For much of his tenure, Georgia coach Kirby Smart landed more 5-star prospects than 3-star prospects at Georgia.
Through his first 11 signing classes with the school, Smart signed 49 3-star prospects using the 247Sports Composite rankings. As for 5-star prospects, Smart added 46 from the high school ranks. Only Alabama has more over that time span with 49.
Landing the best prospects is a big reason Georgia so often signed top recruiting classes. Smart’s lowest-rated recruiting classes were his first and most recent, which ranked sixth.
But the last Georgia signing class, 2026, was the first in Smart’s tenure that didn’t feature a single 5-star signee. It marked a clear sign that the game has changed when it comes to high school recruiting.
The days of Georgia stockpiling 5-star recruits every year may be a thing of the past. Even with the additions of running back Kemon Spell and tight end Jaxon Dollar, Georgia has just two 5-star commitments at this point in time. The Bulldogs signed at least four 5-star prospects in every recruiting cycle from 2018 through 2025.
Georgia has signed at least two 5-star prospects at every position that the 247Sports rankings use.
Georgia football 5-star recruits under Kirby Smart
| Position | No. of 5-stars | Players |
|---|---|---|
| QB | 3 | Jacob Eason, Justin Fields Brock Vandagriff |
| RB | 2 | D’Andre Swift, Zamir White |
| WR | 2 | George Pickens, Talyn Taylor |
| TE | 3 | Isaac Nauta, Darnell Washington, Elyiss Williams |
| OT | 5 | Isaiah Wilson, Cade Mays, Broderick Jones, Amarius Mims, Monroe Freeling |
| IOL | 2 | Jamaree Salyer, Clay Webb |
| DL | 7 | Brenton Cox, Travon Walker, Jalen Carter, Mykel Williams, Jordan Hall, Joseph Jonah-Ajonye, Elijah Griffin |
| EDGE | 5 | Adam Anderson, Nolan Smith, Marvin Jones Jr., Damon Wilson, Isaiah Gibson |
| LB | 7 | Nakobe Dean, Smael Mondon, Xavian Sorey, Raylen Wilson, Chris Cole, Justin Williams, Zayden Walker |
| CB | 5 | Tyson Campbell, Jaheem Singletary, Kelee Ringo, Daylen Everette, Ellis Robinson |
| S | 3 | Richard LeCounte, Joenel Aguero, KJ Bolden |
| ATH | 2 | Mecole Hardman, Malaki Starks |
Some positions have been better stocked than others.
It’s of little surprise that defensive line and linebacker have been the two best-recruited positions in terms of 5-star prospects. Those groups have been led by Glenn Schumann and Tray Scott, who happen to be the longest-tenured assistants on Smart’s staff.
Schumann is the last remaining on-field assistant from Smart’s first coaching staff at Georgia. He’s landed seven composite 5-star linebackers during his time at Georgia. Four of them will be on the roster in 2026, which in part explains why there is so much excitement around the group.
Raylen Wilson is entering his senior season, while Justin Williams and Chris Cole are juniors. Sophomore Zayden Walker will play a part for the Georgia defense as well.
On the defensive line, the Bulldogs have three former 5-star prospects on the 2026 roster. Scott joined the staff ahead of the 2017 season. Brenton Cox didn’t work out at Georgia, but Scott’s other three 5-star signees all went in the first round of the NFL draft.
Offensive tackle, EDGE and cornerback each have had five 5-star signees since Smart took over.
Cade Mays is the only one of the five offensive tackle prospects who didn’t spend three seasons at Georgia and then become a first-round draft pick. Georgia does not have a 5-star offensive lineman on the 2026 roster, though Ekene Ogboko, Earnest Greene and Juan Gaston all ranked as top 60 prospects in the 247Sports Composite rankings.
The EDGE position has seen just one of its signees become a first-round pick, as Nolan Smith did so after a stellar four-year career in Athens. Isaiah Gibson is the only 5-star prospect on the 2026 roster, though he doesn’t seem to have a clear path to the playing field. Quintavius Johnson, a 3-star prospect, expects to command a lot of snaps, while 4-star prospect Chase Linton will help as a pass rusher.
The cornerback position will have Ellis Robinson on the 2026 roster. He’s expected to be one of the best cornerbacks in the country. If Robinson becomes a first-round draft pick, he’d be the first 5-star cornerback to do so under Smart.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Georgia consistently recruits well on the defensive side of the ball. Yet as it stands, the 2027 season will mark the second-straight year the Bulldogs don’t sign a 5-star prospect.
There’s still time between now and signing day. Rankings will be updated. Georgia is in the running for defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou, yet he’s one of just two uncommitted 5-star defensive prospects in this 2027 recruiting cycle.
As for the offensive side of the ball, Georgia does have Spell and Dollar, which feels overlooked in the wake of having double-digit 3-star prospects.
Spell would be Georgia’s first 5-star running back since Zamir White in the 2018 recruiting cycle. He led Georgia in rushing in 2020 and 2021, the latter of which saw Georgia win a national championship.
Dollar would be the fourth 5-star tight end to sign with Georgia in the event he maintains his ranking. Isaac Nauta signed in the 2016 cycle, prior to Todd Hartley’s arrival ahead of the 2019 season. He’s since signed Darnell Washington and Elyiss Williams. That haul doesn’t include Brock Bowers.
Talyn Taylor is one of just two 5-star wide receivers the Bulldogs have landed since Smart took over, though Mecole Hardman was listed as an athlete. Zachariah Branch was on the team last year after he transferred in from USC.
Georgia will have to replace Branch after he was taken by the Atlanta Falcons after setting a school-record for receptions. Georgia doesn’t expect Taylor to replicate that this season, yet they do see him as an important piece of the offense.
Georgia thought it was going to have Jared Curtis as a part of the 2026 roster, but the 5-star quarterback flipped to Vanderbilt just before signing day. It is worth noting all three of Georgia’s 5-star quarterbacks ended up transferring out of the program. Jacob Eason was the only one of the three to start a game for Georgia.
If the 5-star well continues to dry up for Georgia, it’s clear the defensive side of the ball will be the one more impacted. Of the 46 signees, 27 came as defensive prospects. Not included in that is 5-star athlete Malaki Starks, who was an All-American at Georgia.
Of the 21 first-round draft picks to play for Smart, nine were 5-star signees. Four of those first-round picks were signed by former Georgia coach Mark Richt, meaning half of Smart’s first-round recruits were 5-star prospects.
Perhaps the 2027 season is just one down cycle for the Bulldogs. The 2026 roster will have 12 former 5-star prospects on it, with seven being draft-eligible. Maybe the Bulldogs can spend more in the next recruiting cycle with so much talent potentially coming off the books.
But this and the last recruiting cycle have shown that Georgia’s roster construction is going to look different moving forward. Prior to the addition of the 2026 recruiting class, Smart had signed 46 5-star prospects compared to 43 3-star recruits.
After adding in the current 2027 recruiting class numbers, the 5-star to 3-star count will be 48 to 59.
