After the Georgia Bulldogs secured the top recruiting class last year, how did Kirby Smart and Co. fare with their 2019 class of newcomers?
For the second-straight college football season, the Georgia Bulldogs seemingly had Nick Saban and Alabama against the ropes in crucial moments. But, just as they could’ve knocked out the dynastic Crimson Tide, they opened themselves up for counter punches and, before we could figure out what happened, they were on the outside of the College Football Playoff and looking forward to the 2019 season.
The 2019 campaign for Georgia, of course, begins with bringing in another strong recruiting class to Athens. In 2018. head coach Kirby Smart brought in a masterful class of players to the Bulldogs, his class ranking as the best in the country. Entering National Signing Day 2019, however, UGA was again beaten by Bama in terms of the class rankings.
Even still, the talent coming to Georgia for 2019 is tremendous, starting with weakside defensive end Nolan Smith. The IMG Academy product is the top recruit in the country and could be the next big thing — sooner rather than later, too — on the Bulldogs defense.
The No. 2 inside linebacker recruit, Nakobe Dean from Mississippi, is also bound for Athens and should give them a young body to perhaps fill some big shoes in the middle of that defense.Furthermore, the Bulldogs have another 5-star guy coming on defense with No. 3 defensive tackle Travon Walker. With those three guys, the UGA defense should be in good hands for the future.
To be sure, the UGA offense will also add some intriguing players, most notably big center and 5-star lineman Clay Webb and 4-star wide receiver Dominick Blaylock, a “hometown” kid from Marietta, GA.
So how does the Bulldogs recruiting class look and how does it grade out? Let’s take a look.
You could truly make the argument that Georgia has the best 2019 recruiting class in all of college football, even if Alabama edges them out in the composite rankings. However, with four 5-star prospects and three more players that rank in the top 50 overall, the Bulldogs are just going to keep being a force to contend with on the national level.
Grade: A+