Damn Good Dawgs 2012 - Brandon Boykin

(Note: This is the first entry in a series that will look at the career of Georgia players either graduating or moving on this year)

BRANDON BOYKIN, CB #2

Recruitment:
Boykin was a #14 rated cornerback in the country and a 4 star recruit out of Fayette County High School in Fayetteville, GA. Boykin, who also played quarterback, committed to the Dawgs on December 7, 2007 and was amongst a star studded class of 2008 that included AJ Green and Richard Samuel.

Career Stats:

Defense

• 159 Total Tackles (106 solo, 53 assisted)
• 20 Tackles for loss, including 1 sack, 1 safety, and 2 forced fumbles
• 9 interceptions and 27 pass defenses

Offense

• Rushed 7 times for 103 yards (14.7 average) and 1 touchdown
• Caught 5 passes for 71 yards and 2 touchdowns

Special Teams

• Kickoff Returns: 110 returns for 2,663 yards (24.2 average) and 4 touchdowns
• Punt Returns: 14 returns for 180 yards (12.9 average) and 1 touchdown

Career Highlights:

• 38 career starts at corner
• Returned 4 kickoffs for touchdowns, including three during the 2009 season. 3 of the 4 went for 100 yards.
• Georgia's all-time leader in kickoff return yardage (and second all-time in SEC history)
• Had a huge interception in the end zone against LSU in 2009
• During the 2011 season, Boykin began playing offense and scored touchdowns receiving and running the ball.

I don't love the music, but here is a great collection of Boykin's career highlights someone put up online.


Best Game - 2012 Outback Bowl
The Dawgs may have come up short in triple overtime to the Michigan State Spartans, but Boykin did everything he could to make sure that didn't happen. Showing his true versatility, Boykin scored in all three phases of the game. He started the scoring by recording a safety in the first quarter, returned a punt 92 yards for touchdown in the second, and catching a touchdown pass in the fourth. He was named the bowl game MVP despite the Georgia loss.

Honors and Awards

• 2009 All-SEC Second Team as Returner
• 2010 Defensive MVP - AutoZone Liberty Bowl
• 2010 All-SEC as Kick Returner
• 2010 All-SEC Fourth Team
• 2011 Paul Hornung Award Winner - given to the nation's most versatile player
• Invited to play in the 2012 Senior Bowl
• 2011 Second Team All-SEC
• 2011 Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist
• 2011 Defensive Team Captain

The 2011 Season is Over

Here's what I learned this year:

• The NFL may be all about crazy passing statistics, but in college football, defense still wins championships. Alabama's defense is one of the best ever.
• LSU may have won if Les Miles takes Jefferson out after the first half. The decision to keep him in killed any chance the Tigers had last night.
• Andrew Luck was the best college quarterback I have ever seen. He did things at the line that Matt Ryan is struggling with now.
• The power conferences are really top heavy right now. And the SEC is still the best. It will only get stronger next fall.
• Teams on the rise for 2012: USC, FSU, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, and Georgia
• Teams on the decline in 2012: Stanford, Baylor, Boise State, and Michigan State
• Tyrann Matheiu is one of the most amazing players I have ever seen. The guy just makes plays. Him and Matt Barkley are the top contenders for the Heisman heading into next year.
• The season started and ended bad for the Dawgs, but beating Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech in the same season for the first time since I have been a Georgia fan was awesome.
• Grantham getting Jordan Jenkins to come to Athens is the first chip to fall. More good news coming for Dawg fans in the next couple of weeks.
• Georgia Tech will continue to be no better than an 8-4 team until Paul Johnson realizes that just because he can recruit crappy players that fit his scheme on offense it doesn't mean you can have crappy talent on defense and be successful.
• The person I feel sorry for the most is Marcus Lattimore. The Gamecocks had their best season ever despite his injury. Hopefully he can be back at his old level next year, but unfortunately, I don't think that will happen.
• Texas was once again the most underachieving program in the country. How can a school with unlimited money and an unlimited talent pool with their own freaking television network suck.
• Despite their absolute embarrassment in the Orange Bowl, Clemson will be a force to be reckoned with next year. They were very young on both sides of the ball this year and the only real challenge in the ACC is FSU.
• This was not the year for kickers, especially in bowl games.
  
• Florida will still not be Florida next year. They may be better than 6-6, but they won't win the East.
• James Franklin did a great job at Vanderbilt but he is a dick. I hope they get destroyed in every game next year.