Kirby Smart didn’t waste a second shifting his focus back to high school recruiting. Georgia picked up some useful pieces through the portal. But that’s never been Smart’s preferred method of roster construction. However, just days after the portal closed, Smart was going after Mississippi’s No. 2-ranked player with running back coach Josh Crawford leading the charge.​

The target is Acely Brown out of Petal High School, a 6-foot, 175-pound back with legitimate track speed. “#AGTG After a great conversation with @CoachJCrawford, I’m blessed to receive my 6th D1 offer from University of Georgia,” Brown wrote as he shared the news on social media.

That puts the Bulldogs right in the thick of things for one of the most talented juniors in the Southeast. They are competing against Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Florida State, and Tennessee. Crawford, who runs Georgia’s rushing attack and coaches the running backs, has developed a reputation for connecting with versatile backs who can do damage in both the running and passing game.​

What makes Brown special is the complete package he brings to the table. He carries a 4.0 GPA and is ranked No. 39 nationally in the 2028 class. He sits at No. 2 in Mississippi behind only the top-ranked running back in the country. As a freshman in 2024, Brown racked up over 1,000 all-purpose yards and found the end zone 12 times while also playing basketball and competing in track events. He’s still filling out that 6-foot frame, but even as a rising junior, his build already looks Power Four-ready.​

Before the Bulldogs jumped in, Brown had already picked up offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Florida State, and Tennessee, with the in-state schools pushing hard. Pete Golding at Ole Miss has made Brown a major priority in the 2028 class. On3’s prediction model currently favors Mississippi State with a 25.8% chance of landing him, while Ole Miss sits at 22.6%.

During the fall, Brown visited both Mississippi State and LSU. He got a firsthand look at what staying in-state or close to home might offer. But Georgia’s offer changes the dynamics entirely. Kirby Smart has proven he can pull elite Mississippi talent out of the state when he wants to. And Brown represents exactly the type of prospect the Bulldogs covet two years out.​

For Georgia, landing Brown would give the Bulldogs another elite piece in what’s shaping up to be a strong 2028 class. With Jayden Wade already committed as the No. 1 overall recruit in the cycle, adding the No. 2 running back would set the foundation for another championship-caliber roster down the line. Crawford’s recruiting pitch will likely center on Georgia’s track record of developing running backs into NFL Draft picks and the program’s proven ability to compete for national titles year after year. Brown’s ability to function as a receiver out of the backfield makes him an ideal fit for how Georgia wants to use its running backs in the passing game.

The portal’s harsh reality

There’s a reason Kirby Smart is back to pounding the high school recruiting trail so aggressively. He knows the transfer portal game is brutal on both ends. While Smart is out offering elite 2028 prospects like Acely Brown, three former Georgia players are still stuck in portal purgatory with nowhere to land. Offensive tackle Jamal Meriweather, edge rusher Elo Modozie, and dismissed offensive tackle Nyier Daniels remain unsigned despite the portal window closing on January 16. 

Georgia actually weathered the portal storm better than most programs. They lost just 14 players, while others hemorrhaged 20-30. But that’s cold comfort to the guys who left Athens expecting greener pastures and instead found tumbleweeds. Meriweather, a 2023 Brunswick signee who played 77 snaps across 17 games, is reportedly eyeing Miami but hasn’t gotten a firm offer. Modozie transferred from the Army with high expectations, only to fall behind Quintavius Johnson and Gabe Harris on Georgia’s depth chart.

The harsh truth is that over 1,200 FBS scholarship players are in the same boat. They entered the portal, didn’t find a home, and now face an uncertain future. Now that the portal madness is over, Smart can get back to what he does best: finding guys like Brown two years early and building them into Bulldogs.​ But for the others, it’s the risk they chose to take when they entered the transfer portal.

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