Florida commit delivers concerning message as Georgia turns up the heat

For months, it's been Jon Sumrall dipping into Georgia and grabbing some of the best talent out of the Peach State. It was a clear message from Sumrall to Kirby Smart that the Florida Gators coach was going to go into his rival's backyard and pick some of the best vegetables out of his garden. Now, it looks like Smart is ready to end this one-way traffic. 

Offensive tackle commit Kennedee Jackson made his pledge to the Gators last Tuesday and the hope was that the Lithonia (Ga.) High product would shut his recruitment down. Instead, Jackson decided to close out his official visit schedule with a trip to Georgia, and the Bulldogs gave him plenty to think about. So much so, that Jackson isn't talking to anyone right now.

The Jon Sumrall-Kirby Smart feud may have arrived and it's about time

There's always a concern when a commitment teases a potential decision that could put a temporary stop to all this momentum that Sumrall and the Gators staff have generated over the past six months. And this isn't to say that Jackson is going to back away from his commitment anytime soon. The Gators staff did an excellent job to get in a position to gain the pledge. Offensive line coach Phil Trautwein is considered one of the best and brightest coaches in the sport. Florida still has plenty going for it.

But you knew Smart was eventually going to punch back, and now we're going to see it all play out like it should. Smart represents the establishment in the SEC and college football in general. Love him or hate him, he's the standard. No one can argue with two national championships, seven other top-10 finishes and eight seasons with 11 or more wins. That's not counting the four SEC championships. 

Sumrall is the new rich. He's aggressive, he's fiery, he's full of energy, and he knows what the expectations are. He can't back down from Smart like Billy Napier always seemed to do. Sumrall has a ton of respect for Smart, as he should, but he isn't going to simply let Smart run the conference without making him fight for it. That's one of the reasons why Sumrall has recruited Georgia so hard. Yes, there is a ton of great talent in that state, but there's also a lot of psychology involved. 

READ MORE: Jon Sumrall is walking into enemy territory, taking recruits and planting a Florida flag

Sumrall has made his presence known in Georgia

The Florida Gators have done extremely well in Georgia during this cycle. Five of the 22 commitments in the class are outside the Peach State, it's the state with the second-most commitments in the class outside the seven from Florida. Jackson joins four-star running back Andrew Beard, four-star linebacker Ja'Bios Smith, three-star athlete Kamarion Johnson and three-star cornerback Aamaury Fountain.

Sumrall's strength in recruiting finally has Smart's attention. Now the games can officially begin, and we couldn't be more excited. 

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