Georgia Football Recruiting 2024: Kirby Smart's Top Commits Landed and Predictions

Georgia remains one of the top football programs in the nation, even if it has taken a step back over the last two years.

The Bulldogs won the National Championship in both 2021 and 2022 but lost to Alabama in last year's SEC Championship Game and missed the College Football Playoff entirely. Georgia has already lost two games in 2024 (to Alabama and Mississippi) but it will be back in the SEC title game.

Georgia, which beat Texas 30-15 in October, has a rematch with the Longhorns this weekend. A win will get head coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs back into the expanded College Football Playoff with an automatic bid.

Smart and Co. should be right back in the national title picture in 2025 too, thanks to one of the strongest recruiting classes in the country. With the early signing period set to open on Wednesday, now's a great time to examine where Georgia stands.

Georgia 2025 Recruiting Class

Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

ATHENS, GA - OCTOBER 05: A Georgia Bulldogs football helmet sits on the sideline during the college football game between the Auburn Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs on October 05, 2024, at Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA. (Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Overall Class Rank: No. 1

Top Committed Recruits

• 5-star DL Elijah Griffin
• 5-star Edge Isaiah Gibson
• 5-star LB Zayden Walker
• 4-star Edge Darren Ikinnagbon
• 4-star TE Elyiss Williams
• 4-star Edge Chase Linton
• 4-star WR Talyn Taylor
• 4-star OT Juan Gaston
• 4-star S Todd Robinson
• 4-star RB Ousmane Kromah
• 4-star WR CJ Wiley
• 4-star QB Ryan Montgomery
• 4-star CB Jontae Gilbert
• 4-star OL Cortez Smith
• 4-star S Rasean Dinkins
• 4-star TE Ethan Barbour
• 4-star S Jaylan Morgan
• 4-star CB Dominick Kelly
• 4-star WR Landon Roldan
• 4-star LB Anthony Kruah

---

*Recruiting rankings and information via 247Sports.

Georgia Maintains Top Recruiting Class Through Early Signing Period

Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Kirby Smart

It's not uncommon to see top recruits flip commitments ahead of or during the early signing period. Just last month, for example, 5-star Belleville (Michigan) quarterback Bryce Underwood switched his commitment from LSU to Michigan.

However, it's hard to envision Georgia losing enough top prospects to not have the too overall recruiting class for the second straight year. Smart has found sustained success on both the football field and the recruiting rail, and the Bulldog's spot in another SEC title game will have recruits confident about the foreseeable future.

Georgia's 2025 class is already an impressive one. Headlined by the likes of Savannah Christian Prep (Georgia) defensive lineman Elijah Griffin, 5-star Warner Robins (Georgia) edge-rusher Isaiah Gibson and 5-star Schley County (Georgia) Zayden Walker—plus a plethora of 4-star recruits—the group can lay the foundation for future championships.

The only real knock on this year's class is the fact that Georgia has failed to land a 5-star quarterback recruit. Underwood is headed to Michigan, Keelon Russell of Duncanville (Texas) is headed to Alabama, Tavien St. Clair of Bellefontaine (Ohio) is headed to Ohio State and Husan Longstreet of Centennial (California) has committed to USC.

Smart has, however, thrown a few proverbial darts at the position. 4-star signal-caller Ryan Montgomery of Findlay, OH has been committed to Georgia since April. He's coming off of a torn ACL, though, and Smart has eyed other quarterbacks.

On Sunday, he flipped Clarke Central (Georgia) quarterback and 3-star recruit Hezekiah Millender, from Boise State.

As Grace Raynor of The Athletic recently noted, the pursuit of multiple quarterbacks is likely all about depth.

"Adding two QBs in the Class of 2025 gives the staff some protection in case one of the underclassmen opts to leave," Raynor wrote. "Also, Georgia is making a push to add more dual-threats at the position, and Millender falls into that category."

It's impossible not to be impressed with the amount of top-end talent, depth and roster flexibility Smart has compiled in his 2025 class, and it's highly unlikely that any other program will catch up in the coming days.

Georgia Will Add Justus Terry to Its Impressive Haul

David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

ATHENS, GA - NOVEMBER 29: UGA mascot Hairy Dawg during the Friday evening college football game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on November 29, 2024 on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Here's the thing about Smart. He's probably not done adding top talent to his 2025 recruiting class.

Manchester (Georgia) defensive lineman Justus Terry is a 5-star recruit and the ninth-ranked player on 247Sports' board. He's also one of the top players in the country to has yet to make—or rather, stick with—a hard commitment.

Terry had originally committed to Georgia in 2023, though he later flipped to the USC Trojans. He subsequently decommited from USC and may again be eyeing the Bulldogs.

According to Sam Spiegelman of Rivals, Terry is most likely to choose between Georgia and Alabama, though other programs are still in the mix.

"There's plenty of room for drama here, but Georgia has continued to chip away and the familiarity and comfort level in Athens is unmatched," Spiegelman wrote in October. "The Crimson Tide aren't going anywhere and they're making this tighter than most people realize from the outside looking in."

Terry has put an end to his recruiting process and is prepared to make his decision on Friday.

There's obviously a chance that Terry will make an unexpected announcement later this week, but all signs point to the 6'5", 275-pound defender reestablishing his plan to be a Bulldog.

It would make sense, given Terry's prior interest and Georgia's recent habit of putting standout defenders into the NFL. The prediction here is that Terry does indeed pick Georgia, adding another 5-star to the school's stellar 2025 class.