.) Theusis a five-star prospect at Offensive Tackle. He is also one the top three over-all players coming out of the Sunshine State this year and one of the top fiveOffensive Tackles in the country. In my opinion, Theus is the best Offen-sive Tackle prospect in the country. This young man had offers from all ofthe elite across the county. Theus will immediately be in contention for astarting position at Tackle. He will join his older brother, Nathan, a LongSnapper on the Bulldogs’ roster. Theus is a well-mannered young man whouses his frame, footwork and long arms to dominate opposing defenders.Barring an unforeseen issue, look for Theus to start opening day for theBulldogs on the offensive line.

DEFENSIVE END

Josh Dawson, Tucker High School, Tucker, Georgia (6’4”, 225 lbs.) Daw-son was a real surprise for the Bulldogs late in the recruiting year. Originallycommitted to Vanderbilt, Dawson changed his pledge just a few days be-fore signing day. This four star prospect is ranked as one of the top 20Weak-Side Defensive Ends in the country. Dawson will likely start out atOutside Linebacker in Coach Grantham’s 3-4 system. At Outside Linebacker,Dawson can use his speed (4.6/40) in both coverage and as a pass rusher.Besides being a top-flight player, Dawson is also an excellent student. TheBulldog coaches clearly pulled a coup in getting Dawson to switch his com-mitment.

James Deloach, Jenkins County High School, Millen, Georgia (6’3”, 260 lbs.)Deloach and his teammate Jonathan Taylor both want to make their home-town of Millen, Georgia proud when they suit up for the Bulldogs. This threestar prospect will be given a look first at Outside Linebacker, but will likely lineup at Defensive End in Coach Grantham’s 3-4 system. Look for Deloach to takea year in the strength and conditioning program and then push for significantplaying time at Defensive End in 2013.

Leonard Floyd, Dodge County High School, Eastman, Georgia (6’4”, 217 lbs.)Floyd has great size and an incredible wingspan that will help him to closepassing lanes for opposing Quarterbacks. This four star prospect is ranked asone of the top 12 players in the State of Georgia and one of the top 13 Weak-Side Defensive Ends in the entire country. He was also ranked as the 177thtop overall player in the country. Floyd committed to the Bulldogs on April 29,2011 over offers from Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and many others.Floyd will be given an opportunity to see the field early, but he may need a yearto bulk up before seeing significant time. He could also get early playing timeon special teams next year. Look for him to grow into a true force at OutsideLinebacker.

Jordan Jenkins, Harris County High School, Hamilton, Georgia (6’3”, 245lbs.) Jenkins is a dominating prospect on defense. He is ranked as one of thetop five Defensive Ends in the country and one of the top three overallprospects in the State of Georgia. He is also ranked as the 56th best overallplayer in the country this year. Jenkins uses his size and speed (4.6/40) towreak havoc on opposing offenses. Jenkins will be given an opportunity atboth Outside Linebacker positions as soon as he arrives on campus. If hedoes not earn a starting position outright, look for him to back up Jarvis Jones.Jenkins, an excellent student both in the classroom and on the gridiron, is ex-cited for the opportunity to work with a dominating player like Jones. He waslong thought to be favoring the Crimson Tide, but Coach Grantham won overJenkins and his family. I cannot wait to see Jenkins between the Hedges.

TIGHT END

Ty Smith, Colquitt County High School, Moultrie, Georgia (6’3”, 228 lbs.) It’snot often that a Tight End is the Region Offensive Player of the Year. Smithhad a great senior campaign and earned this honor for his region last year.One of the Top 10 Tight Ends in the entire Country, Smith is better than hispress clippings might indicate. Although he has not been heralded to thesame extent as Orson Charles was, his play has drawn comparisons to the Bull-dog former standout. He runs very good routes and is a tough match up forlinebackers because of his speed. Look for Smith to push for early playing timenext year.

DEFENSIVE BACK

Sheldon Dawson, Ridgeway High School, Memphis, Tennessee (5’11”, 175lbs.) Dawson committed to the Bulldogs very late in the process, having beenpreviously committed to the hometown Memphis Tigers. Dawson had a num-ber of offers from top programs across the South, but in the end chose tosign with the Bulldogs. Listed as an “Athlete” by most recruiting agencies,Dawson is slated to play Cornerback for the Bulldogs. He will also be givenan opportunity on special teams. The Bulldogs may still add another Corner-back to this class from the Junior College ranks, but at this point Dawson isthe only signee at Defensive Back.

WIDE RECEIVER

Blake Tibbs, Martin Luther King High School, Lithonia, Georgia (6’2”, 190lbs.) Tibbs had a very impressive senior campaign. He is an electric playmakeron both sides of the ball and on special teams. He came up big in big games,including nine catches for 166 yards and five total touchdowns in a regular sea-son matchup against powerhouse Stephenson for the Region Championship.With the deep receiving pool in Athens, Tibbs may need to redshirt a year towork on routes and get a little bigger and stronger to handle the physical Cor-nerbacks in the SEC. He will be given an opportunity to see the field early, andmy guess is he makes the most of that opportunity.

LINEBACKER

Josh Harvey-Clemons, Lowndes High School, Valdosta, Georgia (6’5”, 208lbs.) Harvey-Clemons was the top ranked player in the State of Georgia lastyear, a five star prospect and ranked as one of the top two overall “Athletes”in the country. He was also ranked as the 31st best overall player in the UnitedStates. Harvey-Clemons committed to the Bulldogs on signing day and wasthe crowning jewel of this year’s class. It is likely that he will be given his ini-tial opportunity to see the field at Outside Linebacker. Harvey-Clemons andJenkins could be a dominating duo at Outside Linebacker for years to comefor the Bulldogs. While there was some drama surrounding Harvey-Clemons’commitment and subsequent signing of his letter of intent, everything workedout according to this young man’s wishes and he is now a future Bulldog. Thisyoung man is a human missile who makes great plays in space. He is goingto make many great plays in the future between the Hedges.

