Georgia football has once again signed one of the top recruiting classes in the country. Sure they weren't the No. 1 class this cycle like last year, but the Bulldogs signed the No. 4 overall class in the country which is still extremely good.
Even though Kirby Smart didn't sign the No. 1 class, he did sign more No. 1 ranked recruits at their position than any other program in the country. And one of those recruits very well could be Georgia's next winner of the Butkus Award.
Top 10 LB signees in the 2025 class💪https://t.co/QwGTQmiPId pic.twitter.com/bIBp2qYQ57
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) December 13, 2024
5-star LB Zayden Walker
Everyone knows the biggest news that happened in the program this week was when linebacker Jalon Walker was named the winner of the 2024 Butkus Award, which goes to the nation's best linebacker. Walker is the third Bulldog to win this award while Smart's been the head coach at Georgia, so it would not be a surprise to see another Georgia player win this award again in the near future.
And that player very well could be incoming five-star signee Zayden Walker.
Walker is the third highest ranked recruit in Georgia's 2025 recruiting class. According to 247Sports, he is the No. 18 overall player in the country as well as the top ranked linebacker in the country and the No. 4 player from Georgia.
Now there is essentially no chance that Walker will win this award next year as a true freshman, but that is nearly impossible for anyone to do. But there is a great chance that he will be a contributor next season and learn a lot as he gets accustomed to playing at the college level in the SEC.
Then heading into his sophomore and junior seasons is when he could realitically contend for this award. Winning this award will always be extremely difficult, but Georgia has an elite track record of being able to develop linebackers, so it would not be surprising to see him win this award before his career at Georgia is over.