Georgia lost its spot this week as the nation’s top-rated class for the 2019 cycle. That’s the big news of the week for UGA recruiting.

Miami picked up its 11th recruit this week in top 100 overall prospect Jeremiah Payton. The 4-star recruit ranks as the nation’s No. 17 receiver and the No. 87 overall prospect on the 247Sports composite. Payton is only the second prospect with a 4-star rating to join the Miami class.

The Hurricanes have pledges from nine other student-athletes with a 3-star rating.

Payton becomes the highest-rated commit of 2019 for Mark Richt’s program. That was enough to produce a less than 3-point edge on Georgia for the nation’s top-rated class this year on the 247Sports Team composite standings. 

The Bulldogs have seven commitments for the 2019 class. The latest of those was 4-star tight end Ryland Goede, who committed on National Signing Day this month. Goede, the nation’s No. 6 TE for 2019, chose to go ahead and make his college decision on the day reserved for 2018 signees.

It’s still early in the cycle; Miami’s grip on that top spot will be challenged by the Bulldogs. Clearly. UGA has three commits rated higher than Payton in Miami’s class. With a trio of 5-star players already committed to Georgia, that gives the program a leg up on securing the nation’s No. 1 class for the second straight cycle.

Georgia’s class already isdeeper in a head-to-head comparison between the two. Miami has only one pledge currently higher rated on the 247Sports composite than six members of the current Bulldogs class.

Jadon Haselwood, a 5-star wide receiver (Cedar Grove H.S./Ellenwood, Ga.) ranks as the top Georgia commit and is the No. 2 overall player in the nation, according to the composite.

Where the UGA class ranks

Georgia’s 2018 class is ranked No. 2 nationally and No. 1 in the SEC.  The Bulldogs have the second-highest number of pledges in the SEC. Ole Miss leads the conference with eight commitments for 2019. The Rebels are ranked No. 2 in the SEC.

Latest news on UGA recruiting

In case you missed anything from this week, here are the latest headlines:

Spotting trends for UGA recruiting

  • The Bulldogs have been active on the recruiting trail and have offered a number of scholarships. The offer to Blessed Trinity Catholic (Roswell, Ga.) two-way standout Steele Chambers was noticeable. It appears that the Bulldogs are targeting a big back for its 2019 class.
  • Georgia has offered 10 running back prospects in this class. That’s interesting given the Bulldogs should return all five scholarship backs who are expected to play this fall.
  • Flips will be another theme to watch in 2019. The Georgia staff has offered 27 players who are currently pledged to other schools, including seven recruits who are Miami commits.
  • There are a number of great high school tight ends in the state for 2019. That rich crop of talent might lend itself to UGA taking a second tight end this cycle, especially one who could flex out wide and use his size and height to create red-zone mismatches.
  • The Bulldogs have been active on the quarterback offer front. The offer to California 3-star Ryan Hilinski means the staff has offered six pro-style passers and another five dual-threat types.
  • Another general trend is a shift toward offering fewer lower-rated prospects. There are only 40 reported offers that have been extended to prospects with a rating below the 4-star mark.
  • The stock of Georgia’s top-rated recruit continues to soar. Haselwood is now the No. 2 player in the nation on the 247Sports Composite rating. Haselwood and fellow 5-star pledge Dominick Blaylock should be seen as strong commits to the program. When they sign, it will be the first time the Bulldogs have landed a 5-star receiver since Marlon Brown chose the program in 2010.

The 2019 Georgia offers by the numbers

(as published by 247Sports)

  • Reported offers: 200
  • 5-star offers: 25
  • In-state recruits offered: 38
  • Florida recruits offered: 47
  • Texas recruits offered: 29
  • Louisiana recruits offered: 10
  • Mississippi recruits offered: 10
  • California recruits offered: 10
  • Quarterbacks offered: 11
  • Defensive tackles offered: 16
  • Tackles offered: 22
  • Receivers offered: 28
  • Cornerbacks offered: 19
  • Safeties offered: 12

Commits

  • WR Jadon Hasewlood, 5 stars, Cedar Grove (Ellenwood, Ga.)
  • OLB Nolan Smith, 5 stars, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla./Savannah, Ga.)
  • WR Dominick Blaylock, 5 stars Walton (Marietta, Ga.)
  • CB Jalen Perry, 4 stars, Dacula (Ga.)
  • TE Ryland Goede, 4 stars, Kennesaw Mountain (Acton, Ga.)
  • ILB J.D. Bertrand, 4 stars, Blessed Trinity Catholic (Roswell, Ga.)
  • OT Luke Griffin, 4 stars, North Murray (Chatsworth, Ga.)

The 2018 UGA recruiting position breakdown

Here’s a breakdown of the number of commits by position and how many are projected to be signed:

  • QB: 0/1
  • RB: 0/1
  • TE: 1/2 (Goede)
  • WR: 2/3 (Blaylock, Haselwood)
  • OL: 1/4 (Griffin)
  • DE: 0/2
  • DT: 0/2
  • ILB: 1/3 (Bertrand)
  • OLB: 1/3 (Smith)
  • CB: 1/2 (Perry)
  • S: 0/2

Totals: 7/25

Geographical UGA recruiting breakdown

Here’s a breakdown of the current UGA commits by state:

  • Georgia: 6 (Bertrand, Blaylock, Goede, Griffin, Haselwood, Perry)
  • Florida: 1 (Smith)