Georgia football’s pursuit of the No. 1 linebacker in the country took one final twist on Wednesday. On top of that, one of UGA’s coaches was named to a preseason watch list while one of the best tight ends in the nation gave Georgia some good news as well.
So let’s dive right in because these three updates from Wednesday are all huge for the program.
5-star Tyler Atkinson announces top four
Wednesday saw five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson make another big announcement in his recruitment. The No. 1 linebacker in the country announced his top four schools which consists of Georgia, Clemson, Oregon and Texas.
This news was significant because he excluded Ohio State who was thought to still be in the running. On top of that, Atkinson shared that he will announce his commitment soon, with many believing that will occur during July at some point.
Georgia reportedly still leads for Atkinson, and with a decision drawing nearer that could mean UGA is just days away from landing a commitment from the best linebacker in the country.
Kirby Smart named to preseason watch list
Everyone knows that Kirby Smart is arguably the best active head coach in all of college football. So the fact that he was named to the 2025 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List on Wednesday will surprise no one across the college football world.
Kirby Smart has been named to the 2025 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List!@thedoddtrophy #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/dQ5UePSe6v
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) July 9, 2025
This award goes to the nation's No. 1 head coach at the end of the season, which obviously is as good of an award as a head coach can win. It will be challenging for Smart to win this award because expectations are so high for him and Georgia every season, but don't be surprised to see Smart win it for the first time in his career and only the second time in Georgia history.
Georgia named top school for No. 1 TE
Georgia has found a lot of success with the tight end position in the 2026 class, and that appears to be the case already with the 2027 recruiting class as well. Brock Williams is the No. 1 tight end in the 2027 class, and he shared on Wednesday that UGA is one of his top schools along with Florida and Ohio State.
Williams also shared that he plans to commit during the fall which is quite early for someone in the 2027 class. But if he does choose Georgia, then that would be a great way for UGA to start their 2027 class.