National Signing Day Champs: Georgia signs top 2024 class

Georgia won’t three-peat as national champions this season. The Bulldogs have sown the seeds to win more in the future.

Georgia has signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the 2024 Industry Football Team Recruiting Rankings. This is potentially Georgia’s third top-ranked class under head coach Kirby Smart.

Disclaimer: That won’t be official until the final rankings come out around the industry.

But, leaving Wednesday Georgia has signed 28 of the 28 prospects committed to the program. A strong contingency of those players are on campus working out with the Bulldogs as they prepare for the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.

More will join the group in a few weeks for the spring semester and subsequent spring practices. Georgia’s class is highlighted by three five stars. All three prospects are expected to help bolster Georgia’s defense in the coming years.

Ellis Robinson IV, KJ Bolden and linebacker Justin Williams are those three prospects. Robinson is the No. 3 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Rankings. Williams is the No. 8 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Rankings. Bolden is the No. 13 overall prospect.

Scouting Reports for the three five-stars

Robinson: Ball-hawking cornerback with plus length, ball skills and refined movement skills. Has shown the ability to make high-level plays on the ball throughout his high school career. Measured close to 6-feet, 175 pounds prior to his senior season. Has plus length for the position with arms that measure a shade under 33 inches. Dominated competition in New York’s Catholic league as a sophomore, bringing in eight interceptions.

Made several impressive, acrobatic picks. Moved to IMG Academy as a junior, where he looked like the top defensive back on the Ascenders’ loaded roster. Made strides as a junior relative to his technical skills. Pairs his length and ball skills with refined footwork. Understands routes and generally stays in phase. Embraces matchups against top receivers and is willing to get physical at the line of scrimmage. Also tests as a good athlete in the combine setting. While his speed is good, he does not register as elite for the position. Can continue getting stronger and adding good mass once in a college strength program.

Georgia adding another rangy LB playmaker

Williams: Rangy linebacker with elite speed that makes him a near prototype at the position. Measured in at around 6-foot-2, 210 pounds prior to his senior season. Added very good weight as a junior. Owns plus length for the position with arms a shade under 33 inches. The fastest top linebacker in the combine setting in 2024. Backed that up on the track with a stellar 11.01 second mark in the 100 meters. Transfers that high-end athleticism over to the field.

Originally a safety, he moved to linebacker full-time as a junior and had a very productive season, notching 105 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. Lines up as a mike backer for his high school. Shows the ability to stack and shed incoming blockers. Excels bringing down ball players from sideline to sideline and in the backfield. Flashes an elite first step and ability to close. Draws on his experience as a safety to aid in coverage and playing in space. Will need to continue adding mass and strength. A strong tackler in his first year as a linebacker but can improve the pop in his hands and overall play strength. Flashes considerable upside given his high-end combination of athleticism, length and range.

Another rangy athlete in the secondary

One of more versatile athletes in the 2024 cycle with considerable upside as a safety. Measured in at 6-foot, 185 pounds prior to his senior season. Has good length with 32-inch arms. Posted strong track marks as a high school underclassman with a personal best of 10.76 seconds in the 100 meters.

Also tests well in the combine setting. Plays both ways for Georgia powerhouse Buford High as a receiver and defensive back. Projects as a defensive back and likely at safety long-term, where his combination of athleticism and length makes him one of the nation’s best. Flashes outstanding play speed on Friday nights. Closes quickly with physicality in defending the flats. Has shown good deep range in coverage both on Friday nights and in 7-on-7. Played a bunch of offense as a junior. Shows good playmaking ability and overall athleticism on that side. While his ball skills are good for a safety, they would need to improve were he to play offense in college. Has not replicated his impressive track times later in his high school career. Has a relatively smaller sample size relative to some of his highly-touted peers on defense heading into his senior season.

Four-star Ryan Puglisi, Georgia’s QB of the future

Georgia had two quarterbacks committed for much of the fall. Five-star Dylan Raiola flipped his commitment to Nebraska on Monday.

Now, the unquestioned label of ‘quarterback of the future’ goes to Puglisi. Puglisi is already in Athens working out with the team. The No. 117 overall prospect in the On3 Rankings committed to Georgia back on Oct. 16 2022 and never wavered even as a second quarterback commit joined the fray.

Puglisi brings a massive arm, size and moxie that makes him a potential leader.

Bringing in heavy groups in positions of need

Georgia landed three running backs in the class of 2024.

Four-stars Nathaniel Frazier, Dwight Phillips and Chauncey Bowens are all bound for Georgia in 2024. Running back wasn’t the only position group that Georgia loaded up on.

The Bulldogs landed six offensive linemen. Four-stars Marcus Harrison, Daniel Calhoun, Michael Uini, Nyier Daniels and Marques Easley are all bound for Georgia.

Three-star Malachi Toliver will also join Georgia in 2024.

Georgia’s defensive line class is also a deep one. The Bulldogs pulled in five commits along the defensive front. A group of five four-stars has collected there as well.

Four-stars Joseph Jonah-Ajonye, Jordan Thomas, Justin Greene, Nasir Johnson and three-star Nnamdi Ogboko all are a part of Georgia’s 2024 class.