ATLANTA — Kirby Smart will be the first coach to speak to reporters at SEC Media Days on Tuesday. Steve Sarkisian will be the final of four coaches.

In between the comments made by the Georgia and Texas coaches, five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson will announce his commitment. at some point after Smart speaks and before Sarkisian does

The Atkinson announcement makes a big Tuesday between the two schools that played for the SEC Championship last December even bigger. It’s par for the course for these two programs as they continue to do battle at the top of the SEC, and thus, college football.

Smart takes the big stage at 10:05 a.m. ET. He’ll discuss a number of topics, likely ranging from why he retained Mike Bobo to what he hopes to see from quarterback Gunner Stockton. Perhaps Smart even announces Stockton as the team’s starting quarterback, as he will also be speaking to reporters on Tuesday.

Stockton has prior starting experience but he’s expected to step into a full-time role this coming season. The same can be said for Stockton’s counterpart. You’ve likely heard of Arch Manning. And if you haven’t, you’ll get the chance to when he speaks to reporters on Tuesday afternoon.

All the comments that figure to be made by Smart, Stockton, Sarkisian and Manning pale in comparison to the decision made by Atkinson.

He is the No. 1 linebacker in the country. He is also the No. 1 player in the state of Georgia. The Bulldogs have been recruiting Atkinson since he was an eighth grader and the standout Grayson High School product has visited Georgia more than any other school.

Recruiting though is never that simple. Much of what was said above applied to Justus Terry in the previous recruiting cycle. He seemed like a sure bet to become a Bulldog, giving Georgia another 5-star commitment and instate product.

But at the last minute, Terry elected to sign with Texas, putting a damper on Georgia’s No. 2-ranked signing class.

Georgia and Texas have done battle multiple times in recent years on the recruiting trail. In the 2024 recruiting cycle, the Bulldogs went into Texas and pulled out the No. 1 linebacker in Justin Williams.

“Obviously, me not choosing Texas was a big thing because I’m from Texas, but there was good competition,” Williams told reporters this spring. “We celebrated our win. They did what they had to do, and it’s just good competition. We’re both in the SEC now, and that’s just how it is nowadays.”

In this recruiting cycle, the Bulldogs have beaten Texas for four-star prospects such as defensive lineman James Johnson and defensive back Chace Calicut.

It has become clear that Georgia and Texas will continue to do battle on the recruiting trail for years to come. Both sides will find ways to land prospects the other desperately wants. The two schools finished No. 1 and No. 2 in the 2025 recruiting rankings.

As it stands right now, Georgia has the No. 2-ranked recruiting class for the 2026 cycle according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, while Texas has the No. 9 class. Having missed out on Xavier Griffin and Brayden Rouse in this cycle, it’s fair to say the Longhorns are the more desperate team when it comes to Atkinson. Georgia could also land four-star linebacker Nick Abrams on Wednesday, even if he does not attract the same level of attention as Atkinson.

Those fights should only carry over onto the field in the seasons to come. Georgia and Texas played twice last season, with the Bulldogs winning both times. Even in a season where little went to plan, the wins over Texas were unquestionably highlights.

The Longhorns, Manning and Sarkisian will head to Athens on Nov. 15. It will be the first time in program history that Texas plays in Sanford Stadium. Georgia made a strong push to land Manning in the 2023 recruiting cycle, only for him to end up in burnt orange.

Georgia has a number of big games on its 2025 slate and can’t pay all that much attention to the final SEC game of its regular season slate. But it is becoming increasingly hard not to compare the two programs moving forward.

Texas has become the en vogue team in the SEC this offseason. The presence of Manning is a big reason, as is the fact that Texas is the only team in the country that has made the College Football Playoff semifinal in each of the previous two seasons.

As for Georgia, things aren’t as rosy as they seemed to be in recent years. Texas will almost assuredly be the top pick to win the league at SEC Media Days this week and there are plenty of legitimate questions to be asked of Smart’s team. That hasn’t always been the case in recent seasons, especially as Georgia has made the College Football Playoff in three of the previous four seasons. Michigan is the only program that can match that accomplishment.

Georgia and Texas figure to dominate the headlines on Tuesday, as will Atkinson.

If recent history is any indication, it should be a true preview of what is to come on the field, and likely atop the SEC, in 2025.