Newcomer Profile: Georgia CB Chris Peal
Most of the 2023 Georgia recruiting class enrolled in January — almost 70 percent of it, actually. The Bulldogs welcomed 18 players to campus and 17 of them got a taste of spring practice. Sixteen of them finished spring drills and got the full spring semester experience in the Classic City.
The other eight are arriving this summer with most of them having already enrolled. They’re going to get right into the flow of things with summer workouts and classes, but it’s going to take some time for them to catch up.
With that in mind, DawgsHQ is taking one last look at them before they fully settle in under the Bulldogs’ roof. Next up is a cornerback for which the Bulldogs fought quite hard.
CB Chris Peal
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 166 overall, No. 21 cornerback, No. 5 North Carolina
On3 Scouting: “Athletic cornerback with smooth coverage skills. Measured at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds with a 31-inch arm prior to his senior season. One of the faster top cornerback prospects, running 10.78 seconds in the 100 meters as a junior. Peal also tested very well in the combine setting prior to his junior season. Technically clean in coverage. Stays in phase with receivers and shows the ability to locate and make plays on the ball. A smooth mover both in games and the camp setting. Also flashes his athleticism and playmaking ability as a running back. Rushed for 1,092 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior, to go with 365 yards and four touchdowns as a receiving threat out of the backfield. Not tested often in coverage, but could show more ball production.”
The Story…
Michigan put up one hell of a fight for the speedy defender. The Wolverines offered him several months before Georgia. They led for part of the process but UGA, after offering him in the spring of 2022, decided to get him on campus early for an official visit.
The Bulldogs made a move with that visit in June but Peal held off on committing. He took his time and made three official visits during the fall. He traveled to N.C. State, South Carolina, and Michigan but none of those schools were able to overtake Fran Brown and company. Georgia got him to commit and shut it down in October.
Where Harris fits…
First of all, the On3 Scouting report is a tad outdated. Peal ran a blistering 100 meters at the CISAA Championships this spring, clocking in at 10.46 seconds for a personal best. He’s a burner and, physically, reminds us of former Georgia defensive back Tyson Campbell.
At 190 pounds, he has a body that is ready to help out right away. He has the tools to be a cornerback at the next level but Peal also possesses the body type to slide down and play some STAR/nickel.
Preseason camp expectations…
It’s reasonable to expect Peal to contribute on special teams in year one. If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it 100 times. Kirby Smart loves big, fast players on special teams. He wants guys like Peal covering kicks and punts.
It might, however, take him some time to adjust to the game at this level. Peal played private school ball in North Carolina and the competition learning curve might be rather steep. Only time will tell. We saw Kamari Lassiter go from private school ball in Alabama to making some serious noise once he arrived at Georgia as a summer enrollee. Peal could be that guy.
