Overview of the 2025 Recruiting Class: Information for Defenders
Under Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs have consistently fielded excellent defences, in large part due to Georgia’s proven ability to attract top defensive prospects. Georgia currently has three defensive players committed for the class of 2025. Three-star defensive back Tae Harris from Cedartown; four-star wide receiver Jadon Perlotte from Buford; and five-star linebacker Justus Terry from Manchester, Georgia. The defensive line is the area where the class of 2025 has the most need in terms of defence. As previously established, the 5-star Justus Terry is already a huge asset to the defensive line. Terry will occupy a defensive lineman position in Georgia’s defence and measures 6 feet 5 inches. Elijah Gryphon, a 5-star defensive lineman, is the next player Georgia really needs. In 2025, Gryphon may be the most significant player for Georgia. Gryphon, who is 6 feet 5 inches tall, is compared to Jalen Carter, a standout player at Georgia. Upon examining Griffin’s tape, it becomes evident why the analogy makes sense. He was a formidable player for Savannah Christian Prep High School, racking up over 90 tackles and 17.5 sacks. Gryphon has the capacity to perform a variety of defensive line positions. Four-star Christain Garrett from Athens and four-star Kevin Wynn from Greensboro, Georgia, are the two defensive lineman Georgia is most likely to sign. As this class progresses in the cycle, Edge will be another crucial position the Bulldogs will utilise to assemble their board. Georgia has shown interest in a few players, including 6-5, 250-pound 4-star Isaiah Gibson from Warner Robins and 6-4, 210-pound Christian Gass from Covington, Georgia. In his brief tenure at Georgia, head coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe has shown a preference for signing big-name players to the Bulldogs. Similar to the defensive line class, Burford star Jadon Perlotte now occupies one of the linebacker places. For Georgia to maintain Perlotte in the class, it will need to overcome a number of opponents, including Auburn and Florida State. Quay Walker is Perlotte’s counterpart as a 6-3, 200-pound linebacker who projects as a Willie. With his lengthy arms, Jadon will be able to block traffic lanes and, in certain circumstances, rush the passer. Another key linebacker target Georgia targeted early in the 2025 cycle is Schley County’s 5-star Zayden Walker. Walker is the Georgia defense’s version of the ideal Mike linebacker; he would fill the roles of Roquan Smith, CJ Allen, and Nakobe Dean. Walker plays on the edge for his high school, so whenever he goes to Georgia, he will need to develop into a real inside linebacker. The Bulldogs will be adding some fresh faces to their defensive backfield throughout the recruiting process. Fans of Georgia will be aware that previous defensive back coach Fran Brown has gone on to Syracuse. In response, Georgia recruited exceptional recruiter Donte Williams, and when Will Muschamp chose to become an off-field consultant, the team most recently added former Alabama safety coach Tavaris Robinson. Without a doubt, Georgia now has the top coaches and recruiters in the country for defensive backs, and they will try to take advantage of this as they assemble their roster. There is already one pledge from Georgia, Tae Harris, who is really talented and has the potential to be a big star. Hard-hitting defensive back Harris is capable of flying up to make tackles in the quick pass game and providing run game assistance. Georgia’s 2025 class is off to a strong start, and the team plans to keep strengthening its defence in the coming years.
Highlights of Georgia football punter signee Drew Miller
The Georgia Bulldogs put a lot of effort into filling a number of roster gaps and attracting the top recruiting class in the country for the 2024 cycle. They devote some of their focus to special teams, and the Bulldogs acquired the top punter in the nation in Mediapolis, Iowa, in Drew Miller. Miller considered a number of choices and decided on Georgia over NC State and Iowa State.
View Miller’s senior highlights in the section above. On 247Sports, Miller has the top spot among punters. During his last season, he averaged 47.33 yards per punt on 30 punt attempts. He gave up only five return yards while forcing 17 punts to land within the 20-yard line and 12 punts to land inside the 10-yard line. For the third time in his prep career, Miller was named to the first team of the MaxPreps All-American.
Miller’s stats were as follows: “Top-rated punter averaged 49.5 yards per punt with 55 percent landing inside the 20,” according to MaxPreps.
