In terms of on-field matchups, there is very little recent history between Georgia and Miami. The two last played in 1966, with Miami winning 7-6.

But on the recruiting trail in this 2026 cycle, the two have gone head-to-head plenty of times.

Georgia picked up a win on Wednesday over the Hurricanes, as the Bulldogs beat Miami to land four-star running back Jae Lamar. Following his commitment to Georgia, Lamar confirmed that Miami had finished as the runner-up in his recruitment.

While Georgia came out on top for Lamar’s services, it’s not the first time Georgia and Miami have finished 1-2 for a blue-chip recruit in this cycle. Offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell, a five-star prospect, committed to the Hurricanes in May, with Georgia finishing second.

Those are just two examples of big-time recruitments in the 2026 recruiting cycle that feature Georgia and Miami as the top teams for prospects. And it isn’t shaping up to be the last time either.

Defensive lineman James Johnson is set to announce his commitment this Saturday. Georgia and Miami are battling to land the No. 69 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Johnson’s commitment may be the one on the most immediate horizon, but it is not the biggest battle left for the two programs. Running back Derrek Cooper is set to announce his commitment on July 12.

Despite playing the same position as Cooper, Lamar made it explicitly clear he is going to do everything he can to try and land the No. 30 overall player in the country.

“My boy, Derrek Cooper,” Lamar said when asked who he wants to add to the recruiting class. “Running back, I want him to come here and have that double back special. I really feel like me and Derrek Cooper would go in there and take over.”

It’s worth noting that Cooper was very briefly committed to Georgia last summer before ultimately backing off that decision. Georgia received an official visit from Cooper.

Given Miami’s location, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Georgia is willing to wade into South Florida waters to try and pull players away from Miami. Especially with wide receivers coach James Coley back on staff. He has strong ties to the area and helped Georgia land the likes of James Cook, Tyson Campbell and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint in his first go-around at Georgia.

In this current 2026 recruiting cycle, the Bulldogs have already landed Justice Fitzpatrick from Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas. Of course, Fitzpatrick’s older brother, Minkah, played for Kirby Smart when the two were both at Alabama.

As for the Miami side, it recently flipped wide receiver prospect Vance Spafford from Georgia. The Hurricanes also hold a commitment from one-time Georgia commit Jontavius Wyman. He is from Jonesboro, Georgia

Prior to this current recruiting cycle, Miami and Georgia hadn’t gone head-to-head too often. The Hurricanes were able to pull Ny Carr away from Georgia in the 2024 recruiting cycle, but he had already de-committed from Georgia prior to his commitment to Miami.

The Hurricanes did land two players from the state of Georgia in their 2025 recruiting cycle, but Georgia was never seriously involved for either player. Georgia landed 4-star wide receiver Tyler Williams, but he is from Seffner, Fla.

The battles for Cooper and Johnson are two of the more notable battles left for Georgia in the 2026 recruiting cycle. If the Bulldogs can go into Miami’s backyard and land either or both prospects, it should only stoke the recruiting rivalry between these two programs.

Away from the recruiting side of things, there are some further connections between the two programs. Smart and Miami head coach Mario Cristobal worked together at Alabama under Nick Saban. Todd Hartley was on staff at Miami when Mark Richt was the program’s head coach.

Georgia’s 2025 roster will have two former Miami players on it in wide receiver Colbie Young and defensive lineman Joshua Horton. The Hurricanes will notably have Carson Beck as their quarterback this coming season.

Beck originally declared for the NFL draft after he injured his elbow in the second win over Texas this past season. But he pulled out and entered the transfer portal in January. Shortly after, he ended up at Miami.

This isn’t the first time Georgia has gone head-to-head with a program for a number of prospects in a single class. USC, Oregon, Clemson and Florida State are all recent examples of schools that Georgia has battled for multiple prospects in a single cycle. Then there are SEC foes like Texas, Tennessee and Alabama that always seem to matchup with Georgia.

The Cantwell commitment showed Miami’s might on the recruiting trail in 2026. Georgia showed that it was capable of winning marquee battles as well when it landed Lamar on Wednesday.

Georgia has the No. 4-ranked class in the cycle at this point in time. Miami is at No. 6.

Given the commitment dates we already know for prospects like Cooper and Johnson, these two teams will do battle in the future. How successful Georgia is in particular against Miami on the recruiting trail will go a long way in determining just how good this 2026 recruiting class can be for the Bulldogs.