Georgia Recruiting: It's Not Time to Panic Just Yet

Georgia has missed out on several top talents that were absolute takes in the 2021 recruiting cycle, but it's not exactly time to panic just yet and here's why.

For three years straight under Kirby Smart, the University of Georgia has been a perennial recruiting powerhouse. And as the 2021 recruiting cycle continues to heat up, they've missed out on several top targets, but it's not exactly the time to panic just yet if you are a Georgia fan. 

Though just to rub a little salt in the wound, here are the players we here at Dawgs Daily know where "takes" in the class that Georgia has missed on, at least so far. 

• Barrett Carter - The North Gwinnett product is headed to Clemson, but this was more about the Tigers winning over his best friend Jordan Hancock than anything. They have an inseparable bond. 
• Mario Williams - The Florida speedster is off to Oklahoma, and though Georgia had an outside chance, they were in the running late. 
• Romello Brinson - Sources told Dawgs Daily that Brinson was the No. 1 priority in 2021 at the wide receiver position. He's staying home to play at Miami after coming down to UGA and the Hurricanes. 
• Dallas Turner - Turner was one of several Edge rushers that Georgia is after in this cycle. If you recall, Dallas Turner was one of several players listed at "Top Targets" in the Chaz Chambliss edit from the school's graphics department. 
• Tony Grimes - Of course, the nation's top corner was a take for Georgia, and to lose a recruit to North Carolina of all places is a bit of a shock to the system. 

Again, it's not time to panic just yet though. 

Get 'em on campus

There's something about the infectious energy on that coaching staff in Athens that is unmatched across the country. There's a reason players often commit just days after spending time on campus. There's a reason players like Jermaine Burton spend 24 hours in Athens just days before flipping from LSU to Georgia. It's an experience and environment that simply cannot be duplicated over the phone. 

Kirby is a closer, and part of that closing ability has been developing relationships in person over the years. He's a high energy football coach and recruiter and only so much of that can be conveyed through the screen of a Zoom meeting or FaceTime. 

Flips are on the way

Kirby Smart flips them like hot cakes during a normal recruiting cycle. Let alone one as crazy and as unorthodox as this one. He's pulled off a flip each and every year of his tenure at the University of Georgia, and until those names are on the dotted line, nothing is safe. 

There's no reason to look too far into a tweet from a rising senior, but even Tony Grimes seems to be having some kind of complex thoughts just days after choosing UNC over Georgia, and if you want to call them second thoughts, I wouldn't stop you. 

Still got a shot at Top Talent

We here at Dawgs Daily feel like Georgia is in a more than solid spot with some of the nation's remaining top talents. 

• Amarius Mims - Mims has been a heavy Georgia lean for quite some time in our mind and based off the sources close to the situation that we've spoken too. 
• Terrence Ferguson - The Peach County prospect is going to round out a quartet of in-state linemen and join the Georgia program most likely. 
• Brock Bowers - Bowers has been the No. 1 tight end target for Todd Hartley and the rest of the Georgia staff throughout the process and as we've reported, he's making a trip to Athens this upcoming weekend on his own dime. 

Then there's the group of talented stars that Georgia may have a slight lead on, but it's not by much and there's plenty of closing to do. 

• James Williams - If this article was being written a month or so ago, Williams would have been in the previous group, but that Miami staff and Ed Reed are pulling on the South Florida prospect hard. 
• Smael Mondon - It's a three-headed race here. LSU, Auburn, and Georgia are going to duke it out for the nation's top linebacker. The three are neck and neck headed down the backstretch. 
• Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins - TID out of South Carolina has been flirting with the Georgia program for quite some time and there's reason to believe that Tray Scott can get this one done. 
• Malcolm Johnson Jr. - Georgia was one of the first major programs to express interest in this burner from Maryland and he's built a really strong relationship with Cortez Hankton. The precedence being placed on speed has made Johnson feel like a priority in this class. 
• Xavian Sorey - Sorey was also on that Chaz Chambliss edit and has been a top priority for Georgia for quite some time now. He's got a top-5, and Georgia's in the thick of things. 

There's only intentions to take 20 prospects in the 2021 class for Georgia, so there are almost halfway full already with a little over five months until the early signing day period. So, take a deep breath Dawg fans. 

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