Both Georgia basketball coach Tom Crean and football coach Kirby Smart are attempting to make a huge splash on the recruiting trail in the Class of 2020, the two coaches appear to be working together to lure in Jalen Suggs as a potential two-sport athlete.
Crean offered the five-star guard on Dec. 9:
Smart offered the four-star dual threat quarterback on Dec. 24:
What does Suggs bring to the basketball court?
Suggs is 6-4, 185 pounds and can operate the floor and fill it up with his scoring abilities.
The combo guard from Minneapolis is a tremendous athlete and one of the best shooters in his class. In addition to being an elite perimeter shooter, he does a great job utilizing his size to score inside.
In his 2017-18 season, he averaged 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game for Minnehaha Academy.
How can Kirby Smart and Tom Crean seal the deal?
Being a highly regarded prospect in both football and basketball, Suggs is most likely going to have to decide between the two sports.
However, if he wants to play both sports at Georgia, Smart and Crean could come up with a great plan for Suggs that would be beneficial for all three parties.
Smart could place Suggs on scholarship for his freshman season and still allow the phenom to play for the basketball team.
Current Georgia starting quarterback Jake Fromm could still be running the show for the Bulldogs which allows Suggs the opportunity to redshirt and learn from the then veteran quarterback before seeing the field. Then, Suggs could join the basketball team after football season and not be at the expense of a scholarship for Crean.
With Georgia hoops currently only having two scholarships available in the Class of 2020, this could be huge if all the pieces fall into place.
According to 247 Sports, the Bulldogs are currently projected to land five-star center Walker Kessler and four-star wing player Jabri Abdur-Rahim. Both Kessler and Abdur-Rahim have ties to the program. Kessler’s uncle, father, and brother all played basketball for the Bulldogs. Abdur-Rahim’s uncle, Amir, is on Crean’s staff as an assistant coach.
If the Bulldogs land Kessler and Abdur-Rahim, there would be no room for Suggs to be on a basketball scholarship during his freshman season unless there was an unexpected transfer from the program.
Crean could help reciprocate the favor to Smart in Suggs’ sophomore season by placing him on a basketball scholarship and still allowing him to play for the Georgia football team.
Although this plan seems far-fetched, it is doable as long as everyone is on the same page. If everything goes according to plan, Suggs would be able to play both football and basketball at the school.
Regardless of where Suggs ends up, whether or not he pursues being a two-sport athlete in college will be worth watching.