Who is the best Georgia football recruit this century?

Who is the best Georgia football recruit of this century?

One of the greatest recruiting gets of Mark Richt’s Georgia career came in Oct. 2006, when he landed five-star receiver A.J. Green out of Summerville, South Carolina.

Green, a 6-foot-4, 184-pound target from Summerville High, had offers from the likes of Michigan, Florida State, Notre Dame, LSU, South Carolina and Clemson by the time he was in 10th grade. He was ranked the No. 2 receiver in the nation, behind only Julio Jones, and the seventh-best overall player in the country, according to 247Sports.

Any discussion of greatest players in Georgia’s recent history — let alone just a commit — has to begin with Green, whose fingerprints are all over the Bulldogs’ record books despite leaving Athens after his junior season for the NFL Draft.

The highest-graded recruit to sign with Georgia is Justin Fields who transferred after his freshman season and became a Heisman finalist in his first year at Ohio State, and Georgia has signed the No. 1 overall recruit before with Nolan Smith and Trenton Thompson, but the best Georgia football recruit this century has to be the game-breaking talent that is Green.

AJ Green stands out as the best Georgia football recruit of the century because he lived up to the hype.

Green grew up a Georgia fan, which helped Richt’s case throughout the recruiting process. Once he officially joined the team, Green’s talent was noticeable from the opening practice whistle. At 18 years old, Green would win SEC Freshman of the Year and finish Second-Team All-SEC, accruing 964 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Richt era featured some of the more talented Georgia teams to date, and despite never finishing the season off with the BCS National Championship, those Bulldogs teams remain a huge “what if” if only for their offensive potential, which featured Matthew Stafford throwing passes to Green in A.J.’s freshman season, which also happened to be his best statistical campaign.

By his sophomore and junior seasons, Green put on significant weight to his initial 180-pound frame. This added bulk gave him an even greater advantage against the top corners in the SEC such as LSU’s Patrick Peterson and South Carolina’s Chris Culliver, the former of which would be selected just one pick after Green in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Green’s name is plastered all over the Georgia record books, as he finished fourth in career receptions (161), third is receiving yards (2,619) and second in receiving touchdowns (23) between the hedges.

Recruiting is far from a sure thing, regardless of what the rating systems suggest. Per 247sports, Green was merely the eighth highest-rated recruit for Georgia since the turn of the century, but given his rapid development and obvious return on investment, it’s tough to argue against the former five-star talent as the top Dawg.

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