2020 UGA Recruiting: Nazir Stackhouse talks Senior Season and Official Visits

Nazir Stackhouse was the first player to commit to UGA in the 2020 recruiting class back in December of 2017. He sat down with us to talk about the journey.

It's never hard to recognize the division 1 athletes that are walking the campuses of schools like Columbia high here in Decatur, Georgia. Especially one as physically imposing as Nazir Stackhouse. Standing all of 6'4 306 lbs, it's hard not to notice the sheer size. 

But that's not what I'll remember about Stackhouse, the first thing that will come to mind for me will always be his infectious smile and spirit. You just can't help but be in a good mood around him. 

December 2nd, 2017 to Georgia fans is a rather important date. It's the day UGA beat Auburn 28-7, clinching their first SEC title since the days of D.J. Shockley and the boys back in 05', sending the Dawgs on to that historic Rose Bowl against Oklahoma and their first College Football Playoff birth. 

But, it's also the same day that Georgia received a verbal commitment from the then, Stephenson High defensive tackle (Stackhouse's second school in as many years.) 

When asked why he committed to UGA that day, Nazir said "I wanted to be apart of the underdog story, and Georgia is on the come up. You know Georgia is ranked #3 in the country now, and I feel like during my time there we are going to pass Alabama & Clemson" 

Nazir Stackhouse, 4-star DT

Flash forward a little over a year and a half and Stackhouse's senior season is underway. And he's got big goals for himself, saying "I'm setting goals for myself like, for example, this season I want to get 20 sacks. Because, like everybody else, I admire Aaron Donald." A lofty goal for the young man considering he will play 6 fewer regular-season games than that of an NFL Schedule. 

"I'm also training hard to get my body ready to go up against grown men next year when I get to college, of course, we are going to be freshmen and get pushed around a lot but I'm ready for that." 

Nazir was originally recruited and offered by Coach Tracy Rocker before he was let go and took the job as the D-line coach up at Tennessee. But he's had over a year and a half now to get to know Coach Scott and the relationship has developed really well. 

"We've gotten really close, we created a bond my Junior year at Stephenson. He will check in on me at school. He actually came to the school to talk to my teachers about my grades and find out what kind of student I am. He checks on me every month."

And it's not just the coaching staff that Stackhouse has grown close to. He's developed relationships with a lot of his future teammates from the 2020 recruiting class for Georgia. "Jamil and I have a really tight bond. I had a chance to meet Warren's mom at the cookout, and I've met Jalen. I admire Jalen, he's a true athlete. I think that he should be #1 in the class over Brian Bresee."

The 2020 commits even have a group chat on Twitter, starting to build that bond early. 

What's up with Auburn? 

You'd have to be sleeping to not notice the late push Auburn is trying to make on the Georgia commit. He's taken 4 visits to the plains since February of this year. Meanwhile, he's been to Athens just once during that time frame. So, what's up? 

When asked what's keeping Auburn in the conversation Stackhouse said, "How many defensive tackles they put into the league. But fans in Athens don't have to worry about me going to Auburn. I'm just more opening myself up because my coach has always told me to keep my options open. But they don't have to worry about Auburn at all." 

Official Visits: 

Nazir Stackhouse will be taking all five of his official visits, as he should. And here's the list: 

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Stackhouse also told The Bulldog Maven that even Clemson has assured him that if he wanted to be a Tiger he'd have an offer on the way as well. So, on one hand, it's reassuring that other top programs are noticing the skills and talents that the UGA staff identified so long ago. On the other hand, nobody likes the really good looking man lusting after your girlfriend!

I personally commend Stackhouse for taking all of his visits. It's a process he will only get to experience once. And who doesn't want to be catered to by some of the biggest programs in the country, and Tech? 

All is good, Stackhouse closed the interview by reiterating that he's "100% committed to the University of Georgia."