QUARTERBACK

Faton Bauta, Dwyer High School, West Palm Beach, Florida (6’3”, 225 lbs.)

Bauta is a dual threat Quarterback who really came on strong his senior sea-son after moving to West Palm Beach, Florida. His size, speed (4.5/40) andfootwork have drawn comparisons to former Gator quarterback, Tim Tebow.While Bauta appreciates the comparisons, he recognizes that he has a lot toprove before those comparisons should be drawn. Bauta had offers frompowerhouse programs across the country, including Alabama, Florida, Miami,South Carolina and many others. While some programs felt he could line upat another position, the Bulldogs are committed to giving him an opportunityat Quarterback. Bauta is an early enrollee and is currently on campus inAthens.

RUNNING BACK

Todd Gurley, Tarboro High School, Tarboro, North Carolina (6’1”, 195 lbs.)Gurley came on strong his senior year. In fact, as the season went on, he be-came even more dominating. This four star athlete is ranked as one of thetop three overall players in the State of North Carolina and one the top 5 over-all Running Backs in the country. He was dominating in post season all-stargames, putting on a clinic at the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. He was virtu-ally unstoppable in that game. Based upon his senior campaign and his dom-inating performance in the all-star games, Gurley made the largest jump inrankings history, jumping from outside the top 250 to the number 42 playeroverall in the country. He and his fellow running back signees will all push forimmediate playing time when they arrive in Athens. This group of RunningBacks was also the top overall Running Back class in the country.

Quayvon Hicks, Pierce County High School, Blackshear, Georgia (6’2”, 245lbs.) Hicks is a bruising Fullback from South Georgia. He played Linebackerin High School, but was recruited by the Bulldogs to line up at Fullback. Hehas the size and speed to be a punishing lead blocker for whomever the Bull-dogs line up behind him. Ranked as one of the top two overall Fullbacks inthe country, Hicks is also a natural born leader and an excellent student. Hickswill be given an opportunity for early playing time at Fullback and on SpecialTeams when he arrives in Athens. Hicks chose the Bulldogs over offers fromGeorgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, Tennessee and many others. He loves to playsmash mouth football and I believe he will punish opposing Linebackers dur-ing his years in Athens.

Keith Marshall, Millbrook high School, Raleigh, North Carolina (5’11”, 200lbs.) The Bulldogs struck gold twice in the State of North Carolina this year atRunning Back. Gurley and Marshall were the number 3 and number 4 playerin the State of North Carolina this year. Marshall was ranked as the top all-pur-pose Running Back in the country, as well as the number 48 overall rankedplayer in the country. Marshall is an early enrollee, and has already demon-strated his speed in foot races against other current Bulldogs. Until Marshallarrived in Athens, Malcolm Mitchell was believed to be the fastest Bulldog onthe football team. Marshall won two out of three head-to-head races withMitchell and currently owns that title. While he’s listed as an all-purpose backand does have elusive speed, Marshall showed that he could finish runs at theUnder Armor game. During that all-star game, he demonstrated a more phys-ical style of running, knocking more than one opposing player on his duff.Look for Gurley, Marshall, and Hicks to push the other current Bulldog runningbacks to return Georgia to its status as “Tailback U”.

KICKERS

Collin Barber (6’2”, 191) Cartersville HS, Cartersville, GA Barber is considerthe top punter in the state of Georgia this year. With the departure of starterDrew Butler, the Bulldogs knew punter was a point of need in this recruitingclass. Barber has a strong leg, recording over 80% of his kick offs as touch-backs last year. He also has shown the ability to get 5 plus second hang timeon punts, which can help the Dawgs control the field position game. Barberwas being pursued by Alabama and Clemson, amongst others, but shut hisrecruitment down when Coach Richt offered him a scholarship.

Marshall Morgan (6’3”, 195) American Heritage HS, Miami, FL Place kickerwas also a need in this year’s class, and the Bulldogs landed an excellent one.Morgan has been the top kicker in the Sunshine State his last three years ofhigh school. He combines accuracy and a booming leg, and is one of the topkicking recruits in the country. In fact, Bulldog recruiting conspiracy theoristswill love the fact that he was the top ranked kicker by most analysts until hecommitted to the Bulldogs. Tim Conrad, owner of BIGFoot kicking camps andconsider the top high school kicking coach in the country says Morgan is thebest he has ever worked with. Morgan also loves to tackle, unlike most kick-ers. He often tried to sneak into tackling drills in high school, only to be re-moved by his coaches. Morgan has offers from FSU, Florida, VA Tech andmany others.\

There is still a chance that the Bulldogs will sign one or two more prospectsfrom the Junior College ranks in the very near future. Right now, it looks likethe Bulldogs are in the running to sign Mario Alford, a cornerback from Geor-gia Military College sometime this spring. The Bulldogs are also looking at acouple of Junior College offensive linemen. While none of this may pan out,Georgia fans should be pleased with the amount of talent in this class. Whatthis class may lack in numbers, it certainly makes up for with firepower andattitude. All of these players are coming in determined to help get Georgiaback to the SEC Championship Game and on to a National Championship.

Carlton DeVooght

John Atkins Collin Barber Faton Bauta Mark Beard Josh Dawson Sheldon Dawson James Deloach Leonard Floyd Todd Gurley

Josh Harvey-Clemons

Quayvon Hicks

Jordan Jenkins

Keith Marshall

Marshall Morgan

Greg Pyke

Ty Smith

Jonathan Taylor

John Theus

Blake Tibbs

A look at Georgia’s well-rounded 2012 signing class

Fan comments and photos from Signing Day “I’m really happy we got Josh Harvey-Clemons. That makes upfor losing (Cordarrelle) Patterson (junior college wide receiverwho signed with Tennessee) this morning. I’m pretty excited tobe able to come down to the Blind Pig this morning – it’s really agreat atmosphere with all the UGA fans here. Of course, I wishwe had gotten Avery Young (offensive tackle from PompanoBeach, Fla. who chose Auburn). He would have been the cherryon top of this class.”

