This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting has the latest with 4-star OT Joshua Sam-Epelle of Douglas County High School. He ranks as the nation’s No. 8 OT and the No. 70 overall prospect for 2026 on the 247Sports Composite. The Rivals Industry Ranking has him as the No. 8 OT and No. 53 overall.
Joshua Sam-Epelle was back in Athens last Friday. When the 6-foot-9 and now 320-pounder visits The Classic City, it is always a news blip. The 4-star left tackle with the 85-inch wingspan has been a UGA priority for going on three seasons now.
He remains the No. 1 prospect on DawgNation’s “Before the Hedges” streaming program weekly “Top Targets for 2027″ list.
Sam-Epelle got to take part in the day-in-the-life program with redshirt freshman OL Dennis Uzochukwu.
“It was definitely more different,” he said. “I was getting to see an inside version of how they run things. Academically and athletically. I got to see them lift at the end and I got to go to a couple of classes with the players.”
He got to see in on a Literature and a History of Italian culture class.
“They made it very clear for me to see how they ran things,” Sam-Epelle said. “To see my everyday life from class and the nutrition part of it.”
The Bulldogs have transitioned well from Stacy Searels to first-year O-line coach Phil Rauscher. Rauscher went down to Douglas County High School to see Sam-Epelle on the day he was announced as the new hire. The Douglas County staff indicated that Sam-Epelle very well could have been Rauscher’s first visit.
“They’ve definitely been pushing harder since the year started,” Sam-Epelle said of the Dawgs. “They’ve always made me feel like a priority. This [new] hire didn’t drop them off or bring them up any further. I feel like they’re still at the same level.”
He’s known Rauscher since he got to Athens as an analyst at the tail end of his sophomore year. The fact that Searels is still there as an offensive analyst helps the Dawgs, he said.
“It definitely makes it a better situation,” Sam-Epelle said. “With Stacy having a lot of experience, and he’s a real big ball guy with a lot of ball knowledge, and bringing in a guy from the league with Coach Rauscher’s experience, I think, is going to make the O-line room even better.”
Rauscher, just like Searels, wants Sam-Epelle in Athens.
“He preached the same message to me,” Sam-Epelle said. “He took me in his office. We talked about it. He ran me through the plays and what he wants out of me in terms of development and came out of that meeting thinking that he was a great hire for them.”
A lot of the college coaches that come through see him as a player who will benefit from a year of development rather than throwing him in right away. Sam-Epelle’s body is changing rapidly. He’s already stacked on 20 pounds to his frame above the weight he played at during his junior season.
“I’ve definitely got to get my run blocking down better,” he said. “When I get that, I think I will be more chiseled as a player.”
That’s always going to be hard for any offensive tackle. But especially for a 6-foot-9 tackle.
“It is always going to be harder for me because I’ve just got to get my pad level a lot lower than most guys,” he said.
Sam-Epelle continues to receive strong interest from many schools. There have already been many days when sorting through all the messages on his phone feels like a chore. It is a task he’s grateful for, but it can get overwhelming at times.
“I can definitely say that Tennessee is making a huge push for me as well as Miami,” Sam-Epelle said. “Ole Miss is definitely making a push as well.”
That’s going to make this a tougher decision.
“Honestly, I’m nowhere near my decision, but I do look forward to making it before summer’s over, and I feel like I’m very open in my recruitment as it is right now,” he said."
Sam-Epelle competed in the Navy All-American Bowl in San Antonio last month. He practiced all week, but did not play in the game due to a slight injury.
Check out his junior film below.
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)
