National Signing Day 2016: SEC football winners and losers

Loser: Georgia Bulldogs

Okay, so “loser” might not be the best word to describe Georgia on National Signing Day 2016, but after such a strong start to the day, a disappointing afternoon put a damper on what could have been a monumental recruiting cycle.

Georgia had the makings of a great recruiting class heading into National Signing Day with pivotal five-star quarterback Jacob Eason and a five-star target in tight end Isaac Nauta, but things got even better Wednesday when new head coach Kirby Smart added five-star athlete Mecole Hardman.

Georgia Bulldogs

Ranked as the No. 13 player in the country, the top athlete in the nation and the second best player from the state of Georgia in the 247Sports Composite, Hardman is likely to play early and often in Athens. Expected to begin his college career at defensive back, Smart alluded to the possibility of Hardman playing both sides as a Bulldog.

Georgia also landed four-star defensive tackle Michail Carter, and as expected flipped defensive end David Marshall from Auburn. However, the day hit a rough patch with a few high-profile close misses.

The Bulldogs were optimistic they could sneak five-star linebacker Ben Davis out of the state of Alabama because of his relationship with Smart stemming from Smart’s tenure as the defensive coordinator of the Crimson Tide. Unfortunately for the Dawgs, Davis (an Alabama legacy) stayed close to home. Georgia thought it had an even better chance to land Peach State products Derrick Brown, a five-star defensive tackle that chose Auburn, and E.J. Price, a four-star offensive lineman that will travel across the country to play at USC.

Landing all three top-100 prospects was unlikely, but missing out on all three is a big disappointment. Nevertheless, what Smart was able to do on an accelerated timeline, much of which he spent splitting time between Georgia and Alabama, was solid.

Of course, it could have been much better.

Next: Alabama