A 5-star problem? Where UGA football recruiting is trending in wrong direction

Landing the best prospects is a big reason Georgia so often signed top recruiting classes. Smart’s lowest-rated recruiting classes were his first and most recent, which ranked sixth in the nation.

The 2026 Georgia signing class was the first in Smart’s tenure that didn’t feature a single 5-star signee. It marked a clear sign the game has changed when it comes to high school recruiting.

Georgia stockpiling 5-star recruits every year might be a thing of the past. Even with the additions of running back Kemon Spell and tight end Jaxon Dollar for the 2027 class, Georgia has just two 5-star commitments. The Bulldogs signed at least four 5-star prospects in every recruiting cycle from 2018 through 2025.

Georgia has signed at least two 5-star prospects at every position the 247Sports rankings use.

5-star recruits under Kirby Smart

Some positions have been better stocked than others.

Defensive line and linebacker have been the two best-recruited positions in terms of 5-star prospects. Those groups have been led by Glenn Schumann and Tray Scott, who are the longest-tenured assistants on Smart’s staff.

Schumann is the last remaining on-field assistant from Smart’s first coaching staff at Georgia. He’s landed seven composite 5-star linebackers during his time at UGA. Four of them will be on the roster in 2026, which in part explains why there is so much excitement around the group.

Raylen Wilson is entering his senior season, while Justin Williams and Chris Cole are juniors. Sophomore Zayden Walker will play a part for the Georgia defense, as well.

On the defensive line, the Bulldogs have three former 5-star prospects on the 2026 roster. Scott joined the staff ahead of the 2017 season. Brenton Cox didn’t work out at Georgia, but Scott’s other three 5-star signees all went in the first round of the NFL draft.

Offensive tackle, edge and cornerback have each had five 5-star signees since Smart took over.

Cade Mays is the only one of the five offensive tackle prospects who didn’t spend three seasons at Georgia and then become a first-round draft pick. Georgia does not have a 5-star offensive lineman on the 2026 roster, but Ekene Ogboko, Earnest Greene and Juan Gaston all ranked as top 60 prospects in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

The edge position has had just one of its signees become a first-round pick; Nolan Smith did so after a stellar four-year career in Athens. Isaiah Gibson is the only 5-star prospect on the 2026 roster, though he doesn’t seem to have a clear path to playing time. Quintavius Johnson, a 3-star prospect, expects to command a lot of snaps, while 4-star prospect Chase Linton will help as a pass rusher.

The cornerback position will have Ellis Robinson on the 2026 roster. He’s expected to be one of the best cornerbacks in the country. If Robinson becomes a first-round draft pick, he’d be the first 5-star cornerback to do so under Smart.

Georgia consistently recruits well on the defensive side of the ball. Yet as it stands, the 2027 class will mark the second straight year the Bulldogs don’t sign a 5-star prospect.

There’s still time between now and signing day. Rankings will be updated. Georgia is in the running for defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou, one of just two uncommitted 5-star defensive prospects in this 2027 recruiting cycle.

As for the offensive side of the ball, Georgia does have Spell and Dollar, which feels overlooked in the wake of having double-digit 3-star prospects.

Spell would be Georgia’s first 5-star running back since Zamir White in the 2018 recruiting cycle. He led Georgia in rushing in 2020 and 2021, the latter in which Bulldogs won the national championship.

Dollar would be the fourth 5-star tight end to sign with Georgia if he maintains his ranking. Isaac Nauta signed in the 2016 cycle, before Todd Hartley’s arrival ahead of the 2019 season. He’s since signed Darnell Washington and Elyiss Williams. That haul doesn’t include Brock Bowers.

Talyn Taylor is one of just two 5-star wide receivers the Bulldogs have landed since Smart took over, although Mecole Hardman was listed as an athlete. Zachariah Branch was on the team last year after he transferred in from Southern California.

Georgia will have to replace Branch, who was chosen by the Atlanta Falcons after setting a school record for receptions. Georgia doesn’t expect Taylor to replicate that this season, yet they do see him as an important piece of the offense.

Georgia thought it was going to have Jared Curtis as a part of the 2026 roster, but the 5-star quarterback flipped to Vanderbilt just before signing day. It is worth noting all three of Georgia’s 5-star quarterbacks ended up transferring out of the program. Jacob Eason was the only one to start a game for the Bulldogs.

If the 5-star well continues to dry up, it’s clear the defensive side of the ball will be the one more affected. Of the 46 signees, 27 were defensive prospects. Not included in that is 5-star athlete Malaki Starks, who was an All-American at Georgia.

Of the 21 first-round draft picks to play for Smart, nine were 5-star signees. Four of those first-round picks were signed by former Georgia coach Mark Richt, meaning half Smart’s first-round recruits were 5-star prospects.

Perhaps the 2027 season is just one down cycle for the Bulldogs. The 2026 roster will have 12 former 5-star prospects on it, with seven being draft-eligible. Maybe the Bulldogs can spend more in the next recruiting cycle with so much talent potentially coming off the books.

But this and the previous recruiting cycle have shown that Georgia’s roster construction is going to look different moving forward. Prior to the addition of the 2026 recruiting class, Smart had signed 46 5-star prospects compared to 43 3-star recruits.

After adding in the current 2027 recruiting class numbers, 3-stars will outnumber 5-stars 59-48.