Rivals rankings confirm what Georgia fans already know about Todd Hartley

While top assistants come and go, Dawg Nation knows it is so lucky to have Todd Hartley as a vibrant part of Kirby Smart's coaching staff. Since coming back to his alma mater in 2019, Hartley has been instrumental in making Georgia Tight End U across the Power Four. It helps when you have the greatest tight end in college football history winning back-to-back Mackeys for you in Brock Bowers.

Here is who Steve Wiltfong wrote about on Wednesday for Rivals being the best recruiters of 2026.

1. Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive backs coach Mike Mickens
2. USC Trojans co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Eric Henderson
3. Miami Hurricanes assistant head coach/offensive line coach Alex Mirabal
4. Oregon Ducks co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach Chris Hampton
5. Former Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline
6. Texas A&M Aggies associate head coach/running backs coach Trooper Taylor
7. Georgia Bulldogs assistant head coach/tight ends coach Todd Hartley
8. Michigan Wolverines running backs coach/running game coordinator Tony Alford
9. Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebackers coach Al Washington
10. Former LSU Tigers associate head coach Frank Wilson

And if you want a visualization of that, Rivals put out this sweet graphic over on X for your enjoyment.

As you can see, Hartley came in seventh of the top recruiters of 2026 over on Rivals. It should be noted that Mike Mickens and Al Washington are both off to the NFL off Marcus Freeman's staff. Brian Hartline is now in charge at South Florida. Frank Wilson now works for Pete Golding at Ole Miss. Simply put, Hartley is among great company as a recruiter. He is elite at coaching up his tight ends.

At some point, Hartley may be getting a bigger role than the one he has on Smart's staff in Athens...

Todd Hartley remains one of the best recruiters in major college football

When looking at all 10 names listed off by Wiltfong, three things jump off the page. The first is they have become synonymous with positional success at their school of note. For Hartley, it is all about tight ends at Georgia. The second is these teams win at a prolific level. Getting four and five-stars out of high school is one thing, but getting elite production in college is another. The third is so complex...

With every single one of these coaches, their emotional intelligence is off the charts. In a game increasingly defined by X's and O's, these guys have made it a living being all about the Jimmies and Joes... We are just now in the infancy in understanding one's EQ. IQ may be an outdated measure to determine one's mental aptitude. Coaches like Hartley are among the best people-persons out there.

The really interesting part in all of this is who else plans to climb the coaching ladder in due time... Hartline was the most obvious, but we have to wonder if Hartley has grander aspirations than being a career non-coordinator at his alma mater... For coaches like Alex Mirabal who specialize in line play, this is as good as it gets without being a head coach. In due time, somebody will want to hire Hartley.

For now, Georgia fans should be eternally grateful to have one of the best being one of their own...