Georgia football fans, coaches and members of the media are thrilled after the nation’s fourth-best edge rusher committed to UGA
The Georgia Bulldogs have landed a commitment from four-star edge rusher Chase Linton, who is a member of the class of 2025. Linton committed to Georgia over Georgia Tech, Illinois and Rutgers.
Linton trolled Georgia Tech and Rutgers during his commitment. He initially put on a Rutgers hat. Then he changed into a Georgia Tech shirt and put on a Georgia Tech hat, but said it felt a little bit too tight. He went on to commit to Georgia moments later in a very memorable commitment.
This is not Linton’s first commitment. Linton decommitted from Rutgers in August.
Linton is listed at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, and plays high school football at North Atlanta High in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the fourth-ranked edge rusher nationally and the No. 7 ranked player in Georgia. Linton is the No. 45 recruit in the country and is not far from being ranked as a five-star recruit, per 247Sports.
Sony Michel reflects on Kansas City #Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman’s Super Bowl LVIII-winning catch w/ @EdEastonJr
This week, Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to Georgia Bulldogs legend Sony Michel, who starred as one of the top running backs in the country from 2014 to 2017 before becoming a first-round NFL Draft pick.
In his interview with Easton Jr., Michel reveals that he teamed up with Kingsford last weekend to tailgate at his alma mater, the University of Georgia. The former Rose Bowl hero shared his thoughts on former college teammate and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman’s game-winning touchdown catch in Super Bowl LVIII.
“You may not win every game, but you can win every tailgate with Kingsford,” said Michel as he embraced the return to his alma mater, grilling with students in attendance for the Bulldogs’ victory over the Tennessee Volunteers while hosting the latest stop of the ‘Kingsford College Football Tailgate Tour.’
Michel and current Chiefs receiver Hardman were teammates for two seasons in Georgia. He maintains a friendship with the three-time Super Bowl champion and recalls watching the thrilling ending to last season’s Super Bowl.
“Him (Mecole Hardman) catching the game-winning touchdown. It was amazing to see you talking about a guy I’ve seen work since those college days, getting to see his hard work come to light right from the biggest stage,” said Michel. “I know what it feels like to score in those games, and it’s a wonderful feeling.”
“I was happy for him. The only thing that’s crazy, it sucks, like he’s got one up on me now. He has three Super Bowls; I have two. So that’s one of the conversations we have all the time, where it’s just like, Man, I can’t, I’m not coming out of retirement, to try to catch you. So, I’m super excited for him and how his career is going.”
Four-star recruit, who is the nation’s No. 8 ranked running back, is considering Georgia football
Georgia’s 31-17 win against Tennessee was not only big for the Bulldogs’ position in SEC standings and in the rankings for the College Football Playoff.
It was also a major recruiting day for the Bulldogs with the early signing period less than two weeks away. There are some recruiting battles in which the Bulldogs have a real chance to flip elite recruits.
Montgomery (Alabama) Carver four-star running back Anthony Rogers had been committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide for almost a year and a half before backing off the pledge on Sunday.
Rogers was in attendance during Georgia’s energetic win over Tennessee. Rogers is deciding between Georgia and Ohio State after decommitting from Alabama.
Rogers is the No. 8 running back in the nation and the No. 147 recruit, per 247Sports.
Ohio State is looking like the leader with the Bulldogs right behind. Rogers left Athens with more hard thinking to do after Georgia’s excellent atmosphere against Tennessee. Rogers plans to decide on Dec. 4.
Every team ranked ahead of Georgia has a worse strength of schedule and a worse strength of record (with the exception of Oregon)
If the season ended today, the Georgia Bulldogs would be the No. 11 seed in the College Football Playoff bracket. Georgia would have to go on the road to play the No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions in the first round of the playoff.
The Bulldogs might need some help to get a first-round bye. Georgia is done with SEC play, so the Dawgs must watch how other teams perform over the next couple of weeks to learn their SEC championship fate. Of course, Georgia will have to beat Georgia Tech to make the playoff unless the Bulldogs win the SEC championship.
