Welcome to the new War Room!
This is something Radi and I talked about last week. We’re going to try to do these once a week. But they’re going to be a little different than the traditional war room you guys are used to.
There will be scoop and nuggets. But we’ll also hit on some of the week’s headlines, movement elsewhere in the recruiting world, etc. We’re also going to make this kind of informal, blending a War Room with a 3-2-1 report.
Each week will be different. Some weeks will be jammed, others will be emptier than the fireworks store on the 5th of July. But as I said, our aim is to make this a weekly feature.
So with that, let’s get started.
Another DB on board
Defensive back recruiting has been kind of a question mark this cycle. The board has been in flux and targets have come and gone.
The Bulldogs took another step toward filling out the class yesterday by flipping Shamari Earls from South Carolina.
Earls burst onto the radar last month. He came in for an official visit the final weekend in June. The Bulldogs have had momentum since then and have now finally sealed the deal.
Earls will likely be a corner in Athens. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds by Rivals, Earls has the type of large corner frame desired by Kirby Smart and company. He joins Todd Robinson as defensive backs in the class.
BIG target
As we’ve reported, we’re still expecting Georgia to land Jahzare Jackson.
Little is known about Jackson, a 6-foot-10 basketball star who is now taking his talents to the gridiron. We do know that Jackson will be on campus this fall.
It’s a low risk move for Georgia. Jackson camped on campus and impressed the coaches, so Stacy Searels and company feel he’s a guy who could develop given a year or two on campus.
If he works out, it’s a great late find. If not, it’s a flier that didn’t pan out in the end. While we aren’t 100 percent sure, it wouldn’t be surprising if this is a deal where Jackson’s way is paid mostly or fully by NIL.
WEEK IN REVIEW
https://uga.rivals.com/news/georgia-getting-serious-with-rivals250-running-back-byron-louis
We spoke with Louis at the Rivals 5-star event. Very engaging young man in person.
My gut tells me that Louis will still end up at FSU or Miami. Those are the schools that have been on him the hardest and the longest. But Georgia can’t be totally counted out at this point. Credit to Josh Crawford for getting a foot in the door. As Louis himself said, when Georgia calls you have to answer.
https://uga.rivals.com/news/alabama-commit-anthony-rogers-planning-to-officially-visit-georgia
Keep an eye on Rogers in the running back battle. He impressed me during the Rivals Five-Star event. Patrick threw out a James Cook comparison and I can definitely see that. With more and more guys committing early, he could be the top running back on the market by the time this fall comes around. His official visit could be huge. Knowing Kirby Smart, it wouldn’t stun me if he tries to get Rogers in for the game against Auburn.
https://uga.rivals.com/news/no-1-safety-zelus-hicks-talk-about-georgia-ahead-of-july-decision
This is one we need to keep an eye on.
Georgia gave Hicks his first offer, about 100 years ago in 2022. He’s one of the most coveted defensive backs in the country regardless of class.
Speaking of class, Hicks played very coy when I asked directly about reclassification. He said moving up to the 2025 class is something he and his family have discussed. It wouldn’t shock me at all if that happens. I wouldn’t think it would happen until after his planned commitment in July. But if Georgia lands his commitment and then gets him in for this class, that would be huge at a position that’s kind of up in the air.
Commit Watch?
Rivals250 defensive back Jaylan Morgan is set to commit today at 3:00.
Georgia is one of four finalists. The Bulldogs are battling Mississippi State, Florida, and Ole Miss for his commitment.
Morgan didn’t receive a Georgia offer until April. Since then, he visited for the Scavenger Hunt and then took an official visit the final weekend of June.
Georgia has made a strong impression in that short time.
"I love how many people are pouring into the DB room, and it's not only Kirby Smart and Coach Donte and Coach T-Rob. They are highly intelligent with DBs," Morgan recently told Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman. "I loved the vision for how they want to use me over there -- playing strong (safety), free and STAR and going there, with their vision to win, their vision to be the next dynasty, you can't even argue about that. Going out there winning, and they want me to be a part of that."
I’m picking Georgia to win out in this recruitment come this afternoon.
Now I’ll be honest here. I disengaged a bit while on vacation in Ohio the last week. Played 5.5 rounds of golf, celebrated the fourth, spent time with family, etc. But let’s hit on a couple things going on around the country.
On The Horizon
That’s all for now. We’ll continue tweaking the new format as we go along, but we hope this is something everyone enjoys!
This is something Radi and I talked about last week. We’re going to try to do these once a week. But they’re going to be a little different than the traditional war room you guys are used to.
There will be scoop and nuggets. But we’ll also hit on some of the week’s headlines, movement elsewhere in the recruiting world, etc. We’re also going to make this kind of informal, blending a War Room with a 3-2-1 report.
Each week will be different. Some weeks will be jammed, others will be emptier than the fireworks store on the 5th of July. But as I said, our aim is to make this a weekly feature.
So with that, let’s get started.
Another DB on board
Defensive back recruiting has been kind of a question mark this cycle. The board has been in flux and targets have come and gone.
