Three of the top five linebackers in the 2026 high school recruiting class are from Georgia. Xavier Griffin landed with Alabama, Brayden Rouse chose Tennessee, and after five-star Tyler Atkinson chose Texas over UGA on Tuesday afternoon, the Bulldogs officially struck out on all three.
Of the 29 players who make up Georgia’s 2026 class, which ranks No. 2 in the country, just one, four-star Shadarius Toodle, is a traditional off-ball linebacker.
Kirby Smart has loaded up that position in recent years. This season, 2023 five-star Raylen Wilson will start next to 2023 four-star CJ Allen, and that duo will be backed up by 2024 five-stars Justin Williams and Chris Cole. Even the 2025 class featured five-star Zayden Walker, so Smart and his staff likely aren’t losing too much sleep over Griffin, Rouse, and Atkinson leaving the state in this cycle.
Eventually, a logjam of that proportion is going to lead highly-rated players to look elsewhere for a clearer path to playing time. If not in their high school recruitment, then soon thereafter in the transfer portal.
Still, down the road, Georgia would be better off if the steady stream of linebacker talent continued to flow to Athens. While his commitment wouldn’t be the deluge of previous recruiting cycles with multiple five-stars at the position, landing Nick Abrams II has become a near necessity for the Bulldogs.
Rivals’ @SWiltfong_ has logged an expert prediction for Georgia to land 4-star LB Nick Abrams🐶https://t.co/Ex5j35OvfE pic.twitter.com/eAU2o5lNDO
— Rivals (@Rivals) July 14, 2025
Nick Abrams II set to announce his commitment on Wednesday, predicted to land with Georgia
The four-star linebacker from Owings Mills, Maryland, will choose between Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, and Oregon on Wednesday when he announces his commitment. At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Abrams is the 16th-ranked linebacker in the country according to 247Sports Composite.
While he may not have the same pedigree as the five-star who committed on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, Abrams plays a similar role to Atkinson, now a future Longhorn. While both primarily play off the ball, they are hybrid linebackers with real skill and feel for rushing off the edge.
There’s no need to compare him to a 2025 first-round NFL Draft pick, but Smart and his staff have proven they are capable of maximizing that type of player with Jalon Walker’s remarkable 2024 season. That level of game-wrecking impact is a long way off for Abrams. Still, he’s quite the consolation prize for Georgia’s other losses at the linebacker position.