There are a lot of targets Georgia football is very high on, but arguably none are as important as linebacker Tyler Atkinson.
Atkinson is a five-star linebacker and the No. 9 overall player according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He also is the top ranked linebacker in the 2026 recruiting class as well. But the reason this recruitment is so important for UGA is because he is the No. 1 player from the state of Georgia as well.
Kirby Smart and his staff arguably have recruited Atkinson the hardest out of any recruit in the country. They have visited him in person countless times and Atkinson has taken many visits to Athens as well. And while Georgia was the current leader for Atkinson heading into this past weekend, that could be changing as Atkinson himself said how much he loved his visit to Clemson.
“Clemson still remains a top school for me and I was really impressed with everything.”
Clemson is quickly catching up to Georgia for 5-star Tyler Atkinson
There are a few reasons why Clemson is quickly becoming a concern for Georgia in Atkinson's recruitment. The first is based on the above quote from Atkinson as he came out and said that Clemson is one of his top schools. Thankfully he didn't say they are his No. 1 school, but this again shows how close this battle is right now.
On top of that, Clemson is the only official visit that Atkinson has on the books right now. He somehow has not scheduled one to Georgia or to the other schools he is still high on like Ohio State, Alabama and Auburn.
While all these reasons are concerning for Georgia, the Bulldogs still remain the only team with a crystal ball prediction in their favor on 247Sports. On top of that, On3 also has Georgia as the leader in this recruitment as well. So until either of those things change, Georgia fans shouldn't worry too much.