What it Cost College Football Programs to Beat Georgia on the Recruiting Trail

A look into what it cost some college football programs to beat the Georgia Bulldogs on the recruiting trail.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart looks toward the field during the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinals at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A look into what it cost some college football programs to beat the Georgia Bulldogs on the recruiting trail.

A lot of people may not know it, but National Signing Day for college football began on Feb. 4. It's the final day for high school athletes to make their final decisions on where they will be playing football at the next level.

The majority of players though made their decisions during the early national signing day period in December. The Georgia Bulldogs locked down another top-ranked recruiting class this offseason, but they also lost some big-time prospects.

Most notably, five-star quarterback Jared Curtis flipped his commitment from Georgia to Vanderbilt the week of early national signing day. Curtis had been a long-time Georgia commit, but the Commodores managed to swipe him away at the last second.

Two other big-time prospects that Georgia lost out on from the 2026 class was five-star tight end Mark Bowman and five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell. Bowman ultimately chose the USC Trojans over Georgia and Cantwell chose the Hurricanes.

In today's world of college football, it's pretty well known that if you want to land a top player, you have to open up the pocket book and spend some money. On3 did some recent reporting that gave some insight into what it took for those programs to beat out Georgia on the recruiting trail.

College Programs Broke the Bank to Beat Georgia on the Recruiting Trail

NEW: Miami OT Jackson Cantwell, Vanderbilt QB Jared Curtis and USC TE Mark Bowman are regarded as the highest-paid signees in the 2026 class, sources tell @PeteNakos🤑

The five-star recruits are set to make north of $1.5M in Year 1. https://t.co/gFMLoU7IXi https://t.co/vMz6LgENul pic.twitter.com/vyUFxbwHsQ

— On3 (@On3) February 4, 2026

Needless to say, it's a lot of investment to spend over $1.5 million for a true freshman in college football, but it should also be considered that all three of those players will likely be starters at their programs next season.

Diego Pavia is off the roster for Vanderbilt, Miami is losing a good chunk of their offensive line to the NFL and Lincoln RIley is always looking for some new playmakers in the passing game. Especially with Makai Lemon off to the NFL, who was a star wide receiver for the Trojans last season.

Some tough loses for the Bulldogs on the trail, but maybe it's assuring for fans to know that in order for programs to beat out Georgia on the trail, they have to be willing to pay a pretty penny for it.

Georgia Bulldogs 2026 Commits

• Lincoln Keyes, TE
• Seven Cloud, DL
• Zech Fort, S
• Jordan Smith, S
• Justice Fitzpatrick, CB
• Graham Houston, OL
• Ryan Mosley, WR
• Carter Luckie, DL
• Zachary Lewis, OL
• Zykie Helton, OL
• Ekene Ogboko, OL
• Caden Harris, CB
• Harran Zeurikat, K
• Wade Register, P
• Khamari Brooks, Edge 
• Craig Dandridge
• Jae Lamar, RB
• Chace Calicut, S
• PJ Dean, DL
• Kaiden Prothro, TE
• Preston Carey, DL
• Brayden Fogle, TE
• Tyriq Green, ATH
• Nick Abrams, LB
• Anthony Lonon Jr., DL
• Elijah Littlejohn, LB
• Terrence Penick, LB
• Tyreek Jemison, OL
• Blake Stewart, S
• Dallas Dickerson, WR