Spring Recruiting Stays Hot For Kirby Smart and Georgia
Kirby Smart and his Georgia Bulldogs continue to have a hot recruiting cycle this spring, hosting talented recruits from 2024 and 2025 classes on campus this past weekend and in weeks to come.
2024 Class
Ellis Robinson IV plays cornerback for one of the country's best high school football programs, IMG Academy. The 5-star CB is rated as the No. 1 player at his position, the second-best player in Florida, and the eighth-best player in the nation for the 2024 class. This isn’t Robinson's first time in Athens and it won’t be hid last, taking four visits previously. Commiting to the G on February 1st, this coming weekend will be Robinson's first time back in Athens since Kirby got his commitment.
Smart continues to host 5-star talent on the defensive side of the ball in defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri. From Lee Summit, MO, Nwaneri is the No. Two defensive linemen and the No. one player in Missouri for the 2024 class. Ranked one place behind Robinson nationally, Nwaneri is quick off the line and excelling with his hand use, but his lateral quickness makes him unique. In 2019, Joe Burrow exposed the need for Georgia's front seven to have the ability to move laterally, being able to scramble from the pocket and out of sacks multiple times. If Smart learned anything from that SEC championship game, he needs a DL that can move on the field, and Nwaneri would be the perfect fit for that mold.
Five Star QB, Dylan Raiola
Dylan Raiola was the other 5-star on campus this past weekend. Raiola and his family traveled from Phoenix, AR, to visit Georgia Tech and Georgia over the weekend. In an interview with Steven Wiltfong of 247 Sports, Raiola's dad, Dominic, spoke about their time at UGA this past weekend, mentioning how [Kirby] Smart is the best in the business. It is an ultra-competitive environment, and that excites Dylan." After his sixth visit with the Dawgs, Raiola will be visiting his dad's alma mater, Nebraska, next weekend.
Smart also had 5-star WR Ryan Wingo on an unofficial visit this weekend. The 6' 2" receiver plays for St. Louis University in St. Louis, Mo., where he hauled in 41 receptions for 785 yards and 13 total touchdowns this past season in 10 games. Wingo was a threat in the passing game and showed his versatility in the kick return game. On kickoff, Wingo had 11 returns, averaging 23.6 yards a return, but on punt return, he had six returns, averaging 30.5 yards per return and returning two for touchdowns. After taking his first visit to Athens, be expecting Wingo back on campus for an official visit soon.
Kirby and his offensive staff had a chance to host University of Tennessee baseball commit Amari Jefferson this past weekend. The 6' 1' 4-star WR recruit is from Chattanooga, TN, where he plays WR in the fall and is an OF/INF in the spring. Perfect game shows Jefferson's 10-yard split being run at a time of 1.66s in 2020, his freshman season. Showing that early potential of speed, Jefferson is sure to be a speedy deep threat wherever the WR plays in college. Smart had a chance to show Jefferson the championship culture of his football program and a contending Diamond Dawgs team that may need an OF in the coming years.
Caleb Odom is the hot topic from the weekend visits. The 4-star tight end from Carrolton, Ga., received an offer from Kirby and his staff during the weekend visits. Standing at 6' 6" Odom is a two-sport athlete at Carrolton, showing off his dunking ability on Twitter. Even more interesting about the Darnell Washington-like prospect is that he can also recite 103 digits of pi, showing a screenshot from his Honors precalculus class on his Twitter. Already holding offers from Auburn, Michigan, and Michigan State, Smart looks to ensure the depth in his TE room with this versatile recruit.
No. 1 player in CT will be on campus on March 21 to watch the second week of spring practice for the Bulldogs. Jerod Smith, 6' 4" and 250 lbs, is ranked by 247 Sports as the 22nd best defensive lineman for the 2024 class. Also, having offers from Texas, Notre Dame, and Penn State, seeing how Smart runs his practice will be an eye-opening experience for this highly touted recruit.
2025 Class
George MacIntyre, the 5-star QB from Brentwood Academy in Tennessee, had an eventful end to this past week. Picking up an offer from UGA on March 14th, visiting Clemson on March 15h, receiving an offer from Notre Dame on March 17th, and visiting UGA on March 18th. The 6' 5" guns slinger is currently ranked as the third-best QB for the 2025 class, and with the possibility of being unable to land Raiola, Smart is looking to ensure a quality QB from the 2025 class.
As Smart continues to pick recruits from Nick Saban's backyard, Zion Grady is one of two highly-ranked players from Alabama to visit Georgia this weekend. The edge rusher is a 5-star and is 6' 4" and 235 lbs. During his sophomore campaign, Grady had 108 tackles, 22 sacks, three forced fumbles, and three blocked field goals. With the recent draft success of Alabama and Georgia's defensive lines sure to be on Grady's mind, it will be an all-out recruiting battle to land a commit from the No. one edge rusher in the 2025 class.
Alvin Henderson joined Grady this past weekend in Athens. From Elba, AL, Rivals ranks "A-Train" as a 4-star recruit and the third-best RB in the country. After a stellar sophomore season that included Henderson rushing for 2,636 yards and 14 touchdowns, he earned Alabama 1-A player of the year. With a history of great running backs playing at UGA, "A-Train" would be a great addition to RBU.
Having a chance to bond with recruits and get to know them in the spring is crucial for programs like Smart's because it gives them the most time to spend with their top targets on the recruiting cycle. Also, it gives you a chance to see if you would want certain recruits to be around in your gameday environments, and these ten players would be great to have between the hedges on Saturdays in the fall.
