This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting takes a look at one unique aspect of how the Bulldogs are building the 2026 roster.

If anyone has been around a football team, there’s a sense of camaraderie that every coaching staff tries to build. “Brotherhood” is the word often used to describe it.

That speaks to one of coach Kirby Smart’s character traits for the Bulldogs.

Smart aims for his teams to feel connected. Like brothers, if you will.

It might seem coincidental, but he’s been building that organically of late. There will now be two sets of actual brothers on the 2026 team:

To go further, the 2026 roster will feature 31 players who have a high school teammate in the locker room. With the SEC now moving to a 105-player roster, that’s some strong internal pre-wiring for player connectivity.

It does not appear to just be a coincidental byproduct of selecting great players from top in-state programs. That’s because there are also high school programs from Florida, North Carolina and Texas that now tout multiple alums on the UGA roster.

The fact that 30 percent of the 2026 roster will have at least one high school teammate in Athens is telling. That figure nearly doubled due to midyear enrollees from the 2026 signing class and new transfer portal signees.

That’s brought in 14 new Bulldogs who have one of those teammate connections.

Florida boarding school powerhouse IMG Academy leads the Dawgs with five players who can say one of their new teammates is a repeat teammate.

The next-largest contingent is from hyperlocal North Oconee High. The Titans, who won a GHSA state title in 2024, will now have four alumni on the roster.

“Those are the kids that have driven this program,” North Oconee football coach Tyler Aurandt said.

The trend gained significant steam after Georgia signed four pairs of high school teammates from four different programs in its 2026 class. North Oconee was one of those schools.

“It doesn’t matter what route they take or where they go,” Aurandt said. “We’re just excited for their opportunity. But it is different here with [Georgia] because we’re in their backyard. These kids grow up watching that school. Wanting to be a part of it and to see them, one, all be able to get there and then, two, for all of them to be there together is completely unbelievable to me.”

“We’ve got three kids all at a top-five program in the country, 15 minutes down the road. That is a point of pride and is something our community is very excited about.”

Aurandt made that statement a few days before seeing 3-star WR Dallas Dickerson also sign with UGA. Dickerson had signed with Kentucky, but was released from that letter of intent by the new staff.

The speedy receiver quickly found his way to Athens.

“There’s a buzz in the air around our school and this community about these people having the opportunity to watch all of them on any given Saturday next season,” Aurandt said.

Did you know the weekly DawgNation.com “Before the Hedges” program is available as an Apple podcast? Click to check it out and download it.

Repeat teammate: Check out the list of “connected” Bulldogs in Athens

The full list of teammate connections follows below. It is worth noting that not all of the names listed for each high school were teammates at the same time.

Buford is a good example. While the Wolves now have three alums in Athens, only two of them played together. KJ Bolden was a senior when freshman OL Graham Houston was a sophomore at Buford.

Freshman safety Tyriq Green played with Houston for the past two seasons, but he moved to Buford for the 2024 season. That was Bolden’s freshman season in Athens. That said, Bolden still played a key role in recruiting Green to the Bulldogs.

The class standing for each player listed below also reflects their status for this fall.

(5) IMG Academy/Brandenton, Fla.)

(4) North Oconee/Bogart, Ga.

(3) Buford/Buford, Ga.

(3) Warner Robins/Warner Robins, Ga.

(2) Camden County/Kingsland, Ga.

(2) Carrollton/Carrollton, Ga.

(2) Clarke Central/Athens, Ga.

(2) Langston Hughes/Fairburn, Ga.

(2) Milton/Milton, Ga.

(2) Norcross/Norcross, Ga.

(2) Oak Ridge/Conroe, Tex.

(2) South Garner/Garner, NC

Have you subscribed to the DawgNation YouTube channel yet? If so, you will see special 1-on-1 content with key 2026 signees like Ekene Ogboko, Justice Fitzpatrick, Tyriq Green, Tyreek Jemison and Kaiden Prothro.

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)