Following a junior season in which he averaged 48 yards per punt and had touchbacks on 51 of 55 kickoffs, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Miller is in good shape. Miller is the top punter in the nation according to Kohl’s Kicking, which said this about him a year ago.
Miller’s most recent competition was in July 2022 at the 2022 National Invitational Scholarship Camp. Miller demonstrated once more his superiority as a kicker/punter combination in the 2024 class. Miller had an exceptional punt score of 111.95. He finished the 2021 Kohl’s National Scholarship Camp with a 25-point score on field goal charts, and he even took home the trophy for winning the field goal competition. In addition, he performed very well while punting, averaging 113.4 points over 4.7 seconds of hang time. Miller is one of the most fascinating prospects in his class because of his amazing leg speed and strength while punting and kicking.”
Miller is the second-best punter in the nation according to Chris Sailer Kicking, who also said the following about him:
Drew is a young high school punter and kicker with a great deal of talent. He is large, towering, powerful, and athletic. Drew does a fantastic job with the football punt. He punts for a good length of time and distance. Drew has already made a D1-level hit. He has incredible talent and promise in this aspect of his game. Drew kicks quite well as well. He possesses a 50+ yard range and can smash a pure ball off the ground with ease. He can kick off very well. Watch out as he develops his game further. Drew is a very skilled combo player. I’m excited to see what the future brings. In January, watch for Drew to rule Vegas XXXIX. He is going to run for an invitation to the TOP 12 Camp. It is a joy to work with such a lovely young guy like him. OFFER NOW!!!”
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Highlights of Georgia football punter signee Drew Miller
Although Georgia has been very successful away from home this season, the Bulldogs knew they would have challenges on Saturday night at Rupp Arena. Georgia knew it would need to play at its highest level to have a chance against No. 8 Kentucky, but the Wildcats showed right away why they rank among the best in the nation.
The game was lopsided, with Kentucky’s shooters overwhelming Georgia, and the Wildcats emerging victorious, 105-96. Georgia’s performance was disappointing as they were unable to maintain momentum against Kentucky after the break and were never able to muster the necessary energy to have a chance.
Silas Demary Jr. scored 22 points, and Jabri Abdur-Rahim scored 34, to lead Georgia in scoring. With 23, Tre Mitchell led Kentucky.
Let’s examine what caught our attention from Saturday’s defeat:
NOTHING TO DO WITH KENTUCKY’S SHOOTERS
With Kentucky (14-3, 4-1 SEC) averaging 90.8 points per game coming into Saturday, it was obvious that Georgia (13-5, 3-2 SEC) needed to find a way to contain the Wildcats. Because it did not occur, Kentucky was able to seize control of the game in the first half and establish its lead in the second.
In the first half, Kentucky scored 54 points, shooting 64.5% from the field and 58.3% from 3-point range, and made 10 of their last 13 attempts to close the half. It seemed as if they were hitting every shot they took. The Wildcats’ first-half performance put them up 19 points at the interval, and their further efforts in the second half ensured that the game was never in doubt.
As painful as the blowout was for the Bulldogs, the Wildcats have shown that when they play well, they are among the best shooting teams in the country. Saturday was simply one more instance to support that theory.
NOT SO E-Z CONCERNING UK
Following Saturday’s game, all eyes will be on Kentucky forward Zvonimir Ivisic, who made his Wildcats debut and will undoubtedly be a fixture in the Bulldogs’ nightmares for weeks to come.
Ivisic had an incredible sequence of plays against Georgia after receiving his final clearance from the NCAA on Saturday. Four minutes after entering the game as a substitute, the 7-foot-2 Croatian blocked a shot, helped on a fastbreak, stole the ball, and got another assist.
Even if those moves were excellent, Ivisic’s true impact came when he began to shoot.
With 8:11 remaining in the first half, ‘Big Z’ made his first field goal as a Wildcat, and he wasn’t done by much. Almost a minute after he made his long shot, he scored two more 3-pointers on the Wildcats’ following two possessions.
