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College Football Powerhouses Emerge as Favorites for 4-Star Safety

Two favorite battle, but other competitors are poised as well.
Joe Cox|
Georgia coach Kirby Smart has his Bulldogs in good position in the recruitment of a four-star safety recruit.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart has his Bulldogs in good position in the recruitment of a four-star safety recruit. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

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Georgia BulldogsOhio State Buckeyes

Recruiting battles come in all shapes and sizes. Early in the 2027 recruiting cycle, many top prospects are juggling dozens of recruiters and are just trying to trim their lists to a managable size. But one top safety prospect has seemingly seen his list narrow in a hurry.

Top Safety Shows Two Favorites

Safety prospect Adryan Cole has a pair of national powers atop his recruiting list at the moment. The four-star Georgia recruit saw a recent jump in his Rivals ranking, with him settling in as the No. 11 safety prospect in the nation and the No. 145 overall recruit nationally. His 6'2" size and athleticism have made Cole a highly-regarded prospect.

Georgia and Ohio State are trending as the top teams in Cole's recruitment, as the prep standout recently discussed with Rivals' Chad Simmons. "One day, Georgia is on top," Cole told Simmons. "Then it is Ohio State. I keep going back and forth between those two."

Other Potential Landing Spots

Cole has been active in the recruitment cycle for a long while. He was taking unofficial visits to Georgia as far back as 2023, and aside from his two current finalists, Cole had taken visits to Georgia Tech, Auburn, and South Carolina. Cole also has an official vist sit for Ole Miss in June.

In fact, Cole's Rivals profile indicates a multitude of early predictions for his college landing spot, with Georgia a solid, but not overwhelming, leader. Auburn, Georgia Tech, and Ole Miss all fall between Georgia and Ohio State on the prediction list.

Recruiting Status of Cole's Top Teams

Ohio State is currently second on the Rivals 2027 team recruiting rankings. The Buckeyes have been very busy, already taking nine 2027 commits. It is worth noting that the Buckeyes already have another safety recruit on board in four-star Texas recruit Eli Johnson, who ranks just below Cole as the No. 13 safety prospect in the nation. Ohio State also has Florida athlete Angelo Smith as a commitment. The three-star recruit stands just 5'8", so it seems unlikely that he'll stick at safety in college.

Georgia is sitting at fifth in the Rivals team rankings. Georgia hasn't taken any commitments from safeties, but does have a couple of cornerback commits. Particularly notably is California recruit Donte Wright, who is the No. 3 CB recruit in the nation and is barely outside the range of being upgraded to a five-star recruit.

The big question is whether Cole will make a decision before giving serious consideration to any teams beyond his two leaders. That Ole Miss visit planned for June suggests that the recruitment may keep rolling for at least a couple months.

Day
Ohio State coach Ryan Day leads one of the two programs ahead of the pace for Adryan Cole's commitment. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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