College Football's No. 4 Safety Snubs Three National Powers in Major Announcement

These three SEC programs fell short in their recruitment of the fourth-ranked safety in the class of 2027.

Sep 13, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Florida Gators wide receiver Vernell Brown III (8) is tackled by LSU Tigers linebacker Tylen Singleton (46) during the second half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A heated four-team SEC recruiting battle came to an end with four-star safety Adryan Cole's commitment to Georgia on Saturday.

The 6-foot, 195-pounder from Douglasville, Georgia, chose the Bulldogs over LSU, Florida and Ole Miss.

Where does Cole rank in the class of 2027?

Rivals slots Cole as the No. 4 safety, No. 8 prospect from Georgia and No. 76 overall prospect in its Rivals 300 rankings for the class of 2027.

Cole registered 69 tackles, four pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery in his junior season at Douglas County High School. He is also a track runner, competing in both the 200-meter dash and long jump for Douglas County.

TJ Randall of 247Sports said that Cole "possesses a legitimate trigger, hitting the gas oto close on intermediate routes with real authority" and noted that his "level of functional long speed won't let him down when it's time to carry routes vertically" in an evaluation from the beginning of July.

Impact of Cole's decision on Georgia's 2027 recruiting class

Oct 11, 2025; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart talks to a game official during a time out in the the first quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Thanks to Cole, the Bulldogs now have nine blue-chip commitments in the class of 2027. While Kirby Smart's teams always possess a prowess on the defensive end, the only five-star commitments are from a pair of offensive skill players: running back Kemon Spell and tight end Jaxon Dollar.

Defensively, Georgia's only prior blue-chip commitments were from four-star linebacker Joakim Gouda on June 1 and four-star defensive lineman Antwan McKoy on June 16. Not only is Cole the sole blue-chip prospect committed at safety, but he is the only defensive back committed to the Bulldogs' 2027 recruiting class.

Impact of Cole's commitment on his other three finalists

Cole would have outranked every safety commit at LSU, Florida and Ole Miss had he committed to one of those programs, but all of them hold a blue-chip safety commit.

Four-star prospect Jayden Anding, the No. 27 safety in the Rivals 300 rankings, opted to stay within state borders and committed to the Tigers on July 7. LSU also flipped four-star cornerback Greedy James away from Texas on July 2.

The Rebels received a commitment from Chicago area safety Darrell Mattison back on May 22; he is the No. 36 safety in Rivals' industry rankings. In addition to safety, Ole Miss reeled in top-40 cornerback Taelyn Mayo at the start of May.

Florida's 2027 class boasts four cornerback commitments, three of which are from blue-chip prospects. At safety, the Gators went into Oklahoma and hauled in Kailib Dillard, the No. 23 safety in the Rivals 300 rankings.