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Georgia enters mix for Freshman All-American transfer DL Maraad Watson

On3 imageby:Jake Rowe•04/19/25•

JakeMRowe

Maraad Watson

Kirby Smart has been aggressive since the transfer portal window opened on April 16. The Bulldogs have already had at least three visitors and likely more. On Saturday they were linked to one of it’s top players in Syracuse defensive lineman Maraad Watson.

Georgia will have some stiff competition as the list of suitors for Watson is impressive. Ohio State, Tennessee, and Texas are also involved per On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

The 6-foot-3 313-pound New Jersey native played in every game for The Orange and started 11 of them. He finished the year with 31 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. He also had a pass breakup and, per Pro Football Focus, had nine quarterback hurries.

The Bulldogs have a connection to Watson although it’s one that doesn’t necessarily help them. His head coach this past season was Fran Brown, Georgia’s former defensive backs coach. He spent two seasons in Athens and is still quite close to the staff in Athens. While the Bulldogs will almost certainly get an honest assessment and evaluation of Watson as a person and player.

Watson was a three-star prospect in the 2024 class per the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that includes all four websites that publish recruiting rankings. He was the No. 1,086 overall prospect in the country and the No. 97 defensive lineman. He was the No. 18 player in New Jersey.

Smart appears to be prioritizing EDGE and defensive line in the portal thus far. The Bulldogs are also likely to go after a runniing back. North Carolina EDGE Beau Atkinson and Army EDGE Elo Modozie both made their ways to Athens on Friday. They’re still in town as this story is being written.

Alabama A&M defensive lineman Sedrick Smith was also in Athens for a visit and the Bulldogs are respected to bring in Atlanta native Joshua Horton as well. Georgia has lost three players via the transfer portal, none projected starters, since it opened on April 16. It will close on April 25 but players have longer than that to decide. They do not have to make a decision before the window closes. Technically they can wait until the start of preseason camp although programs will want answers sooner than that.

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