Coaches and prospects are doing their best to navigate a key stretch of the 2021 recruiting cycle during a pandemic. Due to COVID-19, the NCAA has banned on-campus visits for prospects through August. This means coaches are serving as tour guides on FaceTime and Zoom for prospects taking “virtual visits.” Recruits and their families able to pay their own way to visit Georgia, however, can still get an in-person tour of Athens thanks to a prominent hometown pledge.

Prince Avenue Christian School standout Brock Vandagriff headlines Georgia’s 2021 recruiting class as a 5-star dual-threat quarterback. PACS in Bogart, Georgia is roughly a 20-minute drive from UGA campus in Athens. In an unconventional recruiting cycle, Vandagriff and his family are stepping up as Athens tour guides while Kirby Smart’s staff is limited to virtual visits.

4-star Napa, California tight end Brock Bowers and his family recently decided to take an out-of-pocket trip to Athens even with the on-campus visit ban. The Vandagriffs welcomed Bowers and his family according to a report on the visit by Jeff Sentell of Dawg Nation:

This (visit) began with a 2 a.m. arrival into Athens last Friday. (Bowers) then met up with 2021 commitments Brock Vandagriff and Chaz Chambliss for a power breakfast later that morning at Mama’s Boy in Athens.

The 2-day visit concluded with a trip to the Vandagriff home. The 5-star QB was at his grandmother’s house, but the Bowers family was able to hang with the rest of the Vandagriffs a little while longer.

When the staff can’t host recruits, it helps to have a 5-star quarterback commit just a short drive from campus. More on Bowers’ visit can be found in the Dawg Nation article here.