ATHENS -- Georgia landed another a 5-star prospect Tuesday. Well, sort of.
Nyland Green, a 6-foot-2, 183-pound athlete from Covington, is considered the No. 2 high school cornerback in the country by 247Sports. Yet, he carries a 4-star ranking.
How could that be?
It’s because Green’s composite ranking, which averages the ratings of all the recruiting services, drops him to No. 5 at his position. ESPN, oddly enough, had him at No. 111 overall.
Industry experts say it’s very likely Green could end up as a consensus 5-star before the 2021 recruiting cycle is over. But that’s quibbling.
According to those same recruiting experts, Green was a “must-get” for the Bulldogs. His commitment Tuesday in Newton County over Clemson and Alabama stood as yet another major recruiting victory for the Bulldogs.
They’ve been getting a lot of those lately. Green’s pledge was the 20th for the Bulldogs and jumped them to No. 3 in the 247Sports Composite team rankings for 2021. That’s behind only Alabama and Ohio State.
And Georgia is not done. The Bulldogs remain in the hunt for several more recruits with many stars next to their names. Those commitments can become signees when the early signing period begins Dec. 16.
If we’ve learned nothing else about Georgia’s recruiting under fifth-year coach Kirby Smart, it’s that he’s a strong closer.
“Back in the summer, everybody was talking about how Georgia was behind this year,” said Rusty Mansell, an analyst for 247Sports. “But whatever your opinion is about Kirby Smart, wins, losses, game decisions, whatever, I don’t think anybody could argue about the way he finishes in recruiting. They’re the definition of closers, and it’s certainly looking to be trending that way again.”
The only thing holding the Bulldogs back at this point is numbers. Always a confusing topic, scholarship numbers and availability are even more perplexing this year given the mass of opt-outs and the NCAA’s eligibility extension for all players.
Couple that with the usual mysteries of what underclassmen might decide to turn pro, the prospect of high-profile transfers coming your way and the fact almost every team in the country will be playing a game during the early period this year, and the madness the coaches are feeling is palpable.
“We are usually practicing for a bowl game or something, so this is unique,” Smart said this week. “We do feel like we have a good understanding of who all is going to sign. … The problem is, if you have a lot of mid-year enrollees, you have to have available spots. Well, that is controlled by a lot of things out of our control, (such as juniors leaving for the NFL) ... but you don’t know how many spots you have.”
For the record, many of Georgia’s current commitments are expected to be early enrollees, according to Mansell.
But, if the past is any indication, Smart will find a way to navigate it. That’s what makes this next week so intriguing. Georgia remains in the hunt for some of the top recruits in the country, including multi-starred prospects such as Maason Smith (DL, Louisiana), Korey Foreman (DE, California), Xavian Sorey (LB, Florida), Terrion Arnold (DB, Florida) and Donovan Edwards (RB, Michigan).
The Bulldogs already have done some good work. Among the recruits who have committed to them are three consensus 5-star prospects in offensive tackle Amarius Mims, quarterback Brock Vandagriff and linebacker Smael Mondon. All three fell into the “must-get” category of in-state players, according to Mansell.
As for Green, Mansell believes he might eventually land that 5-star grade as other outlets adjust their ratings. Regardless, he was an important acquisition for the Bulldogs, who could lose junior cornerbacks Tyson Campbell and Eric Stokes to the NFL draft, in addition to the graduation of fellow secondary starters D.J. Daniel and Mark Webb.
Just as important was keeping Green away from Alabama, Clemson and all the other Power 5 programs that inundate metro Atlanta for its riches of football talent.
Green called the recruiting process one of the “craziest experiences I have ever had in my life.”
“It was one of the hardest decisions in my life,” he said after making his announcement for the Bulldogs. “But God just showed me the way, that Georgia was my home.”
