Signing Day to Pro Day: Georgia delivers on 'development' pitch

Georgia safety Javon Bullard looked into the camera and professed that he wouldn’t have been working out for teams on Wednesday if it were not for Georgia’s coaching staff.

Bullard is among the top safety prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft. Georgia took him as a low three-star recruit out of high school. He’s turned into a top two-round type of player in three years since moving to Athens from Milledgeville.

“I wouldn’t be standing in front of you all today if it wasn’t for Georgia and the people that brought this program up,” Bullard said. “From Coach (Kirby) Smart, to Coach (Glenn) Schumann, to even Coach Lanning and other past coaches I’ve like Coach Fran (Brown). Those guys have molded me, not only as the football player that I am but as the man I am today. I appreciate them immensely. They taught me everything I know about this game and I love them for that.”

Bullard wasn’t the only player working out at Georgia’s pro day that entered the program as a bit of an unknown to the recruiting world. Ladd McConkey was a late add to the Class of 2020. He was a consensus three-star prospect after his commitment. Zion Logue, Daijun Edwards, Tykee Smith and Tramel Walthour all fit into that category as well.

Those players all contributed to Georgia’s success over the last three years and have found themselves in a position to become NFL players.

Humility and development go hand and hand at Georgia

Georgia’s promise of development has been a key to that. Recruits repeat it on a regular basis. ‘Georgia can develop and Georgia gets players to the NFL.’

That will be true again this spring. The Bulldogs land top-five recruiting classes yearly. That’s not all of the story. Development isn’t limited to how many stars a prospect has coming out of high school.

In fact, some of Georgia’s former blue chips had to learn the hard way. Just asked Kendall Milton.

“Development is the biggest thing above all,” the Georgia running back said. “Coming out of high school they kind of hype your head up, ‘five-star, this ranking and the best in you’re hometown or whatever. You think you’re at a better point than you are. A lot people get woken up on day one when we put on pads in college because this isn’t a place where you’re going to get by on skill alone. Everybody has the skill.”

‘Welcome to Georgia’

Milton was also one of the top high school prospects in the country in the class of 2020. He still remembers his ‘welcome to Georgia’ moments.

“I remember my first day coming in and pass blocking against Channing (Tindall), Nakobe (Dean) and Quay (Walker),” Milton said. “They gave me the business. I came in as a freshman and that’s not what I was made for at that point. Year after year, going against the best linebackers and not wanting them to take it easy in pass protection and getting different with the route work (helped me)…

“If you come into Georgia and you leave as the same product, you failed yourself, the school has failed you and the coaches have failed you,” Milton continued. “For someone coming in you have to accept that development, accept that hard coaching and accept the times when you don’t agree with something. The coaches don’t get anything out of it if you don’t succeed. They don’t want to see someone be a regular athlete. They want to see somebody reach the goals they want to reach.”

Patience is key

Patience is the key at Georgia. Milton waited his turn to be the feature guy at Georgia. He watched others as well. The immediate success didn’t come for everyone.

The wait, the investment and the work are worth it in the eyes of Georgia’s 2024 draft class.

“Everybody knew about Nolan Smith and the ranking coming out of high school, I was in California and I’d heard about him at IMG,” Milton said. “He had to kind of be in the shadows for a good three years. We have a lot of guys that come in and don’t get the instant gratification and they leave. I feel like if anybody is the best example is Nolan Smith. He showed what it means to stay down until your time comes. He’s now getting what he deserves.”

Nobody said it would be easy

Georgia was honest throughout the journey. They made it clear from day one that it would be tough, but worth it.

“This is what I needed,” Logue said. “Coach (Tray) Scott came into my home and told me that this was the hardest thing that I would do in my life. It was and I needed it. Being a young, immature kid, I got to college and I was 17 years old. I was ‘wet behind the ears’ as the old folks say and not really knowing what was going to happen. I kept my head down and kept working and God made it flourish for me.”

What worked to sell to recruits who ended up Georgia’s draft class of 2024 still works today. The Bulldogs signed the No. 1 overall class for 2024, a group that began their first spring practice this week.