The Bulldogs took another step toward filling out the class yesterday by flipping Shamari Earls from South Carolina.
Earls burst onto the radar last month. He came in for an official visit the final weekend in June. The Bulldogs have had momentum since then and have now finally sealed the deal.
Earls will likely be a corner in Athens. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds by Rivals, Earls has the type of large corner frame desired by Kirby Smart and company. He joins Todd Robinson as defensive backs in the class.
BIG target
As we’ve reported, we’re still expecting Georgia to land Jahzare Jackson.
Little is known about Jackson, a 6-foot-10 basketball star who is now taking his talents to the gridiron. We do know that Jackson will be on campus this fall.
It’s a low risk move for Georgia. Jackson camped on campus and impressed the coaches, so Stacy Searels and company feel he’s a guy who could develop given a year or two on campus.
If he works out, it’s a great late find. If not, it’s a flier that didn’t pan out in the end. While we aren’t 100 percent sure, it wouldn’t be surprising if this is a deal where Jackson’s way is paid mostly or fully by NIL.
WEEK IN REVIEW
https://uga.rivals.com/news/georgia-getting-serious-with-rivals250-running-back-byron-louis
We spoke with Louis at the Rivals 5-star event. Very engaging young man in person.
My gut tells me that Louis will still end up at FSU or Miami. Those are the schools that have been on him the hardest and the longest. But Georgia can’t be totally counted out at this point. Credit to Josh Crawford for getting a foot in the door. As Louis himself said, when Georgia calls you have to answer.
https://uga.rivals.com/news/alabama-commit-anthony-rogers-planning-to-officially-visit-georgia
Keep an eye on Rogers in the running back battle. He impressed me during the Rivals Five-Star event. Patrick threw out a James Cook comparison and I can definitely see that. With more and more guys committing early, he could be the top running back on the market by the time this fall comes around. His official visit could be huge. Knowing Kirby Smart, it wouldn’t stun me if he tries to get Rogers in for the game against Auburn.
https://uga.rivals.com/news/no-1-safety-zelus-hicks-talk-about-georgia-ahead-of-july-decision
This is one we need to keep an eye on.
Georgia gave Hicks his first offer, about 100 years ago in 2022. He’s one of the most coveted defensive backs in the country regardless of class.
Speaking of class, Hicks played very coy when I asked directly about reclassification. He said moving up to the 2025 class is something he and his family have discussed. It wouldn’t shock me at all if that happens. I wouldn’t think it would happen until after his planned commitment in July. But if Georgia lands his commitment and then gets him in for this class, that would be huge at a position that’s kind of up in the air.
Commit Watch?
Rivals250 defensive back Jaylan Morgan is set to commit today at 3:00.
Georgia is one of four finalists. The Bulldogs are battling Mississippi State, Florida, and Ole Miss for his commitment.
Morgan didn’t receive a Georgia offer until April. Since then, he visited for the Scavenger Hunt and then took an official visit the final weekend of June.
Georgia has made a strong impression in that short time.
"I love how many people are pouring into the DB room, and it's not only Kirby Smart and Coach Donte and Coach T-Rob. They are highly intelligent with DBs," Morgan recently told Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman. "I loved the vision for how they want to use me over there -- playing strong (safety), free and STAR and going there, with their vision to win, their vision to be the next dynasty, you can't even argue about that. Going out there winning, and they want me to be a part of that."
I’m picking Georgia to win out in this recruitment come this afternoon.
Now I’ll be honest here. I disengaged a bit while on vacation in Ohio the last week. Played 5.5 rounds of golf, celebrated the fourth, spent time with family, etc. But let’s hit on a couple things going on around the country.
- DJ Pickett has trimmed Georgia out of his recruitment. LSU, Miami, and Oregon are the three finalists. This was a recruitment that I never really saw going Georgia’s way.
- Tavion Wallace passed on both Georgia and Florida State, committing to Arkansas in a stunner. NIL money can get you a long way at Wal-Mart I suppose. I expect both the Bulldogs and Seminoles to continue recruiting Wallace, especially given a bit of the uncertainty around Sam Pittman’s status in Fayetteville.
On The Horizon
- We mentioned Jaylan Morgan earlier. Georgia is in good shape there going into this afternoon’s decision.
- Travis Smith is set to decide on Saturday, July 13. This one is a dogfight between Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Auburn. As of now, I wouldn’t call any team the favorite. But again, we’ll keep our ear to the ground.
- Defensive back Rashad Johnson is committing the day after Smith. Georgia and Penn State have been the top two contenders in Johnson’s recruitment. I’m giving the the edge to Georgia as of now.
- July 20 is shaping up to be a massive day. Bryce Davis, Cortez Smith, and Christian Gass are all set to commit on that day. We like Georgia’s position for both Davis and Smith right now. If Georgia ends up giving Gass the green light, it could be a trio of new Bulldogs in a couple of weeks.
That’s all for now. We’ll continue tweaking the new format as we go along, but we hope this is something everyone enjoys!
