Kirby Smart is doing his best to pry a Tennessee legacy away from Oklahoma's clutches

Always be 'crootin'. You never know what kind of encounter can leave a long-lasting impression. While all signs point to five-star linebacker Cooper Witten going to play for the team his iconic father Jason Witten coaches at in Oklahoma, that is not going to stop Kirby Smart and his staff from being able to land this Tennessee legacy out from the Sooners' clutches. Witten will be a prized recruit in any class.

Witten's mother Michelle shared out over on social media Cooper's visits to Athens and to Norman.

Witten has also shared out this picture of Glenn Schumann and himself from earlier in the offseason.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Witten is the No. 1 linebacker in the country, the No. 4 player from Texas, and the No. 21 overall recruit nationally. He has 29 official offers, but has been crystal balled to Oklahoma. With Tennessee seemingly asleep at the wheel, it may very well come down to Oklahoma and Georgia for Witten. One would argue Oklahoma should still be the favorite to land him.

Even if Smart and the rest of the Georgia staff come up short, it is always great to have precious intel.

Kirby Smart and Georgia are playing the long game with Cooper Witten

Are you paying close attention? Witten is a Tennessee legacy by way of his legendary Dallas Cowboys father. Jason Witten just so happens to be on Venables' staff as the tight end coach at OU. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel just so happens to be a former Oklahoma star quarterback, although his relationship with his alma mater is fractured at best. How does Georgia play into all this?

Well, even if Georgia is not projected to land him, Witten happens to play the position group that Schumann specializes coaching in. Venables played that position as well, for what it is worth... Given how well Georgia recruits tight ends, this could be a ploy to gain some working knowledge on what Witten plans to do at the position group at Oklahoma. Probably not, but you have to keep it in mind...

Overall, Georgia should be in the mix for any of the best linebackers in the country. Along with Penn State, Georgia is Linebacker U. It is a place where you can contend for national championships, Butkus Awards, and All-American honors. You can sort of do that at Oklahoma and Tennessee, but neither have been on Georgia's level in recent years. Georgia may not get him, but they are trying!

The longer Georgia remains somewhat in play for Witten, the likelier it is that is not playing for OU.