Recruiting in the Richt Era: 2003 Class

Summary:  This was Coach Richt’s second class following the 2002 SEC Championship season, and featured many guys who would contribute to win the SEC Championship in 2005.

Notable names:  Thomas Flowers, Marcus Howard, Kregg Lumpkin, Paul Oliver, Leonard Pope, Sean Bailey, Danny Ware

Biggest Contributor:  The names I listed above were all good players, but I think the obvious choice is Leonard Pope.  After spending a year at Hargrave, Pope was a monster player, and was a great contributor in 2004 and 2005, and led the Bulldogs in receiving in 2005.  He was an integral part of the offense before leaving early for the NFL, where his career has never really materialized much.

Biggest Disappointment:  To me, this one is easy.  Kregg Lumpkin.  Lumpkin was the second best running back in the country in this class, behind some scrub named Reggie Bush.  Lumpkin had the size and 4.4 speed that gave him great potential. We saw flashes of brilliance in his true freshman season in 2003, but after a torn ACL sidelined him for the 2004 season, he never seemed the same.  He had to share carries with Danny Ware and Thomas Brown (and eventually Knowshon).  I don’t know if it was the knee injury or the running back by committee approach that slowed him down,  but by his senior year he was 3^rd on the depth chart behind Knowshon and Thomas Brown.  I always thought he could have been a real star. 

Diamond in the Rough:  Nick Jones was only a 3 star player, but started at guard as a true freshman in the 2003 season. He moved to center prior to the 2006 season. 

Bonus Trivia:  What member of the 2003 Signing Class caught Matthew Stafford’s first ever TD pass? 

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Tight end Coleman Watson

Corbindawg