REUSE: Despite decommitment, Georgia controlling own narrative

Georgia is down a commit in the Class of 2024, with four-star linebacker Demarcus Riddick opting to flip his pledge to the Tigers of Auburn on Wednesday. While there’s no denying that Riddick was a player the Dawgs would have loved to have had in their class, his intentions to take his talents elsewhere seemed clear for some time.

In the midst of all of that, longtime Georgia target Sammy Brown, once thought to be Athens bound, switched up notions in the early summer and committed to the Clemson Tigers. A major want and from just down the road in Jefferson, it felt like an even tougher miss than getting a top prospect out of Alabama.

And what did the Georgia staff do once they realized they were going to miss on the No. 2 and No. 3 linebackers in the class?

Well, they turned the heat up in a major way on and ultimately landed the nation’s No. 1 linebacker in the class in Justin Williams.

Getting Williams aboard the same week and ahead of Riddick’s decommitment certainly seems to soften that blow in the eyes of many, but more than that, it’s a masterful move at what the Dawgs have made a calling card — controlling the narrative.

In a summer fraught with culture questions from all over, fair or unfounded, the Georgia staff continued to stack top prospects like cordwood and had parents vouching for what the Dawgs do and why they want their sons to be a part of it.

Pretty solid job of messaging there, no?

Now, the Dawgs are turning their attention to rounding out the linebacker class with two top ten prospects at the position in Chris Cole and Kris Jones.

Just over a year ago (almost to the day), I wrote that Glenn Schumann’s work was so integral in the success Georgia’s having on a consistent basis.

In a cycle where Schumann would have been given a pass for a down year after his previous haul, he seems focused and committed to keeping the LBU title in Athens for another recruiting class.

It’s a tough ask for anyone to replace a prospect like Riddick on their board.

Schumann, once again, is writing the story how he wants it to be told, though.

If he pulls down the trio we believe he will, it may be his finest work all along.

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