Georgia football has as much buzz on the recruiting trail as they have had in quite some time. Last week Kirby Smart and his staff were able to earn three commitments from talented players across the 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes. Now with a massive game in Athens against No. 7 Tennessee this Saturday, the Bulldogs are using this momentum and hype to bring in countless elite prospects to take in the game.
This includes two five-star players in the 2026 class.
5-star LB Tyler Atkinson
Five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson is the first five-star player who just recently announced that he will be in Athens for the Bulldogs' game against Tennessee.
Five star LB Tyler Atkinson is set to visit Georgia this Saturday, he tells me for @Rivalshttps://t.co/0Qvpu8x7qU pic.twitter.com/odXKTMps4t
— Sam Spiegelman (@samspiegs) November 13, 2024
According to the 247Sports composite rankings, Atkinson is the No. 7 overall player in the country in the 2026 class. He also is the No. 1 linebacker and the No. 1 player from Georgia.
Atkinson has countless scholarship offers already, but according to 247Sports it appears that Georgia, Tennessee, Clemson and Auburn are the current leaders in his recruitment. However, Georgia does have one crystal ball prediction in their favor which was placed back in June.
That prediction doesn't hold much weight on its own right now, but it is a good sign that Georgia is in a very good position early in this recruitment to win Atkinson's services.
5-star ATH Derrek Cooper
Five-star Derrek Cooper is another talented player from the 2026 class who shared the he will b visiting Georgia for the Tennessee game as well.
I will be in Athens for the Georgia vs Tennessee game!! Go dawgs 🐶 @CoachJCrawford @CoachMikeBobo @KirbySmartUGA @Dawgs247 @DawgsCentral_ @KippLAdams @adamgorney @RivalsFriedman @GeorgiaFootball @JohnGarcia_Jr
— Derrek Cooper (@DerrekCooper80) November 13, 2024
According to the 247Sports composite rankings, Cooper is the No. 23 overall player in the country. He also is the No. 3 ATH and the No. 3 player from his home state of Florida.
Similarly to Atkinson, Cooper has a large amount of offers already as well. But Cooper does not have any crystal ball predictions placed yet and 247Sports has not indicated any teams that could be in the lead for his recruitment.
But Georgia appears to be in the running at this point, so as long as Smart and his staff can continue bringing Cooper in for more visits throughout the next year then they should have a decent chance to win this recruitment.