Jay Rome and Malcolm Mitchell commit to UGA

Georgia needed some wins on the recruiting trail, and it got a couple big ones on Thursday night.

Valdosta High School teammates Jay Rome and Malcolm Mitchell, each a consensus top 100 prospect, offered their commitments to Georgia within hours of each other.

Rome, the top tight end recruit in the country, announced his commitment to the Bulldogs during a broadcast on ESPNU. He had been considered a strong lean to Georgia for awhile, so it was no surprise when - after first saying nice things about Alabama, his second choice - he pulled out and donned a Georgia hat.

“Georgia’s a great school, they have a great football history," Rome said on the air. "People call it Tight End U. And at the end of the day I wanted to stay in state.”

A short time later, Mitchell announced his commitment, also picking Georgia over Alabama. Mitchell's leaning were more of an unknown, according to recruiting experts, so that was perhaps a bigger lift to the Bulldogs.

Mitchell is the nation's 30th-ranked overall prospect, according to Rivals.com. The 6-foot-1, 187-pounder projects as a defensive back who can also play offense and special teams.

The pair were a huge coup for the Bulldogs, and they might not be done: They're still in the running for tailback Isaiah Crowell and DE-LB Ray Drew, another pair of in-state top 50 recruits.

Rome was asked about the pair by the ESPNU crew.

“Isaiah, Ray, come be a Dawg," Rome said. "We can have a dream team, and we can do it.”

Georgia is aiming for a strong finish on the recruiting trail, after a 6-7 season that left many expecting head coach Mark Richt to be on the hot seat in 2011. Rome was also asked about that during the broadcast.

“I believe Mark Richt is a great coach, and I just don’t’ believe he’s going anywhere anytime soon," Rome said. "I believe if we get a couple more guys that we need this class, we’ll have everything we need … to be a great football team.”

Rome fits a long-term need for Georgia, but short-term the Bulldogs have junior Orson Charles and seniors Aron White and Bruce Figgins at tight end. Arthur Lynch, a sophomore, also redshirted this season.