Georgia Bulldogs back on top in recruiting

“What my decision came down to was just the place like I felt would get me to the ultimate goal of playing in the NFL,” Bolden said while reading a statement when he met the press. “It is not about the NFL or facilities for me. It is about relationships and development. I prayed with my family and with the help of my family, I’m going to start my future off with staying home. So I chose the ‘Dawgs. Go ‘Dawgs.”

Among those Buford signees was Dylan Raiola, a 5-star quarterback who had been committed to the Bulldogs for eight months. However, Raiola flipped to Nebraska two days earlier and confirmed that decision by signing with Cornhuskers on Wednesday.

Bolden’s decision addition gave Georgia 28 signees in its 2024 class and further tightened the Bulldogs’ grip on the consensus No. 1 national ranking in recruiting, according to 247Sports’ compilation. He is the fourth 5-star in the class.

Based on the metric that 247Sports uses, the Bulldogs had locked up the No. 1 class by noon Wednesday. By then, they had the signed paperwork in-hand of the other 27 prospects. That included the nation’s No. 1-rated cornerback in Ellis Robinson of Bradenton, Florida.; the No. 1 linebacker in Justin Williams of Conroe, Texas; the top-rated safety (Bolden); and the No. 1 punter in Drew Miller of Mediapolis, Iowa.

All told, Georgia landed the No. 1-ranked players in the states of New Jersey (defensive lineman Jordan Thomas), Tennessee (defensive back Ondre Evans) and Virginia (linebacker Chris Cole) and four other players rated No. 2 in their respective states.

While Bolden’s decision highlighted a day of unfolding drama for outside observers, it wasn’t for Kirby Smart and Georgia’s coaching staff.

“I think you could hit repeat on every time we’ve had this signing day press conference,” Smart said Wednesday evening. “... Most of our class was done. I think this might’ve been the earliest class we’ve ever had the numbers committed. I’m really proud of them and looking forward to kind of indoctrinating these guys into our culture and getting them better.”

The Bulldogs will get to work on that right away. Twenty-three of signees are early enrollees, many of whom are already on campus and participating in Georgia’s practices for the Orange Bowl.

Finishing the early signing day with the nation’s No. 1 class delivered a message. Despite missing the College Football Playoff for the first time in two years and losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship game, the two-time defending national champion Bulldogs are not about the plunge over a metaphorical cliff into a lake of obscurity. So, Georgia’s magical run might not be over quite yet.

That’s an attitude the No. 6-ranked Bulldogs plan to take to Miami, where they’ll face No. 5 Florida State. It’s the first time in three years Georgia hasn’t been in the playoff.

“Definitely. We’ve got something to prove,” sophomore tight end Oscar Delp said. “I mean, this win will send our senior class out as the winningest in the history of Georgia football. So, that’s huge to send those guys out the way they deserve. And it’s just a springboard for next year to let people know we’re still going to be there.”

The Bulldogs have not quite overtaken Nick Saban’s Alabama program as the proverbial kings of college football recruiting. As always, the Crimson Tide hung with Georgia on the recruiting trail Wednesday. Alabama sits at No. 2 in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings, a mere 18.84 points behind and with four fewer signees. And, of course, there remains another signing period that starts in February, and the NCAA’s transfer portal remains open through the New Year.

So, the SEC’s top two programs continue to battle it out for talent, and they’re currently neck-in-neck by every measure. Should 2024 rankings remain as they were Wednesday, it will be the eighth time in the last nine years that either Georgia or Bama has finished with the nation’s No. 1 ranking in recruiting and the fourth time they were 1 and 2.

Examining the nine recruiting classes Smart has signed his eight years at Georgia, Alabama has finished No. 1 five times and second three times. This is the Bulldogs’ third No. 1 class and they’ve finished second twice, including last year. The average national ranking for the two schools over that span is 2.11 for Alabama and 2.55 for Georgia. On both counts, though, that is best in the country – by far.

So, technically, the Bulldogs haven’t fully caught up with the Tide recruiting-wise. But it’s a competition that never stops being waged.

On that point, Smart said Georgia winning the battle for Bolden really began four years ago. That’s when Smart met Bolden and his mother at the indoor facility when Bolden was a ninth grader.

“He actually had worked out at our camp as a wideout and we knew that he was a really talented young man,” Smart said. “From that point on, I mean, I bet he’s been on this campus 20 or 30 times. ... It was just consistent and mutual respect probably is the right word. I reached out to him when he committed elsewhere and just told him that I had a lot of respect for him and we weren’t going to stop recruiting him and that we thought this was the best place for him.”

The real issue remains getting past Bama on the field. With their 27-24 win over then No. 1-ranked Georgia in 2023 SEC Championship game Dec. 2, Saban and the Crimson Tide improved to 4-0 against the Bulldogs in the conference championship game. Moreover, the defeat knocked Georgia out of the college football’s final four.

No. 4 Alabama will play No. 1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl, and No. 2 Washington plays No. 3 Texas in the Sugar Bowl. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs (12-1) fell to No. 6 and will face No. 5 FSU in the Orange Bowl.

With both team’s returning their starting quarterbacks next season, Alabama and Georgia seem to be on a collision course again in 2024.

Many of those players signed Wednesday will contribute to those efforts, especially those who were already going through workouts on Woodruff Practice Fields.

“They’re lost, overwhelmed,” Smart said with a grin. “But they’re high-character, they’re very intelligent, they’re hard working. They’re also out of shape, they’re winded, they’re enamored. But they won’t be in the spring, so I can’t wait to coach them.”

BATTLING BAMA

Following is a head-to-head recruiting comparison between Georgia and Alabama over the last nine classes in which Kirby Smart has overseen the Bulldogs’ efforts. National rankings are based on 247Sports.com’s annual composite:

Year Alabama Georgia

2024 2 1

2023 1 2

2022 2 3

2021 1 4

2020 2 1

2019 1 2

2018 5 1

2017 1 3

2016 1 6

Average 2.11 2.55