Georgia’s 2026 recruits are putting up some serious senior year numbers
The September snapshot for the 2026 Georgia football recruiting class offers intriguing numbers. The Bulldogs have never had more commitments than their current tally of 31 verbal pledges before October showed up on the calendar.
That’s not the only big number for this class. Check out those data points derived from the 247Sports Composite below:
- Commits: 31
- Class rank: No. 2 nationally
- Commits on offense: 12
- Commits on defense: 17
- Special team commits: 2
- In-state commits: 16
- Out-of-state commits: 15
- 5-star commits: 3
- Top 50 overall commits: 4
- Top 100 overall commits: 7 (3 offense, 4 defense)
- Top 150 overall commits: 13 (6 offense, 7 defense)
- Top 200 overall commits: 15 (7 offense, 8 defense)
- Commits in the SEC footprint: 23
- Commits beyond SEC footprint: 8
- Offensive players among the 10 highest-rated commits: 5
It is also a rarity to see Georgia with three five-star commits, all of whom are on the offensive side of the ball. That’s a break in tradition for a defensive-minded program led by former All-SEC safety Kirby Smart.
Prior to this cycle, the Bulldogs saw 18 of their past 21 signees who earned a five-star ranking set to play defense for Smart’s program.
This offensive class is putting up robust numbers, and those who aren’t quite as eye-catching are quick to acknowledge the reasons.
Four-star tight end Lincoln Keyes, who was injured in the first game of the season, has only had significant playing time in two games.
When Keyes returned last Friday night, he caught three touchdown passes.
“Unfortunately, I got hurt like three-quarters of the way through our first game and it was my first game back, so my stats are kinda low.”
Five-star QB Jared Curtis, who has only played in three games this fall, was a showstopper when he threw for three scores and ran for another three TDs against a school from a much larger classification.
Curtis hasn’t played in every game this fall because he’s facing teams that aren’t of the same caliber as his Nashville Christian squad. He’s watched the last two weeks as his Eagles won by 58-0 and 71-6 margins, respectively.
He’s still rushed or thrown for a combined 11 touchdowns in 2025.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound senior also recently saw his prospect ranking rise to the nation’s No. 1 overall QB for this cycle on both the Rivals Industry Ranking and the 247Sports Composite.
Check out the stat lines for most of Georgia’s 31 commitments below, which include some Easter egg numbers being put up by defensive players on the offensive side of the ball and vice versa.
PASSING
| Player | Comp.-Att.-Int. | Pct. | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-star Jared Curtis, Nash. Christian (Tenn.) | 42-60-2 | 70% | 515 |
RUSHING
| Player | Att. | Yards | Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-star P Wade Register, Trinity Christian (Ga.) | 90 | 681 | 7.6 |
| 4-star RB Jae Lamar, Colquitt County (Ga.) | 75 | 524 | 7.0 |
| 3-star S Kealan Jones, Sprayberry (Ga.) | 17 | 267 | 15.3 |
| 5-star QB Jared Curtis, Nashville Christian (Tenn.) | 28 | 193 | 6.9 |
| 4-star S Tyriq Green, Buford (Ga.) | 32 | 171 | 5.3 |
| 4-star LB Shadarius Toodle, Cottage Hill (Ala.) | 9 | 141 | 15.7 |
RECEIVING
| Player | Rec. | Yards | Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-star WR Craig Dandridge, Cambridge (Ga.) | 28 | 566 | 20.2 |
| 4-star WR Ryan Mosley, Cartersville (Ga.) | 22 | 494 | 22.9 |
| 5-star TE Kaiden Prothro, Bowdon (Ga.) | 19 | 398 | 20.9 |
| 4-star WR Brady Marchese, Cartersville (Ga.) | 19 | 375 | 19.7 |
| 4-star TE Brayden Fogle, Lexington (Ohio) | 12 | 270 | 22.5 |
| 4-star EDGE Khamari Brooks, North Oconee (Ga.) | 7 | 172 | 24.5 |
| 3-star S Kealan Jones, Sprayberry (Ga.) | 6 | 141 | 23.5 |
| 3-star P Wade Register, Trinity Christian (Ga.) | 4 | 102 | 25.5 |
| 4-star RB Jae Lamar, Colquitt County (Ga.) | 3 | 55 | 18.3 |
SCORING
| Player | Total Touchdowns |
|---|---|
| 3-star P Wade Register, Trinity Christian (Ga.) | 10 |
| 5-star TE Kaiden Prothro, Bowdon (Ga.) | 8 |
| 4-star WR Craig Dandridge, Cambridge (Ga.) | 7 |
| 4-star S Tyriq Green, Buford (Ga.) | 7 |
| 4-star WR Ryan Mosley, Carrollton (Ga.) | 6 |
| 3-star S Kealan Jones, Sprayberry (Ga.) | 5 |
| 5-star QB Jared Curtis, Nashville Christian (Tenn.) | 4 |
| 4-star TE Brayden Fogle, Lexington (Ohio) | 4 |
| 4-star LB Nick Abrams II, McDonogh (Md.) | 3 |
| 4-star EDGE Khamari Brooks, North Oconee (Ga.) | 3 |
| 4-star TE Lincoln Keyes, Saline (Mich.) | 3 |
| 4-star LB Shadarius Toodle, Cottage Hill (Ala.) | 3 |
DEFENSIVE STATS
TACKLES