- Woodrow Ware III of Athens

“I feel good about our class; it fills our needs. I knew it would bea small class to start with but, like I say, it filled our needs. Wegot a punter and a kicker and added depth at linebacker and onthe offensive line. And I’m excited about getting Josh Harvey-Clemons. Getting what we need is the bottom line.”

- Scott White of Grayson

“There’s a few guys left to get but this is a solid class so far. Getting JoshHarvey-Clemons this morning was huge. Getting him away from FloridaState and Florida was big and I hope it means we’ve got that pipeline(from Valdosta and area) heading north now instead of south. Ofcourse, our offensive line is always a concern and I would have beenvery happy if we had gotten Avery Young but skill-wise, I think we’re ingood shape.”

- Tony Lewis of Athens

“I really hadn’t intended coming this year but I got excitedthinking we might get some good surprises today. And usgetting Jordan Jenkins (DE from Harris County) earlier mademe want to come to signing day. I think we filled a lot ofneeds with this class. It may not be that highly rated but wedid a good job filling the holes we had.”

- Woodrow Ware, Jr., from Aiken, S.C. who accompanied hisson to National Signing Day.

Hank Tumlin and Will Maxwell Greg Morris, Dennis Montgomery, Steve Daniel and LewisRogers

Stacy Bryant, Griffeth Bryant and Savannah LeighRichardson

Steve Brinson and Anthony Martin Carl Parks, Terry Allen and Greg Mautz Joel Harbin and Jonathan Milford

Andrew Ward, Pete Rems and Phillip Bell Greg Dement and Cal Holloway Chap Sweat, Nate Mooneyhan and James McGee

Jaron Solomon and Matt Baker Brandon Banks and Shad Kates

Becky and Mike Ray

Van Roe and David Brooks Bucky Jenkins and Murray Poole

Larry Quidley,

Cole Quidley

andJohn

Quidley

“I like this class. I think it filled our depth issues, addressed ourneeds on both sides of the ball. We got the running backs wewere looking for. I’m especially happy with what we have on thedefensive side of the ball and I think we’re going to have a reallygood team next year.”

- Matt Zorn of Roswell

“We got a solid class this year. Our coaches closed strong and Ithink it will be a top 10, maybe even a top five class. GettingHarvey-Clemons was a huge get for Georgia, what with Valdostabeing a pipeline for Tallahassee in the past. I think Mike Bobodid a great recruiting job down there this year.”

- Peter Birdsong of Athens

“We filled a lot of needs with this class. We got a lot of peoplethat we needed to get … Josh Harvey-Clemons, John Theus andJordan Jenkins. They’re all big guys who should be game chang-ers. We had to replace two kickers and we got two good ones(in Marshall Morgan, Collin Barber).”

- Tony Glass of Sugar Hill

“I think it’s a very good class, one that filled our needs. Ofcourse, not getting Avery Young hurts because we’re especiallythin on the offensive line. But getting two great running backs(Keith Marshall, Todd Gurley) adds depth behind (Isaiah) Crow-ell.”- - Matt Howell of Athens

“It looks like we’re getting another strong class – it will be a top10 class. But now, our coaches need to do something with them.If these players are that good, our coaches need to show usthey can coach them and win a championship.”

- Johnny Deaton of Loganville

“We got the No. 1 linebacker in Harvey-Clemons, and I thinkwe’re going all the way with this class. It’s looking great for fill-ing our needs and I think we’ll finish in the top five recruitingclasses.”

- Mike “Big Dawg” Woods of Colbert (he of the painted head)

10 Bulldawg Illustrated

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rior to the kickoff of the 2011 football season, Mark Richt cited his team’s being able tofinish better as one of the keys to Georgia’s chances of bouncing back from the dismal6-7 season of 2010 and once again becoming a bona fide contender for the SEC cham-pionship.

And, without question, the team’s first full season under the guidance of Directorof Strength and Conditioning Joe Tereshinski enabled the Bulldogs to be a stronger football team,both mentally and physically, and be able to put teams away when the game went on the line in thefourth quarter.

But, then, that journey from the depths of 2010 to becoming a championship team again did-n’t quite make it to the top of the mountain.

That said, it was hardly surprising when the UGA coaching staff brought back the infamous matdrills this winter … albeit a scaled-down version of the grueling before-daylight workouts.

Georgia’s first mat drill this season came in the early hours of the morning of Wednesday, Feb.15.

“It was a challenge getting the young guys ready for the mat drills, getting them the feel of itand show them what they would be doing,” said Robinson. “We get in there and we get warmedup and then it’s an hour of non-stop running, agilities and just team-building exercises.

“I think the matt drills are something special,” Robinson said. “I think it really helps build teamcamaraderie and helps you not rely on just yourself because there’s a lot of drills that you can do anddo well but, in the end, it’s about you and the guy next to you doing the best you can for the teamand I think that’s what mat drills are trying to accomplish. The upperclassmen really have a graspof it and it is just a different intensity that the younger guys have never seen before and don’t knowwhat to expect. It’s a growing process for them and helps the coaches to see who’s gonna fight throughor who’s gonna give up, and that’s the main thing mat drills are designed to do.”

“With the mat drills, I’ve been here five years, my fourth year doing them, so it was normal forme,” declared another of Georgia’s rising senior leaders, flanker Tavarres King. “Some guys reallystruggled with it the first day but that’s part of it; mat drills are implemented because they not onlybuild team character and a team bonding thing but team chemistry also. It makes you mentallytougher and a stronger person.”

As Robinson stated, Georgia’s way of doing things in the unglamorous days of off-season is acompletely new deal for the Bulldogs’ incoming freshman players.

