Smart’s first class in 2016 finished No. 6 nationally — the only time one of Smart’s recruiting classes finished outside the nation’s top four during his time at UGA.

Smart’s 10th class will sign beginning Wednesday, and the Bulldogs again are ranked No. 1 nationally for the two most-used average rankings in the industry.

How will this year’s class be any different?

That answer is substantial compared with previous years.

• This class projects to have the best defensive line haul Smart has signed for the program.
• This Georgia football class also is downright offensive, and that is a very good thing.
• This class has the most blue-chip recruits and the highest percentage of those 4-and 5-star prospects since 2019 (24 out of 28 commits; 86%).
• UGA has the chance at noon Friday to add a sixth 5-star prospect in Manchester DL Justus Terry, which would make for the program’s highest 5-star tally since 2018 (247Sports Composite) and the second-most of any Smart class.
• This class is Peach State heavy with 21 current commits. The Bulldogs signed only 27 Georgians across their 2022, 2023 and 2024 signing classes. It will break the previous record of 17 in-state signees for any class under Smart set in 2017.
• Georgia has signed more than 21 in-state signees only three times, dating to 1980. That was in 2013 (23), 1987 (22) and 1984 (24).
• While on the subject of homegrown talent, the Bulldogs project to sign the five highest-rated prospects in Georgia with this class. That trend extends out to seven of the top 11, nine of the top 17 and 15 of the top 40 recruits from the Peach State this cycle (per the 247Sports Composite ratings).
• This will be Georgia’s first class with two QB prospects since 4-star D’Wan Mathis and 3-star junior-college transfer Stetson Bennett IV signed in 2019.
• There have been nine de-commitments from this class since its inception and another three flips into the 2025 group.
• There also are 11 current players who once were committed to another school.
• Late flips also dominate the final few names who could choose UGA.

Looking at the loaded defensive line class

Georgia holds the commitment of the nation’s No. 1 DL prospect in Savannah Christian 5-star Elijah Griffin, who was an AJC Super 11 selection.

He will sign with the Bulldogs at 12:20 p.m. Wednesday. The 6-foot-5-plus, 285-pounder came into his final high school game last week with 301 career tackles, 96 tackles for losses and 44 sacks. He projects to be the first interior 5-star DL the Bulldogs will sign since Jalen Carter in 2020.

Griffin was offered a scholarship by UGA in the fall of 2020 when he was in the eighth grade.

The online predictions also have UGA signing 5-star DL Justus Terry from Manchester on Friday.

Terry, an AJC Super 11 selection and former UGA commitment, will make his decision at noon at a live signing ceremony from his school, just before Manchester plays in the state semifinals.

Auburn and Texas also are considered in the mix to end Terry’s “marathon” recruitment, which began with a very early commitment to UGA, then a flip to USC and a de-commitment from that program earlier this year.

If Terry signs with UGA, that makes this DL class overwhelmingly the best in the Smart area for the trenches. Griffin’s signing will mark the first time the nation’s No. 1 DT prospect chose to play for Smart.

While former Bulldogs greats Carter and Travon Walker were both 5-stars, they were never rated as the No. 1 DT in their class.

If Terry signs, that will give UGA the nation’s No. 1 and No. 2 DT prospects in the same class. Georgia hasn’t signed the nation’s No. 1 DT in a class since 5-star Trenton Thompson in 2014.

If that’s not enough for the front, the Bulldogs already have the commitment of 5-star Edge rusher Isaiah Gibson out of Warner Robins. Gibson, an AJC Super 11 selection, was rated as the nation’s No. 1 Edge and is expected to fill a role similar to the one former 5-star Mykel Williams took on when he arrived at UGA in 2022.

Georgia also has secured solid commitments from a pair of consensus top 200 overall prospects in New Jersey 4-star Darren Ikinnagbon and North Atlanta 4-star Edge Chase Linton. Georgia also locked down 3-star California DL JJ Hanne over the summer. The 6-foot-5, 285-pound Hanne has impressive raw athletic ability despite not picking up football until moving to the United States from Berlin in the fall of 2022.

The Bulldogs also clearly are in the mix for a pair of other in-state DLs in 4-star Greene County DT Kevin Wynn and 3-star Lee County DL Jeramiah McCloud.

The Wynn and McCloud decisions look to have the most intrigue for the class Wednesday, with Terry’s big news following two days later.

Wynn is committed to FSU, but is heavily considering Georgia and South Carolina. McCloud is committed to Florida, but the Bulldogs have been pursuing heavily.

Bulldogs getting offensive with skill group haul in 2025 class

5-star Talyn Taylor will sign with Georgia sometime from 4-5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

UGA has been searching to upgrade its talent level at the receiver spot. Taylor and 4-star Milton High wideout CJ Wiley will fill that need. Taylor stands to be the first 5-star prospect the Bulldogs have signed at wide receiver since George Pickens in 2019.

The Bulldogs haven’t signed a top-80 overall national prospect at WR since 2020, when they signed Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Arian Smith and Jermaine Burton.

Since that 2020 class, the Bulldogs have been scattershot with WR recruiting in the high school ranks.

The Bulldogs have had to rely on the transfer portal for a lot of its key wideouts this season. Junior wide receiver Dillon Bell is the only HS signee that the Dogs have signed in the past four cycles who is considered a front-line starter at that position.

Yet when we write about UGA getting offensive with the 2025 class, here’s what we really mean: The Bulldogs stand to sign two receivers, one running back, and a tight end who are rated among the nation’s top 100 prospects in 2025.

Here’s how many RBs and WRs the Bulldogs have signed over the past few cycles which rated that highly:

• 2025: 3 (5-star WR Talyn Taylor, 4-star RB Ousmane Kromah and 4-star CJ Wiley)
• 2024: 1 (RB Nate Frazier)
• 2023: 1 (WR Tyler Williams/Transferred to Minnesota)
• 2022: 1 (RB Branson Robinson)
• 2021: 0
• 2020: 4 (RB Kendall Milton plus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Smith and Burton)

While Georgia continues to bring in elite offensive linemen and tight ends for the offense, those weapons haven’t been this strong since that 2020 group. The fact that Georgia also adds the nation’s top tight end in 6-foot-7 Elyiss Williams only adds to the increased offensive firepower heading to Athens in this class.

Taylor and Wiley have combined for 2,516 receiving yards and 35 touchdowns this year as high school seniors. And Wiley will likely add to that as his team continues its playoff run. Look for the Bulldogs to also add another two or three proven contributors at the college level from the transfer portal to further augment next year’s WR group.

The late intrigue looming for December signing day

Northside-Warner Robins OT Chastan Brown just de-committed from Central Florida after the changes taking place around that staff. He’s a 4-star in the Class of 2025.

Brown posted a photo on X earlier this week showing that the Georgia staff paid him a visit, though it is not clear what that clue could mean.