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Georgia, Kirby Smart land $433K star amid lofty NIL spending spree

JC Shelton

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart
Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart / Amber Searls-Imagn Images
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Head coach Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs continue to push for the top high school recruiting class in the 2026 cycle after another key win on Wednesday.

Smart and Co. have yet to finish outside of the top five in recruiting rankings in nine consecutive years. Georgia hauled in the nation's No. 1 class in the 2024 cycle and finished second nationally in the 2025 cycle, per On3.

Part of what makes the Bulldogs such a recruiting power – besides simply winning games and impressive NFL development – is the support from an NIL perspective. According to updated NCAA estimates, UGA is projected to spend $18.3 million in 2025, ranking fourth in the country.

The Bulldogs entered Wednesday with the fifth-ranked class of 2026, holding 17 commitments. That group has been propelled to No. 3 after the pledge of four-star offensive tackle Ekene Ogboko, the younger brother of Georgia defensive lineman Nnamdi Ogboko.

Ekene Ogboko (6-foot-6, 310 pounds) plays for South Garner (North Carolina) High School, where he ranks as the No. 6 offensive tackle, the No. 5 player in the state and the No. 68 overall player in his class.

Ogboko was previously also considering Clemson, Notre Dame and Florida. He took official visits to Florida (May 16) and Clemson (May 30) before announcing his commitment to Georgia.

Ogboko's commitment ceremony, held from South Garner high, was a dramatic one. The highly-coveted prospect tossed all four hats aside, inlcuding a UGA cap, before unzipping his jacket and committing to the Bulldogs.

Ogboko started at left tackle in 2024 while also playing along the defensive line, racking up 60 tackles (26 for loss) with five sacks, four quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. He holds an On3 NIL valuation of $433,000 entering is senior high school season.

With Ogboko in the fold, UGA is trending to compete with USC and LSU for the No. 1 class of 2026.

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JC Shelton
JC SHELTON

J.C. Shelton is college football fanatic and expert. He is a Georgia native and proud University of Georgia College of Journalism graduate who began his media career covering the Georgia Bulldogs for The Red & Black, before moving to USA TODAY Sports’ UGA Wire. JC launched the ‘UGA Football Live With J.C. Shelton’ podcast in 2020, and has interviewed Georgia football legends including Hines Ward, Todd Gurley, Aaron Murray, Mark Richt and others. J.C. also served as Lead Editor for The Players’ Lounge, covering Georgia, Tennessee and Clemson football. He is a resident of Atlanta with his wife and dog.