Georgia’s winners and losers from early signing period

Georgia football’s winners and losers from the early signing period. Where does UGA’s class of 2025 rank?

The Georgia Bulldogs signed 25 recruits over the early signing period. Georgia signed an elite recruiting class, but slipped to No. 3 in the rankings behind Texas and Alabama on 247Sports.

Here are some winners and losers from Georgia’s early-signing period.

Winner: Future Georgia WRs

Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

The Georgia Bulldogs will lose Arian Smith, Dominic Lovett, and Colbie Young due to graduation. More receivers could potentially transfer. So, Georgia worked hard to recruit pass catchers.

The Bulldogs signed five-star Talyn Taylor, the sixth-best receiver recruit in the nation. They also signed four 4-stars (CJ Wiley, Landon Roldan, Tyler Williams, Thomas Blackshear). This superb class should help Georgia’s wide receiver depth.

Loser: Future Georgia RBs

Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Georgia’s toughest offensive loss on early signing day occurred when four-star running back Ousmane Kromah flipped from the Bulldogs to the Florida State Seminoles. Georgia lost the fourth-best running back recruit in the nation. Three-star Bo Walker was the only running back UGA signed.

Even then, the Bulldogs weren’t necessarily on the hunt for too many running backs; Georgia could still have Trevor Etienne for another year, and if he transfers or declares for the draft, Nate Frazier could become the RB1. Still, the loss of Kromah hurts.

Winner: Georgia’s Front Seven

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Like the receiver group, Georgia is projected to lose a lot of depth in the front seven. Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse, Chaz Chambliss, and Smael Mondon are all seniors. Juniors Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker are likely declaring for the NFL draft.

Georgia did well to replace all of them. The Bulldogs signed the top edge rusher (Isaiah Gibson), defensive lineman (Elijah Griffin), and linebacker (Zayden Walker) in the nation. The Bulldogs failed to get Justus Terry, but Georgia fans should be impressed with the haul of prospects the Bulldogs signed on the front seven.

Loser: Georgia’s close calls

Georgia entered the day with 28 commits, and while almost all of them signed, the Bulldogs were hoping for a few more. Georgia had five targets, the most notable being five-star cornerback DJ Pickett.

Sadly, the Bulldogs were unsuccessful. None of their targets flipped schools. They were even victim to a flip themselves with four-star running back Ousmane Kromah flipping to FSU. 

Justus Terry was a big name that Georgia was looking out for. He decommitted from Georgia in 2023 and to many’s surprise, he chose the Texas Longhorns, giving them the biggest recruiting class of 2025.

Georgia’s top running back recruit flips to FSU

Four-star RB, who committed to Georgia, flipped to Florida State in a signing day surprise

Four-star running back Ousmane Kromah has flipped from Georgia to Florida State. He will go back to the team that first offered him in 2021.

Kromah is the No. 4 running back recruit in the nation and was UGA’s top running back commitment. He committed to Georgia on Oct. 5, but had unofficially visited Florida State twice (in the Seminoles games against UNC and Florida). Kromah could make an immediate impact on the Seminoles’ running game, potentially competing for the lead back in 2025.

The Bulldogs lose out on a great running back prospect. They have signed three-star Bo Walker and are projected to return freshmen Nate Frazier, Wade Penn, Chauncy Bowens, and Dwight Phillips. Still, this loss hurts. Kromah was the tenth-ranked recruit in Georgia. Georgia may look to add another running back before national signing day or via the transfer portal.

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With the early signing period underway, commitments still have a chance to flip to other schools. Georgia could convince other running back recruits to do the same.

5-star linebacker recruit thinks Georgia is electric

A five-star recruit, Grayson High School standout loved the Georgia atmosphere against Tennessee

The Georgia Bulldogs have done great work recruiting high school prospects. Their 2025 class is currently ranked No. 1 in the country at this point, but that doesn’t mean the Bulldogs haven’t done work building their 2026 recruiting class.

The Bulldogs only have three 2026 commits, but five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson could be a fourth potential commit. Atkinson went to Georgia’s 31-17 win over Tennessee and described his experience as electric.

Atkinson Tweeted during their game against Tennessee. “I had a great time,” said Atkinson via social media.

This is not the first time Atkinson has visited Sanford Stadium. As a freshman in high school, he checked out the Bulldogs’ second championship celebration in January 2022. He attended “Junior Day”, where he met linebacker Mykel Williams.

This year, he was in the stands for the Bulldogs games vs. Clemson, at Alabama, at Texas, and vs. Tennessee. Additionally, his trainer Marcus Howard was an All-SEC defender for the Georgia Bulldogs.

