Former Georgia assistant is giving Kirby Smart fits with game-changing commit

At this point all eyes in the college football recruiting world are on the 2027 recruiting class. That is most certainly the case at Georgia as most of their 2026 class is already on campus this spring.

Defensive back Chace Calicut is not one of those players. While it isn't uncommon for a few incoming freshmen to not come to Georgia for the spring semester, it is very strange for a player committed to not be signed yet. But that is where Calicut and Georgia stand right now, and it turns out that his recruitment is far from over.

And it's Kirby Smart's former assistant coach Fran Brown who is getting in his way.

Fran Brown is trying to poach Chace Calicut from Kirby Smart and Georgia

Calicut is a four-star defensive back who has been committed to Georgia since last June. He has remained loyal to that commitment, but he is yet to officially sign with the Bulldogs. That is already strange enough, but he will reportedly be making a visit to Syracuse in the coming weeks.

Fran Brown is entering his third season as the head coach at Syracuse after spending a few years on Smart's staff. He has gotten off to a very strong start in his head coaching career which includes an impressive record in year one and a lot of big wins on the recruiting trail as well. Now he is looking to flip a recruit from his former boss.

It's unclear if Calicut is that serious about Syracuse or not, but to visit them this late in the recruiting cycle is pretty telling.

Losing a recruit like Calicut would be difficult to overcome. Georgia needs as much help as they can get in their secondary, and losing an elite recruit to a former assistant at a program like Syracuse would be a tough pill to swallow. So the hope is that this visit confirms to Calicut that Georgia is the right place for him.