Signing Day 2025: Possible Additions/Flip Candidates As Dawgs Seek Another Recruiting Crown

We are mere hours out from Early National Signing Day, and the Georgia Bulldogs are once again in contention to sign the top recruiting class in the country. After a bit of a slow start, Kirby Smart and his staff have continued to stack blue chip talent month by month, and find themselves with the current #1 ranked class according to 247Sports, and the #2 class per On3’s rankings.

The Red and Black currently have 28 commits in the class. Two themes stick out when viewing the class as a whole. First, it’s a largely homegrown group. 21 of the 28 play their high school ball in the Peach State (though some moved here relatively recently, like a lot of their fellow Georgians). I attribute that to the fact that it’s simply a really good year for high school football in Georgia. There are always a ton of SEC caliber players in the Empire State of the South. But this year there are more truly elite ones than average. Also, and this is purely speculation on my part, I can’t help but wonder if in grading prospects the staff hasn’t given a slight premium to players who are less likely to transfer closer to home after a year or two, or who might consider giving a bit of a “hometown discount” in NIL terms. Again, I have no concrete evidence of this. It’s just a thought.

The second theme: defense. After going heavily into rebuilding the offensive line last year this class includes elite players at all three levels of the defense. While only 12 of the 28 commits project on that side of the ball, 4 of the top 5 rated prospects are on defense, and the ‘Dawgs are actually working hard to increase that total (more on that below).

Most of the proverbial hay is in the metaphorical barn, but the Bulldogs still have a little bit of work to do. The biggest likely domino to fall is Manchester lineman Justus Terry. Terry, the #2 defensive lineman in the country and the #9 prospect overall per 247Sports was seen as a strong Bulldog lean before committing to USC as a junior. However, he backed off that pledge and has since made repeated visits to Athens. While Auburn and Texas continue to push, the consensus among recruiting observers is that Terry is likely to sign with the Bulldogs (though he won’t make his decision known until Friday).

If he does commit to the G, Terry could be a part of one of the best defensive line classes in recent memory along with Warner Robbins standout Isaiah Gibson, Savannah Christian’s Elijah Griffin, and New Jersey four star Darren Ikinnagbon.

Regardless of Terry’s decision I’d expect the Athenians to look to add at least one more commit on the defensive front. One candidate who has emerged is Greene County’s Kevin Wynn. The 6’2, 320 pounder has been committed to FSU since the summer, but made his first game day visit to Athens for the Tech game. South Carolina is also pushing hard for the A-gap tackle who’s ranked the #10 defensive lineman in the nation by 247.

Another player to keep an eye on is Lee County defensive lineman Jeramiah McCloud, a current Florida Gator pledge who has nevertheless continued to hear from the Bulldogs. The 6’3, 280 pound McCloud could play anywhere along the defensive front, and has athleticism and a frame that reminds me a little of former Bulldog standout Malik Herring at the same stage (though McCloud may be a little bigger). While he’a only a 3 star recruit and the #86 DL recruit in the 247 rankings, I’d be thrilled to add him to this class.

Of course the flip game works both ways, and the Bulldogs are also working to keep players in the fold. Isaiah Gibson got a late offer from Michigan, which appears to be pushing hard to bring him as part of a star-studded (and allegedly pricey) class that includes top quarterback and former LSU commit Bryce Underwood.

McCloud’s Lee County teammate tailback Ousmane Kromah has been committed to Georgia since October, but has taken recent visits to Auburn and Florida State. Georgia has significant numbers in the running back room headed to 2025, but I expect a transfer or two from that group, so keeping Kromah in the fold could be important in the long run.

Also, as we’ve seen in the past, this staff will almost certainly take one or two players from a list of prospects who aren’t household names but who they believe could fill a need. So stay tuned for some surprises. As you may recall, KJ Bolden looked like a lock to Florida State a couple of days before Signing Day last year, and even professional recruiting analysts didn’t know that the Bulldogs were in the running for George Pickens before he signed during the February signing period. So stay tuned. Until later…

Go ‘Dawgs!!!