“I think my role is to be an example to the younger guys,” Robinson said. “I have Keith Mar-shall and Faton Bauta (both early enrollees) in my workout group and just to be with some youngguys who are on the opposite end of the spectrum from where I came in and just showing them theropes, that’s what I’m trying to do. I feel like that maybe early on it took a while for me to find thoseguys but now I’m just starting now with these young guys and just being that brother figure that theydon’t have to be scared of and know I’m just there to help them get better. As a team leader, I feellike I just need to set the example, be first in everything and set the tone. I’m already helping thesetwo freshmen; early on, I had to pick up Keith and drop him off for class because he was lost. LikeI say, just being there for them and not having them scared of upperclassmen, I think that’s the mainthing. If you can build that connection between the young and the old, it helps your team be closer.”

“I’m basically just picking up where I left off last year and showing the young guys by exam-ple,” echoed King. “I’m just trying to do everything asked of me by my coaches and by my workethic, be an all-around leader which, to me, is a part of the total process.”

An average off-season work day, when there are no mat drills to cope with, begins with all theGeorgia players meeting in the “green room,” or multi-purpose room. “Coach T (Tereshinski) usu-

ally talks to us, makes sure everybody is tuned in,” said Robinson. “Then we get to stretching andgo through a dynamic warm-up and then we do our abs workout. Then we all hit the weight roomand start whatever we have that day, whether it’s upper body or lower body. Coach T takes us througha circuit and then at the end we either run outside, do sprints, do a practice run through the matdrills or do agility.”

The Bulldogs are split into groups in the afternoon workouts. Linebackers, running backs, tightends and quarterbacks are all in the two o’clock group, defensive backs and wide receivers are inthe four o’clock group, and all the linemen work at six o’clock. The workouts normally last aboutan hour and 45 minutes. Tereshinski then moves the previous group out of the weight room andmakes room for the next group.

“I think ultimately what Coach T has brought has been an attitude of discipline and account-ability,” said Robinson. “When you get in the weight room, he’s holding everybody accountable todo the work and do it to a certain level. He’s just so passionate about it and I think that’s why he waschosen (for his present role). He’s so passionate about this program he wants the best because he washere, he coached here and has been through it all so why not put somebody there who’s going tobe accountable and who’s going to hold everybody else accountable. And that’s been the biggest dif-ference (these past two years). When you don’t have negative attitudes on the team and when you’vegotten rid of guys that might have been trouble because through this process of discipline and ac-countability, when you get to those parts of the game that matter, you’re able to have those guys whodid everything in the off-season and did it right and are accountable, that’s why you win games …getting guys to do what they’re supposed to at the right time. Guys like Michael Bennett, he’s madea bunch of catches, and Chris Conley and (Bacarri) Rambo making a pick, when you have those guysthat were there in the off-season doing it the right way, when they have an opportunity, they makethose plays. You don’t have to worry about it because they’ve done all the work.”

“I feel really good about this team,” King added. “I’m not too worried about the O-line becausewe picked up some great recruits and we have some young guys who can step in and be big for us.Our backfield is going to be tremendous, there’s going to be a lot of competing going on back thereand there’s going to be competing going on in my segment as well. There are four or five guys whocan step up and when you have that kind of competition, you make your teammate better andmake your team better. So I feel really strong about this spring and this upcoming season and I’mexcited to get it underway. A huge reason why the majority of these guys came back to this programis to get back to the SEC championship game and win it,” King said. “As juniors they came backbecause we had some unfinished business and we had a huge opportunity in front of us. We feelwe can get back there and turn some heads. There’s no goal too high for our team this year.”

Leading by exampleChristrian Robinson and Tavarres King aresetting the pace during off-season workoutsBy Murray Poole

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Photos by Rob Saye

ToddGurley

In recruiting, it’s very difficult for a school to signthe top running back from a particular state,much less that school being able to land the topTWO backs from the same state. But that’s ex-actly what the University of Georgia did when itinked North Carolina’s top two tailbacks from the2011 season in the persons of Keith Marshall andTodd Gurley. The 6-1, 210-pound Gurley, fromTarboro, N.C., was named the North Carolina As-sociated Press Player of the Year for 2011 andalso the NCPreps.com 2A Player of the Year. Alsonamed to the Super-Prep All-Mid-Atlantic Team,Gurley was rated a Rivals.com and Scout.comfour-star prospect and was ranked as Rival’s No.5 running back nationally and Scout’s No. 13 RBnationally. Gurley led Tarboro to three consecu-tive 2A State Championships while rushingfor 242 yards and four touchdowns in the 2011state title game. As a senior, Gurley totaled 2,600yards and 38 touchdowns after running for1,472 yards and 26 touchdowns as a junior. Gur-ley also ran track for Team USA in Europe dur-ing the spring and summer of 2011. In thisquestion and answer with Bulldawg Illustrated,Todd’s mom, Darlene Simmons, gives the Bull-dog Nation a special insight into a player whocertainly is capable of making an instant impactin the red and black of Georgia.

Parents names:Todd Gurley and Darlene Simmons.

Siblings’ names and ages:Princeton Simmons, 24; Devin Simmons, 21;Shannon Simmons, 21.

What Georgia coach did you have the mostcontact with during Todd’s recruitingprocess and what did you like most aboutthat coach?It was coach Bryan McClendon. He was nice, hon-est and very direct with us. He answered all ourquestions and was very persistent – he said hewouldn’t stop until Todd signed with Georgia!

In the end, why do you think Todd choseGeorgia?It was because he really liked the Georgiacoaches and the chance to play football in theSEC.

In your mind, what is the best play he madeduring his high school playing days?I remember one game, it seemed like he ranthrough all the players on the other team. Therewere so many of them (defensive players) tryingto get him but they couldn’t stop him. But hemade a lot of touchdowns like that and he reallyhad a big game (242 yards, 4 touchdowns) in thestate championship game this past year.

Can you tell the Bulldog Nation a fewunique things about him outside of foot-ball?Todd loves basketball, swimming and bowling. Heloves hanging out with his friends and playing X-Box. And he loves his cell phone, loves to twitter.

