Where Georgia Turns After Missing on Versatile 4-Star Albert Huggins?

The Georgia Bulldogs finished as the runners-up to Clemson for versatile 4-star defensive tackle Albert Huggins, who committed to the Tigers on Friday morning.

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As expected, longtime lean Albert Huggins commits to #Clemson. http://t.co/KWrKuMUvAC @Clemson247 @jcshurburtt @Mansell247 @SWiltfong247

— Ryan Bartow (@RyanBartow) December 12, 2014"

According to Cory Fravel of Clemson247, Huggins cited academics and the culture at Clemson as his biggest influences for staying in state.

"Clemson's education and family atmosphere were a deciding factor for me," Huggins told Fravel. "This is an honor for me and my family. It's a relief to get my commitment out of the way."

With defensive line being one of the biggest needs for Mark Richt and his staff this cycle, losing out on Huggins is a tough blow.

Where do the 'Dawgs turn after losing out on Huggins?

Considering Georgia already has 25 commitments—including six from defensive linemen—the main focus for Richt and Co. will be holding on to the pledges who are slated to line up for defensive line coach Tracy Rocker.

The good news for the Bulldogs is that they already have a pair of commitments at defensive tackle in 5-star Trent Thompson and 3-star Justin Young.

Thompson is the nation’s top prospect at defensive tackle and is a candidate to step in and be a factor immediately upon his arrival in Athens.

Additionally, 4-star defensive end pledge Jonathan Ledbetter can play at end or in the middle.

The Bulldogs haven't been afraid to hit the JUCO ranks to find immediate contributors. However, that route doesn't seem to be in the plans for two reasons.

For starters, the signing period for midterm JUCO enrollees begins next week, so there’s little time to evaluate and get in the race for a JUCO prospect. 

Additionally, the top remaining uncommitted JUCO defensive tackle is Jonathan Taylor—who was kicked off the Georgia team in the summer due to off-field issues, per Chip Towers of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

It’s also worth noting that the 2016 class of defensive tackles appears to be deep—especially in the state of Georgia.

Four standout juniors from the Peach State—Julian Rochester, Derrick Brown, Antwuan Jackson and Michail Carter—are 4-star prospects who rank among the nation’s top 150 players overall in the 2016 class.

Brown, Jackson and Carter made trips to Athens during the season.

In the early stages of their recruitments, the Bulldogs appear to be a factor for all four in-state junior defensive tackles.

Assuming none of their 2015 defensive line commits jumps ship, the Bulldogs can afford to narrow their focus on landing defensive targets, such as 4-star linebacker Roquan Smith, 4-star athlete Donte Jackson, 4-star defensive end D’Andre Walker and 4-star defensive end and current South Carolina pledge Arden Key.

While landing Huggins would have been a boost to an already loaded defensive line class, the Bulldogs—who currently have the nation’s No. 3 class—are in solid shape moving forward.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.