Georgia football: 3 recruits Kirby Smart should target next after long-term extension
By John Buhler
Kirby Smart needs to get these top-flight recruits to Athens after inking his contract extension.
As Kirby Smart is expected to remain the face of Georgia football for the foreseeable future, he must get back to work on the recruiting trails after he signs his multi-year contract extension.
Smart may always be ‘crootin’, but that does not mean he ever needs to take his foot off the gas. Georgia has won its first national title in 41 years and is in a fantastic position to win a few more before the end of the decade. Of course, it helps to have more good players than your competition. Assistant coaches and top players will leave, but Smart has the stability to really leave his mark.
Here are three top recruits in 2023 and 2024 Smart needs to make sure they do become Dawgs.
Georgia football: 3 recruits Kirby Smart needs to land after his mega-extension
player. 814. Pick Analysis. RB. IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL). Jerrick Gibson. 3. Scouting Report
Jerrick Gibson is a five-star running back at the IMG Academy for the 2024 class
If Georgia plans on sustaining its place atop the SEC East, Smart and his staff need to continue to bring in top-flight talent at key positions of strength already on the Dawgs’ roster. Smart may be a defensive-minded head coach, but Georgia always has a strong stable of running backs. One player who would look perfect in the Red and Black is 2024 five-star Jerrick Gibson out of IMG.
Georgia has had success over the years with IMG Academy prospects. Though he is a recent transfer to the school, Gibson played his sophomore year of high school ball at Mundy’s Mill in Jonesboro, Georgia. Of course, he played his freshman season in enemy territory at Gainesville High School in Florida. The Gators may be interested in him too, but the Dawgs are on top now.
Gibson’s primary recruiter to Georgia is running backs coach Dell McGee. While he may be an Auburn alum, McGee is one of Smart’s best recruiters. Two of his best recruits just got drafted off the national championship team in running back Zamir White (Laurinburg, NC) and Jamaree Salyer (Atlanta). Georgia has a great shot to get Gibson as a featured player in its 2024 recruiting class.
Simply put, if Gibson does not go to Georgia, he may very well end up playing for arch-rival Florida.