Fact or Fiction: UGA will land best offensive class in Kirby Smart era
Last week, we spent time digging into the very latest on the recruiting front in the state of Florida. Now, we expand to the part of SEC and ACC country responsible for all of the national titles over the last decade, specifically the programs responsible for seven of the last eight crowns in Georgia, Alabama and Clemson.
Blayne Gilmer of UGASports.com, Brandon Howard of TideIllustrated.com and Paul Strelow from TigerIllustrated.com offer up recruiting opinions on the trio of champion programs.
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1. Georgia will not only finish with a top-five recruiting class, but it will be the best offensive class since Kirby Smart took over in Athens.
Gilmer: FACT. Rankings wise, Georgia is positioned to finish with the No. 1 class in 2024. Offensively, Smart and company are set to sign two Elite 11 finalist quarterbacks in Dylan Raiola and Ryan Puglisi. It holds the commitment of receiver Ny Carr, who has a legitimate chance to finish as a five-star, and UGA will most likely finish with three four-star running backs. The 2018 class was quite the class, but add in the tight ends of Jaden Reddell, Colton Heinrich and possibly Carter Nelson, not to mention five offensive linemen, and you have the makings of Kirby Smart’s most elite offensive haul.
Garcia: FACT. Remember, the Nick Chubb and Sony Michel UGA class was prior to Smart's hire in 2015. Since, the classes of 2018 and 2019 have been the most promising from an offensive talent standpoint, with many of those players still playing in the NFL and beyond. Each had some special QB caveats, too, with Justin Fields and Stetson Bennett IV among the signees in back-to-back classes. It's at that position where 2024 feels fitting to draw up some comparisons, not only in raw talent but the volume. Two elite QBs are headed to Athens, including the best in the land in Raiola, who could be among the most talented to suit up in Athens at any position -- which is obviously saying a lot. The trenches and running back spots are almost chalk with the direction of the program, but it has also continued to push for improved pass-catcher talent at tight end and especially wide receiver. Crossing that final bridge, with a pair of top 100 types in Carr and Nitro Tuggle already on board, pushes UGA closer to that dynasty word many have tried to avoid around the sport.
RELATED: UGA's 2024 recruiting class
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2. Alabama will hold off Auburn and others for coveted wide receiver commitments Perry Thompson (2024) and Ryan Williams (2025).
Howard: FACT. Thompson has entertained multiple schools but the main two standouts have been Auburn and Tennessee mainly due to what they’re willing to provide from an NIL standpoint. Thompson has always held Alabama in high regard with the Tide being his first love, but there was some confusion as to whether they “valued” him the same way as the other programs. After his official visit this past weekend it seems that Alabama sold the right position and could hang on through the whole process. That said, he will still visit Auburn to see what they do. As things stand today, look for Perry to remain committed to Alabama.
Ryan Williams several months ago said he wanted more offers and wanted to enjoy the process Now that’s he’s doing it, it’s creating quite the stir but if you notice several 'Bama commits are seemingly “locked in” like a Jaylen Mbakwe or even Sterling Dixon, who both have taken visits while still remaining firm commits. Williams will entertain other schools, especially with the nickname “Hollywood,” expect there to be some fireworks with the five-star WR. Right now, I would still have Williams in the class for Bama but with any 2025, things can change in the snap of a finger.
Garcia: FICTION. Here we go. Elite recruiting has a give and take and these two talented wide receivers probably have a combined half-dozen other programs feeling like a change of heart is at least possible at this point. For Thompson, there are some six months left in the race before he officially ends the process in December, with Auburn as the clear top threat as things currently stand. He continues to visit the Plains, where up-and-coming wide receiver coach Marcus Davis has kept the program heavily involved. Speaking of Davis, he should have even more time to work on Williams, who is just a rising-junior, and also an Auburn legacy recruit.
That matters, as does the somewhat neutral geography behind Williams' location in south Alabama. Both Iron Bowl programs aren't very close to home, where programs like LSU and Florida State each have their own segments of local fans. The reigning Mr. Football also has Georgia after his signature, and as the first question in this feature suggests, Smart's program is no longer to be overlooked when it comes to offensive talent acquisition.
The visits should tell Tide fans to worry about Thompson more than Williams, though the time in between now and the true end of the process is a lot longer for the latter, opening up another box of worry. Alabama has lost out on commitments before and it will happen again, but these will be close to call all the way through their respective cycles.
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3. Clemson’s 2024 recruiting class will be the one that gets the Tigers back to the College Football Playoff.
Strelow: FICTION. We're parsing words here. If Clemson gets back to the College Football Playoff – and that could happen this season or next – it's because of hiring Garrett Riley to refresh the offense, the quarterback (Cade Klubnik) signed in the 2022 class and the defensive talent assembled over various years among other contributing factors. This class foremost stands to replenish the offensive cupboard with the caliber of playmaking dynamism at receiver that became Clemson's standard. While also fusing in the types of potential difference-makers elsewhere – see linebacker Sammy Brown – who figure to be fixtures in the lineup for several years to come. If anything, this class is fostering the depth that puts the Tigers back in the playoffs again, after the next trip.
Garcia: FACT. You can almost see the building blocks at work for the new-look and/or revamped Tigers. As Paul mentioned, the coaching staff has pushed toward a higher ceiling of talent acquisition and the foundation of great defensive players built from the inside-out has been as consistent in Death Valley as Dabo Swinney himself. Klubnik's first full season as QB1 will likely help Clemson to flash aplenty throughout the ACC, building expectations heading into 2024. It's at that point, with some of the new offensive commitments such as Bryant Wesco and TJ Moore in the fold, where the rookies can supplement the veterans ahead of a title run like Justyn Ross and of course Trevor Lawrence did as freshmen during the most recent national title in 2018. And heck, the playoff is going to expand anyway and it's not like the ACC is getting much tougher in the coming years the same way the SEC and Big Ten are making their paths that much harder with new programs entering the mix.