Ivisic set Kentucky ablaze and ensured that Rupp Arena was operating at maximum capacity for the duration of the match. 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals, and 2 assists were the rookie’s last game totals.
SLAPPY DEFENCE
In order to have a chance against Kentucky, Georgia had to play excellent defence, but if they performed really well on the other end, the Bulldogs should be able to overcome those difficulties. They failed to take such action, which made the excursion unsatisfying.
The Bulldogs’ offensive inconsistency versus Kentucky was evident in the first half of the game as they never settled in. In the first half, Georgia went 18 for 29 from the field, including a dismal 3 of 11 from three-point range. Not only did Georgia miss a lot of shots, but it also committed nine turnovers in the first half of play, which allowed Kentucky to score ten points.
After the break, Georgia’s offence seemed more coordinated, but it was too little, much too late for the road Dawgs.
CAN’T OVERCOME THE RUPP HUMP
The Georgia squad of this year discovered the hard way just how difficult it is to defeat Kentucky at Rupp Arena.
The Bulldogs’ 12th straight road defeat over the Wildcats came on Saturday in Lexington, Georgia’s first setback in a real road game of the season. It’s hard to beat Kentucky at anything, but since interim head coach Pete Hermann and the Dawgs defeated the second and last Billy Gillespie-led Kentucky squad in 2009, no Georgia team has won at Rupp.
The Bulldogs will have to wait until at least next year to attempt to get the last laugh in Lexington, despite their best efforts.
SELECTING A STRETCH
For the most of the first half, Georgia was in the running, but then “Big Z” got going and eliminated the Bulldogs virtually on his own.
With little over eight minutes remaining in the first half, Ivisic made his first three baskets, cutting the Bulldogs’ deficit to six points. With 7:07 remaining in the game, Ivisic made a long jumper to tie the score at 13, and DJ Wagner followed with a layup.
Ivisic pushed things to the next level after Noah Thomasson’s layup momentarily put an end to the Kentucky surge. With 5:47 remaining before halftime, the rookie made back-to-back 3-pointers, the latest of which increased Kentucky’s advantage to 17.
DISPLAY STATUS
The 54 points Kentucky scored in the first half of an SEC game was a record for the Wildcats dating back to 2016. That was the most points Georgia has allowed in a half of play this year, and UK’s 64.5% shooting performance in the half was the best of any Georgia opponent.
TOP DAWGS 5. RJ Sunahara – Although he didn’t play much, he did score some goals, which is something we haven’t seen a lot of this season.
4. Russell Tchewa – In this one, he pulled down a number of rebounds and sometimes scored a basket.
3. RJ Melendez-Provided the rim with hard-earned baskets
2. Silas Demary Jr. – Made several excellent buckets, particularly in the second half, and was useful as an offensive facilitator and rebounder.
1. Jabri Abdur-Rahim – led the Bulldogs in scoring for the most of the game while carrying the Georgia offence.
They said as much.
“There are some advantages to consider. Of course, in the second half, we outscore them. Rupp scored 61 in the second half. Is it a good thing? But no, Kentucky is as good a shooting and passing team as any we’ll see this season. 14 out of 25 were present from 3. On the road, you’re not getting over it.” — Mike White
Next up
The Bulldogs will be back home to take on LSU on Wednesday night. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network. The Tigers lost to Texas A&M 73-69 at home on Saturday, dropping them to 11-7 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
2024 SEC football quarterback rankings: a preliminary look at anticipated starters
Rankings for the SEC’s anticipated starting quarterbacks are much too early.
Good luck projecting the SEC quarterback class for 2024 ahead of schedule, apart from the obvious first-round selections in the NFL Draft debate of the following year. Veterans returning from injury, new players acquired via transfers, and young players at the position hoping to survive each week’s flaming furnace will characterise the league.
With video analysis, experience level, and autumn statistical forecasts based on surrounding talent in mind, we’re trying these far too early quarterback rankings. These factors all come into play when placing these signal callers a few weeks before spring camp begins. Due to contention for starting quarterback spots and the possibility of post-spring transfer portal activity, a couple of these players may not even be on the team come August.
