For Georgia’s growing number of Texas players, Saturday carries extra weight
ATHENS — Defensive lineman Joseph Jonah-Ajonye isn’t afraid to share his thoughts on a matter that some Georgia fans might take issue with.
“The whole Texas thing, is just talking about how Texas football is better than every other state of football, especially Georgia,” Jonah-Ajonye said with a smile. “The Georgia guys always harp on whatever top ball they play, but 6A Texas football is always the best. I don’t care what nobody else says.”
Jonah-Ajonye is one of eight Texans on the Georgia roster, a number that might be surprising to some, given how well Georgia has recruited its home state under Kirby Smart.
But on more than a couple of occasions in his tenure, he’s gone into Texas to land top talent. Jonah-Ajonye and Justin Williams were 5-star prospects in the 2024 signing class.
“They all work really hard, I think they come from great programs,” Smart said this week. “I think Texas high school programs are similar to Georgia and they have great support structures, community involvement. High school football still matters in that state, and I think that made those guys better football players.”
Williams and Jonah-Ajonye have been close always, as they were high school teammates together in Conroe, Texas. But the bond between the Texans on Georgia’s team has only grown since arriving in Athens.
Cash Jones, who famously threw up the Horns Down sign at a news conference last year, is from Brock, Texas. Dillon Bell and his brother, Micah, are from Houston. Noah Thomas is in his first season at Georgia after transferring from Texas A&M. He felt an immediate connection between his fellow Texas natives.
“Dillon, he was great,” Thomas said. “I stayed with him probably like the first five days until I got into my housing. But yeah, he’s a great guy. He really showed me the way and the culture at Georgia. So props to him, appreciate it.”
Connection is a core tenet for the Georgia program. So coming from the same state is something that allows players like Jones, a running back, and Williams, a linebacker, to bond.
“We always look out for each other,” Jones said. “Make sure everybody’s good mentally and physically. But I think us Texas boys, we make sure everybody’s all good and just watch out for each other.”
Georgia currently has one commitment from Texas in the 2026 recruiting class, though the status of Chace Callicutt is uncertain following a July arrest.
Much more has been made of how Texas has been able to come into Georgia in recent cycles and land elite talent. The Longhorns pulled 5-star defensive tackle Justus Terry away in the 2025 cycle and beat out Georgia for 5-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson in this recruiting cycle.
Those recruitments have drawn a lot more attention from Georgia fans given the 5-star status of Terry and Atkinson. But Williams, a 5-star linebacker in the 2024 class, understands why they might travel across the SEC to play their college football as he did the same.
“Obviously, me not choosing Texas was a big thing because I’m from Texas, but there was good competition,” Williams said. “We celebrated our win. They did what they had to do, and it’s just good competition. We’re both in the SEC now, and that’s just how it is nowadays.”
Georgia and Texas played for the SEC championship last season. They’ll meet as top-10 foes for Saturday’s game. The two have battled on the recruiting trail in this cycle for players in both states.
Given that Smart and Steve Sarkisian are excellent recruiters, you can imagine that Georgia will continue to add some Texas flavor to its roster, while Texas does the same with Georgia prospects.
“They’ve gotten some guys from Georgia,” Smart said. “We’ve gotten some guys from Texas that we think are good players. It’s all in the eye of the beholder in terms of who you go after and with who you win. Certainly recruiting wins tie into the future of your program and the success of your program.”
About the Author
Connor Riley has been covering the University of Georgia since 2014 before moving to DawgNation full-time before the 2018 season. He helps in all areas of the site such as team coverage, recruiting, video production, social media and podcasting. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016.
