This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting has the latest with 5-star DJ Jacobs at Blessed Trinity in Roswell. He ranks as the nation’s No. 1 EDGE and the No. 8 overall prospect for 2027 on the 247Sports Composite. The Rivals Industry Ranking has him as the No. 2 EDGE and No. 10 overall.
When Kirby Smart visited Blessed Trinity High School for a game this past season, he was a very popular photo op.
Band members. Cheerleaders. Dawg fans. Pee Wee football players. Teachers.
Smart, who’s known for always closing on the recruiting trail, lived up to that mantra. He charmed everyone who asked him for a photo by saying he needed their help recruiting 5-star junior EDGE DJ Jacobs.
It was a clever line from an ace recruiter, but it hits differently this week.
It turns out Smart and the Dawgs needed a little more help. Jacobs, a longtime UGA priority and double legacy target, has just made an early college commitment to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
While it isn’t final, there isn’t a lot of hope for the home state Dawgs to close the gap here.
Jacobs is the son of former UGA defensive lineman David Jacobs. The elder Jacobs saw his career end far too early due to a stroke he suffered in practice. He didn’t reach his college potential, but forged a life-long bond with former Georgia coach Mark Richt.
Richt is actually the Godfather of the new Ohio State verbal commitment. He’s not going to go play for either one of the two schools his Godfather coached for.
Georgia made a final group for the 5-star that also included Texas A&M. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound rising senior also took a good, hard look at Alabama, FSU, Miami, USC, and Tennessee, among his many options.
The decision was a bit of a surprise to the recruiting industry as a pair of predictions were logged earlier on Monday for Jacobs to choose the Hurricanes.
Jacobs, the top prospect in Georgia for next fall, finished his junior year with 102 tackles and 24 tackles for loss. Despite constant double teams and numerous holds that never drew a whistle, he finished with 16 sacks.
He now has 292 tackles, 67 TFLs and 31 sacks for his high school career. 247Sports ranks him as the No. 1 EDGE in the nation for the 2027 cycle. Rivals.com also lists Jacobs as the nation’s No. 2 EDGE for his class.
Check out the junior highlight reel for Jacobs below.
Where do the Dawgs turn at EDGE in 2027?
This decision from Jacobs is actually the second recruiting loss the Dawgs have taken for a priority 5-star EDGE in the 2027 cycle. Former Savannah Christian and Benedictine star LaDamion Guyton committed to Texas Tech and earned a significant financial package earlier this year.
It wasn’t long after that when he chose to reclassify to the 2026 cycle to join the Red Raiders this month.
As it stands, the Dawgs came up empty for both homegrown 5-star EDGE prospects in the same class. That’s after just signing one true EDGE prospect in the 2026 cycle in 4-star North Oconee star Khamari Brooks.
Look for the program to now focus its in-state efforts on 4-star Stephenson EDGE KJ Green. Green, who’s rated as the nation’s No. 7 EDGE and No. 63 overall recruit, had a dominant junior year.
According to the database maintained by 247Sports, the Bulldogs have offered 17 EDGE prospects in the 2027 class at this time.
3-star Marvin Nguestop, another international prospect from PPI Recruits, is another prospect with good size. The Dawgs have definitely liked what they have seen so far in current Bulldogs JJ Hanne and Valdin Sone.
Have you seen this week’s “Before the Hedges” weekly recruiting special on YouTube yet? Check it out below
SENTELL’S INTEL
(Check on the recent reads on Georgia football recruiting)
