Kirby Smart and his staff are on a bit of a tear in recruiting for the 2025 class, and perhaps nowhere more than in the defensive backfield.
And they’re at it again.
On Sunday night, South Sumter (Fla.) safety Rashad Johnson announced his commitment to the Red and Black, choosing Georgia over fellow finalists Penn State and Texas A&M. Johnson also counted offers from schools like Alabama, Tennessee, Miami, Ole Miss, and Michigan State.
The 6’2, 200 pound four star prospect ranks as the #24 safety in the nation in the 247Sports recruiting rankings, and the #33 prospect in Florida.
To quote longtime friend of the site and Bulldog about town Wes Blankenship, if the rib-rocking hit Johnson lays on the first play of those highlights doesn’t light your fire, then your wood must be wet. He carries his weight well, and has the length to continue to add solid muscle in a college training program. He’s an aggressive downhill run defender, a pillar of Kirby Smart’s evaluation process. The Top Dawg likes guys who can fly up from the second and third level to cut off running lanes and make ball carriers pay. Johnson looks like that kind of guy.
But he also displays surprising acceleration in the highlights above, including taking the ball to the house from both the wide receiver and tight end spots. I like a defender who knows what to do with the ball in his hands.
If I see anything to work on in these brief highlights it would be Johnson’s downfield coverage. He gets caught flat footed on a couple of plays and has to play catch up with receivers headed deep. You can do that in high school, but in the SEC you’re never more than one wrong step away from getting toasted. The Bulldog coaches will definitely be working to refine Johnson’s technique, but the building blocks are clearly there for him to be a solid, versatile defender.
With his blend of size and speed Johnson could find a home at either free safety or star in the UGA defensive backfield.
Kirby & Co. now have 20 commitments in the Class of 2025, and with 283.77 total points the Bulldogs’ class is ranked third behind Ohio State’s and Alabama’s (Oregon’s a bit further back in the four spot). The Classic City Canines have some work to do to catch up to the Buckeyes, who are having a great recruiting cycle and seem unlikely to lose to Jim Harbaugh this season for the first time since before the COVID pandemic.
However the Dawgs remain in the running for several national top 50 players and have three fewer commitments at this stage. I still like the home team’s odds of signing the top class in America for 2025.
Until later…
Go ‘Dawgs!!!