After a few down seasons following the departures of Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno to the NFL, Mark Richt appears to have found his groove again at Georgia, something reflected in the early rankings for the 2013 recruiting cycle:
Last June, Georgia was sitting at three commitments, its recruiting efforts hindered by rumors of coach Mark Richt's being on the hot seat. After a 10-win season, the defending SEC East champions are big Dawgs once again on the recruiting trail, already matching last year's total number of signees with 19 commitments.
Richt has been able to make inroads in Georgia this cycle, as the state, surrounded by SEC schools on all sides, is perennially one of the biggest recruiting battlegrounds in the country.
However, while a No. 5 ranking should make Bulldogs fans happy, Florida is still ranked No. 2 and Alabama is at No. 3. That's life in the SEC, as the conference has three schools in the top 5, four in the top 10, five in the top 15 and seven in the top 25.
For more on UGA football, visit the Georgia blog Dawg Sports, SEC blog Team Speed Kills and SB Nation Atlanta.