Does he have any classic childhood storiesworth noting?When he was little, about four years old, he couldreally ride a 10-speed bike well. A lot of grownmen in our neighborhood couldn’t believe hecould ride that bike the way he did. They used tosit around and bet that he couldn’t ride it and hewould prove them wrong each time.

What was his favorite TV show or TV char-acter?He loved the Simpsons, Bart Simpson. And he al-ways loved watching sports. He would watchsports with his grandmother on his father’s side.

What is the nicest thing he's ever done foryou?Last year, for Valentine’s Day, Todd went out andbought me some flowers in a vase along with anice card. The card was just so beautiful, youcould really tell that he took his time picking itout. And the nice words he wrote on the card,well, it made me cry. That was really special.

Finally, why do you think Todd will excel atGeorgia?Todd will excel at Georgia because he wants it.He’s a competitor and really works hard. Even asa little boy in elementary school, Todd would goout on his own and shovel snow, cut the grass,rake leaves … things like that.

“He ran through all the players on the other team ...”

12 Bulldawg Illustrated

FatonBauta

In 6-3, 225-pound West Palm Beach,Fla. quarterback Faton Bauta, theGeorgia Bulldogs signed a dual threatsignal caller who is capable of inflict-ing damage on opponents with bothhis legs and passing arm. Having beencompared to the legendary Tim Tebowbecause of his size and bruising run-ning style Bauta, who throws right-handed instead of left, played hissenior year at Dwyer High in WestPalm Beach after spending his previ-ous prep career at a Brooklyn, N.Y. pri-vate school, Poly Prep Country DaySchool. A member of the SuperPrepAll-Dixie Team, Bauta is a Rivals.comand Scout.com three-star rated playerand was ranked by Rivals as the No.15 dual quarterback in the country. Hewas a member of the Orlando SentinelClass 7A All-State Second Team Of-fense after completing his senior sea-son with 1,432 yards passing and 17touchdowns and 779 yards rushingand eight more scores. Here, in thisquestion-and-answer with Bulldawg Il-lustrated, Faton’s mom, Myra Bauta,provides Georgia fans with a personallook at her multi-talented son.

Parents names:Mel and Myra Bauta

Siblings’ names and ages:Luman, 32; Lavdrim, 27; Idriz, 25; Imer, 23; Ferdesa, 21.

What Georgia coach did you have the most con-tact with during Faton’s recruiting process andwhat did you like most about that coach?We just met with Coach Richt when we went up there atcamp – it was the only time we met him. We met hisfamily, sat with him in his office and just had a good con-versation. He seemed very down to earth and we feltvery comfortable. He told us he wasn’t planning to takea quarterback in this class but was very impressed withFaton.

In the end, why do you think Faton chose Geor-gia?I honestly think Faton was very comfortable there be-cause the coaches were very straightforward with him.Faton told them if he couldn’t play quarterback, thenGeorgia wasn’t the place for him. Faton was very directwith Coach Richt and they were direct with him. He toldCoach Richt, “I like you and feel comfortable here but ifI can’t play quarterback, you’re wasting my time.” And Ithink it should always be that straightforward becausesometimes coaches tell players something and then don’talways follow through with it. But Faton is at Georgia todo a job and hopefully he’ll make a success out of it.

In your mind, what is the best play he made dur-ing his high school playing days?Faton had so many plays. When we moved from NewJersey to Florida for his senior year, he started passingthe ball a lot more. But when he jumped over so manypeople while running the ball, oh my god! In New Jersey,Faton commuted 55 miles one way to a Brooklyn privateschool, Poly Prep Country Day School and he started inall three sports there … basketball, baseball and football.

Can you tell the Bulldog Nation a few uniquethings about him outside of football?Faton is just always watching football, always has a play-book in his hand. But he’s just a big teddy bear. He’s agood kid, a good student and his friends always havesuch respect for him. He was always a big boy and hadfriends half his size and when he was younger and would-n’t participate in class, nobody else would either, becausethey had so much respect for him and wanted to be likehim. He’s not into video games and when he’s back homewith the boys in New Jersey, they’re constantly playing

football. But he has always been interested in sports nu-trition and might want to make a career in that.

Does he have any classic childhood stories worthnoting?When our kids were young, my husband and I were al-ways very busy with our jobs. Well, when our oldest son,Luman, was graduating from high school, Faton was justfour at the time. We decided to take them to DisneyWorld for a nice and total surprise so we told the kids wewere going to my brother’s house in Jersey, which wasjust about an hour away. We had them guessing for awhile but the longer the trip went, the older ones caughton and we told them we were going to Florida. Then, outof nowhere, Faton said, “Mommy, we’re going to Florida’shouse?” And to this day, the other boys will kid Faton,“Oh, we’re going to Florida’s house again?” But Faton wassaying the whole trip, “We’re going to Florida’s house.”

What was his favorite TV show or TV character?Faton never really had a favorite show, he was alwaysjust watching sports. The only thing I can tell you is thathe loved the movie, “The Lion King.” When it came outin 3-D just a couple of months ago, he took me and hisdad to watch it.

What is the nicest thing he's ever done for you?The nicest thing Faton did for me was here recently inFlorida. Out of nowhere, he bought me flowers from Pub-lix. I thought he had bought them for his teacher. I said,“who’s that for?” and he said, “it’s for you, mom.” Thatmeant so much to me. It wasn’t any special occasion butjust because I’m his mom, he wanted to get me flowers.That was amazing.

Finally, why do you think Faton will excel at Geor-gia?It’s his work ethic. And I think if the coaching staff reallylikes him and gives him a chance, teaches him the rightethics and shows him what they want from him, he willreally excel. You don’t have to worry about his work ethic,he’s there to do a job. There’s not enough time in theday because football takes so much work and Fatonknows he’s got to work to get where he’s going, andthat’s not going to happen unless you’re hungry and wantit. As far as the comparison to Tim Tebow goes, he ad-mires Tebow but doesn’t think he should be comparedwith him because Tebow is already in the NFL and has ac-complished a lot of his goals. Faton says, “Mom, I firstneed to work to accomplish mine and I’ve got a long wayto go to get there.” Faton said it’s awesome to be com-pared to Tim but he’s not there yet.

