Georgia football fans don't need to be reminded how much of a problem Nick Saban was during his time at Alabama. Saban turned the Tide into a dominant force that no once could stop, and that was the case both on the field and on the recruiting trail.
But now that Saban is retired, the hope is that Kirby Smart and Georgia will become even more dominant because they don't have to worry about Saban impacting them any longer. That however proved to not be the case as Saban put his recruiting hat on once again to help the Tide with five-star running back Ezavier Crowell.
5-star RB Ezavier Crowell with Nick Saban on his official visit to Alabama🐘https://t.co/dpBFzN1Wes pic.twitter.com/XehcL5CkZ3
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) June 21, 2025
Nick Saban is still a thorn in Georgia's side
According to the On3 industry rankings, Crowell is the No. 31 overall player in the country. He also is the No. 2 running back in the 2026 class and the No. 3 player from his home state of Alabama.
Crowell is a target that Georgia has aggressively targeted throughout this recruiting cycle. In fact, the Bulldogs were thought of as one of his top schools when he took an official visit to Athens on May 30.
But even after this visit, recruiting experts were still predicting Crowell to commit to Alabama. And now that Saban linked up with Crowell during his official visit to Alabama this weekend, there likely is no chance Georgia comes from behind to win this recruitment.
Crowell is scheduled to announce his commitment on June 26, but Georgia fans likely shouldn't watch this announcement becuase it does not appear it will be going their way. But that is okay, because the Bulldogs have their eyes set on four-star running back Jae Lamar who is the No. 8 running back in the country who is on an official visit to Georgia this weekend.
So if there's a recruitment to watch closely it is Lamar's, because there is a good chance Georgia will win that battle.