Recruitments don’t get much bigger than Tyler Atkinson. That is the case for every program in the country who is pursuing the five-star linebacker because he is the No. 9 overall player in the country as well as the top ranked linebacker in the 2026 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
Atkinson’s recruitment however is the most important for Georgia for two reasons. The first is because he is the No. 1 player from the state of Georiga, and the second reason is because of how much effort Kirby Smart and his staff have devoted to his recruitment.
As Rivals’ Adam Gorney details below, Atkinson’s official visit this past weekend marked the 15th trip to Georgia he has made in his recruitment. This obviously shows how much he loves Georgia, but also how much Georgia loves him.
While hosing Atkinson that many times is a big deal, the only thing that matters is how Georgia is doing compared to the other top programs pursuing him. And according to Gorney, UGA is the clear leader by far.
“Atkinson took his 15th visit to Georgia and it was an official he “will never forget.” If the five-star linebacker from Loganville (Ga.) Grayson doesn’t end up with the Bulldogs it would be a major surprise after he spent a ton of time with coach Kirby Smart, defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann and co-DC Travaris Robinson,” Gorney shared via uga.rivals.com.
Georgia is nearing the addition of 5-star Tyler Atkinson
Georgia has a lot of stiff competition when it comes to Atkinson’s recruitment. Clemson and Oregon both hosted Atkinson on an official visit in the weeks before Georgia did, and Ohio State is still right there as well. But it appears Georgia is still the clear leader for him right now.
No commitment date has been set for Atkinson yet, and it’s likely he will take an official visit to Ohio State before he does. But this is a recruitment that Georgia fans should expect good news from, so the date Atkinson announces his commitment really doesn’t matter all that much.