Georgia football and Texas unsurprisingly have become serious rivals on the football field. This rivalry doesn't have the history and real hate like Georgia has with their traditional rivals, but the battles Texas and UGA are doing on and off the field are starting to add up and make this feel like a real rivalry.
It isn't surprising this is happening after the Longhorns joined the SEC. It's even less surprising because Georgia and Texas played each other twice last season, including in the SEC Championship game. So if these two teams continue to face each other on the field every season, then maybe one day this will turn into a real rivalry.
While the games on the field between these programs will always be intense, so too will the battles on the recruiting trail. One target both programs have been prioritizing is five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson, who is the No. 1 linebacker in the country. Georgia appears to be the leader for Atkinson right now, but the Longhorns aren't far behind.
But the latest recruiting prediction for Texas could help sway Atkinson's recruitment in Georgia's favor even more.
On3’s @SWiltfong_ has logged an expert prediction for Texas to land 4-star LB Kosi Okpala🤘
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) June 25, 2025
Okpala will announce his commitment on July 3.
Read: https://t.co/zTzTNywVzY pic.twitter.com/OG9aMX9e2O
Latest prediction for Texas is good news for Georgia's pursuit of No. 1 LB
On3's Steve Wiltfong placed a prediction in favor of Texas to win the recruitment of four-star linebacker Kosi Okpala on Wednesday. Okpala isn't as highly ranked as Atkinson is, but this would be a very solid pickup for the Longhorns.
Every football program in the country will want to recruit more than one linebacker in their recruiting class, so this win for Texas likely won't stop their pursuit of Atkinson. But Okpala would be the second player at this position Texas adds to their 2026 recruiting class, so that could give Atkinson some more reasons to think about if Texas is the right place for him.
Okpala is scheduled to announce his commitment on July 3, and Atkinson has not set a commitment date yet. So in all likelihood, Okpala will commit to Texas before Atkinson announces his commitment, which could increase Georgia's chances of landing Atkinson a little more.