Take Two: Is UGA's 2018 class the best in Rivals era?

Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.

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The only recruiting class to sign eight five-star prospects was USC in 2004, making it arguably the top group in the Rivals.com era dating back to 2002, although Alabama’s best classes certainly could debate that it had some outstanding classes as well.

Either way that shakes out, Georgia is on track to sign eight this recruiting cycle if five-star DB Tyson Campbell from Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage picks the Bulldogs over Miami and others in the coming weeks. A surprise five-star pledge (hey, anything can happen with the way coach Kirby Smart is recruiting) would make this Georgia class on paper the best ever without question.

Whether Georgia closes with seven, eight or possibly more five-stars in this class matters greatly but however it shakes out, the Bulldogs have done phenomenally well.

The No. 1 class in the country that almost definitely cannot be caught; The Bulldogs have locked up four of the top five players in the state - all five-stars - in QB Justin Fields, OG Jamaree Salyer, WDE Adam Anderson and SDE Brenton Cox.

On and on, Georgia has done almost as good as can be. Does this class rate among the best ever? If Campbell joins the Bulldogs, would it be No. 1 of all time?

“Let me start by saying, yes, Georgia gets an eighth five-star signee in this class. I’m not sure it would have always been the case, but we’ve been predicting defensive back Tyson Campbell to be a part of the Bulldogs’ class since before he attained the mark. That prediction hasn’t changed, so here we are.

"As for the level of surprise, for anyone to say otherwise would be disingenuous. Did I think Kirby Smart was an ace recruiter who surrounded himself with some strong personalities upon being hired? Sure, but when you start mentioning ‘best class ever’, that’s different. Georgia fans already have plenty to look forward to coming off last season and seeing the strides the team made, but an influx of talent that significant added to the mix could truly lead to some special times down the road.”

“On paper, Georgia’s class could be the best ever. It depends on how it closes. The best class on paper that I ever saw was the 2004 USC class. That was loaded with top guys from so many different states.

“They got the No. 1 player in Florida. They got the No. 1 player in Ohio. They locked down California. They got the No. 1 player in Colorado. They got the No. 1 player in New Jersey. It was so national of a class and there were so many guys that were highly-rated so it was the best one on paper I saw.

"The Georgia class this year could certainly beat that when you look at where they’re getting their guys and the importance of positions and how they’re closing on guys. There is a lot of Southeast there, but Luke Ford is from Illinois, they got a JUCO kid from Kansas, Jordan Davis is from North Carolina.

“It’s tough. The No. 1 class ever? It’s usually something we figure out three or four years after they sign. On paper, this could certainly be the best class ever.”