The weekend commitments of DE Sterling Bailey and WR Justin Scott-Wesley gives Georgia nine commitments for the 2011 class. Bailey is one of the state’s top prospects at that key OLB position that’s so important in the 3-4 defense. The 6’5″ Bailey chose Georgia over offers from pretty much everyone in the southeast. Scott-Wesley chose Georgia after backing out of a hasty early commitment to Stanford.

Georgia never gave up on recruiting Scott-Wesley, but they might have an unlikely ally to thank for helping him reconsider his commitment:

“I got the offer from Georgia Tech, and I realized that my decision was made a little too early. I spoke to my coach about it, and we agreed there was more I needed to see before ending the recruiting process,” said Scott.

Scott-Wesley is known first as a track star, and he lived up to expectations this weekend with a state record in the 100 meter and a state title in the 200. Marc Weiszer puts Justin’s track accomplishments into perspective. Florida’s Jeff Demps is still the gold standard, but when you’re comparing track times with guys like Chris Rainey and Branden Smith, it’s a given that Justin Scott-Wesley is going to be one of the fastest players in the SEC when he sets foot on campus next year.

Of course track guys aren’t guaranteed to be successful at football – there’s more to it than speed. Also fast track guys can lose a step as they add on the muscle required to take the physical pounding of SEC football. One thing that could make Wesley-Scott a little different is that he’s already pretty big. Rainey (5’9″, 175 lbs) and Demps (5’8″, 183 lbs) are typical of the size of players in this elite group. LSU speedster Trindon Holliday played at 5’5″ and 160 lbs, and Branden Smith is 5’11”, 170 lbs. Wesley-Scott is already 6’1″ and over 210 lbs as a high school junior. He’s already at a pretty good size to play receiver in the SEC, and the combination of absolute speed and relative size should make him more than just the typical deep threat or designated end-around guy.

Yes, Logan Gray has decided to remain at Georgia.  It’s good news in that Georgia’s quarterback picture won’t have to include someone like Bacarri Rambo.  With Gray’s return settled, his ambition to play receiver is the interesting part of this story.

I’m also looking forward to getting some work at receiver and am going to work hard to make the best out of my opportunity at this position as well.

Georgia might only have six receivers, but they’re all pretty good (at the very least), and they’re all experienced. (The six are Green, King, Durham, Brown, Wooten, and Troupe if you need a refresher.) That doesn’t include situations where Branden Smith lines up at receiver or Charles or White flexes out or Georgia goes with a two-TE set to make use of its depth there.  I don’t doubt that Gray could earn some snaps despite all of that, but I also don’t see a relative newcomer to the position suddenly becoming more than a very occasional contributor.

None of that matters – he wants to give it a shot, and the coach seems fine with it. That opportunity might be all that Gray desires, and it would definitely get him on the field in more interesting situations than mop-up QB duty or fair-catching punts. More power to him if he’s able to contribute there.  The question then is how much this news changes a shaky quarterback depth chart.

Few expected Gray to come back and win the QB job once Murray was named the starter, and Mark Richt only emphasized that on Wednesday evening.

“I think (Gray) wants to make a position move and try to see if he can help us in that spot. The chance of that really becoming a QB race, right now it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.

A “position move” implies more than just a quarterback sneaking in a few plays at receiver. If Gray is intent on trying his hand at receiver, that’s fine, but it still leaves Georgia in the position of turning to either a true freshman or someone who won’t be as prepared as your typical backup quarterback. It’s good that Gray might be able to help the team in some way, but the quarterback position specifically isn’t much better now than it was with Gray in transfer limbo. It will be telling if the August depth chart lists Mason as the #2 QB – I don’t see why it shouldn’t.

UPDATE: David Hale has more on this story which makes it sound as if Gray will be focusing most of his attention on the receiver position. If Mason – and of course this is a big condition – shows a fair amount of competence in August, he just about has to be named the #2. I’d take an inexperienced guy who’s in the meetings and getting the reps every day over someone more familiar with the playbook whose repetitions and preparation are mostly at another position. It’s not just a matter of Gray stepping back in to QB if the need arises; even ARod needs to take batting practice and stay sharp. Either way, here’s hoping the backup QB is an afterthought this year.

As most suspected when Mark Richt dismissed Zach Mettenberger last month, there was more to the story than Richt overreacting to yet another alcohol-related incident. At the time of the arrest, the initial five misdemeanor charges read like a checklist for your run-of-the-mill fighting drunk: underage possession of alcohol, disorderly conduct, obstruction and two counts of possession of false identification.

