Recruiting Battles: Saturday's Tennessee-Georgia Contest Could Shape Each Team's 2021 Class

Tennessee and Georgia are going head to head on the recruiting trails, and we review those battles here.

Tennessee and South Georgia will battle it out on the field Saturday, but the two teams are in a constant battle on the recruiting trail almost year around. Each week, when applicable, our staff will take a look at the recruiting battles between the two teams playing.

Recent History:

The battles between Tennessee and Georgia on the recruiting trails over the past few years are numberless. In 2019, the Bulldogs had success in the Volunteer State landing Zion Logue, Tymon Mitchell,  and Bill Norton. In the same cycle,  the Volunteers filled their class with talent from the Peach State, including elite offensive tackle Wanya Morris, Jaylen McCollough, and Ramel Keyton, among others.  The two teams also battled it out for Darnell Wright before he eventually chose the Vols on National Signing Day. Tennessee did not have the same success with Trezmen Marshall, as Georgia was able to withstand a strong, late push from Tennessee.  In 2020, Georgia beat the Vols head-to-head for top targets such as Tate Ratledge, and Darnell Washington, while Tennessee held off late pushes from Georgia on Jalin Hyatt and Jimmy Calloway. Now, the two teams are entrenched in battle once against.

The Present:

Tennessee and Georgia have multiple national recruiting battles heading into Saturday's contest. It all starts with Amarius Mims. The Nation's 13th overall prospect, according to Sports Illustrated, will be in attendance for Saturday's game. He has visited Tennessee and Georgia multiple times over the last two months, on his own dime, and he will get one final look at each school on Saturday. Mims will then announce his decision on October 14th, just four days after the contest. Mims has connections to each school, and it will come down to his comfort level. Tennessee has battled uphill in this recruitment for months, and they have made it much closer than many ever expected. A source close to this recruitment suggests that Mims has made a decision already, and he is looking forward to his public announcement.  Below is a recent interview Mims did with VR2 on SI.

Sports Illustrated's sixth overall prospect, Smael Mondon, is also considering Georgia and Tennessee among his finalists. Mondon's recruitment has been a guessing game for months. He keeps everything close to the vest, and no one truly knows what he is thinking or which team is in front. Mondon's strong relationship with Brian Niedermeyer has Tennessee deep in the recruitment, and should at least give the Vols a chance down the stretch. You can see a recent interview Mondon did with VR2 on SI here.

Nyland Green is another Peach State standout the two teams are battling to land.  Sources around his recruitment suggest that it is a Georgia-Tennessee battle. On Friday, Green told VR2 on SI, I have connected with a lot of those guys. Bryce Thompson, Alontae Taylor, just a lot of those guys. (They are just telling me) the program is amazing, the defense is amazing, the players are amazing. They are just telling me to pick the college that is best for me." He added about Georgia, "Georgia is the home-state school. They are right here at home. What more can I say about Georgia?" Below is a video of Green breaking down his finalists with VR2 on SI.

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins is the only prospect on this list that does not live in the state of Georgia. The top player from the state of South Carolina is strongly considering both Tennessee and Georgia. South Carolina and North Carolina both remain in the mix for his services. Ingram-Dawkins has been close to committing on multiple occasions, and both schools would have been in a solid spot to land his commitment, with each jockeying for position over the last few months. Tennessee is building a strong relationship with Ingram-Dawkins, and he likes what the Vols are selling. Georgia's pitch is similar, and the Bulldogs have a lot to offer.  You can see a full update on Ingram-Dawkins finalists below.

Other recruits to mention not on this list are Terrion Arnold and Khristian Zachary, both of who have Tennessee and Georgia among their favorites. It is safe to say that these recruits will be paying close attention to the 3:30 ET kickoff on Saturday.