Bama, Georgia flipping commitments

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

photo From left, Crimson Tide and UGA emblems.

Georgia and Alabama are not scheduled to play in football again until the 2015 season, but they have been waging their share of battles this summer on the recruiting trail.

The Bulldogs struck over the weekend by receiving a commitment from Jonathan Ledbetter, a 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive lineman from the Atlanta suburb of Tucker. Ledbetter, rated by Rivals.com as the nation's No. 3 strongside defensive end and No. 24 overall prospect, had been committed to Alabama since late January.

Ledbetter made his announcement via Twitter, thanking the entire staff at Alabama before declaring his intention to stay home and represent his state.

Alabama flipped a Georgia commitment late last month by snagging defensive back Rico McGraw of Ensworth High in Nashville.

The Bulldogs also got a commitment this weekend from Jayson Stanley, a 6-2, 205-pound receiver from the Atlanta suburb of Fairburn. Stanley is rated the No. 26 receiver nationally by 247Sports.com and No. 39 by Rivals.com, and he picked the Bulldogs over scholarship offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida and Georgia Tech.

Georgia now has 20 commitments for its 2015 signing class, a haul that is currently ranked among the nation's top five.

Rivals.com ranks Alabama No. 1, followed by South Carolina, Clemson, Georgia and Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide also lead at 247Sports.com, which has Texas A&M second followed by Clemson, South Carolina and Georgia.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.