As the first day of the early signing period wraps up, Georgia and Texas are jockeying for the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation.
The Longhorns had the top class for much of Wednesday though the Bulldogs aren’t far behind — and could be the favorites to finish No. 1 in the 247Sports Composite team rankings, especially if they sign five-star defensive lineman Justus Terry on Friday, as expected.
The early signing period, which began Wednesday, goes through Friday. An additional signing day will be held in February, though the majority of prospects will sign this week.
Texas headed into Wednesday afternoon with 24 commits for 306.67 points and an average player rating of 93.45. Georgia had 27 commits for 302.14 points and an average player rating of 92.78.
The Longhorns and Bulldogs will meet on the field this week, too, in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.
How Texas built its class
The Longhorns’ class is headlined by four five-star prospects in safety Jonah Williams, wide receiver Kaliq Lockett, edge Lance Jackson and wide receiver Jaime Ffrench. All but Ffrench, a Florida native, are from Texas. In-state talent was a major priority for coach Steve Sarkisian, who signed 15 players from the Lonestar State, including six of the state’s top 15 recruits. All 24 of Texas’ commits were signed by early Wednesday afternoon.
The Longhorns picked up two major targets this week, landing commitments from top-100 prospects Kade Phillips (safety) and Michael Terry III (athlete).
Texas also did strong work in the Southeast, picking up six total recruits from Florida and Georgia as the Longhorns continue to expand their footprint into SEC territory.
In total, Sarkisian and his staff signed 10 top-100 prospects and 18 blue-chippers, including four-star quarterback KJ Lacey out of Saraland (Ala.) High. Lacey will play for a state championship this week and has had a dominant senior season with nearly 3,000 passing yards and 38 touchdowns against six interceptions.
Texas’ biggest need was defensive back, with the program taking three safeties and two corners. The Longhorns also signed four offensive linemen and four defensive linemen as they look to continue to fortify the trenches.
The average player rating of 93.45 is a full point higher than the 92.37 mark from Texas’ Class of 2024.
How Georgia built its class
Like the Longhorns, the Bulldogs went all in on backyard talent, signing four of the state’s top five players in defensive lineman Elijah Griffin, edge Isaiah Gibson (fending off a late push from Michigan), tight end Elyiss Williams and linebacker Zayden Walker. Should Terry sign on Friday, that would make the Bulldogs a perfect five-for-five with in-state five-stars.
Of Georgia’s 27 commits, 23 are blue-chippers and seven rank in the top 100. Kirby Smart and his staff picked up 20 prospects from Georgia, including the nation’s top defensive lineman, edge, tight end and linebacker.
At quarterback, the Bulldogs strayed from convention and took two in this class — four-star Ohio native Ryan Montgomery and three-star local product Hezekiah Millender, who just flipped from Boise State last week.
As expected, Georgia should again be strong along the defensive line, with Griffin, Gibson and four-star edge Darren Ikinnagbon, the nation’s No. 78 prospect, out of New Jersey. Throw Terry into the mix and this will go down as another elite class for Smart, who has stated his case as college football’s best recruiter in the post-Nick Saban era.
Required reading
- Early signing day primer: Recruiting thoughts on Georgia, Alabama, Colorado, USC and more
(Photo of Steve Sarkisian: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)
