The state of Georgia has some of the best recruits in the country in every recruiting class. That obviously is a huge benefit to Georgia football as they have ample talent to recruit in their backyard.
The amount of talent in Georgia is also a big draw to other programs as well, especially those who are nearby geographically. And Friday marked a big day of commitments for some of these other schools as two schools were able to come into the Peach State and depart with some impressive commitments.
Alabama, Miami able to land top Peach State players
The first commitment out of Georgia on Friday came from Alabama who was able to flip three-star offensive tackle Bear Fretwell from Georgia Tech.
BREAKING: Class of 2026 OT Bear Fretwell has Flipped from Georgia Tech to Alabama, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 25, 2025
The 6’7 315 OT from Brooklet, GA had been Committed to the Yellow Jackets since June 15th
“Georgia boy going to Bama … ROLL TIDE 🐘🐘”https://t.co/oGFnyYxU6M pic.twitter.com/EShnPj8gPX
Not long after Alabama stole a recruit from Georgia Tech, Miami (FL) was able to land four-star safety Cortez Redding.
BREAKING: Four-Star Safety Cortez Redding has Committed to Miami, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 25, 2025
The 6’0 176 S from Jonesboro, GA chose the Hurricanes over Indiana & Ole Miss
“This is all for my dad, I wish he was still here to witness it💯”https://t.co/7fkLzoqn9l pic.twitter.com/yrQs3qpStR
The good news for Georgia is that neither Fretwell or Redding were being targeted by UGA. Even if Georgia didn’t lose these recruitments though, it is a little scary seeing both Alabama and Miami find success in the Peach State.
The last thing anyone wants is for either of these programs to start earning a lot of momentum with Georgia’s in-state recruits. If Alabama and Miami are able to find continued success in the state, then that could cause them to win future recruitments when Georgia is actually involved.
So far the Bulldogs have remained the best program in the country when it comes to recruiting players from the state of Georgia, but in order to keep it that way Kirby Smart and his staff have to continue prioritizing their home state. In Georgia’s 2026 recruiting class, 15 of their 30 commits are from the Peach State, so it looks like Smart and his staff are doing exactly what they need to do when it comes to in-state recruiting.
Hopefully this strategy will lead to more wins in the future for Georgia, especially when programs like Alabama and Miami are involved.