So I was sitting around today with a rare dull moment that afforded me some time to read up on AJC's conversation with Mecole Hardman Jr. on his commitment to Georgia.
Let's take a look at some of the more juicy parts of the interview and break em' down one-by-one.
(For those wanting to read the full interview -
click here.
)
DN: How quickly did you hear from Coach Smart once he got the job?
MH: That first night. Coach Smart called and said ‘listen real close. We still want you just to let you know and that was all I needed to hear.
I hope this revelation removes any doubt from the minds of dawg fans that this coach and his staff are on the ball in every regard. No time wasted, no detail overlooked, no recruit forgotten on day one. Day one. When CKS said "I'm going to be hands on with every aspect of this program," that wasn't some media stunt for the press or some metaphor to give the boosters something to chat about over cocktails. That's the real deal and it showed from moment one up til the present. "The process is hard work" Kirby said at the outset of his first questioning by the media as head coach.
DN: Jeremy Pruitt had to be the hardest to break the news to that you were signing with UGA. What did you say? What did he say?
MH: It was so hard, but Coach Pruitt told me he wanted to either see me at Georgia or Alabama. Those were the only two schools he could see me thriving in that defense. Because they run like the same defense now. Just to say no to him was the hardest thing I had to do. I called him and told him I think I was going to Georgia. Because he had told me to let him know what decision I was going to make. I told him I think I was set on that. He said ‘don’t even worry about it and said I feel you.’
I've said it a bunch of times and I'll say it again - CJP was and always will be a DGD in my book. Even
after he leaves Georgia, he is still pushing for Mecole to go to Georgia if Alabama couldn't pull him in. He wasn't trashing UGA like so many other DC's who left or were ousted from a program. That, my friends, is class.
On a side note, it's interesting to me to see the respect of these coaches for one another from the Saban tree. We see it in Coach Mac, we see it in Coach Pruitt, Coach Smart, and yes, grudgingly, even in the arse clown in Columbia.
DN: How do you feel about Coach Smart as a recruiter? Will he need to try hard?
MH: I think head coaches that really get into the recruiting process get the big recruits because they show you how much they want you. Coach Smart is such a great hands-on recruiter I think he’ll really help us get this recruiting rolling with the 2017 class. He’s going to recruit players as well as any head coach in the nation. He won’t allow any other coach to outwork him. And I tell everyone this Georgia coaching staff that’s here now will be here for a long time. … They’ve got a least three or four years they will all be here and I feel like in those three or four years we are definitely going to have a championship coming.
No further comments needed. Mecole just summarized in one paragraph everything we know. This is not some "coordinator hire" like the bleeding hearts want to imply.
