Georgia football finished up the first day of the 2019 early signing period on Wednesday with 17 players inking their letters of intent in the class of 2020.

The Bulldogs signed all 14 commitments that were anticipated to make their decisions today and added three new commitments throughout the afternoon on Wednesday.

Here are some key takeaways from day one, courtesy of The Red & Black:

Receiving help is on the way

The Georgia football team will eagerly welcome some fresh faces at wide receiver next season.

The Bulldogs’ passing game tormented them all year. Georgia finished the 2019 season ranked No. 76 in the nation with 220.9 passing yards per game.

“We need to be better,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “I think everyone acknowledges that.”

The Bulldogs received letters of intent from receivers Justin Robinson, Marcus Rosemy, Arian Smith and Jermaine Burton on Wednesday. Smith and Burton, the No. 14 and No. 8 receivers in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite, were previously committed to LSU, which defeated Georgia 37-10 on Dec. 7 in the SEC championship game.

“We’ve been excited about Justin [Robinson] for a long time, Marcus [Rosemy] too,” Smart said. “Both of them won state championships. Arian [Smith] is a kid who’s got a lot of speed. … He wants to be able to run track here, which we’ve been very open to.”

The influx of receivers comes at a good time. Smart said Georgia’s main priorities were to replenish the receivers and the defensive line.

At a minimum, the Bulldogs will be losing Lawrence Cager, Tyler Simmons, Eli Wolf and Charlie Woerner from the pass catching corps. Rising senior Demetris Robertson and rising sophomores George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock will be the three most experienced players returning. Blaylock, however, suffered a torn ACL in the SEC championship game and Pickens didn’t look all that experienced when he was ejected against Georgia Tech for a fight on Nov. 30.

“Those wideouts [in the class of 2020] know we have a need and will have an opportunity to play,” Smart said.

Bright future in the trenches

Matt Luke had just eight days to get everything straightened out between his hiring as offensive line coach and the start of early signing period.

So far, so good. Only one of Georgia’s five committed offensive linemen in the class of 2020 has decommitted. Joshua Braun flipped to Florida on Dec. 13, but four-star tackles Chad Lindberg and Tate Ratledge signed with Georgia on Wednesday. Luke and Smart are still waiting on letters of intent from Broderick Jones and Sedrick Van Pran, who are expected to announce their decisions in February 2020.

Facing the departure of Tyler Clark, David Marshall, Michael Barnett and Justin Young on the defensive line, Smart said he was pleased to successfully recruit four-star prospects Jalen Carter, Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse.

However, the Bulldogs missed out on the No. 5 overall prospect, five-star defensive end Jordan Burch, when he committed to South Carolina on Wednesday.

“When you start looking across the country, defensive linemen are hard to find,” Smart said. “6-foot-3 plus, 300-pound plus, athletic guys, they don’t grow on trees. You don’t pick them and grab them like DBs and finding receivers.”

More to come

Georgia’s 2020 recruiting class is No. 4 in the country following the first day of the early signing period, according to 247Sports. Of the top nine classes, Georgia’s class has the fewest number of commits — leaving room for more additions. 

The Bulldogs boast 19 commits, 17 signees and plenty of time to continue to flip prospects like Smith and Burton before National Signing Day comes on Feb. 5, 2020.

Georgia is still in the running for the No. 8 overall prospect, five-star cornerback Kelee Ringo. Ringo has a 92% chance of choosing the Bulldogs, according to 247Sports Crystal Ball projection. Another five-star, No. 10 overall prospect Darnell Washington, has an 83% chance to pick Georgia in the same projection.

“I’m very pleased with what we brought in today, and I’m very pleased with what we’ve got coming forward in February,” Smart said.

Printed with permission from The Red & Black independent student media organization based in Athens, Georgia; redandblack.com/sports