Linebacker Joakim Gouda is a relatively new name for Georgia fans on the recruiting trail. That however needs to change right now.
Gouda is an elite linebacker from the Peach State who has begun showing a lot of love to Georgia on the recruiting trail. A lot of that has to do with the fact that Kirby Smart and his staff have made him one of their top targets, but it is becoming extremely clear that Georgia may be his No. 1 school right now.
Georgia still has some work to do to close out his recruitment, but Gouda just received a huge rankings boost courtesy of Rivals in the update they made to their class rankings on Monday.
Joakim Gouda has some of the best junior film we’ve watched in the 2027 LB group. Instincts, closing speed, and a physical striker/form tackler. 100 tackles as a junior and among the younger top prospects in 2027, turning 17 in August. Industry Comparison: https://t.co/EmRRhlZugI pic.twitter.com/xLN72ra1zq
— Charles Power (@CharlesPower) February 24, 2026
Elite Georgia target Joakim Gouda skyrockets up Rivals recruiting rankings
Rivals released a new update to their 2027 recruiting rankings on Monday which impacted nearly every recruit in the country. This unfortunately included Georgia's No. 1 commit who fell in their rankings. Gouda however did not fall in the rankings, in fact he was one of the biggest risers in the entire recruiting class.
Gouda is now the No. 30 player in the country according to Rivals' rankings. This is a huge increase from where he was before this update and a lot higher than where 247Sports and ESPN have him ranked.
This increase doesn't mean anything if he doesn't end up committing to Georgia. The good news though is that he has been officially predicted to commit to Georgia by recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong.
Kirby Smart and his staff will have a lot of work to do to finish this recruitment off, but they are closing in on adding one of the best players in the country. And if they can add Gouda then Georgia would have three players committed to their recruiting class who are ranked inside the top 30 of the 2027 class.