Everybody is talking about the same thing when it comes to the 2027 recruiting cycle, David Gabriel-Georges, and rightfully so. The five-star Baylor High School recruit in Chattanooga, Tennessee has made a name for himself across the nation with his electric tape.
The highly touted prospect is ranked second nationally at the running back position according to Rivals and many other media outlets. While all the buzz is on Gabriel-Georges, what about the top ranked prospect? Why isn't he getting the same amount of buzz? Well, that recruit is Kemon Spell, and he has already committed to the University of Georgia, and on a much smaller NIL valuation.
Kirby Smart's Incredible Signing going Highly Unnoticed
According to Rivals, Spell's deal with the Georgia Bulldogs is worth $750,000, the same deal current running back Nate Frazier signed this offseason. While that sounds like a lot, it is nothing compared to what the sweepstakes for Gabriel-Georges is sounding like.
Though Rivals has his valuation at just over a million dollars, many media outlets and experts are reporting that Tennessee offered the running back $2 million annually on a multi-year deal, meaning the 18-year-old kid would be paid roughly $6 million dollars over three years in Knoxville. For reference, that is well over double what Spell agreed to come to Athens for, and he is a higher ranked recruit.
Kirby Smart has made it well known in the past he is not in the business to "buy players." Though you cannot escape paying your players anymore, Smart has stuck to his strategy in recruiting guys who play for more than just dollar signs. The fact that Georgia was able to get the best running back in the recruiting cycle for half the amount that other teams are paying the next best guy should say a lot about the direction of the program. These recruits still know that Georgia is where you go to win and get paid later.
The perfect example of this is how Georgia's legendary 2021 title defense is now earning more than $320 million total in the NFL. For running backs, James Cook just led the league in scrimmage yards and D'Andre Swift had a solid year himself. You can get paid more over a three-year span somewhere else, sure. However, the long game is won in Athens.
This is our recruiting pitch for anyone offered by Georgia: come to Athens, and Kirby Smart and his staff can develop you, not just pay you.
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