“He admires Tebow but doesn’t think he should be compared with him”

JordanJenkins

In Harris County standout JordanJenkins, Georgia landed arguably thetop defensive player in the state, andone of the best in the nation, this re-cruiting season. Named to the Super-Prep Elite 50, All-America, and All-DixieTeams, the 6-3, 245-pound defensiveend, who is projected to be an outsidelinebacker at UGA, was ranked as aScout.com five-star player, the No. 5defensive end and No. 19 overallprospect in the country and also as theNo. 1- ranked prospect in the state.Jenkins was a Rivals.com four-starplayer, the No. 6 defensive end and No.56 prospect in the country. Jenkins wasnamed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitu-tion Super 11 and Class AAAA All-StateTeam and the Georgia Sports WritersAssociation Class AAAA first-team andparticipated in the Under Armor All-America game in Florida. In this ques-tion and answer with BulldawgIllustrated, Jordan’s mom, PhyleshiaJenkins, provides Georgia fans with aspecial insight into her talented son.

Parents names:Ronald and Phyleshia Jenkins.

Siblings’ names and ages:Aysha, 19.

What Georgia coach did you have the most contactwith during Jordan’s recruiting process and what didyou like most about that coach?In the beginning, it was coach John Lilly but the one thatsealed the deal was coach Todd Grantham. He’s an awe-some coach and one of the first coaches to actually sit downand show John where he was at now as a defensive linemanand where he could be in making the transition to outsidelinebacker at Georgia. He compiled video highlights of Jor-dan in high school and then showed Jordan the same skillshe would be doing under him and how he would do it.

In the end, why do you think Jordan chose Georgia?It was a tough decision for Jordan. Like other recruits, hecould have gone anywhere in the SEC and the night hepicked Georgia he had helmets there from Alabama, Geor-gia, Auburn and Florida. In the end, it came down to Florida,Alabama and Georgia for Jordan and he had to think abouta great many things … not just football but getting a goodeducation, the environment, being close to home, playingtime, the coaching staff and making friends with the players,and then making mom and dad happy. He had to feel com-fortable and trust Mark Richt and when Coach Granthamcommunicated to us that Coach Richt was going to bearound for a while, all of those things swung the pendulumto UGA.

In your mind, what is the best play he made duringhis high school playing days?It was against Hardaway High in his sophomore year. Theywere coming off their own goal line and when Jordan misseda tackle on the running back there at the goal line, he got upand outran everybody all the way down the field and caughtthe boy on the other side of the field around the 50-yardline. He just body-slammed the kid and the crowd wentcrazy. Then, another time in a game at Griffin, we were get-ting to our seats late and looked up to see him coming downthe field on the kickoff coverage team and he cracked the kidwith the ball so loud, everybody in the stadium went crazy.What a way to start a game!

Can you tell the Bulldog Nation a few unique thingsabout him outside of football?Jordan really likes to read. He’s a really smart kid, a simplecountry boy who likes to fish and just be around his friends.

He volunteers at the middle school here and helps kids withtheir reading every single day. That’s why he didn’t enrollearly at Georgia. He enjoys helping the kids and really, hegets more out of it than they do.

Does he have any classic childhood stories worth not-ing?With Jordan, he didn’t really want to play football to startwith. And when he was playing T-ball, he hit the ball so hardoff the tee, the next year after that, they wouldn’t let himplay. They moved him up to the older league. As a mom, Iwasn’t sure about that because that was my baby, but Jor-dan handled it real well. He played just baseball and soccerup until about the fourth grade when he started playing foot-ball. He continued playing baseball up until the sixth gradeand I remember his fifth grade year, he couldn’t hit the ballat all. But in the sixth grade, he started hitting the ball out ofthe park almost every time at bat. Only thing was, his dadwent to the sergeant-majors academy in El Paso that yearand didn’t get to see him hit the ball at all.

What was his favorite TV show or TV character?Jordan loved those animated Japanese characters, Pokémonand Dragon Ball Z. And he bought all of those trading cards,Pokémon and Yugioh cards.

What is the nicest thing he's ever done for you?We used to have book fairs come to Jordan’s school and Iwould give him $3 at a time for the book fair. Well, in aboutthe sixth grade Jordan saved up that money for a few weeksand one day came home with a silver necklace in a little blackcase that had a little blue heart on it and gave it to me. Itwasn’t any special occasion or holiday and as far as I wasconcerned, that could have been a diamond. It was reallyspecial to me and I still have it today.

Finally, why do you think Jordan will excel at Geor-gia?I think Jordan will excel at Georgia because he comes fromgood parents who instilled in him a hard work ethic. He likesto play and likes competition and I think Coach Grantham willbe the driving force for him. He showed Jordan and JarvisJones what they can be in that defense and I think it’s anawesome defense, second to none. And Jordan can only addto that once he gets his strength up in the weight room.Once he gets in there with Coach Grantham, I think the sky’sthe limit for Jordan. He works hard, he’s hungry and is justa coachable kid.me.

- Compiled by Murray Poole

“The one that sealed the deal was coach Todd Grantham”

KeithMarshall

For the second consecutive year, the nation’stop-rated high school running back is coming toAthens. Following 2011 recruit Isaiah Crowell isRaleigh, N.C. tailback Keith Marshall. From Mill-brook High School, the 5-11, now 201-poundMarshall is a Scout.com five-star prospect aswell as the nationally No. 1-ranked running backand the No. 12 overall player. Rivals.com rankedMarshall as the No. 2 running back nationallyand a four-star prospect. Also an ESPN.comfive-star prospect, Marshall owns the Millbrookrecords for rushing yards in a season and pointsin a season. He rushed for 4,552 yards in hisprep career and also scored 332 points, bothschool records. As a senior, Marshall rushed for1,891 yards and 25 touchdowns on 258 carries.As a junior, he ran for more than 1,500 yardsand also totaled more than 1,000 yards as asophomore. Also the 100-meter champion inthe AAAA state meet, Marshall was the NorthCarolina Gatorade Player of the Year and playedin the 2012 Under Armour All-American Game.Here, in this question and answer with BulldawgIllustrated, Keith’s mom, Denise Marshall, givesthe Bulldog Nation a special insight into theplayer who will be wearing No. 4 for the Geor-gia Bulldogs.