The selection committee is disrespecting Georgia. The committee ranks Georgia lower than both the AP Poll and the US LBM Coaches Poll. The committee appears to favor win-loss record over everything else including strength of schedule, ranked wins and strength of record.
How many teams ranked ahead of Georgia would have been able to go 8-2 with Georgia’s schedule? Not very many in our estimation. Only the Oregon Ducks have a better strength of record than Georgia. The Bulldogs have the toughest strength of schedule in the country.
All strength of schedule and strength of record metrics are according to ESPN.
No. 11 Georgia Bulldogs
Brett Patzke-Imagn Images
Record: 8-2
Strength of schedule: No. 1
Strength of record: No. 2
Ranked wins: No. 3 Texas, No. 11 Tennessee, No. 17 Clemson (Note: all ranked wins are based on the playoff rankings and not the playoff seeding)
Losses: No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 7 Alabama
No. 10 Ole Miss Rebels
Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
Record: 8-2
Strength of schedule: No. 29
Strength of record: No. 12
Ranked wins: No. 10 Georgia, No. 18 South Carolina
The Georgia Bulldogs host the UMass Minutemen at 12:45 p.m. ET. Where can you watch the game?
The No. 8 Georgia Bulldogs play the UMass Minutemen at 12:45 p.m. ET on Saturday in Athens, Georgia. The Georgia-UMass game will be televised on SEC Network.
The television commentators for the Georgia-UMass game are Dave Neal, Max Starks, Ashley ShahAhmadi.
Georgia is 8-2 (6-2 SEC) and . Georgia needs to win to stay alive in the SEC title race and to remain in control of its College Football Playoff destiny.
UMass is 2-8 lost in overtime to Liberty, 35-34, last week. After the loss, UMass fired head coach Don Brown. The Minutemen will have Shane Montgomery serve as their interim head coach.
“Heard the unfortunate news about (recently fired UMass head coach) Don Brown just recently, and I know Shane (Montgomery, interim head coach) from the past and recruited together on the road and been around Shane before. He’s a tremendous coach, and we look forward to preparing for this game,” said Georgia coach Kirby Smart on Montgomery’s firing.
UMass is without starting quarterback Taisun Phommachanh. In his place, quarterback AJ Hairston played well in the Minutemen’s overtime loss to Liberty.
Georgia is favored by over 40 points against UMass. The Bulldogs finally have an easy game after finishing their SEC schedule. Georgia has won 29 straight games at Sanford Stadium.
The SEC has six of the top seven recruiting classes in the nation. Where does Georgia’s class of 2025 rank?
(This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)
The Georgia Bulldogs now have the top recruiting class in the SEC. Four-star Georgia cornerback commitment Dominick Kelly became Georgia’s 25th commitment in the class of 2025. Kelly reclassified from the class of 2026 to the class of 2025.
It has been a busy few weeks for the Bulldogs on the recruiting trail. Georgia is preparing for the early signing period, which begins Dec. 4. Georgia football and coach Kirby Smart have been pushing to flip a few more recruiting targets. Most notably, Georgia has been offering scholarships to several of the nation’s top quarterback commitments.
The Bulldogs have the third-ranked class in the nation. Georgia recently leaped Alabama, which has lost a few commitments the past couple of weeks.
Update: Georgia now has the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation after four-star edge rusher Chase Linton committed to the Bulldogs.
Recruiting in the SEC is ultra-competitive. The SEC is home to six of the seven top recruiting classes in the country and 10 of the top 20 classes.
2025 SEC football recruiting rankings
Coach Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs have the best recruiting class in the SEC. Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
Georgia Bulldogs (25 commits, No. 2 national ranking)
Alabama Crimson Tide (21 commits, No. 3 national ranking)
Georgia football hosts Georgia Tech on Friday, Nov. 29. Here’s how Tech has a significant rest advantage over Georgia.
The Georgia Bulldogs will host the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Friday, Nov. 29, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Georgia-Georgia Tech game will be televised on the ABC.
Georgia is 8-2 and plays UMass Minutemen on Saturday, Nov. 23, ahead of the Georgia Tech game. The Bulldogs will be at a significant rest disadvantage against Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech is 6-4. The Yellow Jackets had a bye in Week 12 ahead of their game against the NC State Wolfpack on Thursday, Nov. 21. Georgia Tech will have two extra days to prepare for Georgia.
