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3-star OT Austin Blaske has made an emotional college decision
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3-star OT Austin Blaske has made an emotional college decision
Austin Blaske was once committed to North Carolina State, but a late offer from the Georgia football program gave him pause. Was it enough to get him to commit to UGA?
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Um, the tea leaves appear to be scaring me. We have now added two 3 star O-linemen to this class? I hope Jones and Pran aren't flipping! Matt Luke does know he is no longer recruiting for Ole Miss, right? I hope the rating organizations have it wrong on the recent two 3 Star players but their film looks like they may have gotten it right.
Maybe Matt Luke just likes a challenge.
ConcerNed that they’re stock piling big bodies last minute with the recent scare of Jones exploring the Barn
our O-Line cupboard is already pretty full, I would either go after another speedy skill player or big name TE.....or just keep the scholarship spots open for the next recruiting cycle than sign run of the mill OL
I'm with you @Dawg365. Seems extremely odd that we would be going after not 1, but 2, 3-star O-linemen this late in the game, guys that we weren't pursuing at all up until a week ago. And with Jones and Van Pran both holding off on signing, it does make me wonder if Kirby and Co. know some things about them that we don't.
But looking at it from another vantage point, we have to have enough players to get through spring practice. Since neither Jones or Van Pran would be available then, even if they do both eventually sign with the Dawgs, and with Wilson and Thomas both going pro and now Ben Cleveland out for academic reasons, PLUS Braun's decommittment, we suddenly just need some warm bodies to get us through practice. I'm truly hoping that this is what this is about and not decommitments from Jones and/or Van Pran. I guess time will tell. Go Dawgs!
I had the exact thought that others here already beat me to. 524th overall?? May as well be recruiting more Matt Landers. Unimpressed if this is what Luke targets. Dilutes the average.
There have been a few other 3-stars that turned out alright. Solomon Kindley, Jordan Davis and Eric Stokes come to mind just on the current roster. No need to disparage because of recruiting rankings, which are often low because players didn't attend camps or just haven't been on a recruiting service's radar long enough. Given the recent recruiting class successes, I think we can give coaches the benefit of poster's doubts. Welcome to DawgNation, young men! Go Dawgs!
You guys do know how these kids are ranked right? I mean Braun was a 3-star before his senior season started also.. why? Because you don't get more than 3 stars without paying money and attending the various Nike, under armour, wonder bread, coca-cola, etc. Workouts and camps. His film, which looks just like Lindberg's, shows a young man willing to get nasty and he's mobile. South Effingham made it to the GHSA 5A quarterfinals running behind him. They are done awarding "stars", but if they weren't, Austin would have gotten his 4th star because of how he performed in the playoffs. Always remember that these recruiting services are bogus idiots awarding the kids the 4th and 5th star for attending and competing in the camps. Kindley, Rice, and Baker were 3 stars, Herrien was a "no-star".. seemed to workout alright.
One website shows Blaske as a 4*. Regardless, star ratings don’t seem to matter as much for linemen. A 4* or 5* is usually a sure bet, but many 3* turn out really well. It comes down to player evaluation to find diamonds in the rough, especially in finding the late bloomers or the kids who were unable to attend camps.
J.R. Reed was 1856 nationally. Deandre Baker was 657. Baker Mayfield was 1029. As a proportion though, four and five stars have more success - the population of three stars is very high. 247 has a good article https://247sports.com/Article/NFL-Draft-recruiting-rankings-go-hand-in-hand--117819292/
Maybe he is a diamond in the rough. If anything, the success Kirby has had developing certain defensive positions should make top players want to come.
Luke knows he can develop these 3-4 star linemen but we have enough now let's go after WRs ,tight ends. RBs...and yes, QBs. Let's give these linemen some solid runners and receivers to protect.
I've seen this young man play 3 games this year, and he was impressive. If you could measure heart and desire, he could be the 2nd best lineman we signed. He hasn't been coached up, he can drastically improve his body and probably add at least 15 pounds of muscle. I don't comment on here often but unless you have seen a player don't go all negative over someone else's opinion which is all the rating are, especially after the top 100 players. Very likely to redshirt next year, I'd bet he plays a lot of meaningful snaps in years 3, 4, and 5 he is on campus. Lastly he is a great human being, he is high character, very good student, and in his own words, "he's a leader". All these traits are desired by every football program, but they don't get stars.