Parents names:Warren and Denise Marshall

Siblings’ names and ages:Marcus, 15; Jasmine, 12.

What Georgia coach did you have the mostcontact with during Keith’s recruitingprocess and what did you like most aboutthat coach?Of course, we talked to Mark Richt and then BryanMcClendon was his recruiting coach, as he will beKeith’s position coach at Georgia. They were easyto get along with and they answered all our ques-tions, and we had many. They just did a good jobrecruiting Keith.

In the end, why do you think Keith choseGeorgia?There were a lot of things but in the end, I thinkKeith just followed his heart. He had a connectionwith Georgia early on, in middle school. He did allhis homework, really studied all the schools andmade his own decision. And that was tough for usas parents, to be able to sit back and let him do it.

In your mind, what is the best play he madeduring his high school playing days?In his junior year, he had a 94-yard touchdown runagainst Southern Durham. And in his very firstgame as a sophomore, he had a breakout gamewhen he got into the end zone five times, four ofwhich counted. That was my favorite one.

Can you tell the Bulldog Nation a few uniquethings about him outside of football?Keith loves to fish. There’s a lot of lakes aroundthis area he got acquainted with. My dad, Keith’sgranddad, has a little pond that Keith likes to fish,he and his brother. And, like most teenagers, heloves music.

Does he have any classic childhood storiesworth noting?Well, when he was seven or eight and playing forthe North Raleigh Bulldogs in the Pop WarnerLeague, in his very first scrimmage, he got atouchdown. And when he was under the age offour, he had really short legs and would run allaround in the office where I worked. All my co-workers knew him and he was a favorite there.

What was his favorite TV show or TV char-acter?It’s hard to say. He didn’t really watch sports onTV that much as a young child. All of my childrenwere very active and were more outdoors kids.

What is the nicest thing he's ever done foryou?Keith is just a great family kid. He really lovespeople and is very protective of his siblings, es-pecially his little sister. And when he was young,he always did sweet things for me. He hugs me alot and once in a public forum when he was inschool, he sent me a message on Facebook say-ing, “I love you, Mom!” I don’t know if he gotteased a lot for it by the other kids but that didn’tmatter to him. I know it really meant a lot to me.

Finally, why do you think Keith will excel atGeorgia?I think Keith is very mature for his age. He justturned 18 and he is extremely focused. He’s giftedin academics but it doesn’t come real easy forhim; he puts in the work to excel. I think he’s set-tled in real nicely at Georgia and seems to knowhow to balance his role of being a college athletewith his classroom work.

“He just turned 18 and he is extremely focused”

www.bulldawgillustrated.com 13

MarshallMorgan

After losing four-year starting place-kicker BlairWalsh to graduation, Georgia was in dire needof securing another top kicker in this year’s re-cruiting class and in Marshall Morgan, of Amer-ican Heritage High in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., theBulldogs appear to have landed a gem. Mor-gan, 6-3, 195, was rated a three-star prospectby both Rivals.com and Scout.com and the No.7 kicker nationally by both recruiting services.ESPN.com ranked Morgan as the No. 5 overallkicker in the country. Morgan was a four-timeall-state selection in Florida including his fresh-man year as a punter. He hit 15-of-16 field goalsand 63-of-64 PATs while averaging 43.7 yardsper punt his junior year at Archbishop McCarthyand holds the record for longest field goal atArchbishop McCarthy of 53 yards. In his senioryear at American Heritage, Morgan tallied 10-of-12 field goals and had kicks of 44, 45 and aschool-record 59 yards to lead his team to theDistrict 15 5A title. The team MVP both his jun-ior and senior years, Morgan’s 59-yarder ties therecord for the longest field goal in the countyand was the longest in Florida for 2011. In thisquestion and answer with Bulldawg Illustrated,Marshall’s mom, Dana Morgan Murphy, pro-vides Georgia fans with a special insight into herson.

Parents names:Dana Morgan Murphy and Mark Murphy

Siblings’ names and ages:Dulcie, 28; Alex, 24; Zach, 23; Shane, 23.

What Georgia coach did you have the mostcontact with during Marshall’s recruitingprocess and what did you like most aboutthat coach?Coach John Lilly. He’s warm, friendly, very hos-pitable and very family-oriented. He spent a lot ofpersonal time with us and we really appreciated it.

In the end, why do you think Marshall choseGeorgia?It was because of Coach Lilly and Coach Richt.Their recruiting styles were so different. They re-ally made Marshall feel special; it was just the re-verse of other schools in that they came across,what can we do for you instead of what can you dofor us. They identified Marshall as their No. 1 kick-ing prospect in the country and they made him feelcomfortable right away. Marshall liked the facilitiesat Georgia, with everything being new and all. Andhe also liked the fact they use Nike balls, becausehe likes kicking them best of all. Also, with my hus-band being an ordained minister and both of usand Marshall being Christians, we were happy thatthe Georgia staff consists of really strong Christianmen.

In your mind, what is the best kick he madeduring his high school playing days?Of course, the 59-yard field goal stands out in mymind but Marshall also made the 47-yarder thatwon the game for the West all-stars in the SemperFi All-American Game on Jan. 3 in Phoenix.

