Recruiting Rundown: New Names Emerging for UGA
As Georgia continues to set their recruiting board for the 2024 class and beyond, more and more prospects across the country are starting to emerge as targets for Kirby Smart and his coaching staff. Here are a couple of names to track, plus some intel.
Marcus Downs - DL - Riverside (Sc.) - 2024
Downs is one of the hottest names on the recruiting trail in the southeast He won't be unranked for much longer as he stands at 6'6 260 with very impressive athleticism and explosiveness. Auburn, Miami, Arkansas, North Carolina, Georgia, and others are amongst the long list of schools that have offered Downs in the last month. UGAs offer on Jan. 30 seems to be what kickstarted his recruitment.
Georgia is communicating with Downs pretty often, checking up on him. We have yet to see if UGA will turn up the heat, but there is certainly some mutual interest at this point. If UGA picks things up, they could be the team to beat.
Malachi Toliver - OL - Cartersville (Ga.) - 2024
Toliver has been generating some buzz out of Georgia for a while now. Michigan, Miami, Auburn, South Carolina, and numerous others are some programs that have been involved for a few months now. With UGA sending out their offer earlier this month, the sweepstakes for Toliver just got even more interesting. At 6'6 300, Toliver has some impressive reach and has room to add more weight. He has a lot of potential and would be a high-upside addition to UGAs 2024 class.
There is reason to believe UGA will be the team to beat, especially considering they seem to be pushing for Toliver pretty hard.
Amir Jackson - ATH - Portal (Ga.) - 2024
Small school athlete in Georgia that is making quite a name for himself on the recruiting trail. Georgia is amongst the most recent teams to offer Jackson. Georgia Tech, Florida State, Florida, Virginia Tech and Kentucky have also recently entered the sweepstakes. It's hard to project Amir Jackson to a certain position since he is so versatile. However, he is 6'5 210 with impressive athleticism that will allow him to settle in at a skill position.
His recruitment is still in its infancy stage, but UGA is getting ahead of the pack with its recent offer.
Marquise Lightfoot - EDGE - Kenwood Academy (Il.) - 2024
Georgia has made a habit out of offering freakishly long and athletic edge rushers in the last few classes. Lightfoot fits that mold to a tee. He stands at 6'5 220 and is extremely fast and pesky coming off the edge. Lightfoot is ranked as one of the top recruits in Illinois and should see his ranking continue to climb. Ohio State, Penn State, Miami, Wisconsin, and Louisville are some of the other recent schools to enter the picture.
Lightfoot might be a tough pull out of Big Ten country, but it is certainly possible if UGA is up for the challenge. He is a great scheme fit for Kirby Smart and the UGA defense. For that reason, I would keep an eye on him over the course of the cycle.
Other Georgia News:
- Georgia Recruiting Notebook: Names to Know on the Trail
- NFL Draft Profile: Will Jack Podlesney be Drafted?
- NFL Draft Profile: Will Kelee Ringo be a First Rounder?
Join the community:
Follow Brooks Austin on Twitter: @BrooksAustinBA
Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE.
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @BulldogMaven & follow us on Twitter at @DawgsDailyFN
