Georgia Tech Recruiting: Four-Star 2026 Yellow Jackets Target Receives Prediction To Land With Big Ten School

While there is quite a long way to signing day for the 2026 class, there are going to be plenty of things going on in recruiting between now and then. Top prospects are going to release their top schools, official visits, spring practice, and more. One four-star prospect dropped his top four schools list last week and is going to be committing on Monday.

That prospect is four-star cornerback Justin Hopkins (5'10, 170 LBS, Ensworth High School, TN) has Georgia Tech among his final four schools, which also include USC, Tennessee, and Minnesota. It is not the Yellow Jackets who are receiving a prediction to land the talented four-star prospect however, it is the Golden Gophers. This week on 247Sports, Sean Williams, an insider for powermizzou.com, logged a crystal ball prediction for Minnesota to land Hopkins over the other three schools. He put a confidence rating of seven out of ten on the prediction. Now, of course, predictions are just predictions, but Minnesota might have the upper hand in this recruitment heading into Monday's decision. Let's see what happens then.

Our own Najeh Wilkins broke down what kind of player that Hopkins is last week:

"According to 247Sports Composite, Hopkins is a four-star prospect, the No. 9 player in Tennessee, the No. 21 cornerback, and the No. 294 player nationally. He currently has 26 offers but felt it was time to narrow in on his decision.

🚨NEWS🚨 2026 4-star CB Justin Hopkins will announce his commitment on February 17, @ChadSimmons_ reports.

His finalists are USC, Tennessee, Minnesota and Georgia Tech.

Read: https://t.co/JcSlGNkGKF pic.twitter.com/UZUmcGHBQk
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) February 7, 2025

Hopkins plays for Ensworth, a team located in Tennessee that is coming off one of their better seasons. The Tigers went 11-1 before losing to eventual state champion McCallie in the second round of the playoffs. Hopkins had a standout season on both sides of the ball. Per the Ensworth Football X page, Hopkins finished with 42 catches for 705 yards and seven touchdowns on 16.8 yards per reception. On defense, he finished with 16 tackles, seven pass breakups, two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and two tackles for a loss. He also played a pivotal role in helping close out a 17-3 win against Lipscomb Academy, returning a kickoff for a touchdown.

His standout junior season led him to being named to the Division 2 Class AAA coaches all-state team on defense and he also was named to the Writers Association all-state football team. He also is a multisport athlete who also plays basketball and is pretty good on the hardwood as well.

When you roll his tape, you see a physical defensive back who is exceptional at playing football. He can play zone or man coverage and be equally effective in both. He is also excellent in run coverage, and he is not afraid to come down and make a big hit on opposing running backs. Offensively, he is a playmaker who makes big plays whether on special teams or on offense. You can tell by his 16.8 yards per catch how explosive he can be on a litany of routes including screens, hitches, digs, posts, drags, and even go routes. Just get him the ball and let him work.

In terms of this spring and summer, he is set to compete at the Under Armour camp in Nashville on March 30th and the Rivals camp here in Atlanta on May 18th. The Yellow Jackets continue to recruit at a high-end level and despite not having a commitment yet for the 2026 class they are starting to create relationships and be among the finalists for marquee prospects. "

Additional Links

Latest ESPN Bracketology: Georgia Tech Remains a No. 5 Seed In New Projections

Georgia Tech Football: Yellow Jackets Officially Set Date For 2025 White and Gold Spring Game

Georgia Tech Recruiting: Three-Star Edge Keysaun Eleazer Sets Official Visit Date With the Yellow Jackets