While at the Tennessee game, he met with Kirby Smart and inside linebackers coach/defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann. “I spent a lot of time with Coach Kirby and Coach Schu,” he said, via DawgNation. “Kirby talked a lot about my game he came to and what he saw from me. Coach Schu and I talk about everything.”

Atkinson is currently ranked the No. 7 recruit in the nation and the top linebacker. He is the No. 1 prospect in Georgia. He currently plays for Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia. The elite linebacker is predicted to commit to Georgia his potential commitment would strengthen Georgia’s class of 2026.

5-star QB recruit decommits from Georgia Bulldogs

Elite five-star recruit quarterback has decommitted from Georgia football

The Georgia Bulldogs’ recruiting pool for 2026 became shallower on Thursday. Five-star quarterback Jared Curtis announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he had decommitted from the University of Georgia.

“This morning, I spoke with coach Smart and coach Bobo and let them know that I still love Georgia, but would like to take some more time to explore all my options so I can make the best, most informed decision for my future,” Curtis said, “I let them know it just doesn’t seem right or fair to stay committed while checking out other programs. I want people to know where I stand and I’ve learned that making big decisions takes time.”

The Bulldogs have just two commits, cornerbacks Jontavius Wyman and Dominick Kelly, in the class of 2026, according to 247Sports. That puts UGA at No. 20 in the nation.

Georgia still has several ways to prepare for the departure of Carson Beck. Backup Gunnar Stockton has shown promise. Jaden Rashada is an interesting transfer piece from last year’s class. Class of 2025 commit Ryan Montgomery is a four-star recruit despite his recent injury. Georgia could also elect to utilize the transfer portal.

 

Georgia also has the No. 5 recruiting class in the 2025 cycle. The Bulldogs have a major five-star target committing on Friday.

Georgia recruit calls the Georgia Bulldogs his ‘dream team’

The Georgia Bulldogs are at the top of the list for a very talented high-school recruit running back

For the Georgia Bulldogs, this afternoon matchup versus Mississippi State already has a high-profile recruit watching, and there could be another one on the way.

High school running back Jae Lamar, who received an offer from Georgia last weekend, recently called Georgia his “dream team”, according to Jeff Sentell of DawgNation:

“It means a lot,” he said. “Georgia is my dream team. I have always wanted to play at Georgia (with) the great backs that come from there. You know Todd Gurley. There’s a lot of great backs out there and I think that it fits me there. Georgia has always been at the top of my list. I think they are number one right now.”

The class of 2026 recruit out of Colquitt County High School in Moultrie, Georgia, hasn’t been ranked or graded by recruiting websites such as 247Sports yet, but he surely will be soon.  This highlight a big reason why Georgia offered him a scholarship:

 

The 5 foot, 11 inch running back has 575 rushing yards on 58 attempts, good for a jaw-dropping 9.9 yards per attempt. In just his sixth varsity game, he put up 182 rushing yards on 14 carries and 77 yards receiving, including that insane highlight. This is on a Colquitt County team that is ranked the 13th-best high school team in Georgia.

It’ll be interesting to see where he’ll commit. Lamar’s potential presence at Georgia would make him part of a very loaded young backfield with Nate Frazier and Dwight Phillips. Georgia fans should be excited if he decides to commit to the Dawgs.

3-star defensive lineman commits to LSU over Miami, others

The Tigers added to their 2025 recruiting class with Savannah, Georgia, defensive lineman Walter Mathis Jr.

LSU added on to its elite 2025 recruiting class on Friday, securing a commitment from three-star Peach State defensive lineman [autotag]Walter Mathis Jr.[/autotag]

The Calvary Day School (Savannah, Ga.) prospect officially visited LSU in June and also took official visits to Miami, Clemson and Auburn, who the Tigers ultimately beat out to land him.

Mathis ranks as the No. 438 player nationally, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, as well as the No. 48 defensive lineman and No. 50 overall player in the state of Georgia. He becomes the fourth defensive lineman to join the Tigers’ 2025 class and is the third-highest-rated of the group.

He becomes the 26th commitment in a recruiting class that ranks third nationally according to both the 247Sports composite and On3 industry rankings.

 

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SEC recruiting rankings after Georgia’s latest commit, decommit

Where SEC football recruiting rankings stand after Georgia’s most recent commitment and decommitment

The Georgia Bulldogs recently picked up a commitment from three-star defensive lineman Jayden-Jamal Hanne, who is a member of the class of 2025. The Bulldogs also flipped USC Trojans commitment Dominick Kelly, who is a member of the class of 2026. The next day, USC got some revenge and flipped four-star Georgia linebacker commitment Jadon Perlotte, who is in the 2025 cycle. Perlotte has long been rumored to flip from Georgia.

