It is more likely to snow tomorrow in Metro Atlanta than for the Georgia Bulldogs to end up getting Mark Matthews' five-star commitment out of Fort Lauderdale to be part of their 2027 recruiting class. It is what it is, but that does not make it hurt any less. At Georgia, players regularly get drafted in the first round along its offensive line. Monroe Freeling was the latest. Matthews will be going elsewhere...
Heading into his big recruitment decision on Friday, here are the four finalists for Matthews' five stars.
- Georgia Bulldogs
- LSU Tigers
- Miami Hurricanes
- Texas A&M Aggies
Now if we were to go over to his recruiting page on Rivals, here are the latest percentages to get him.
- Texas A&M Aggies: 95.4 percent
- Miami Hurricanes: 1.9 percent
- Georgia Bulldogs: Less than one percent
- LSU Tigers: Less than one percent
So the chances of Georgia landing Matthews two days out from his commitment date are miniscule.
According to the 247Sports Composite, Matthews is the No. 1 player from Florida, the No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in his class, and the No. 5 overall recruit in the 2027 cycle. There may have been a point where the St. Thomas Aquinas star could have stayed home and played for the Hurricanes, but anything other than him committing to Texas A&M now would be a complete shock to the system.
It may be painful to admit, but Matthews' interest in Georgia might have only been that of leverage...
Mark Matthews heavily favored to Texas A&M speaks volumes about UGA
There is no way around it. We live in a different world now when it comes to high school recruitment. In the day and age of NIL, teams that have a reputation for not being the biggest of spenders like Georgia often find themselves getting the short end of the stick regarding many prospective blue-chippers. When teams like Miami and Texas A&M regularly back up the Brinks truck, you have no shot.
What is very important to understand here is that while it may reflect poorly on Georgia and the rest of Smart's staff, it will look even worse for hometown Miami if Matthews does end up committing to Texas A&M. St. Thomas Aquinas may be a bit of a honey hole for out-of-state teams looking to get in on the Greater Miami product, but Mario Cristobal is from Miami, and is a former offensive lineman...
The growing notion that he cannot protect his home turf is not going away anytime soon. Jeremiah Smith was a local product, and so was Fernando Mendoza. Neither will ever play a down for the hometown Hurricanes. While Matthews' college career is only about to get started, his expected arrival in College Station proves we should not be taking the Aggies lightly anymore under Mike Elko.
In short, being a finalist for Matthews means Georgia was close to landing him. Too bad close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades... We have to wonder if Georgia's painfully slow start to the 2027 recruiting cycle will usher in changes at the helm of their front-office operation. Georgia usually does a great job of closing in the end, but it is getting so old watching this team get off to slow starts.
For now, Georgia fans should be thankful that the Bulldogs do not play the Aggies all that regularly.
Add us as a preferred source on Google