WATCH: Georgia commit, elite receiver target start spring practice
DawgsHQ’s Rusty Mansell was at the opening day of spring practice for the GHSA-7A state champions, Milton High School, where a pair of priority prospects for Georgia in the Class of 2025 were on display.
Tight end commit Ethan Barbour is already on board for the Bulldogs in the nation’s No. 7 class. According to the On3 Industry Rankings, he’s the 10th-ranked tight end in the country and a top-200 player overall. Then there’s wide receiver CJ Wiley, who ranks No. 6 at his position per On3 and in the nation’s top-50, who Kirby Smart and company would absolutely love to land as an additional piece out of Milton.
Wiley has made several trips to Athens before, and he has a date locked in for his official visit. The 6-foot-4, 196-pound pass catcher is expected to check out the Bulldogs once again June 14-16.
“I just talked to him yesterday, and he said I’m a priority to Georgia,” Wiley told DawgsHQ in early March about new wide receivers coach James Coley. “He was recruiting me at South Carolina.”
“They win and I have a good connection with the coaches,” he added on why he keeps coming back to Athens.
On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has Georgia as Wiley’s leader at the moment. The Bulldogs have a 78.8 percent chance of landing the four-star wideout according to RPM.
As for Barbour, he’s been committed to the Bulldogs for almost a year now. One of two tight ends Todd Hartley has on board, Barbour made his way over to Milton this spring from Alpharetta, where he played his first three seasons at the high school level.
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“I’m committed and there are some schools trying to push and get me to flip but as of right now, I’m still committed to Georgia,” Barbour told DawgsHQ in March. “Auburn mostly, they’re recruiting me the hardest (outside of Georgia). Coach A (Ben Aigamaua) and Coach Freeze are pushing for me to flip. I probably will end up taking a visit there but as of right now I don’t have anything set.”
According to MaxPreps, Barbour totaled 966 yards and 12 touchdowns on 49 catches last season with the 5-6 Raiders. Meanwhile, Wiley had 1,473 yards and 14 touchdowns on 68 receptions, helping guide Milton to a 13-2 record and a state championship win over Walton.
Wiley was Barbour’s teammate the first two seasons at Alpharetta. They’ll join forces again this season at Milton – taking on their old team early in the season on August 30th – and if Barbour has his way, the connection will continue for a few more seasons after in Athens too. Wiley told DawgsHQ that Barbour’s message has been clear and straight to the point for quite some time.
“Come home, man. Stop playing … Every time that we talk about college we talk about me coming to Georgia,” Wiley said.
“Georgia is going to develop you and they’re going to get you the ball,” Barbour added. “You’re going to have some attention taken off you as well. You have running backs that can catch the ball and you have tight ends that can catch the ball. You’re going to get developed and you’re going to get the ball at Georgia. That’s the main message to them.”