Now, Georgia has 21 total commitments in the class of 2025. The Bulldogs have the second ranked recruiting class in the SEC.

The Alabama Crimson Tide have the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the SEC in Year 1 of the Kalen DeBoer era. There’s still a long way to go in the class of 2025, but DeBoer has an excellent foundation to the class of 2025.

Overall, the SEC has five of the top six recruiting classes in the country. The SEC remains the best recruiting conference in the nation despite conference expansion.

2025 SEC football recruiting rankings

Alabama football head coach Kalen DeBoer is not having trouble recruiting in the SEC. Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports
  1. Alabama (20 commits, No. 2 national ranking)
  2. Georgia (21 commits, No. 3 national ranking)
  3. LSU (18 commits, No. 4 national ranking)
  4. Auburn (21 commits, No. 5 national ranking)
  5. Tennessee (21 commits, No. 6 national ranking)
  6. Texas A&M (19 commits, No. 8 national ranking)
  7. Oklahoma (22 commits, No. 9 national ranking)
  8. Texas (16 commits, No. 14 national ranking)
  9. Missouri (17 commits, No. 15 national ranking)
  10. Kentucky (17 commits, No. 23 national ranking)
  11. Arkansas (19 commits, No. 27 national ranking)
  12. South Carolina (19 commits, No. 30 national ranking)
  13. Mississippi State (17 commits, No. 33 national ranking)
  14. Ole Miss (13 commits, No. 45 national ranking)
  15. Florida (10 commits, No. 59 national ranking)
  16. Vanderbilt (nine commits, No. 74 national ranking)

All recruiting rankings are per 247Sports.

 

Elite WR Jerel Bolder projected to commit to Georgia football

Four-star WR recruit projected to commit to Georgia over NC State, Virginia and more

Class of 2025 wide receiver recruit Jerel Bolder is projected to commit to the Georgia Bulldogs. Bolder is ranked as a four-star prospect, per Rivals. Other recruiting sites, like On3, ESPN and 247Sports have Bolder ranked as a three-star recruit.

Michael Clark of 247Sports recently projected that Bolder would commit to the University of Georgia. Bolder is coming off an official visit with Georgia. The Bulldogs have also been predicted to land a commitment from USC decommit and five-star defensive lineman Justus Terry.

The four-star receiver is ranked as eighth-best recruit in North Carolina, per Rivals. Jerel Bolder is considered the No. 47 wide receiver in the nation.

The 6-foot, 195-pound receiver plays high school football for Forest Hills High School in Marshville, North Carolina. Marshville is located about 45 minutes away from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Bolder took a photo with Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart on one of his recent visits to Athens, Georgia.

Georgia football currently has the nation’s No. 4 recruiting class after the Bulldogs’ recent hot streak.

4-star LSU legacy receiver CJ Wiley announces 3 finalists, commitment date

CJ Wiley is the son of former LSU defensive end Chuck Wiley.

LSU is looking to add to its receiver class after losing a commitment from No. 1 wideout [autotag]Dakorien Moore[/autotag] — who it remains in the mix for — last month.

The Tigers are in luck as they made the cut for four-star receiver [autotag]CJ Wiley[/autotag], son of former LSU defensive end [autotag]Chuck Wiley[/autotag]. They’re joined by Georgia and Florida State, according to On3’s Chad Simmons.

The Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.) prospect ranks as the No. 136 player in the 2025 cycle and the nation’s No. 15 receiver. He’s officially visited the Tigers and Bulldogs in the last two weeks, and he has a visit set in Tallahassee next weekend.

The Tigers have an 11-man 2025 class that ranks as high as No. 2 nationally, but it currently features just one receiver commitment from four-star New Orleans prospect [autotag]TaRon Francis[/autotag].

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4-star LSU linebacker target Tavion Wallace sets commitment date

The Tigers are the only program in Tavion Wallace’s top five that won’t receive an official visit.

The Tigers continue to try to build on what could be a special 2025 recruiting class, and now one of the top targets on their board has set a commitment date.

Four-star Wayne County (Jesup, Ga.) linebacker [autotag]Tavion Wallace[/autotag] announced on social media that he will be making his college decision on July 15. Wallace recently narrowed his list of schools down to five, including LSU alongside Florida, Georgia, Florida State and Arkansas.

LSU will be at a disadvantage as it’s the only program in his top five that won’t receive an official visit. Wallace will officially visit the other four teams over the next few months with FSU being the heavy favorite to land him at the moment.

LSU’s 2025 class currently features 12 commitments and ranks second nationally per On3 and third per the 247Sports Composite Recruiting Rankings.

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