The Georgia-Alabama game is the marquee event so far this college football season and many top recruits will be in attendance or watching closely as the two superpowers meet on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.
Here is a look at 10 of the biggest names that could be impacted by the game.
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Georgia is going to be tough to beat in Atkinson’s recruitment but a convincing UGA win this weekend could bring the 2026 five-star even more into the Bulldogs’ arms.
A major Alabama victory especially under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer could really help the Crimson Tide as both teams have made the Loganville (Ga.) Grayson standout a top priority.
Alabama is making a major run at the LSU commit as the coaching staff loves his size and potential, while Georgia is a recent offer for the Snellville (Ga.) South Gwinnett standout. Playing for the Bulldogs is definitely tempting and so if the defense performs well against a very potent Alabama offense, that could definitely help Georgia.
But Alabama is also making a serious run at him. At this point, LSU is doing everything it can to hold on to his commitment.
The top-ranked tight end in the 2027 class, Georgia is the team to beat right now in his recruitment. The Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei standout plays at arguably the nation’s top high school program and he sees a lot of similarities at Georgia plus the tight end usage there has been phenomenal.
Oregon, Texas and others should be watched but getting to Alabama this weekend is huge. Maybe to see Georgia again but the Crimson Tide have a chance to show Bowman they’re not going anywhere on the national stage.
It seems like the high four-star Alabama receiver commit was less than enthused or impressed by Auburn’s lackluster showing in a double-digit loss to Arkansas last weekend so maybe more than anything his pledge to the Crimson Tide is locked up. But Ole Miss, Mississippi State and others are still trying with the Ackerman (Miss.) Choctaw County standout.
Georgia has been a main player in his recruitment as well and a nice gesture by coach Kirby Smart to Ackerman’s mother during a visit could pay dividends. On a trip a few months ago, Smart got Cunningham’s mom a big cup of coffee for the long trip back to Mississippi and she hasn’t forgotten it.
USC has done a great job getting commitments from top Southeast prospects but many of them end up decommitting or flipping to schools in the Southeast including Georgia. The 2026 four-star from Gainesville, Ga., is incredibly athletic and talented and SEC powerhouses Alabama and Georgia won’t let him out of the region easily.
Getting him to Tuscaloosa to experience the environment could be the most important thing here.
The No. 1 prospect in the 2027 class has a long way before deciding on a college but Georgia and Alabama are two of the early frontrunners and could battle it out until the end.
His teammate, five-star defensive tackle Eljiah Griffin, at Savannah (Ga.) Christian is expected to end up picking the Bulldogs. That could play an influence with Guyton but the Crimson Tide and others aren’t backing down for sure.
Georgia was slow to get involved with the Eastman (Ga.) Dodge County standout and that led him right into the arms of Alabama as the four-star linebacker committed in March. It would be interesting to see, though, if the Bulldogs come out with a convincing victory or if Georgia’s coaching staff re-engages with the in-state prospect where things would stand.
There was always interest in playing for Georgia but the coaching staff didn’t really reciprocate. If things change, would Johnson’s thinking?
At Lee’s game on Friday night were Alabama general manager Courtney Morgan and Georgia defensive backs coach Donte Williams. Both teams are making it clear they want the high four-star cornerback from Mission Viejo, Calif., who picked the Crimson Tide in June.
He loves the coaching staff at Alabama, knows Morgan well and has seen California DBs Domani Jackson and Zabien Brown balling there. But his relationship with Williams goes back years and Donte wouldn’t be wasting his time coming out if Georgia didn’t think they had a shot.
The Center Valley (Pa.) Southern Lehigh four-star tight end has been committed to Michigan since July but Olesh has decided to take visits to some of his other top schools and he will be at Alabama this weekend.
The massive SEC environment could blow him away and intrigue Olesh into looking further at the Crimson Tide. Oregon has been pushing a ton as well with Penn State, Notre Dame and others.
There could be an interesting turn of events here as Terry’s game might have been moved to Saturday and it’s still not clear if he’ll be able to make it to Tuscaloosa. The intention is for the five-star defensive lineman to be there though and he could be the most intriguing prospect on this list.
Terry was committed to Georgia and then flipped to USC before backing off that pledge. The Bulldogs and Alabama, which thinks it has a decent shot, are battling it out for him now.
