The short version of this section can be summed up in two words - nobody knows.
Our friends at OU Insider believe that Oklahoma is in the lead with Missouri in second. Georgia sources feel that it’s the Bulldogs battling with Missouri, not Oklahoma. We have been told UGA is “close” on Nwaneri. While that is good news, it also means it is a work in progress.
Nwaneri’s decision date has floated around a bit. It now appears August 7 is the target. In the leadup to that, Nwaneri had been slated to visit Oklahoma this week and Oregon this weekend.
The Oklahoma trip didn’t happen. The stated reason is family discipline issues. Regardless of whether you buy that or not, the crux of the matter is that the Ducks are the only ones who hosted Nwaneri over the past week. Still, it appears Georgia, Oklahoma, and Missouri are the three finalists.
As we’ll discuss later, Georgia has its ceiling on how high it’s willing to go on NIL offers for incoming freshmen. Oklahoma and Missouri are both offering lucrative NIL packages, while Georgia’s pitch centers around long-term development.
We’ll see how it pans out. I don’t believe the final decision has been made. In fact, I think there might be some disagreement in Nwaneri’s camp about what the destination should be.
As for my own opinion, I wouldn’t pick Georgia if you made me pick today. But stranger things have happened.
Nwaneri isn’t the only prospect Georgia is pursuing in the front seven.
LJ McCray headlined the visitor list over the weekend. He returned to campus after officially visiting Athens last month.
McCray projects to fill in at that 5-tech/EDGE spot. Other Georgia commits in attendance, names such as Joseph Jonah-Ajonye, Jordan Thomas, and Nnamdi Ogboko, spent time with him throughout the weekend. He also has a strong relationship with fellow Florida native Jordan Hall.
Georgia’s main competition for McCray resides to the south. Florida, Miami, and Florida State are all involved. Getting McCray back on campus for this weekend is huge as the Bulldogs try to maintain their momentum. UGASports believe McCray is a priority and a take regardless of what happens with Nwaneri.
Steve Pierre Bolo Mboumoua is a very interesting name to monitor as well. You might remember Blayne mentioning him as a name to watch a couple of weeks ago.
Bolo Mboumoua camped in Athens last week. That session impressed Chidera Uzo-Diribe and the Bulldog coaches, so much so that Bolo Mboumoua left Athens with a Georgia offer.
There is also a chance Bolo Mboumoua reclassifies to the 2024 class. That would make him a very viable option in the event Nwaneri and/or McCray end up elsewhere. The Bulldogs plan to keep in contact with Bolo Mboumoua in the coming weeks, making the high-upside prospect one to keep an eye on.
Two of Georgia’s biggest targets are set to come off the board in the next week. Bolden will announce on August 5, while Frazier will commit the following day.
To paraphrase one source, Bolden’s recruitment has been one of the craziest of the entire cycle. There have been more ups and downs than an early 2000’s video game cheat code.
If you would have asked me two months ago, I would have said Bolden was just about a done deal to Georgia. Ohio State has gained a lot of ground since then, as has Florida State and Auburn.
NIL is factoring into this recruitment. We hear Ohio State might be willing to go above what Georgia is willing to offer Bolden. Florida State and Auburn aren’t afraid to use NIL to make a big splash on the trail either. Georgia has continued to refrain from using that approach, at least to the extreme of some other schools, with incoming freshmen. Even for a wanted man like Bolden, the Bulldogs don’t want to budge.
Bolden also had that quote from last week that, on the surface, doesn’t appear to be super favorable to Georgia.
“That happened to me like three weeks ago. I had a school, I was ready,” Bolden said. “Then I got on the phone with one of the coaches that’s trying to recruit me. It just changed my mindset all the way completely up. It had took me a little longer time to think about the process. Now, I’m starting to figure out. I think I’ve got the one.”
Georgia has made Bolden a priority for years. Its relationships with the Buford standout are unmatched, starting at the top with Kirby Smart. But recruitments change over time.
I don’t believe a final decision has been made here either. Some Georgia sources are very confident in the Bulldogs’ position with Bolden, others less so. This will continue to ebb and flow all the way until Saturday, and it won’t stop there either.
Last week Radi had word that Ohio State was the leader in the clubhouse. This morning he is predicting the Bulldogs will land Bolden.
The news appears more consistent in the case of Frazier. Sources we speak to espouse nothing but confidence when it comes to Georgia’s position with one of the top running backs in the country.
