In a couple of years from now, Arch Manning may not be the only legacy player in College football. These young players, poised to not only build their own careers, are also expected to carry forward the name of their storied legacy.  Star power making its way into the field always ups the ante for the teams. That’s what ensued in Colorado from 2022 to 2024, when Shedeur and Shilo ran on the field, and dad Deion Sanders called the shots from the sidelines. This time, a veteran HC seems to have taken the big leap, and is looking to recruit an interesting legacy player.

Kirby Smart needs some star players to emerge on his team now. He has one in Gunnar Stockton, who will lead the show in the absence of the elite QB, Carson Beck. The HC is also on a recruiting roll, having secured 5-star prospect Jared Curtis, who was an equally important target for Dan Lanning. But in his 2027 roster, Smart hopes to land another elite prospect. A player with both a legendary last name and the performance to back it up. His dad is amongst the most iconic names to have featured in the NFL, who retired in 2020. And then onwards, he dedicated his time to coach his son into becoming an equally formidable player – which he has.

Kirby Smart is circling above the No. 1 LB prospect of the 2027 class, Cooper Witten. He is the younger son of veteran Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten. The would-be Hall of Famer ranks 4 highest in all-time career receptions, tallying 1,228. Cooper, on the other hand, has already raked in 127 total tackles, in his still ongoing prep career. On 18 May, he announced that Georgia made him an offer. “Blessed and grateful to receive an offer from the University of Georgia,” he wrote on X.

Kirby Smart is not the only one who is looking to secure Cooper Witten. There are 24 schools lined up in the LB’s still-developing offers list. Smart will once again compete with Dan Lanning for this star player. Also vying for Witten are Michigan, Ohio State, LSU, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Texas. Can you imagine how strong Steve Sarkisian’s roster will look with not one, but two legacy players? And, with Witten being out of Texas, he stands at a good chance to do so. Tennessee too, has and advantage, as being the home of his father during his collegiate career. Here’s more about the legendary career of his father, Jason Witten.

Jason Witten – one of NFL’s most impactful players in modern history

The famous TE spent 16 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and one with the Las Vegas Raiders. His career total stats include 13,046 yards, 74 TDs, and 1228 catches. Witten also holds the record for the most receptions made in a single game (18), against the New York Giants in 2012. He owns the franchise record of playing the most games, thereby being among the team’s longest tenured players. His career lasted 17 years, after all.

Jason never won a Super Bowl, but will go down as one of the most elite TEs in NFL history. After taking on a brief broadcasting career with ESPN in 2018, he went back to play for 2 more years. Now, he’s taken a step back, and is already making waves as a high school coach. He leads Liberty Christian, where Cooper is currently enrolled. Jason already has 2 back to back state championship wins in the bag as HC.

Kirby Smart will not have it easy when it comes to recruiting Cooper, because of all the teams already behind him. His familiar recruiting rival, Dan Lanning, already made his offer in January itself. And with the championship title defenders, Ohio State in the play, things will get more difficult for Smart to get Cooper Witten to wear the Bulldog cap. Can the HC get this young ladto sign with Georgia, with all these programs in the mix?