Recruiting would be much less entertaining if you could just make a list of the exact 25-30 prospects you want every year and they just sign on the dotted line in December and February. I'm sure there are some days that Kirby Smart wishes he could do that. There are some days that my nerves wish the Dawgs could do that very thing. That would take away all of the fun and the intrigue. It would take away all of the passion for the fans and the recruiting staffs, not to mention the recruits. We're just going to have to face the fact that you win some and you lose some, even if you're the defending national champions.

Georgia lost a big one last week when 5* safety Caleb Downs choose Alabama over the in-state Georgia Bulldogs and Ohio State. He was a top target at the position for the Dawgs, but the Crimson Tide seemed to have the momentum for most of the summer. Alabama also received a commitment from 5* RB Richard Young yesterday, who they'll pair with UGA legacy Justice Haynes. While you can't blame any teenager for wanting to play for a dynasty, you have to do what Georgia has been able to do and keep up with that dynasty in recruiting. There were no other top targets that committed elsewhere, but there were a couple of guys that UGA previously recruited who made their decisions this week. The Florida Gators received commitments from 4* receiver Aidan Mizell yesterday and 4* receiver Andy Jean earlier today. LSU got the good news from in-state 4* offensive lineman Tyree Adams yesterday.

Although the Dawgs missed on one five star safety, we did get another. Georgia put themselves in the position as the team to beat for 5* safety Joenel Aguero early on and never relented. There was some Miami noise the week leading up to his commitment last Saturday, but the Hurricanes didn't have anything on the national champs. UGA also received a commitment from speedy 3* receiver Yazeed Haynes. The Pennsylvania native was once committed to Rutgers, before committing to Penn State on June 12th. But then the Dawgs came calling. Haynes took his official visit to Athens the last weekend in June and it took just over a month for Coach Bryan McClendon and Coach Fran Brown to change his mind officially. We put Haynes on flip watch for our Dawgs Central subscribers on July 23rd. He decommitted from Penn State two days later and 'Committed to the G' two days after that on the 27th. 

Haynes is commit #18 in the 2023 class for the Dawgs, but truly the 17th if you take Seven Cloud off the list. He is part of the #3 recruiting class in the nation according to 247sports composite rankings. Georgia is #4 in the On3 consensus rankings.

Kirby Smart and company would love to add to the class with a huge visitors weekend just before another dead period starts on August 1st. Check out our visit list to see who all is in town. One of our top overall targets is class of '23 4* defensive lineman, Jordan Hall. The big man from Jacksonville was in town Tuesday, as was class of '24 4* offensive lineman Deandre Carter. The 6'4 340 pounder from national powerhouse Mater Dei is very high on the Dawgs.

Dawgs Central interviewed 2023 4* linebacker commit CJ Allen last week about his game, his goals, and this year's recruiting class. Although technical diffifulties scratched the plan to show the live interview, it turned into a very good read. He's in town this weekend along with most of the commits for this year and next year.

While the recruiting preview Monday will be understandably shorter due to the dead period starting, there will still be plenty to cover and we'll keep you well informed.