ESPN recruiting analyst predicts more in-state players stay home to play for Georgia, Kirby Smart

Georgia delivered an unprecedented recruiting class on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period.

With quarterback Justin Fields of Kennesaw, Ga. as one of the top members of the class, it jogged some memories of another dual-threat quarterback from the state that got away from Georgia in recent years. Some Georgia fans still have heartburn over Deshaun Watson of Gainesville, Ga. — less than an hour from Athens — who went to Clemson and ultimately won a national championship.

There are annually more than 100 Division I players in Georgia, and most college football observers realistically understand that Georgia can’t sign them all. But given the momentum of the Georgia program, which a highly-ranked recruiting class on the cusp of playing in the College Football Playoff semifinal, ESPN’s Tom Luginbill expects the recruiting outlook for Georgia to be different than the recent past.

“If this trend continues, you will no longer see the likes of a Deshaun Watson leave the state,” Luginbill said.

"If this trend continues you will no longer see the likes of a DeShaun Watson leave the state…you cant keep them all but the premier best players will start looking at Georgia differently than the way they did the last 3-5 years" – @TomLuginbill https://t.co/3Vs2OP7LU5

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) December 20, 2017

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.