Why does Georgia football’s recruiting class rank No. 33 nationally?
The calendar says May 26.
When we scanned the national recruiting rankings, we did a double take.
Georgia’s 2027 class is No. 33 nationally on the 247Sports overall team rankings. The Rivals Industry Ranking leaderboard uses a different algorithm that prioritizes quality over quantity, but that metric has the Bulldogs at No. 16 nationally.
That’s um ... different.
Kirby Smart has put together 11 elite recruiting classes in Athens; the average national finish has been 2.8.
So how unlike Georgia was it to see a Smart class ranked 11th in the SEC on Memorial Day?
The table below shows where each UGA class under Smart ranked on May 26 this decade on the 247Sports Team Composite.
| Class | Commits on 5/26 | Rank | 5-stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 7 | 33rd | 2 |
| 2026 | 9 | 16th | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 12th | 1 |
| 2024 | 15 | 1st | 3 |
| 2023 | 8 | 6th | 0 |
| 2022 | 11 | 1st | 3 |
| 2021 | 7 | 16th | 1 |
| 2020 | 10 | 5th | 2 |
Why is Georgia’s class ranked lower compared to previous years? That answer is multifold:
No. 1: Georgia only has seven commits. The program had two of its highest-rated pledges, both ranked among the nation’s Top 100 recruits, decommit over the last few weeks. Those seven commitments are the fewest for the program heading into June since 2021.
No. 2: The nation’s top-rated programs all have a large number of early commitments. The average number of commits among the nation’s Top 5 classes is 17.6 commits. The Top 10 highest-rated classes have an average of 16.7 commits.
No. 3: Few programs can outlay the NIL resources for an elite high school class in back-to-back cycles anymore. Southern Cal, which had the nation’s top class a year ago, is No. 8 now with 13 commits. The Trojans signed 35 high school prospects a year ago but will sign around 20 this cycle. There are just five programs that had a Top 10 class a year ago that are still in the Top 10 for 2027. Big spenders such as Ohio State, Miami, Southern Cal and Texas A&M have carried it over, along with Notre Dame.
Several other programs are spending more this cycle on high school talent. Oklahoma (21 commits) is at No. 2 nationally after finishing No. 16 in 2026. Penn State (20 commits) has the nation’s fifth-best class after finishing 67th last cycle. Florida (16 commits) is sixth after finishing No. 19 in 2026. UCLA is at No. 7 after finishing No. 63 nationally last year.
To best illustrate the matter, here’s the nation’s Top 10: 1) Texas A&M; 2) Oklahoma; 3) Notre Dame; 4) Miami; 5) Penn State; 6) Florida; 7) UCLA; 8) Southern Cal; 9) Ohio State; 10) Kentucky. While seeing Georgia at No. 33 is odd, Florida, UCLA and Kentucky all having Top 10 classes right now is even more obtuse.
No. 4: Georgia feels good about its 2026 class and the core of its 2025 signees. There’s no need to spend heavily on players that will be waiting in the wings, developing behind older talent. That’s not a wise allocation of NIL and revenue-share resources. Funds need to go toward players who will be on the field.
There’s an inordinately low number of defensive commitments for the class. There’s just South Florida 3-star LB Temorris Campbell Jr. right now. The Bulldogs, with a championship defensive pedigree, have had the following number of defensive commits at this time of year during this decade:
- 2026: 4
- 2025: 3
- 2024: 5
- 2023: 3
- 2022: 8
- 2021: 5
- 2020: 5
There’s also the point that none of what mattered five or even two years ago factors into what’s happening now. The game has changed considerably. Every program has a war chest to incentivize a blue-chip recruit to choose its school. The depth will be more evenly distributed in a true power conference like the Big Ten or the SEC.
There are many who feel recruiting has changed so much that they no longer recognize it or can’t follow it. At least not until December. For all those folks, there’s a need to also track what really matters: How do the Bulldogs compare to the rest of the SEC?
The way players are being drawn to campus has changed. Clearly. What hasn’t changed is that if a program is playing to win, it better be winning the talent arms race compared to its conference opponents.
How does Georgia compare in SEC?
LSU is the immediate outlier in the conference. The Tigers signed only 19 high school recruits a year ago, but seven of those were Top 50 overall prospects. They also brought in 40 players from the transfer portal.
They have just five 2027 high school commits, but there are a pair of 5-stars and another in the Top 100. That’s why the Tigers have the nation’s No. 44 class. Lane Kiffin will now cherry-pick and pay for elite talent but see the bulk of his roster forged in the portal with proven players.
Alabama, with just five commits, is No. 51 nationally. In almost any other cycle, having a class that’s clearly better than Alabama and LSU would be an advantageous position. Those two are in the cellar when looking at the conference’s 247Sports team rankings.
| SEC rank | National | The skinny |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Texas A&M | No. 1 | Aggies have five 5-star commits and seven Top 60 recruits |
| 2) Oklahoma | No. 2 | 5-star count: 3. Seeks its first Top 10 nationally since 2023 |
| 3) Florida | No. 6 | 15 commits. Three of the four top-rated commits are OLs |
| 4) Kentucky | No. 10 | 13 of the 15 commits are outside the Top 300 |
| 5) Texas | No. 18 | Just two elite national recruits among 11 commits |
| 6) Ole Miss | No. 23 | There are five 3-star pledges in this 11-man class |
| 7) Auburn | No. 26 | There are three Top 200 commits. The rest are three stars |
| 8) SC | No. 30 | Gamecocks hold a commitment from one Top 100 prospect |
| 9) Missouri | No. 31 | The Tigers have just one 4-star commit |
| 10) Tenn. | No. 32 | Vols spent big the last two cycles, but are now 3-star heavy |
| 11) UGA | No. 33 | UGA has the nation’s No. 1 RB and No. 2 TE committed |
| 12) Arkansas | No. 34 | Five in-state prospects with 3-star rankings |
| 13) Miss. St. | No. 38 | Not a single Top 300 verbal among its seven commits |
| 14) LSU | No. 44 | Lane has a pair of 5-stars but just five total commits |
| 15) Alabama | No. 51 | We see a 5-star QB, five verbals and a void of OL targets |
| 16) Vandy | No. 52 | New cycle but same ’ol Vandy with just five commits |
The reality check here is that Georgia will add approximately 13 commits to this class over the next two months. This is likely going to be the new normal in Athens.
If Georgia had public pledges from its seven most likely commitments right now, its national ranking would be No. 5. The Bulldogs would be just ahead of Florida. Look for Georgia to put together another impressive string of daily commitments this summer.
The sky is not falling. The blue skies just won’t arrive until late July for the 2027 class.
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.
