Just when Kirby Smart thought he had his 2027 recruiting class locked in, the Georgia Bulldogs were hit with another decommitment. Gavin Honore, a top wide receiver from Bishop Gorman, announced he is reopening his recruitment, making him the second prospect to back out of the class recently

“After careful consideration and much prayer, I have decided to reopen my recruitment and decommit from the University of Georgia,” Gavin Honore said on X.

The three-star prospect committed to Kirby Smart’s program in June of last year, but now he is keeping his options open. He has offers from 20 Division I programs like Arizona State, Kentucky, Colorado, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vanderbilt, SMU, and others. Now, Georgia just has one wide receiver, Aden Starling, in the class.

Back in 2024, Honore played in 12 games, caught 23 passes for 353 yards, and had 6 touchdowns. He even added seven kickoff returns for 133 yards and six punt returns for 66 yards.

What’s shocking is that Honore’s main reason for joining the team was Georgia’s culture, which made him feel connected to his former high school, Mater Dei.

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“I feel like Georgia is the best fit for me because of the culture and how they run their program. Georgia reminds me a lot of Mater Dei based on how they run everything, so that really stood out for me. The structure of the coaching staff also has a big part of it,” Honore said.

The move is puzzling on the surface, as Georgia has a proven track record of developing receivers for the next level. However, Honore’s choice signals that for the class of 2027, immediate opportunities or NIL potential may now outweigh a program’s draft history.

NIL may motivate his decision, since Kirby Smart isn’t keen on spending much on NIL, unlike teams like Texas and North Carolina that might offer a big paycheck. Another reason for the chaos can be their back-to-back playoff misses. Kirby Smart hasn’t reached the national title game since 2022.

While the rise of NIL may be helping programs like Ohio State and Indiana become more formidable in recruiting battles, Georgia still has the championship pedigree to attract elite talent.

Inside Kirby Smart’s major feat at Georgia

Smart led Georgia to an SEC championship win over Alabama and gave them a playoff appearance with one of the youngest rosters in the country. But now, heading into 2026, he remains focused more on keeping his players intact than on adding more through the portal. The numbers back up the hype, as Kirby Smart’s Georgia boasts the best retention rate among all college football playoff teams and leads the SEC in keeping its roster together.

Only 13 players from the team entered the portal, while other teams like Colorado lost 35 players, and Alabama lost around 20-22. Despite their own doubts about the program, Smart’s vision has actually come true.

“We had a goal of, you know, keeping the players on our roster that we could, and we went through agents, players, parents, meeting after meeting after meeting after meeting to try to retain our roster, which I think we won that battle,” Smart said. “You know, we were able to keep a lot of players we wanted to keep here.”

Honore’s decommitment highlights the new, complex reality of college football recruiting. While Smart has proven he can build a championship-level roster and retain current players, keeping future stars committed in the era of NIL may be his next great challenge.