Not just Auburn. A prized four-star 2027 tight end received a pair of in-school check-ups from Miami Canes offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and receivers coach Kevin Beard too. The Georgia Bulldogs quietly made a power move. And today, Kirby Smart may have just pulled off a key win in what’s shaping up to be a high-stakes SEC and national recruiting battle.

That momentum shift came when four-star 2027 TE Grant Haviland revealed he was in Athens for a key visit. Haviland, a rising sophomore from Milton High School in Georgia, made it official in a post that read, “I’ll be at the University of Georgia today!” It didn’t take long before the 6-foot-4, 210-pound pass-catcher was seen grinning ear to ear in a photo with Kirby Smart and his parents. Georgia TEs coach Todd Hartley was also seen evaluating Haviland in person, adding another layer of attention to one of the fastest-rising names in the class. With that visit, Georgia sent a loud, clear message—they’re not playing catch-up. They’re taking the lead.

Haviland is no stranger to high-level recruiting buzz. He already holds more than 15 offers, including ones from Alabama, Texas, Miami, and Georgia—every one of them recognizing a blend of size, length, and advanced route-running polish rare for his age. But what makes his journey feel even more authentic is how he talks about it. “This offer means the world to me. I’ve been working all of my life on this,” Haviland said about an earlier offer from Cincinnati.

“My dream since I was a beginning football player has always been to play big-time football. To have an offer from a school the caliber of the University of Cincinnati means so much to me. To potentially be a part of an amazing football program and a fantastic academic university helps me fulfill my dreams.” That’s not just a TE chasing clout.

And while Cincinnati was one of the early believers, Haviland’s stock skyrocketed this spring. In February, Alabama added its name to the list, prompting the Georgia native to reflect on what it meant. “This offer means a lot to me, especially after watching them in the past and how dominant they’ve been,” Haviland told Touchdown Alabama. That offer carried weight. That said, Georgia has its own tight end legacy to sell. Todd Hartley has built a pipeline in Athens that’s pumped out NFL-ready bodies like Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington, and now he’s eyeing the next crown jewel.

Getting Haviland on campus, getting him face-to-face with Kirby Smart, and allowing his family to soak in the culture—that’s recruiting gold. The selfie with Kirby wasn’t just a memento. It was a bookmark in what could soon be a chapter titled: ‘Commitment’.

Kirby Smart sounds off on NIL millions, and the mess left behind

When a five-star recruit like Jackson Cantwell turns down a program like Georgia—reportedly over a $2 million NIL deal it rattles the entire cfb world. And even UGA’s usually tight-lipped Kirby Smart couldn’t stay quiet this time.

Following Cantwell’s surprising flip to Miami, Smart opened up with some pointed words on the growing NIL chaos. “It’s confusing. A lot of misleading information out there,” Smart said. “Nobody really knows what’s accurate. A lot of schools are approaching it in different ways. We hear something different from every school.”

The NIL landscape right now is like the Wild West, with every school playing by its own unwritten rules. And while fans love the drama of recruiting flips, Smart believes there’s a bigger issue at hand—one that could reshape college athletics as we know it.

During an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show, Smart pulled back the curtain even further: “I just want to be able to have a freshman come in and not make more than a senior, and I’d like for other sports to be able to still survive. You know, we’re on the brink of probably one to two years away from a lot of schools cutting sports.” It’s not just about missed recruits anymore—it’s about protecting the future of college sports.