It seems like the Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart is following one rule moving into the 2025 season. And what’s that? Turning pain into purpose. Smart must still not be over their heartbreaking Sugar Bowl loss (23-10 to Notre Dame). So, what’s the best way of making use of the rage that’s burning inside? Convert it into passion to fuel the recruitment drive. And we can already see the results. 

As per On3’s 2026 Industry Ranking football Team Recruiting Rankings, Smart’s Bulldogs are sitting at No.2 with 27 recruits locked in, just below Lincoln Riley’s USC class. Perhaps, pulling Riley down the pedestal and holding the top seat is Smart’s ultimate goal. Georgia is running only four recruits short of catching up with Riley. And Smart can already see a silver lining as their two hot in-state targets are about to close their commitments.

The targets are 5-star Kaiden Prothro and 4-star Tyriq Green. Will Georgia’s luck favor in landing the two big fish? This was taken up by analyst Steve Wiltfong on the July 9 episode of the Rivals podcast. The guest of the evening, Chad Simmons, first shared his thoughts on Prothro’s upcoming big decision. “Yeah, still like Georgia here, Josh. Obviously, we talked about Kaiden numerous times throughout the spring and summer. And Georgia’s been the school. Others like Florida, Alabama, Auburn, Texas have tried to knock off that top spot over the last 6, 9, 12 months. And based on intel, just days away, nobody’s had that success. So, I think George is in [a] position to add the five-star tight end, flex athlete, big receiver, big athlete, Kaiden Prothro this weekend. Todd Hartley, the staff have done a great job.”

The 6-foot-7, 210-pound tight end plays football at Bowdon High School. He is ranked as the No. 2 tight end and No. 29 prospect in the nation. Smart’s squad has hosted Prothro seven times. With time, the desperation to land the 5-star got more intense. After all, Smart had some costly losses in the WR room of the 2026 class. 4-star Vance Spafford flipped to Miami while 5-star Mark Bowman changed his route last minute. Now, will Smart glide smoothly into Prothro’s heart? No way. As the analyst shared, “I will say this, Texas has not given up and waved that white flag just yet. They’re pushing hard up until the final hours, final days, but right now, I still like Georgia.” Meanwhile, Smart now has to divide his attention as he has to hunt down Tyriq Green.  

After all, the Bulldogs have set high expectations to beat the SEC race by bringing Green to Athens. Smart already has the advantage with Green, as he is a native of Buford, Georgia. The 6-foot, 195-pounder plays both defensive back and running back. Plus, Smart will be blessed to land a good runner since Green was part of Buford’s 6A state championship-winning 4×400 meters relay team that posted the fastest time in 6A state history (39.81 seconds).

Wiltfong shared, “Regardless of who goes first and who goes second, I think Georgia gets good news two times on Saturday and that be huge for Kirby Smart in that program. I mean, look, Tyreek’s been a guy we’ve talked about like Kaiden in the past, and he’s been a guy I’ve been told by multiple people in that green circle that he’s a Kirby Smart target.” Still, they need to be very careful, as the Miami Hurricanes are likely to go to great lengths to lock Green in. If all this recruiting push must be too much for the head coaches, mind you, Smart has already walked that path. 

Kirby Smart’s Georgia’s 2026 recruiting engine is roaring 

Talking about the recruiting success of the 2026 class. Turns out that one strategy of Smart has paid off. That’s in-state recruiting. Out of the 27 recruits locked in, 14 recruits hail from Georgia. June 26 blessed them with their latest in-state commitment as  4-star WR Craig Dandridge chose to be part of Smart’s squad. He joined his fellow Georgia mates like Ryan Mosley, Jordan Smith, Carter Luckie, Zykie Helton, and a couple of others.

Dandridge’s commitment marked their fourth haul for the last week of June. Before that, Smart was able to win commitments from EDGE defender Khamari Brooks and Corey Howard, and running back Jae Lamar. This moral boost came at a perfect time when Smart and co. were still nursing the wounds of the Spafford snub. The Bulldogs lost their longtime commit to Miami. This made the 6-foot-1, 175-pounder Dandrige a great option to fill the gap. While Smart’s 2026 recruiting wagon goes on full throttle, the head coach is yet to get his goodnight’s sleep. The reason?

He has some unfinished business. Their uncommitted 5-star in-state target, Tyler Atkinson, has yet to make his commitment. Already, the hype for the young chap is real. “Georgia has 3 Butkus winners under Kirby Smart… This guy [Atkinson] has the tools to be the 4th.” W hile Smart has taken a helicopter visit to woo Atkinson, he employed his staff, Glenn Schumann and Travaris Jerod Robinson, to leave a mark in the hot recruit’s heart. As the UGA football on Dawg Post host shared, “Ohio State, Texas, Clemson, Oregon, still all in the mix. But from everything I’m hearing after these official visits, I still think that Georgia is the team to beat. And I think if he made a decision today, it would be Georgia.” The heat is on in Georgia, and with three top in-state targets in play, Smart can’t afford to blink.