ATHENS — Once again, Georgia went and brought in a talented crop of high school prospects.

The Bulldogs signed the No. 6-ranked recruiting class for the 2026 recruiting cycle. The class has 23 blue-chip recruits, the third-most in the country.

That signing haul further shows Kirby Smart’s belief in building through the high school ranks. Georgia’s 2026 class has 29 signees compared to just nine transfer portal pickups.

That is by Smart’s design.

“You’ve got to be a high school development program or you’ve got to be a portal team,” Smart said in an interview with Jeff Dantzler of Glory Glory. “And you can kind of be halfway into both, but we lean towards the high school development. If you’re going to do that and you’re going to bring 25, 24 mid-year freshmen in here, you better get them ready fast.”

Georgia learned that lesson in 2024, when most of its signing class ended up redshirting. The Bulldogs went 10-2 that season.

This past year, the Bulldogs saw a larger group of freshmen make contributions. Dontrell Glover started 12 games for Georgia on the offensive line. Elijah Griffin earned Freshman All-SEC honors.

Later in the season linebacker Zayden Walker, tight end Elyiss Williams and safety Rasean Dinkins all emerged as key pieces for the Bulldogs.

Smart hopes the 2026 recruiting class follows the path of the 2025 class.

“They better be ready to play because they’re not your threes anymore,” Smart said. “They’re your twos. And in some places, Dontrell Glover, Juan Gaston, Elijah Griffin, they’re your ones.  And that tells us that we’re recruiting the right kids.”

So much of who plays early comes down to opportunity. Glover and Gaston earned major playing time because of injuries and NFL draft departures on the offensive line.

Among the names to know who could push for early playing time are offensive tackle Ekene Ogboko, wide receiver Craig Dandridge and defensive backs Tyriq Green and Jordan Smith.

Green led Buford High School to a state championship as a senior, while tight end Kaiden Prothro did the same for Bowdon High School.

Smart hopes that those winning ways transfer over into Athens.

“So the ones that just got here, I’m so excited. I got to watch a lot of them play in state championship games. I got to watch eight or nine of them practice with us for the playoffs,” Smart said. “And then the rest of them got here in early January and they’re working out.”

Georgia had nine players, including Green and Ogboko, participating in practices led up to the Sugar Bowl.

From that 2025 recruiting class, only one member left via the transfer portal in cornerback Dominick Kelly. Georgia signed 57 recruits in the 2025 and 2024 recruiting classes. The Bulldogs have kept 51 of those players on the roster heading into the 2026 season.

Smart knows he has to play these talented freshmen early and keep them with the program.

That will help keep Georgia at the top and allow the Bulldogs to continue to sign top recruiting classes on an annual basis.

“We think the kids that stay here and get retained here, grow here and develop here, it’s just we have to do it faster. We’ve never had to do it this fast,” Smart said. 

“I think people say, ‘Oh, well, you have more freshmen playing now.’ Well, yeah, we have more freshmen playing because they have to. And I think that turnaround is quicker.”