This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting has the latest with 4-star Adryan Cole of Douglas County High School. He’s the nation’s No. 13 S and the No. 166 overall prospect for 2027 on the 247Sports Composite. The Rivals Industry Ranking has him as the No. 13 S and No. 173 overall.
Georgia currently has 17 commitments. The Bulldogs probably won’t get to 24 or 25 signees in this cycle. There’s not much meat left on the bone for the 2027 class.
Douglas County 4-star safety Adryan Cole could very well be the highest-rated prospect left in the class that stands a strong chance of choosing UGA. (The other would be 4-star Alabama DL Karlos May.)
If that’s not enough to get the ears perked up about Cole’s value, he plays defensive back. As odd as it might seem to read this, Kirby Smart’s program does not have a single DB commitment for this class yet.
Cole is now also the highest-rated prospect in the state of Georgia this cycle who has yet to lock down his college choice. He’s the No. 15 prospect in Georgia this year.
If he chose UGA, then he’d be just the third commitment for the program among the state’s 15 highest-rated prospects.
That’s a lot to consider here with Cole, but we’ve succeeded up to this point in sharing just the periphery of why Cole is one of the few remaining vital targets for the class.
He’s considering the Dawgs heavily, along with schools like LSU and Ole Miss. The 4-star has a public commitment date set for July 18. His commitment should go private long before it goes public if it hasn’t already.
How much could he help UGA? A lot. The things that stand out about Cole are described best by Douglas County coach Johnny White.
When he thinks of Cole, he thinks of SEC legend Eric Berry. White coached Berry in high school 20 years ago when he was at Creekside.
“He’s got everything,” White said. “He’s the best DB I’ve had since Eric Berry. He’s physical. He’s fast. He’s knowledgeable. He understands the game.”
“To be honest with you, I can’t wait to see him this year because he had a full season of track. Which he excelled in. So I already know he’s going to be bigger and faster than what people have seen him in the past. He’s a special kid.”
White said that the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Cole was running the 100 meters in the 10.8 range earlier this spring.
“Adryan is going to have a great year,” White said. “He’s such a great young man and he looks the part, too.”
The Berry comp is nice, but White also compared him to a big-time freshman at UGA right now. That’s former Buford star Tyriq “Ty Boogie” Green.
Douglas County is going to let him play the “Ty Boogie” position this fall. That’s offense and defense. Safety. Running back. Special teams. Kick return. Punt return. Pretty much everything but mix the Powerade and hand it out to famished teammates.
“I just want him to do for us what ‘Ty Boogie’ did for Buford,” White said. “I’m going to let him do a little of everything. Whatever can get us winning.”
Check out Cole’s junior tape below. His range and tackling ability in open space stand out.
“He can go from the hash and the middle of the field and from the numbers to the numbers. He tackles so well. He’s got great ball skills.”
Cole could be a free or a strong safety in college. White thinks he can even play some at cornerback. Green did that at G-Day this year.
Nickel corner?
“Oh, I know he can do that easily,” White said. “He’s physical enough. He’s fast enough. He can play corner. I know for a fact he could play corner if need be. He’s that type of an athlete.”
Adryan Cole: How does he feel about the Dawgs?
Cole took his official visit to UGA back on June 12. He then saw Ole Miss last weekend. He also took OVs to LSU and Florida. Ohio State was once seen as a top contender for Cole, along with the Bulldogs, but that interest has fizzled a bit.
How did his UGA visit go? Cole said he left feeling a certain type of way about the program.
“I felt great,” he said. “Definitely a school that I am strongly considering. I definitely felt great with Georgia.”
He said he got to “connect more” with the entire staff. He name-dropped Kirby Smart, safeties coach Travaris Robinson, corners coach Donte’ Williams, Nickels’ coach Andrew Thacker, all the way down to Logan Reed in the recruiting office.
Cole estimates he’s been to UGA on visits about 12 or 13 times by now. Freshman safety Blake Stewart was his host on his official visit.
“It wasn’t too much of a recruiting pitch with him,” Cole said. “Just chilling. See what they do day-to-day.”
When he tried on the UGA gear, it was a moment. The Bulldogs were a “dream school” for him growing up.
“It was great for the first time,” Cole said. “I’m not going to lie, it’s been a childhood dream to put that on.”
He thought he knew a lot about UGA, but he learned a lot more about the Dawgs. Georgia was eager for him to make a move on his visit. The Dawgs wanted him to shut it down and commit, but he held strong.
What would be the biggest reason he would choose the Dawgs on July 18?
“It has been a childhood dream since I was younger,” he said. “It would just be great playing for my hometown team. It is just great having a real relationship with everybody in the building.”
Smart told him he was one of the main remaining priorities for the class. The Bulldogs really zeroed in on the development process within their program.
“He really just wants me to be a Bulldog at the end of the day,” Cole said.
Georgia DL commitment Waylon Wooten has been in his ear about choosing UGA. They played youth ball together. The two have known each other since they were nine or 10 years old, he said.
How does the staff plan to use him? They deem him to be a plug-and-play guy all around the back end of the defense.
“They see me playing every position,” he said.
The weekly DawgNation.com “Before the Hedges” program is available as an Apple podcast.
Adryan Cole: What comes next with his recruitment?
Cole told DawgNation that his decision was coming down to Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss. He said the LSU visit turned out “very good” for him back on May 29.
“Family-oriented vibes,” Cole said. “It was a great visit. It answered a lot of questions.”
White has his opinion about what’s going on with Cole’s recruitment.
“I think he knows,” White said. “We just don’t know if that’s a fair way to say it.”
He knows that Cole is waiting until July 18 to share his college commitment. But he’s concerned about any player who waits that long these days.
He thinks he’s already made a silent commitment.
“If he’s actually waiting until July, I think he would be in trouble. I think he knows. I don’t know. I think he knows, but I’m almost 100 percent certain that wherever he is going, he’s already told them where he’s going.”
“If he waits that long, there aren’t a whole bunch of places at his level that are going to be open for him in my opinion.”