Mettenberger reached a plea agreement today, but that agreement was for none of the charges listed above. Instead, Mettenberger pled to “two counts of misdemeanor sexual battery” according to Marc Weiszer of the Banner-Herald. (The AJC has more details about the nature of the “battery” if you really care to know.) All other charges related to the incident were dropped, and Mettenberger will face 12 months of probation, fines, and banishment from alcohol, bars, and the city of Valdosta.

The plea was a smart move by Mettenberger – it essentially ends the story and avoids the ugliness of a trial with potentially more severe charges. If these charges are any indication of the direction in which things were heading, a trial wouldn’t have been pleasant for Mettenberger or – more importantly – the victim.

To Mettenberger’s credit, the apology printed by Weiszer is about as up-front and unambiguous as it gets, and we hope Mettenberger earns the opportunity to rebuild his character wherever he ends up.

Students in Athens learned on Tuesday about a revision to the University’s Code of Conduct that covers drug and alcohol incidents. The previous policy called for an automatic suspension from the University upon a second drug- or alcohol-related arrest during a probationary period which followed the first arrest.

That automatic suspension is gone. Instead, “under the new system, hearing panels from the Office of Judicial Programs will have more authority to regulate punishments suitable for specific cases.” University president Michael Adams warns students not to consider the change “a free pass on alcohol violations.” In fact, the greater latitude given to disciplinary panels might allow for “even more significant penalties” based on the severity of the incident.

The flexibility in the new policy “was designed to differentiate between a student caught with a beer in a dorm refrigerator and a DUI-related offense.” Vice President for Student Affairs Rodney Bennett expects that “the changes will ease and reduce the number of minor incidents that clog the system under the old rules, and it will allow officials to focus more effectively on the more serious alcohol and drug violations.”

This change in policy is significant for student-athletes because, well, it’s kind of hard to participate in a sport if you’re suspended for a semester. A second arrest during his or her probationary period was essentially an automatic season-long suspension for a student-athlete. To be clear – the revised policy does not mean lighter discipline for drug or alcohol-related incidents, and we’re not even talking about what a coach might decide to do based on program or athletic department guidelines. But the change to the University policy does allow the disciplinary panels to consider alternatives and also take into account the severity of the incident.

Senior linebacker Akeem Hebron experienced the consequences of the old policy. Hebron was arrested twice during the early part of 2007 for underage possession of alcohol. The second arrest triggered the automatic semester suspension meaning that he’d miss the 2007 fall semester – basically his entire redshirt freshman season. Instead of remaining inactive he transferred to Georgia Military College for the 2007 season.

To his credit, Hebron kept clean, remained on track academically, and was accepted back to the University and the Georgia football program in time for the 2008 season. His story since has been one of perseverance. He was a promising prospect regarded as highly as Stafford, Moreno, and Rashad Jones from the 2006 class. He was mentioned as a possible starter headed into 2007 before his suspension. He had a promising return in the 2008 G-Day game, but a fracture dislocation of the left ankle at LSU ended his 2008 season and put him at a big disadvantage for the 2009 season. He missed all of spring practice in 2009 and had a minimal impact before recording three tackles in the bowl game.

We can’t speculate on how Hebron might’ve been handled under the new policy. Causing a disturbance while underage and intoxicated downtown is somewhere between “a beer in a dorm refrigerator” and a DUI, and a long-term suspension might have come down from either the University or coach anyway. It’s now Hebron’s senior season, and it’s been a long way back from suspension and injury. He hopes to find success in the new scheme with a new coach, but he’s currently listed third at one of the inside linebacker spots.

There were rumors over the weekend about QB Logan Gray considering leaving the program, and now WSB-TV Sports Director Zach Klein claims that there is something to it.

It goes without saying that the loss of Gray following the dismissal of Zach Mettenberger would leave Georgia perilously thin at quarterback. Following Murray and incoming true freshman Hutson Mason, Georgia’s next option (no pun intended) might be Bacarri Rambo who led the scout team offense while simulating option offenses in 2008.

Selfishly we hope that Gray decides to stay, but he’s in a tough spot if his goal is to see the field at Georgia. As the #2 quarterback, he’s not going to be tried at receiver or any other position that might jeopardize his availability. There would have been more freedom for that kind of experiment had Mettenberger not been dismissed. But that also reduces Gray’s chances of seeing playing time (aside from the occasional punt return) if the starting QB remains healthy.

