Georgia Ripe with Talent In 2013

By Matthew Osborne
SouthernPigskin.com

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All things considered, the 2013 class may be the best group of prospects that Georgia has ever produced.

Here is a fact that may come as a surprise to many college football enthusiasts: For all of the elite high school football talent that the state of Georgia has produced, the Peach State has never produced a player that has been considered the No. 1 overall prospect in his class.

That is about to change this year, however, with the emergence of Grayson defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche.

Arguably the top defensive prospect in this millennia, Nkemdiche easily imposed his will on opposing offensive linemen as a junior, registering 36 tackles for loss and 18 sacks during his team’s run to a state championship.

At 6-4, 275-pounds, Nkemdiche possesses the size of a college defensive tackle. However, what makes him unique is his supreme athleticism. He has been timed as fast as a 4.56 in the 40-yard dash, which is virtually unheard of for a prospect along the defensive line.

Nkemdiche recently told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that he has a current top five of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss, although other schools such as Florida, Florida State and South Carolina are in the running as well. Alabama has long been considered the leader with Nkemdiche, but Georgia has made a very strong push as of late. It is also important to keep in mind that Nkemdiche has an older brother who is currently on the roster at Ole Miss.

While Nkemdiche’s No. 1 ranking gives Georgia the top high school football prospect in the nation for the first time in history, the wealth of talent in the Peach State for the class of 2013 does not stop there. In fact, if Nkemdiche is considered to be the consensus No. 1 player in the 2013 class, then Troup County outside linebacker Reuben Foster is the unquestioned No. 2 prospect nationally.

An early verbal commit to the University of Alabama, Foster joins Nkemdiche as one of the two junior prospects who were ranked higher than any of the prospects in the entire 2012 class. An instinctive player with tremendous athleticism, Foster totaled 185 tackles and 18 sacks as a junior.

Foster has been committed to Nick Saban and staff for quite some time now, but he is still open to talking to other schools. He has taken a couple of visits to other campuses, and he appears to have serious interest in the Georgia Bulldogs.

As previously mentioned, Nkemdiche and Foster are two prospects who do not come around every year. Most scouting experts agree that Nkemdiche and Foster would have been ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the 2012 class had they been able to reclassify.

As fans of Georgia high school football celebrate staking claim to the top pair of prospects in the 2013 class, it is important to remember that the Peach State has a plethora of other junior prospects who have been highly-rated by various scouting services.

In addition to Nkemdiche and Foster, there are a handful of other Georgia prospects who will compete for a five-star ranking by the time Signing Day rolls around next February. Some of these prospects include Camden County QB Brice Ramsey (Georgia commit), Peach County WR Demarcus Robinson, Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy DE Isaac Rochell, Newnan S Tray Matthews (Georgia commit) and Dooly County DT Montravius Adams.

All things considered, this very well may be the best crop of high school football prospects that Georgia has ever had. The Peach State always produces a high volume of FBS football recruits, but its 2013 class is particularly talented at the top, which is something that it has lacked in the past.

With this bevy of talented recruits in the state, don’t be surprised to see the Georgia Bulldogs reel in one of their best recruiting classes ever in 2013. Many other schools, such as Alabama, Auburn, Florida State and Georgia Tech, will also try to get their hands on the enticing talent pool before all is said and done.