However, as of right now, the enlarged SEC has a tonne of talent behind the centre, setting up an interesting season that will see many teams contend for College Football Playoff bids.
The 2024 NFL Draft severely damaged college football teams’ rosters due to transfer portal losses
Here is a sneak peek at the SEC quarterback rankings before to the spring:
16. Kentuckiana’s Brock Vandergriff
(Image: Athletics UK)
2023 stats (at Georgia): 2 touchdowns, 165 yards, and 12 of 18 (57%).
Prospects: Brock Vandagriff is the third transfer quarterback to start for Kentucky in three seasons, joining Devin Leary and Will Levis in the Bluegrass. Rated better than both upon graduating from high school, Vandagriff was considered one of the best players for the 2021 cycle. As a first-team member heading into his fourth season in college, he ought to feel at ease playing at SEC game pace. Vandagriff hasn’t been in many movies, but Liam Coen’s plan with the Wildcats would look great with his pro-style makeup.
15. South Carolina’s Lauren Morris Sellers
(Image: 247Sports)
2023 stats: 2-TD, 86 yards, 3-of-4 (75%),
Outlook: LaNorris Sellers has less game reps than any starting quarterback in the SEC for the next season, but there is a lot of hope at South Carolina in the post-Spencer Rattler era that the redshirt freshman might become a star after showing glimpses in mop-up duty last season. In his debut against Furman, the former three-star signee flicked a wrist throw for a 50-yard touchdown pass. Most people think he’s the most gifted signal caller the programme has recruited from high school in a long time. Given Sellers’ skill at zone reading and South Carolina’s revamped backfield with three portal acquisitions, Dowell Loggains’ offence is expected to shift to a more run-oriented game plan. In order to challenge Sellers in spring and provide a comparable skill set as a reliable backup or possible starter at the position, the Gamecocks signed Robby Ashford, a transfer from Auburn.
14. ARKANSAS TAYLEN GREEN
(Image: 247Sports/Jackson Moore)
121-of-212 (57%), 11 TD, 9 INT; 436 yards running, 9 TD (at Boise State)
Prospects: Taylen Green is one of four projected transfer starters in the SEC in 2024, barring an upset by UNC transfer Jacolby Criswell, who joined the Razorbacks in the 2023 recruiting cycle and backed up KJ Jefferson. Both choices are very quick and have a lot of the qualities that Bobby Petrino, the new offensive coordinator, is looking for in a centre of skill. This season, Green won MVP honours in the Mountain West Championship Game and was a game-changer for the Broncos at his finest. His tendency to throw things away early in his career sometimes hindered the Broncos’ offensive progress.
13. AUBURN PAYTON THORNE
(Image: 247Sports/Brett Rojo)
2023 stats: 1,755 yards, 16 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 162-of-265 (61%).
Prospects: Will Payton Thorne benefit in 2024 from Hugh Freeze’s decision to fire offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery after only one season? That’s the aim after the Tigers’ passing game fell short of expectations last autumn. A portion of it is due to Thorne’s lack of confidence as a consequence of personnel problems at the playmaker spots. With an offence that failed to produce big plays and third-down conversions, Thorne’s 6.6 yards per attempt was the lowest of his career and equaled him for worst place in the SEC with former Vanderbilt quarterback Ken Seals.
12. VANDERBILT, DIEGO PAVIA
(Image courtesy of USA TODAY Sports/Brian Bishop)
2023 stats (New Mexico State): 928 yards running, 9 touchdowns, 2973 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions; 221-of-366 (60%).
Prospects: Diego Pavia and Utah’s Nate Johnson were the quarterbacks that Vanderbilt finally added this portal cycle after a large-scale departure of quality from the position. According to Robbie Weinstein of Vandy247, Pavia further solidified his status as one of Conference USA’s best quarterbacks in 2023 by guiding New Mexico State to 10 victories, including an unexpected victory against Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Against the Tigers, the product of Albuquerque, New Mexico, passed for 201 yards and three touchdowns. Like Pavia, Johnson is a dual-threat with a comparable skill set, having started three games for the Utes in 2023.
11. The state of Mississippi’s Blake Shap
Blake Configured
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