Stay tuned – he’s met with the coaches and is apparently thinking things over.

The Banner-Herald reported over the weekend that the University might consider adding another sport for women. There’s “no timetable” to add an additional sport, and discussions are at a very preliminary stage.

Georgia’s strong financial position already puts it at the forefront of Title IX compliance. Recent investments at the South Milledge complex and also at the Coliseum practice facility greatly benefit women’s sports. Over half (52%) of Georgia’s student-athletes are female despite the enormous counter-weight of an 85-scholarship football squad.

So why add another sport for women? Even with females making up 52% of student-athletes, women make up 58% of the student body. Adding another sport would bring those two numbers even closer in line which is one of the primary tests of Title IX compliance. Georgia last added a varsity sport, equestrian, in 2001.

Though Georgia officials have no specific sport in mind, the Banner-Herald identifies a few likely candidates. Rowing, lacrosse, fencing, and even beach volleyball are all possible. Rowing might be at the top of the list – youth rowing clubs are strong in Atlanta, and Georgia already has a pretty successful rowing club of their own. There is no varsity rowing program in the state of Georgia, and two SEC schools already compete at that level.

Congratulations to Georgia’s NFL Draft picks for 2010:

• Rennie Curran: 3rd round (Tennessee)
• Geno Atkins: 4th round (Cincinnati)
• Reshad Jones: 5th round (Miami)
• Jeff Owens: 7th round (Philadelphia)
• Kade Weston: 7th round (New England)

Congratulations also to Michael Moore (Detroit), Prince Miller (Baltimore), and Bryan Evans (Cincinnati) who all signed free agent deals after the draft. Moore is excited to be teaming up with former Bulldog Matthew Stafford in Detroit, and at least one analyst is high on Bryan Evans’ chances with the Bengals.

Mark Richt has now had 51 players drafted in 9 NFL drafts. He’s had as many as 8 and as few as 4 taken in a single year. There have been 8 first-round picks and 24 players selected in the first 3 rounds. Those are impressive totals, but do they smooth over more recent problems?

In 2008 we pointed out how the draft was much kinder to Richt’s players through 2005. Bulldogs were still being drafted, but the balance had shifted from the earlier rounds to the later rounds. From 2002-2005, Georgia had 14 players selected in the first three rounds. From 2006-2008, that number dropped to 4. The stellar class of 2009 alone eclipsed that number with 5 of Georgia’s 6 draftees coming in the first three rounds.

The 2010 draft looked more like those 2006-2008 years. Georgia still had a respectable 5 players selected, but only one came in the first three rounds.

It’s not a surprise that somewhat tepid draft results have come during some tumultuous seasons in Athens. With the exception of 2007, the program hasn’t measured up to what it was through 2005. And, with the exception of the 2009 draft, the Bulldogs have landed in fewer of the valuable high round selections.

The future isn’t bleak – Georgia will likely have a couple of higher round selections in 2011, especially if A.J. Green decides to come out. A year or two of sub-par draft results doesn’t necessarily reflect on the talent or coaching going on – you might just have a young team or low numbers of draft-eligible players in a given year. But over 4 or 5 years, the trend becomes a little more alarming.

The question of talent or coaching was beaten to death as we suffered through the disappointing 2009 season, but it’s unavoidable when talking about draft picks. Through 2008, defense dominated Georgia’s first and second round picks (8 defenders vs. 4 from the offense). That’s changing – Georgia’s three highest picks from the 2009 draft played on offense, and Georgia’s best prospects for 2011 – at this point – are Boling and Green. After having eight defensive players taken second round or better through 2006, Georgia hasn’t had one since Tim Jennings was taken in the second round of the 2006 draft.

You might see that as justification for changing the defensive staff. After all, several of the players in the meantime were highly rated prospects. Rashad Jones carried the mythical five stars, and others weren’t far behind. It’s not that Georgia’s had chopped liver for defensive talent – all five players taken in 2010 were from the defense, and several defensive players drafted since 2006 (Howard, Chas. Johnson, Moses, and now possibly Curran) have all been good, productive selections. Having three defensive tackles taken in a single draft is a big deal regardless of the rounds. The defense should have been better than it was.

