Gates a good get

Da'Rick Rogers' switch from a Georgia commitment to a Tennessee signee may have created the biggest wave last week, but the Calhoun receiver was hardly the only recruiting defection that impacted the Bulldogs.

Georgia made a late push with offensive tackle Kenarious Gates, getting the 6-foot-5, 300-pound Kentucky commitment to sign with Georgia.

"I evaluated Kenarious and when scholarships became available, he was the guy I wanted," Georgia offensive line coach Stacy Searels said of the Greenville High product. "He was a guy that I actually would have liked to have offered earlier, but we went into this deal only going to take two (offensive linemen) and when we had some slots come available, I asked coach if we could offer him and we did."

Searels saw Gates play in a football playoff game and on the basketball court.

"He's a big, athletic kid who's got a world of potential and I think he's a really good get for us," he said.

Scholarships opened up for Georgia after linebacker Deon Rogers and end/ linebacker B.J. Butler switched their commitments to Louisville.

Louisville coach Charlie Strong recruited both when he was defensive coordinator at Florida.

"What you try to do is you already have a relationship, so you just go back to them and tell them, 'Hey I'm going to Louisville. You have a chance to come and play. Do you want to come and join us?,' " Strong said on signing day.

Asked about Rogers, Strong said, "You had to find a way to overcome Georgia and try to sell him to the program."

Commitments are non-binding until a player signs a letter of intent.

"Sometimes kids make these decisions based on emotions," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "Sometimes they make it before they've seen the big picture, and when they're not certain what they're going to do, then we're going to continue to recruit. I think you have to."

Georgia's competitiors certainly are.

"Let's face it, there's kids that are 17, 18, maybe 19 years old and coaches that are anywhere from 25 to 65 are trying to convince them why one school is better than the other," Richt said, "so it can be confusing at time

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