The Yellow Jackets are Georgia’s last obstacle that could prevent UGA from making the College Football Playoff. Georgia Tech upset Miami, 28-23, in its most recent game and represents a significant threat for Georgia.
ESPN’s matchup predictor gives Georgia an 89.6% chance to beat Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have give Georgia much more trouble during the Brent Key era and are very motivated to beat their in-state rivals.
Four-star cornerback recruit, UGA football commit reclassifies to the class of 2025
Four-star Georgia Bulldogs defensive back commitment Dominick Kelly has reclassified from the class of 2026 to the class of 2025. Kelly has been committed to Georgia since July.
Kelly is listed at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds and plays football at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Kelly is the nation’s No. 32 cornerback and No. 35 player in Florida according to 247Sports.
Kelly’s recruitment is one to watch heading into the early signing period after he elected to reclassify. Kelly was committed to USC before he flipped to Georgia over the summer.
The four-star cornerback’s reclassification gives Georgia 25 commitments in the 2025 recruiting cycle. Georgia has the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class behind Ohio State, but the Bulldogs are looking to make a push over the next few weeks. Georgia has a few remaining targets, including five-star defensive lineman Justus Terry.
Kelly is Georgia’s second cornerback commitment in the class of 2025. Cornerback is one of UGA’s top positions of need.
Kelly is no longer a member of Georgia’s class of 2026, which is down to three commitments: wide receiver Vance Spafford, cornerback Jontavius Wyman and tight end Lincoln Keyes.
UMass parts ways with its head coach before the Georgia game in what is not exactly ideal timing.
The University of Massachusetts has parted ways with head coach Don Brown ahead of their upcoming matchup against Georgia.
The Georgia Bulldogs kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive with a commanding 31-17 win over Tennessee in primetime last weekend, wrapping up their conference schedule. Now, they shift focus to a non-conference game against UMass. Offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery will serve as UMass’ offensive coordinator following Brown’s dismissal on Monday.
Don Brown began his coaching career in 1982 at Dartmouth and held various defensive coordinator roles at Northeast programs like Yale, Brown, and UMass, where he first joined in 1998. He became Northeastern’s head coach in 2000, staying until 2003, and later led UMass from 2004 to 2008. Brown also worked as a defensive coordinator at Maryland, UConn, Boston College, and Michigan before returning to UMass as head coach in 2022.
Despite an overall head coaching record of 101-71, UMass’s 2-8 start this season led to Brown’s dismissal during his second stint with the program. UMass has already faced two SEC opponents this year, Missouri and Mississippi State, and will now prepare to take on Georgia.
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The Minutemen are coming off a heartbreaking loss to Liberty, where they led 20-7 at halftime but ultimately lost in overtime. The program will also begin its search for a new head coach.
Five-star recruit, LSU commit prefers Georgia’s night atmosphere over LSU’s. Can UGA flip the elite cornerback?
Five-star LSU Tigers commitment DJ Pickett recently visited the University of Georgia for the Tennessee game. Pickett came away very impressed with Georgia’s environment for the Tennessee game.
“Georgia’s atmosphere is the best I have seen at night,” said Pickett after the Georgia-Tennessee game. LSU is often considered to be the best night environment in the country, but Pickett and statistics disagree.
Georgia has won a school-record 29 straight home games. The Bulldogs have not lost a night game in Athens in a very long time. LSU is coming off an embarrassing 42-13 loss to Alabama at home and at night. LSU is looking to start a new night game winning streak. The Tigers have a pair of night games to finish the season.
Pickett, who is a member of the class of 2025, plays football for Zephyrhills High School, which is located outside of Tampa, Florida.
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound defensive back is the No. 2 player at his position in the 2025 recruiting class. Pickett is the No. 1 player in Florida and the No. 10 player in the nation in the 2025 recruiting cycle, per 247Sports.
Pickett has been committed to LSU since July 2024. Kirby Smart and Georgia would love to flip Pickett because UGA has only two cornerback commitments in the class of 2025.