Frazier seemed almost ready to commit when he took his unofficial to Athens the second weekend in June. That weekend also resulted in the flip of Chauncey Bowens from Florida. After making Frazier a priority for months, the Bulldogs seem in good shape to go for 2-for-2 on running back visitors from the second weekend in June.
Carr’s recruitment had been relatively drama-free over the past couple of months. Then Georgia’s top receiver commit turned up at Auburn for Big Cat Weekend.
That looks concerning on the surface, especially with Auburn’s current momentum on the recruiting trail. However, sources around Colquitt County indicated a low level of concern about Carr flipping to Auburn.
A thought did cross my mind about Carr, however. In the wake of five-star Perry Thompson flipping to Auburn, it wouldn’t shock me to see Alabama make a run at Carr. That will be something to monitor, especially if Carr were to make a gameday visit to Tuscaloosa this fall.
For now, though, Carr sticking in Georgia’s class appears to be the most likely scenario.
Woodyard drew attention last week by removing mentions of Georgia from his social media bios.
Woodyard has been pursued hard by Alabama, Ohio State, and USC in recent months. He also hasn’t been as fervently pro-Georgia on Twitter as he used to be.
Sources have told UGASports that things are good between Woodyard and Georgia. He speaks daily with Will Muschamp and Fran Brown. Despite rumors to the contrary, the Bulldogs aren’t “processing” Woodyard out of the class.
The social media stuff has been presented as a prospect going all-in on his focus for the season. St. John Bosco is a national-level squad with plenty of notoriety, and Woodyard is a captain for his senior season. Some feel that’s where the social media activity comes from.
Does any of this guarantee that Woodyard sticks? No. He very well could still spurn the Bulldogs for the Crimson Tide, Buckeyes, or Trojans. But the California native doesn’t seem to be on imminent flip watch, especially not due to anything that is or isn’t happening on his social media.
Georgia began really pursuing Gilbert earlier this spring. He visited Athens multiple times, and at some points the Bulldogs looked to be the favorites to land him if and when he decommitted from Ohio State.
That moment has now arrived, as Gilbert backed off his pledge to the Buckeyes on July 29. But the Georgia momentum has slammed on the breaks. Sources indicate that the Bulldogs aren’t showing much interest in Gilbert at the moment.
That could eventually change later in the cycle. But as of now we expect Gilbert to end up at another pursuer such as South Carolina or Tennessee.
Georgia earned a place in Barbour’s newly-released top eight. The four-star tight end also visited Athens over the weekend.
We hear some conflicting things regarding Barbour.
In speaking with him, Barbour has made it clear that Kirby Smart and Todd Hartley have told him he has the green light to commit whenever he chooses. Trent, on the other hand, has heard that Barbour might not end up high on the priority board at tight end.
Barbour is in no rush to make a commitment. With Elyiss Williams already on board, Georgia isn’t in a big hurry to add a tight end to the 2025 class. Barbour’s place on the board should become clearer after his junior season at Alpharetta this fall.
NOTES FROM TRENT
WILLIAMS NWANERI
Oklahoma feels like Georgia is out and this is a two-team race between the Sooners and Missouri. Sources have indicated to us that Georgia and Missouri are the two teams fighting for the commitment of the five-star defender. If I was predicting today I would lean the Tigers but there are conversations still taking place with the Bulldogs. We will continue to monitor this one leading up to the decision on August 7th.
NATE FRAZIER
We continue to hear that Georgia is in a good spot for the No. 1 nationally-rated running back. I have heard that Alabama might be the biggest threat to the Bulldogs, but I think Dell McGee can hold on and land the elite back from California. Had a very good source from a contending team tell me this past week that not only is Frazier talented, but he is wired the right way also when it comes to his work ethic and goals at hand. As of today, the Bulldogs sit in an excellent position to land its third talented running back in the class of 2024.
LJ MCCRAY
Everything from the visit sounds like Georgia knocked it out of the park for the four-star edge prospect. Florida is definitely a team to watch in this, but the Bulldogs have put themselves in an excellent position moving into August in this recruitment. If Georgia does miss out on Nwaneri, look for the staff to put the full-court press on McCray as he would be one of the few targets left with limited spots remaining. We will continue to monitor this recruitment as the visit high wears off a little but the Bulldogs definitely have some momentum here.
