5-star DL Aydin Breland's upcoming Georgia visit looms large for the Bulldogs
The race for Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei five-star defensive lineman Aydin Breland has officially been shortened to three teams: Georgia, Miami and Oregon. The 6-foot-4.5, 300-pounder announced his latest cut on Wednesday, moving him closer to a decision.
It’ll be Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs that have the first chance to make another impression on the coveted lineman, as Breland is set to make the cross-country trip from Santa Ana to Athens to watch Georgia take on South Carolina this Saturday. It’s Breland’s first trip back to the Peach State since his official visit with UGA on June 16.
“Georgia speaks for itself. They are the No. 1 team in the country, they have the best defense in the country and they always produce defensive linemen for the NFL,” Breland told On3. “Coach Tray Scott develops players and Georgia is just consistent. I have been there four or five times and I like the atmosphere. I will be back this weekend and it is a great opportunity to get back to Athens.”
In what’s likely the only weekend Breland will have available during the season, the No. 26 overall prospect and No. 6 DL — per the On3 Industry Ranking — is choosing to come visit Sanford Stadium and the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. DawgsHQ’s Jake Rowe sees that as a positive for the Bulldogs.
“For him to take that bye week and see Georgia, I think says a lot about where Georgia is and Georgia’s chances,” Rowe told On3’s Josh Newberg. “Does that mean that I think Georgia’s the leader? I don’t think so, and I think Georgia’s gonna need to do a very good job on this visit.”
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Breland highlights big recruiting weekend for Georgia
Georgia is in-fact leading for Breland, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM). The Dawgs are at 26.7%, while Oregon is in second right behind at 20.1%. UGA’s chances could rapidly change, depending on how Breland’s visit this weekend goes.
“Georgia got him on campus, and here we are with the expectation that he’s going to be in town for a weekend that’s going to be pretty big in terms of visitors on campus … Breland is going to be one of the main focuses for that staff,” Rowe said.
Breland will be traveling alongside his Mater Dei teammate and current Georgia commit, four-star running back Nate Frazier. The No. 2 tailback in the nation is one of 27 commits for Smart and his staff, who have curated the No. 1 class in the nation, per the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. A commitment from Breland would make him the fourth five-star and 10th top-100 prospect to pledge.
“I think it really all comes down to ‘hey, he’s very interested or else he wouldn’t be making this visit.’ But it’s what happens on this visit that’s going to have a big-time factor on whether he ends up at Georgia or not. Georgia does a really good job with these visits,” Rowe said. “Breland’s narrowing things down and we’ll see how it works, but Georgia I expect to fully be in this until the very end — and this visit’s big.”
Breland’s commitment date still unclear
With his list chopped down to three, many would expect that a decision is right around the corner for Breland. He hasn’t teased a specific date and told On3’s Chad Simmons that “the race is very tight” and that he’s “still working on finding the one.”
Breland also said that this upcoming visit to UGA could be his last. Another long trip down to Coral Gables to see Miami doesn’t appear to be in the cards, and another stop in Eugene to see the Ducks is much more possible, but not a done deal. The Bulldogs have the ball in their court for one of the highest-ranked uncommitted prospects left on the board.
“If Georgia can impress him and he comes out with a decision date soon after, obviously I think the sooner the better,” Rowe said. “That works out to where maybe they got him to pull the trigger during the visit … it’s tough to say, I would assume he would have this thing done before the end of fall because he’s wanted to have it done for a while now, it seems like.”