Kirby Smart has shown he is a great coach on the field as his resume is enough proof of that, but he is also a great recruiter, and that dates back well before he was coaching the Bulldogs. Smart is a product of the Nick Saban coaching tree when he started back with the college football great in 2004. Smart spent 10 years with Saban at LSU, in the NFL, and then at Alabama, where he created a connection with one player that would help him almost a decade later.
In Smart's final season at Alabama in 2015, a young cornerback by the name Minkah Fitzpatrick came to the Crimson Tide and played under Smart as the defensive coordinator. After the 2015 season, Smart was named the head coach at Georgia, and the rest is history, but that connection with Fitzpatrick would come back to help Smart.
Now, 10 years after coaching Fitzpatrick at Alabama, Smart is set to welcome another Fitzpatrick onto his team, Justice Fitzpatrick, the brother of Minkah. Justice just announced his commitment to Georgia on Tuesday, as announced by On3's Hayes Fawcett. Justice comes in as a 4-star recruit ranked the No. 3 cornerback in the nation and the No. 34 recruit overall in the Class of 2026.
BREAKING: Elite 2026 CB Justice Fitzpatrick has Committed to Georgia, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 3, 2025
The 6’1 195 CB from Fort Lauderdale, FL chose the Bulldogs over Texas, Ohio State, Florida & Miami
He’s the brother of NFL Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick https://t.co/0R3Id4JekJ pic.twitter.com/vqfgLM6F6S
When talking with On3 during his recruitment, Justice spoke about his connection to Georgia and how his connection with Smart goes back further than just recruiting him.
"Coach Smart coached by brother at Alabama, so we know him really well," Fitzpatrick told On3's Chad Simmons back on March 12. "I know him well, my family knows him well, and we have a great relationship."
Now, of course, Smart probably isn't the only reason Justice chose the Bulldogs, but it definitely had to have played a factor in picking Georgia over many other programs.
Justice Fitzpatrick picks Georgia over numerous Power 4 heavy hitters
As the No. 3 cornerback in the country, Fitzpatrick was highly recruited by many schools other than Georgia. The young CB had offers from the reigning National Champions, Ohio State, Texas, Florida, and Miami. Even though his brother attended Alabama and the Crimson Tide were in the mix, Kalen DeBoer was not one of the finalists.
Fitzpatrick's commitment comes just a few days after his official visit to Athens this past weekend. The Alabama native was set to go on a few more official visits, including one to Texas, very soon, but is planning to cancel any other visits as he plans to stay locked in with the Bulldogs.