| Player | Solo | Total | T/G |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-star P Wade Register, Trinity Christian (Ga.) | 49 | 57 | 9.5 |
| 4-star S Jordan Smith, Warner Robins (Ga.) | 34 | 56 | 11.2 |
| 4-star EDGE Khamari Brooks, North Oconee (Ga.) | 18 | 43 | 8.6 |
| 4-star LB Shadarius Toodle, Cottage Hill (Ala.) | 23 | 43 | 10.8 |
| 4-star LB Nick Abrams II, McDonogh (Md.) | 6 | 31 | 7.8 |
| 5-star OT Ekene Ogboko, South Garner (NC) | 20 | 25 | 5.0 |
| 3-star S Kealan Jones, Sprayberry (Ga.) | 19 | 20 | 3.3 |
| 4-star DL Carter Luckie, Norcross (Ga.) | 14 | 17 | 5.6 |
| 4-star S Tyriq Green, Buford (Ga.) | 10 | 16 | 4.0 |
| 4-star EDGE PJ Dean, West Forsyth (NC) | 5 | 12 | 4.0 |
| 3-star DL Preston Carey, IMG Academy (Fla.) | 5 | 11 | 2.8 |
Sacks and TFLs
| Player | TFLs | Sacks | FF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-star OT Ekene Ogboko, South Garner (NC) | 14 | 2 | 2 |
| 4-star EDGE Khamari Brooks, North Oconee (Ga.) | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| 4-star EDGE PJ Dean, West Forsyth (NC) | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 3-star DL Corey Howard, Valdosta (Ga.) | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 4-star DL Carter Luckie, Norcross (Ga.) | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 4-star S Nick Abrams II, McDonogh (Md.) | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 3-star DL Preston Carey, IMG Academy (Fla.) | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 3-star S Kealan Jones, Sprayberry (Ga.) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 4-star Shadarius Toodle, Cottage Hill (Ala.) | 1 | 1 | 0 |
INTERCEPTIONS
| Player | Ints. | Yards | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-star LB Nick Abrams II, McDonogh (Md.) | 2 | 92 | 2 |
| 3-star S Kealan Jones, Sprayberry (Ga.) | 1 | 74 | 1 |
| 5-star TE Kaiden Prothro, Bowdon (Ga.) | 1 | 34 | 1 |
| 4-star S Tyriq Green, Buford (Ga.) | 1 | 33 | 1 |
KICKOFF RETURNS
| Player | No. | Yards | Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-star S Tyriq Green, Buford (Ga.) | 1 | 46 | 46.0 |
PUNT RETURNS
| Player | No. | Yards | Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-star S Tyriq Green, Buford (Ga.) | 10 | 172 | 17.2 |
PUNTING
| Player | No. | Yds | Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-star P Wade Register, Trinity Christian (Ga.) | 17 | 887 | 52.2 |
| 3-star DL Corey Howard, Valdosta (Ga.) | 6 | 266 | 44.3 |
It would be hard to find a better all-around season here than the one being authored by three-star punter Wade Register at Trinity Christian in Dublin. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder committed to UGA as the nation’s No. 1 punter back in June, and he’s holding up that status with a healthy 52.2 punting average this season.
He’s somehow also leading all UGA senior commitments this year in rushing yards, total touchdowns and tackles.
“My senior year has been going great,” Register said. “We are currently 5-1, which has not been done since 2012, so it has been an awesome first half of the season.”
Register has scored 10 touchdowns. That sits atop a stacked leaderboard with a group of five UGA commits who have all scored at least six touchdowns this year.
If that’s not enough of an oddity in a stat-crazy fall for future Bulldogs, there’s three-star DL prospect Corey Howard at Valdosta. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound senior also punts for his Wildcats.
He’s averaging 44.2 yards per punt with a long of 71 yards.
The fact that Georgia has four receivers with that amount of yards and touchdowns, not to mention the gaudy yards-per-catch averages, is unheard of for a Georgia class under Smart.
The Bulldogs might have had one or two commitments with those types of numbers at midseason, but never four players having seasons like that.
Georgia’s future defensive players have also found a way to return four interceptions for scores this fall.
There are also the numbers that don’t align with the traditional football statistics. Offensive tackle pledge Ekene Ogboko, who was recently elevated to 5-star status, has stacked up 20 pancake blocks this year while also playing both ways.
He leads all UGA commits so far with his 14 tackles for losses as a defensive lineman for his South Garner High School team in North Carolina.
About the Author
Jeff Sentell covers UGA football and recruiting. He is a graduate of UGA's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and has been a staff writer at news outlets in Alabama, Georgia and Virginia. Prior to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he was at The Birmingham News and AL.com. He was named the 2005 Georgia Press Association Sportswriter of the Year.
