By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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With spring practice still months away and the embarrassment of a losing season still in the rear view mirror, the tone of Georgia football has definitely changed.

It’s amazing the difference a couple of weeks can make. In early January Georgia fans were still recovering from their uninspiring performance in the Liberty Bowl, a depressing 10-6 loss to Central Florida that resulted in the first losing season in Athens since 1996. Furthering the sentiment around the state was the fact that the team’s two best players, wide receiver A.J. Green and linebacker Justin Houston, were entering the 2011 NFL Draft. Fans and media alike were frustrated with veteran coach Mark Richt and felt that the finish to the year, combined with a merely above average recruiting class at that point, pointed to a very real regression at one of the SEC’s proudest programs.

From that point on the Bulldogs have gone south, roughly 240 miles so to border towns Valdosta and Thomasville. Near the Georgia/Florida line stand two of the nation’s most powerful and tradition-rich high school football programs. Valdosta High School, of ESPN’s “Titletown” fame, boasts 23 state championships and six national champions. Their 829 all-time wins rank as a National High School Federation record. Thomas County Central, located just to the west, has five AAAA state championships since 1992.

Traditionally, schools like Florida State and even Alabama and Auburn have recruited south Georgia with great success. TCC alum Charlie Ward was the Seminoles’ first-ever Heisman Trophy winner. FSU will have four Valdosta-natives, Lowndes County graduates, on their roster this fall. This recruiting season Richt and the UGA coaches have made a concerted effort to keep top in-state prospects home, offering a “Dream Team” distinction as one of the ultimate goals for this class. On January 20th, that process, along with this program’s push for positive momentum, got a major boost.

The Bulldogs received a pair of verbal commitments from the top two prospects in Valdosta, Jay Rome’s the nation’s top tight end and Malcom Mitchell the nation’s top cornerback. Both players chose UGA over national power Alabama. The news prompted great enthusiasm across the state, rejuvenating the trust many have in Richt and his staff. The two verbals moved the Bulldogs to just outside the national top in the recruiting rankings.

Friday morning, the nation’s top defensive end kept the dream alive. Ray Drew, from nearby Thomasville, spurned earlier comments about Auburn being his favorite by pledging to stay at home to play for Georgia. His commitment means that in just over a week the Bulldogs have grabbed verbals from three players who are considered to be the best at their positions in high school football. Entering the weekend, UGA had moved to 7th in the recruiting rankings per Rivals.com, 9th per ESPN.com.

“Drew is a great pickup for Georgia, regardless of where he is from, but his addition keeps the Bulldogs’ strong in-state momentum going,” wrote Craig Haubert from ESPN.com in a column by Corey Long.

The Bulldogs now have 18 in-state commitments and are considered to be the leader for the nation’s number one tailback, Columbus-native Isaiah Crowell. If he chooses to stay home on National Signing Day, a top five or even top three class, as recruiting expert Tom Lemming recently pointed out, is a very real possibility.

With spring practice still months away and the embarrassment of a losing season still in the rear view mirror, the tone of Georgia football has definitely changed. Many felt the Bulldogs were in a downward trend and they were; heading south on the map to ultimately sign some of the game’s top prospects in an attempt to restore the consistency, tradition and pride of a recently-dormant college football powerhouse.