But there is still a question, regardless of coaching, whether Georgia is still getting the kind of defensive talent that it did 5+ years ago. There are signs of life across the board – Houston, Rambo, several of the corners – and a lot of promising young players. Perhaps the new defensive staff can make the difference in these guys being higher round picks with guaranteed money and a likely spot on the team versus lower round picks who will find themselves in fierce competition for roster slots. Successful teams in the SEC consistently have those elite defenders, and Georgia used to.

Did you know the NFL Draft starts tonight? It’s not Saturday – the NFL changed the format up this year to put the first round in prime time. We wish all of the Bulldogs up for the draft luck – Curran, Atkins, Owens, Moore, and Jones could all hear their name called. Georgia had six players taken in the 2009 draft – including five in the first three rounds. It doesn’t look as strong this year, but there should still be another solid group of Red and Black headed to the NFL to join the long list of players already in the league.

We noted back at the beginning of the month that Georgia went into Atlanta and had a come-from-behind upset of the #6 Yellow Jackets in their first visit to Tech’s new softball complex. The softball Dawgs completed the season sweep of Tech with a 6-3 home win in Athens on Wednesday. Georgia saw an early lead evaporate but shut the door in the later innings. Georgia, at 37-8, has won 12 straight games which includes two over Tech, and the win moves Georgia’s all-time record over their rivals to 18-9. They should be heavily favored to extend that winning streak in the season’s final home series this weekend when they host a struggling South Carolina team. The softball Dawgs took us on a great ride at the end of last season, and they look to be rounding into good form again as this year draws to a close.

Even the baseball sweep at Arkansas and the dismissal of a quarterback from the football team doesn’t overshadow the good news for two Georgia programs:

The equestrian team won its fifth overall and third consecutive national title over the weekend in Texas. The program has only existed for eight years and already has five national titles.

Behind overall medalist Russell Henley, the Georgia men’s golf team earned the program’s 7th SEC title in the past 14 years.

Credit to David Hale for not only dignifying the question but taking the time to do some very serious thinking about the subject. I admit that I can’t give the topic of Mark Richt having lost control of the program the same kind of respect. The thing is – I’ve heard the same hand-wringing ever since RingGate following the 2002 championship season. Every time something new comes up, the same people run around shrieking “HE’S LOST CONTROL! HE’S LOST CONTROL!” I’m numb to it.

Hyperbole about the Georgia program being out of control usually comes from one of three sources:

1. Media talking heads looking to stir the pot. And, oh, do insecure fans take the bait.
2. Fans of rivals relishing the chance to play gotcha.
3. Georgia fans, still in middle school, upset that the latest incident has cost them an opportunity to trash talk rivals about their own problems.

Concern about an “out of control” program begins for rational adults when Richt facilitates, covers up, or overlooks illegal or detrimental behavior. When that happens we’ll have something worth talking about. I don’t mean to diminish the seriousness of the individual offenses or deny the appropriateness of justice. But if we’re talking about these incidents in the context of Richt’s control of the program, you’re going to have to find some specific flaws within the organization or culture of the program for me to put any portion of this on Richt.

Mettenberger dismissed

The weekend’s biggest news was Mark Richt’s decision to dismiss quarterback Zach Mettenberger. SID Claude Felton made it clear that “there’s not been a new incident that’s come up” since Mettenberger’s arrest six weeks ago. So it’s fair to say that new information has come to Richt’s attention about that incident in Valdosta that took this from a one-game suspension to an outright dismissal. There’s not much else to say besides that the police investigation is still ongoing, so we might learn more if additional charges are ever filed.

What’s interesting is that people are starting to say that this dismissal settles the quarterback derby. I’ve maintained for six weeks that Mettenberger removed himself from consideration as soon as he earned his suspension, but Logan Gray – you know, the guy who started G-Day directing the first team offense – has to be wondering what crime he has to commit to start getting people talking about him. I happen to agree with Barnhart that Murray is the right choice, but writing off Gray so soon is pretty presumptive – especially given the staff’s nature to be deliberative about these kinds of questions.

The man suddenly under the spotlight isn’t Gray or Murray but incoming signee Hutson Mason ($). Mason first popped up on the radar when he was offered a scholarship around the start of December. Mason’s record-setting senior season at Lassiter earned him scholarship offers around the region, but he chose Georgia soon after being offered. Mason’s offer and commitment came at a time when Logan Gray’s switch to wide receiver was considered a strong possibility, so the idea of him starting out as the #3 QB isn’t exactly alien.

