Right now, Georgia has the nation’s 17th ranked recruiting class for the 2021 cycle.
Headlining Georgia’s class is 5-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff out of Bogart, Georgia. Vandagriff ranks as the No. 12 overall player in the country.
Aside from Vandagriff, Kirby Smart has secured commitments from 4-star athlete David Daniel and 3-star defensive tackle Marlin Dean.
For the time being, recruiting is suspended nationwide as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. That includes both on and off campus recruiting.
As far as recruiting goes, it’s not time to hit the panic button based on Georgia’s No. 17 ranking. Smart has secured the nation’s No. 1 class three years in a row and is on a quest to make it four. This year, though, it’ll just take a bit longer to climb up the rankings than in years past.
Related: Georgia’s top defensive targets for 2021 – can UGA land three 5-star DBs?
Related: Georgia’s top offensive recruiting targets for the class of 2021
When recruiting picks back up, Georgia will find itself in prime position for three of America’s top-ten recruits.
According to 247Sport’s Crystal Ball predictions, the Bulldogs are seen as the favorites to land the nation’s No. 6, 7 and 8 ranked recruits. Additionally, outside of the top-ten, Georgia is viewed as the leader for the No. 23 recruit.
Let’s start from the top.
No. 6 overall: James Williams
The No. 6 overall recruit, James Williams, is a safety out of Opa Locka, Florida. In February, Williams released a top-three of Georgia, Alabama, and Clemson.
The five-star junior is the state of Florida’s top prospect both at the safety position and overall as per 247Sports, which currently projects him as a 100% Bulldog lean according to seven recruiting analysts.
At six-foot-five and nearly 220 pounds, Williams’ size (particularly his length) is rare for a defensive back. Head coach Kirby Smart, a former safety, and defensive backs coach Charlton Warren would have big plans for a player with the speed and vision necessary to play both strong and free safety combined with the size and physicality to play STAR.
That speed and vision give the out-of-state standout the ability to quickly diagnose plays and react accordingly. Whether he joins the Dawgs, Tide, or Tigers, three programs which have dominated the past three years’ recruiting cycles, he is capable of making an immediate impact on a playoff-caliber team as a true freshman.
No. 7 overall: Tony Grimes
Tony Grimes, a 5-star cornerback and the No. 7 player in the country, hails from Virginia Beach and was long expected to lean toward in-state Virginia Tech.
There have been five Crystal Ball predictions for Grimes, with three having him going to Georgia and one to both Virginia Tech and Texas A&M.
Grimes visited Georgia in January and it was supposedly a great one.
If Smart and Warren can land the pair (Grimes and Williams), it will make Georgia’s 2021 recruiting class the second in as many years to include the country’s top cornerback. Williams would be the highest-ranked safety to pledge to the Dawgs since beloved rising senior Richard LeCounte signed with Georgia in 2017.
Grimes plans on announcing his commitment on December 1st.
No. 8 overall: Amarius Mims
5-star Amarius Mims is a current junior at Bleckley High School in Cochran, Georgia. He ranks as the nation’s No. 2 offensive tackle, No. 1 player in the state of Georgia and No. 8 overall player in the country for the class of 2021.
Oh yeah, he is also 6-foot-8 and weighs 315 pounds.
Mims cut his list down to 12 and included: Georgia, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Alabama, Florida State, Southern Cal, Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, LSU, Clemson and Oregon.
That’s a lot of top shelf talent, but right now, according to the recruiting experts at 247Sports, all four crystal ball predictions have Mims staying in-state and playing Georgia.
Mims recently made a visit to both Florida and Auburn.
And according to Blayne Gilmer of Sports Illustrated, Mims was planning on making a trip out west this spring.
From Gilmer:
According to his coach, Mims had planned to take official visits to Oregon and Southern California this spring. However, as mentioned before, coronavirus concerns could push those visits back. The hope of the 5-star tackle was to take those two officials out west this spring and then decide on the three he is going to take in the fall.
No. 23 overall: Smael Mondon
5-star outside linebacker Smael Mondon ranks as the nation’s No. 23 overall player, No. 2 ranked OLB and No. 3 player in the state of Georgia.
Out of Paulding County High School, Mondon and Georgia coaches met in person three times in the month of January, including two visits paid by coaches and one trip to Athens.
Georgia offered the 6-foot-3 215-pounder who also played running back for his high school. Right now, it looks like Mondon is all Georgia, with the Dawgs in prime position to land him.
247 has submitted two Crystal Ball predictions, with both of them favoring Georgia.
