Georgia fans were already feeling great on Monday after their 35-point win at Ole Miss over the weekend, but the good vibes got even higher after five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews flipped his commitment from Texas A&M to Georgia on Monday. He is the No. 2 overall recruit in the country and the top ranked tackle, so it's clear that Georgia got about as good of a recruit as they could get.
Every commitment is worth celebrating, but this one is even more special because of how high he is ranked. That might be why Kirby Smart took to social media to celebrate this news along with everyone else.
Go Dawgs !!
— Coach Kirby Smart (@KirbySmartUGA) November 9, 2026
Kirby Smart, Georgia weren't given a chance to land Mark Matthews
Matthews originally committed to Texas A&M back in May. Georgia was one of his finalists, but recruiting insiders never gave them much of a chance at the time. That sentiment continued when Matthews decommitted from A&M on Sunday because multiple predictions on 247Sports and On3 were placed in Miami's favor to win his recruitment now.
Then out of nowhere Matthews committed to Georgia.
The exact details of how Kirby Smart got this done have not been shared with the public, but he clearly did some work behind the scenes. Recruiting insiders are typically extremely plugged in with the recruitments of the highest ranked recruits, so it's pretty amazing that none of them knew Georgia was the reason Matthews decommitted from A&M in the first place.
The exact details of Matthews' recruitment might never come out, but all that matters is that Smart was able to work his magic and earn his commitment when no one was watching.
Mark Matthews is the exact player Georgia needed for their future
Georgia already had a handful of elite offensive recruits committed to them. Three five-star recruits in particular stood out on the offensive side of the ball before Matthews committed which includes running back Kemon Spell, quarterback Jayden Wade and tight end Jaxon Dollar. These three commits were already good enough for Georgia to be excited about their future offense, but they can't do anything if they don't have solid offensive line play.
This is where Matthews comes in as the No. 1 offensive tackle in the country. He is someone that will shine as Georgia's future left tackle both in the pass and run game. Matthews is exactly who Georgia needed so their other five-star play makers can do what they do best and put points on the board. They wouldn't be able to do that without Matthews though who may just be the most important recruit committed to Georgia now.
Georgia still has until early December to hold onto his commitment before he can officially sign with the program, but all signs point to Georgia having nothing to worry about with Matthews' commitment.
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