ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia’s win over Florida was the Bulldogs’ most significant victory in the last five years. What effects the win will have on the recruiting trail remain to be seen. Some Georgia targets knew that vocal parts the Bulldogs’ fanbase were unhappy with Richt after the loss to South Carolina. Job insecurity is a disease to a recruiting agenda. Saturday’s win means that the Bulldogs’ are the odds-on favorite to win the SEC East for the second year in a row. A mollified fanbase and the chance to play for a championship will make Georgia’s sales pitch more effective.
The first result we might see would be a firming up of the commitments Georgia has. The Bulldogs have had four decommitments in the 2013 class -- not unusual with a class that could grow as large as 34. The Bulldogs have a lot of holes to fill and each commit that takes a visit to a rival program is cause for concern. One recruit that appeared to be wavering was ESPN 150 athlete Tramel Terry (Goose Creek, S.C./Goose Creek).
Terry visited Clemson recently and afterwards stopped giving interviews. His coach, Chuck Reedy, told DawgNation that Clemson had made a major play for Terry and that he would not be surprised if Terry flipped, and even Terry’s father said he had no idea where his son would end up going. Speculation has raged for weeks and Terry’s silence only served to unnerve the Georgia fans.
This weekend Terry sent DawgNation a text:
“I am committed to UGA. I love it there and that is where I am going."
He also tweeted about how impressed he was that Richt and the team had a pregame prayer for Marcus Lattimore, the South Carolina running back that was injured earlier in the day. A nice gesture off the field and a big win on it might have helped Georgia secure one of its top targets.