Mark Pope leaves for Wake Forest

Mark Pope wasn’t ever your typical operations manager, but Georgia gave him the opportunity to transition from a medical career back into the world of basketball. He’s made the most of that opportunity and will leave Georgia to start his coaching career as an assistant on the new Wake Forest staff. Pope made a quick impact at Georgia, so it’s no surprise that his career is taking off. He’s moving on to a good program in a highly-visible conference. Keep an eye on him. We wish him all the best.

Third Bowman is a charm for Bulldogs

His two brothers went elsewhere, but Georgia received a commitment this weekend from ATH Devin Bowman. He is Georgia’s second commitment of the week and sixth for the class of 2011. Bowman had offers from Clemson, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, and Oklahaoma State as well as strong interest from Alabama where his brother Mike plays.

Bowman was good enough of an all-around player to earn all-region honors on both sides of the ball. He was recruited primarily as a cornerback by Georgia, but his abilities on offense also drew the attention of the Bulldog coaching staff – comparisons with Branden Smith are in almost every article about him.

Georgia’s precarious depth at receiver for 2010 isn’t news, but the future of the position just got some good news with this morning’s commitment by Christian Conley of North Paulding High. Conley, at 6’3″ and 180 lbs, is one of the top receiver prospects in Georgia. He chose the Bulldogs over offers from Alabama, Clemson, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, and many others.

Conley is Georgia’s fifth commitment for 2011. He committed in front of his teammates this morning and indicated that it was rock-solid.

In keeping with my beliefs, I want my yes to be yes and my no to be no. Therefore, as of today, I will discontinue my contact with all schools other than UGA.

He’s also an outstanding student who plans to graduate early and enroll at Georgia in January. North Paulding coach Heath Webb put it simply: “He’s a Coach Richt kind of kid.”

More on Coley’s commitment:

• AJC
• UGASports.com($)
• ABH
• Scout($)

The spring signing period is underway, but Mark Fox won’t get better news than he got at the team’s banquet last night. Sophomore All-SEC star Trey Thompkins will stay at Georgia for his junior season. Fellow sophomore Travis Leslie had previously announced his intention to stay.

Thompkins made the decision to stay ($) even without finding out his likely draft status from the NBA advisory board. “I just want to win,” Thompkins said. “I’ve got a passion for winning and I definitely see it in the future for us.”

Coach Mark Fox was of course thrilled by the announcement. “God bless you, Trey,” Fox exclaimed after Thompkins announced his choice.

Thompkins’ decision means that the core of a promising team returns. Seniors Ricky McPhee and Albert Jackson as well as transfers Demario Mayfield and Drazen Zlovaric will leave the program, but most key contributors return. They’ll be buoyed by a good recruiting class and transfer guard Gerald Robinson, Jr. Recruiting is still ongoing, and the addition of a couple more pieces like Marcus Thornton and/or Dwayne Polee would make the team even deeper and stronger.

I read this post over at Dawg Sports this morning with its perspective from Arkansas.

That [Mark Richt] is on the hotseat out at Georgia says something about the irrationality of Bulldog fans….I guess it is sorta like it was with us and Houston; others outside a program never quite see a coach in the same light as the program’s fans.

We can debate who’s claiming anything about a hot seat later. Take that post for its perspective. I had that post in mind when I read this tangential reference to the Dawgs by Brian Cook:

He has just as good measurables as other 4-3 LBs in this class, but he’s severely behind in the technique part of it. It’s so apparent for all of FSU’s players that I have to pin it on coaching. If they ended up going to a program like UF or UGA, they would’ve gotten proper coaching and probably both be solid 1st rounders.

That’s right – Cook was quoting an anonymous NFL scout putting the defensive/linebacker coaching at Georgia in the same ballpark as Florida. I wonder how many heads of Georgia fans just exploded. I mean – we teach our guys not to cover anyone, right?

I think that sets up David Hale’s trip through his feedback today. There he finds some very thoughtful comments about the quarterback derby:

Murray overthrew targets and tossed a Stafford style brain fade pass to the defender. I should have known right then he was Bobo’s boy for the job. I have heard enough about picking up nuances and quick releases, it does nothing if the ball isn’t catchable.

That’s classic. All that was missing was the author using “Booboo” and something about “REFUSING TO EXCEPT MEDIOCRATY.” Hale’s response about joyless fans was dead on. We all know the guy (or gal) in our section who gets absolutely no visible enjoyment from Georgia football but still shows up year after year with arms folded waiting to say “that’s Georgia for you” whenever something bad happens. Why do they keep coming back?