Georgia Bulldogs news: Drop in national recruiting rankings, Finebaum says expectations are "out of control", more

The holiday weekend was a busy one for a few teams around the country. Ohio State, Alabama, and Notre Dame all landed priority 2024 high school recruits while Georgia was quiet. That triumvirate now holds the top three classes in 2024. 

The Bulldogs only have 17 commitments in the 2024 class and have recently fallen to No. 4 in 247Sports’ national recruiting rankings. 

Since the calendar turned to July, the Buckeyes secured commitments from four-star defensive lineman Maxwell Roy, the Crimson Tide received pledges from four-star edge rusher Justin Hill and four-star tight end Kaleb Edwards, and on Friday, the Fighting Irish landed four-star safety JaDon Blair. 

Georgia’s most recent addition to the 2024 class was Landon Roldan a three-star in-state wide receiver. Even Oregon, No. 5 in the rankings is nipping at Smart’s heels with the addition of the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2024 recruiting class, Dakorien Moore. 

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum says Georgia’s expectations are out of control

On a recent episode of McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum talked about the Georgia football program and the almost unsustainable level that Kirby Smart has elevated it to. 

“(Georgia) runs into the problem that a lot of programs, including Alabama, have had, which is that the expectations are simply out of control.” Finebaum said, “Let’s say they don’t win this year and maybe next year things go haywire and the quarterback gets hurt or somebody leaves. They have a very pedestrian 9-3 season, and then fans start to really get edgy. What happens then is the coach goes, ‘What else do I have to do? I’ve won two national championships.”

After narrowly missing the four-team College Football Playoff last season, the College Football pundit certainly isn’t suggesting that Smart’s seat could start to warm up, but is he right in saying the championship-or-bust expectations in Athens are “out of control?”

More: Wes Johnson adds to baseball coaching staff

On Tuesday, July 2, Georgia head baseball coach Wes Johnson announced the addition of Nick Ammirati to his coaching staff. 

After a 43-17 season in his first year and a loss in the Athens Super Regional, Johnson brings in Ammirati after three seasons on the Kentucky coaching staff. Ammirati’s Wildcats made the College World Series for the first time in 2024.

Ammirati coached Kentucky’s offense and coach Johnson said, “We're excited to add Nick to our staff as he's a dynamic recruiter and instructor plus he's experienced success at every level of his baseball playing and coaching career.”