UGA has caught up with Alabama for one of state’s top prospects

Back in June, UGA had ground to make up on frontrunner Alabama for Leonard Warner, one of the state’s top prospects in 2017. Two months later, it appears the Bulldogs have closed the gap.

“It’s kind of equal now,” Warner told the AJC on Thursday. “I’ve just mentally been shifting towards keeping my options open.”

Warner, a 4-star linebacker from Brookwood High School, says he’s been reevaluating his recruitment in recent weeks. According to Warner, it’s nothing either program has done since June that’s changed his mind, but he conceded to the AJC that he’s been considering the possibility of playing closer to home.

“They’ve shown a lot of love,” said Warner, the No. 9 outside linebacker in the country. “I can tell that they want me to be there and they want me to be a part of their system. They say I’ll fit there, and I believe them. I can definitely see myself being a Bulldog.”

While he still holds both programs in high regard, there are other schools in play, too.

The 6-foot-4, 219-pounder says Georgia Tech, Auburn and Duke — not Stanford — are on his short list as of late. However, Warner maintains that he has no leaders at the moment. He views each school equally.

But make no mistake about it: Warner’s recruitment is far from over.

“It’s not concrete,” Warner said. “When I make a decision, it’s not going to be like, ‘Oh, this team wasn’t in my top five.’”

Warner tells the AJC that he’ll likely take unofficial visits to each of the above-mentioned schools this fall, though he doesn’t have any scheduled yet. He plans to commit at the end of the season.