The college football programs are running the last lap to make the most out of the 2026 recruiting trail. At this time, one can guess the amount of attention that uncommitted recruits are getting. Right now, one such hot target is the No. 1 uncommitted 5-Star, Tyler Atkinson. It has been a five-team battle for Atkinson. As On3’s Chad Simmons shared, “Auburn, Ohio State, Oregon, and others are in the mix.” 

Other than this, while Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs have been one of the hottest pursuers, the Clemson Tigers also ran the Atkinson race. The Loganville, Georgia, native is seemingly getting closer to deciding on taking four official visits this month. The 5-star linebacker has wrapped up his visit to Austin. But even then, it doesn’t seem that the Longhorns are viewed as the current favorite to land him. While the programs are losing their sleep over Atkinson, the player thought of stirring the pot a little. 

On July 8, Atkinson tweeted a clip of how he is having some of the best times. Sharing a clip of him waterskiing, the caption read, “🤔Tough Decision Ahead🤔 Spend a day #AtkNup with me as I clear my thoughts.” Besides his enthusiasm for water sports, Atkinson is also seen enjoying his favorite hobby. And the 5-star linebacker is already sending off some Travis Hunter vibes with all the dreadlocks and his love for angling. He also shared a longer video clip on his YouTube channel with the title, “Day in the life of 5-star TYLER ATKINSON !” It had a compilation of all the activities that Atkinson took part in that helped him to maintain sanity and clear his mind to help with his rational thinking. From hitting the gym and training on the gridiron to playing basketball, Atkinson is not taking his physical fitness lightly.

However, tackling these high-intensity sports, his heart craved what he enjoys the most. Spending some quality time with his dad, Victor Atkinson. And what better way to do that than a father-son fishing date? In the clip, Atkinson is spotted choosing some fishing gear and looks like a kid in a candy shop. He kept picking one after the other and shared his review. “This one got the hooks and all that stuff on it. That’s what catfish though. On the road to go fish, man.” And during this time, Atkinson will be bonding with his dad, who might influence his thought process and help him gain clarity about his next home. 

As the 5-star linebacker once shared, “He motivates and keeps me humbled and has helped me be who I am today. With him in the back of my ear and my mother, too, that helps me a lot in life. Those are really my backbones right there.” Turns out that Georgia has been approved by Atkinson’s dad. However, a NIL hoopla might come in the way. 

Tyler Atkinson faces the unseen battles of the NIL era

On January 18, Kirby Smart took out his time and hopped on the helicopter to visit 2026 5-star linebacker Atkinson. As Joel Klatt reported, “He paid Georgia a reciprocal visit. I say reciprocal because Kirby flew the Kirby copter. I believe it was Wednesday or Thursday. He landed there on the football field to go visit Tyler Atkinson. This time, I assume he and his dad just got in the car and drove to Athens, but they were there.” Atkinson has been on the Bulldogs’ radar for quite some time now. 

Reports say that the linebacker held a Georgia offer since the eighth grade. Georgia’s chances to be the next home for Atkinson were doubled down by Georgia insider Graham Coffey. He shared, “Georgia has 3 Butkus winners under Kirby Smart… This guy [Atkinson] has the tools to be the 4th.” However, the 5-star recruit’s latest NIL success might be the end of Smart’s Atkinson dreams. As per the reports, the No. 1 linebacker of the 2026 class has signed an NIL deal with Adidas. 

While this is an amazing accomplishment for him and his family, this could be an interesting development for Georgia in their pursuit of him. That’s because the Bulldogs wear Nike gear for all of their sports. Now, the question remains what the Bulldogs will prioritize. Or will they settle for a middle ground? There’s a chance this deal with Adidas will only last during the rest of his high school career, but it could bleed into Tyler Atkinson’s time at Georgia, or the school he commits to, for that matter. In this case, we can take Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith’s example. The wide receiver wears Adidas gear in his personal life and dons Nike during game days. Now, will Atkinson walk the same path?