This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting has the latest with 4-star Ta’Shawn Poole at Howard High in Macon. He’s rated as the nation’s No. 5 safety and the No. 68 overall prospect for 2027 on the 247Sports Composite. The Rivals Industry Ranking has him at No. 5 safety and No. 75 overall.
Howard High safety Ta’Shawn Poole is set to make his college decision in four days. He’s arguably the best player the city of Macon has produced in the last generation, if not longer.
But that’s not one of the many reasons why DawgNation should suddenly pay attention to this recruitment.
There’s the following:
- He’s down to FSU, Georgia and Tennessee with the Dawgs closing like an Erling Haaland World Cup run this summer down the pitch
- Poole made the sort of impact in his community that saw The City of Macon declare a “Ta’Shawn Poole Day” this year and hand him a key to the city
- The 6-foot-1, 200-pound rising senior was named to the Under Armour All-American team last year as a junior
- He’s widely seen as the No. 5 player in Georgia and the No. 5 safety in America for this cycle
- Poole represents Georgia’s best remaining chance to add another top 75 overall prospect (per the 247Sports Composite) to its 2027 class. The Bulldogs only have two commits ranked that highly at this time.
- He has a strong family tie to FSU. His aunt, Latavia Coleman, was the first WNBA draft pick in the history of the FSU women’s basketball program back in 2000. She’s now the athletic director at Howard High
- He’s big and athletic, making plays in all three phases of the game, including reel after reel on special teams.
- Poole is wired the right way. He has the mindset and drive that Georgia has routinely funneled into the NFL Draft.
- Loyalty stands out. He’s competing in a GHSA world where players jump from school to school as if they were AAU basketball teams. It means something to him to play for his school. Even if his Huskies have only won 11 games since he’s been in high school, including a 2-8 season last fall.
With his recruiting decision commanding the spotlight this week, it was interesting to hear what he had to say recently after his three finalists were announced.
Elite recruits typically share bushels of positivity about their finalists in the lead-up to their decision day. That’s why it was interesting to hear what Poole had to say about both the “Pros” and “Cons” of each school.
Poole shared the following Intel regarding the “cons” for his final three:
- FSU: “I don’t know if they are going to win or not.”
- Georgia: “I don’t want to be in Georgia. ... I don’t know if I want to live in Georgia.”
- Tennessee: “I don’t have a con with Tennessee.”
That’s a good way to jump into the first extended DawgNation read on Poole.
The weekly DawgNation.com “Before the Hedges” program is available as an Apple podcast.
Ta’Shawn Poole: How does he really feel about Georgia?
The feeling here is the Dawgs have been hot and cold with Poole. Howard coach Trey Porter doesn’t see it that way, but Poole shared his view.
Georgia has surged with him of late. Especially after his official visit on June 19.
“I would say from the outside looking in, that would be the way to look at it,” he said. “Because I had a visit with Miami at first before Georgia, but they ended up taking a safety before me.”
“I was going to go to Georgia regardless, but it was just like a weekday visit. I ended up going the last official visit weekend.”
The Bulldogs had previously made his final six. They’ve always been up there. How did Georgia boost its stock to a true contender for his decision?
“They’ve been one of the top schools that I have,” Poole said. “But I just had to get down there and have a couple meetings with all the coaches. I guess like I really improved for them during the last 365 days.”
There are a lot of UGA folks in his family circle. Especially his father.
“I was forced to be a Dawg fan,” he said.
Yet things got a little more real when he put on the UGA gear for his official visit photo shoot.
“Oh, it felt good being in that red, black and white,” he said. “Knowing that it was the hometown school is what it is all about for real.”
What’s the biggest reason why he’d choose the Dawgs this Friday?
“The hometown school man,” Poole said. “I just know the DawgNation and the fans and the people around me that would support them. The winning. The culture and coach Kirby Smart. Coach Kirby. The head coach.”
What’s Georgia’s plan for his development?
“Just to get me through to the league,” he said. “The same thing they’ve had with all the safeties that have been through up there. I just know that I’d get to the league if I were to go to Georgia right now.”
The Dawgs have made a surge.
“They done made my situation get a little harder throughout all the three schools,” Poole said. “Just because they have gotten really involved here in the last minute and because they are the hometown school, like I said.”
Poole will watch film of former Alabama and Ohio State All-American safety Caleb Downs before every game. The fact that Georgia safeties coach Travaris Robinson coached him in Tuscaloosa is another factor here.
Smart also looms large.
“Coach Smart was a DB,” he said. “I know he’s a DB coach. I know he’s going to be on me every day. He’s a hard-coaching guy. That’s what I know I want.”
Ta’Shawn Poole breaks down his finalists
Poole offered up an honest take on where his recruiting is right now.
“I’ve already got all the ‘Pros and Cons’ with all the schools,” he said. “But I don’t know how to really say it all without spoiling it really.”
Why would he ultimately choose FSU?
“That’s the tradition, man,” he said. “The coaching staff loves me. I’ve been a priority for the school and just the whole staff. Even the players there. It felt like I was home when I was there a couple of times.”
Tennessee?
“Just the relationship I have with the coaches,” he said. “They are a winning program and things like that and of that nature.”
Poole did a lot of everything for Howard last fall. He made 40 tackles, intercepted two passes, returned a punt for a touchdown and recorded two tackles for losses and a sack
Those talents extended to the offensive side with 30 catches for 454 yards and seven scores. He also had 33 carries for 200 yards and four scores.
The first few plays on his junior tape reflect every bit of that. His reel starts out with two punt-return scores, a Pick-6, and another leaping interception, where he skied to reach the ball at its highest point as an over-the-top safety in coverage.
“A lot of people’s best players don’t play special teams,” Howard coach Trey Porter said. “Ta’Shawn has blocked kicks. He’s blocked field goals. He’s got sacks. He’s returned punts and kicks.”
His junior highlights are embedded below. The ball skills really stand out here. He could honestly be recruited as a high-level receiver just as much as the safety spot. That’s the type of athletes in the KJ Bolden and Malaki Starks mold that UGA has developed into first-round NFL Draftees.