Can you tell the Bulldog Nation a few uniquethings about him outside of football?Marshall is just a very positive young man andthat’s why everybody enjoys being around him. Hewakes up happy and goes to bed happy. He enjoysall water sports with surfing being his hobby. Andhe works out almost every single day.

Does he have any classic childhood storiesworth noting?Marshall always played soccer but in the sixth

grade he tried out for the sixth grade rec footballteam. But after he kicked the first year, he didn’twant to play again after that because he wantedto skateboard. Well, we were in a restaurant oneday and when my husband went to the rest room,he noticed Coach Fitz, Marshall’s football coach,eating there. Mark told Coach Fitz that Marshallwanted to give up football to skateboard. Well,Coach Fitz said he wouldn’t hear of Marshall giv-ing up kicking so he went to him and made Mar-shall sign a napkin that he would continue kickingup to high school. He told Marshall he had toomuch talent to not keep kicking and that this nap-kin was like a contract and that when Marshallwent pro one day, Coach Fitz would still have thatnapkin that Marshall signed. So because of thissilly story and because that napkin kept Marshallkicking, he went on to kick two more years forCoach Fitz and then in high school for Tim Con-rad, who’s been Marshall’s kicking coach eversince.

What was his favorite TV show or TV char-acter?Marshall was never much of a TV person. All ofmy boys were always outside … doing the watersports, trampolines, skateboard ramps and so on.

What is the nicest thing he's ever done foryou?Marshall is just a great kid. Pretty much every sin-gle day he tells me how much he loves me. Andon my 50th birthday, he sang that song by NatKing Cole, “L-O-V-E,” to me and with me on themicrophone and then we danced together.

Finally, why do you think Marshall willexcel at Georgia?Marshall will excel there because he only seessuccess; nothing else is an option with him. Heloves life, loves people, is a go-getter and it’snever a choice for him not to exceed. I was look-ing at the local paper here and it had the top 25football players in Broward County listed. I wasreading the list to him and he said, “Am I No. 1?”I told him, no, you’re No. 8 on the list. But Mar-shall just wants to be at the top of anything hedoes. He strives for perfection and that comesfrom him – we don’t put that kind of pressure onhim.

“He strives for perfection and that comes from him”

JohnTheus

After losing long-time starters Ben Jones, CordyGlenn and Justin Anderson, the Georgia Bulldogsmust rebuild their offensive line for the 2012 foot-ball season. And in incoming freshman tackleJohn Theus, Georgia has a player who is ex-pected to make an immediate impact for thatline. At The Bolles School in Jacksonville, the 6-6, 292-pound Theus earned 2011 USA Today All-America first-team honors, was named to theParade Magazine All-America team (UGA’s only2012 signee so honored) and played in the U.S.Army All-America Game. Theus was ranked as aScout.com five-star prospect, the No. 2 prep of-fensive lineman in the country and the No. 7overall national prospect as well as the No. 1player in Florida. Rivals.com also rated Theus afive-star prospect, the No. 5 offensive tackle na-tionally and the 23rd overall prospect nationally.Theus helped lead Bolles to FHSAA state titles in2009 and 2011, as well as an undefeated regu-lar season and district title in 2010. He also com-peted in the shot put and discus on the Bolles’track and field team. In this question and answerwith Bulldawg Illustrated John’s mom, LoriTheus, gives UGA fans a personal insight into aplayer who is bound to become a householdname in Athens over the next four years.

Parents names:Paul and Lori Theus.

Siblings’ names and ages:Nathan, 19, a redshirt freshman snapper at UGA;Jeremiah, 16.

What Georgia coach did you have the mostcontact with during John’s recruitingprocess and what did you like most aboutthat coach?It was Will Friend, the offensive line coach. Hewas down to earth, very open with us. CoachFriend was very honest and really seemed to lovethe kids.

In the end, why do you think John choseGeorgia?I just think John felt very comfortable and lovedit there. He felt like it was home away from homefor him. And of course we couldn’t pick a bettercoach for John to play for than Coach Richt. He’sa man of character, a man of integrity and issomeone we know who will take care of our son.

In your mind, what is the best play hemade during his high school playing days?I think his last game, when (The Bolles School)won the state championship, was one of his bestones. He made a lot of great blocks and openedholes for the runners. He opened a big hole forthe go-ahead touchdown in that game. Ofcourse, John had a lot of great blocking games.

Can you tell the Bulldog Nation a fewunique things about him outside of foot-ball?John likes to have a good time. He likes going tothe beach and hanging out with his friends. Offthe field, he’s just a big goofball, always jokingaround. He likes playing basketball and is play-ing this year for Bolles.

Does he have any classic childhood storiesworth noting?John is pigeon-toed and when he was four yearsold, we got him some corrective shoes that he ab-solutely hated. One Sunday morning, we put theshoes on him and started to church, which wasabout 45 minutes away. Well, on the way, hepulled them off. We were on the interstate but hisdad stopped the car, put the shoes back on Johnand told him not to take them off again or hewould get a spanking. Well, John took the shoesoff three times and got three spankings on theway to church. That showed how strong-willedJohn was. Three months later, we threw thoseshoes out.

What was his favorite TV show or TV char-acter?He’ll probably kill me for this but his favorite showwas Pocahontas. He watched that movie over andover. Of course, it’s a given that he watched a lotof sports growing up. Now, for him, it’s all SportsCenter on ESPN.

What is the nicest thing he's ever done foryou?John was just always a thoughtful child. There’sno one thing – he does things for me every day.And of course he always remembers me on thespecial occasions.

Finally, why do you think John will excel atGeorgia?I think John will do amazing things there. CoachFriend has a program in place for him and oncehe gets John in the weight room, I think John willget bigger and better. And the defensive guyGeorgia signed, “The Freak,” Jordan Jenkins, Ithink he and John won’t do anything but makeeach other better. I’m really glad John choseGeorgia, not only because it’s a great programthat can help John get better but also becauseJohn can help Georgia get better.

“Off the field, he’s just a big goofball”

14 Bulldawg Illustrated