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It’s clear there were some feelings about this subject, but let’s put that aside for the moment and get down to the “football reality” of the situation when it comes to the subject of offensive line coach Sam Pittman leaving Arkansas for Georgia.
This is a great hire for the Bulldogs, both in terms of on-field coaching and development and in particular when it comes to recruiting.
During his career at North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas, Pittman has proven to be one of the country’s best recruiters at his position. He recruits nationally and gets results.
Here are some of his highlights.
- Five-star James Hurst (signed to North Carolina from the state of Indiana)
- Four-star Brian Wallace (signed to Arkansas over Alabama from the state of Missouri)
- Four-star Denver Kirkland (signed to Arkansas over Miami from south Florida)
- Four-star Frank Ragnow (signed to Arkansas over Florida State, etc. from the state of Minnesota)
- Four-star Reeve Koehler (signed to Arkansas from the state of Hawaii)
Additionally, he landed four-star defensive end Robert Quinn over Auburn and others out of North Charleston, S.C., when he was at UNC. Quinn was a first-round draft pick and is still in the NFL. This is a major deal for Georgia as it looks to upgrade its offensive line
UGA always recruits at a high level, including highly-rated offensive line prospects. But the bottom line is that while the Bulldogs have been good up front offensively, like so many teams in the Southeastern Conference, they’ve been inconsistent. Part of that is because of the defensive lines that teams face in the league, but part of it is the reality that there aren’t always a slew of great offensive linemen in the Southeast on an annual basis.
Take Alabama, for example, which usually has the best offensive line in the league. Only five of the Tide’s top 10 offensive linemen (according to the two-deep) are from Southern states, including players from Ohio, Minnesota and Iowa (places that produce great offensive linemen).
So one would think that a more national approach at that position is required. Pittman has shown he will go to the four corners of the country to recruit offensive line talent and has a track record of landing said talent. He did it at Arkansas and North Carolina on a consistent basis. Given Georgia’s profile as a program and ability to attract attention from prospects across the country, this hire is like given a master marksman a brand new, state-of-the-art rifle.
Recruiting writer for Saturday Down South
