Both the Auburn and Georgia football programs are in a bit of an identity crisis when compared to the backdrop of their historical success. Auburn has been toward the bottom of the barrel in the SEC for quite some time now after perennially being near the top, while Georgia has fallen swiftly from its championship heights of 2021 and 2022.

Of course, a large part of sustaining excellence in the college football world is done on the recruiting trail, but unfortunately for Tigers and Bulldogs fans, one of their respective schools' top targets is taking his talents elsewhere.

“CB Caden Harris (No. 11 CB in Top247) has officially committed to Vandy,” reported 247Sports on X, formerly Twitter.

Harris is a four star cornerback from Haywood, Tennessee.

The publication also noted that Harris “chose Vanderbilt over Georgia, Missouri, Notre Dame, and Auburn.”

A big shift in college football

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart looks on during warm ups before the Georgia G-Day spring football game in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, April 12, 2025.
© Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Related Georgia Football NewsArticle continues below
Hugh Freeze and Jackson Arnold, Auburn, Auburn schedule, Auburn prediction
Full Auburn football game-by-game predictions for 2025 season
Arkansas' head coach Sam Pittman leads a chant with his team before they pose for a photo after Arkansas defeated Texas Tech 36-26 in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Sam Pittman gets brutally honest about potential Arkansas football retirement
Brian Kelly and Garrett Nussmeier with Tigers stadium in the background, LSU schedule, LSU prediction, LSU
Full LSU football game-by-game predictions for 2025 season

The fact that more and more recruits are starting to take Vanderbilt seriously as a potential destination is proof of how quickly that program is starting to turn things around.

Of course, Vanderbilt picked up arguably the most surprising win of the 2024-25 college football season when they knocked off the Alabama Crimson Tide, a game which ultimately kept the Tide out of the college football playoff.

Meanwhile, Georgia football is still trying to find ways to get back to its days of championship glory that it experienced in 2021 and 2022. Head coach Kirby Smart routinely trots out some of the most talented lineups in the sport, but Georgia's production at both quarterback and along the defensive line have dropped off significantly over the last two seasons, casting doubt about whether their window may be closing.

Auburn, on the other hand, hasn't been a competitive program for quite some time now, but there is hope that Hugh Freeze will be able to turn things around as he continues to compile some high-profile recruits despite missing out on Harris.

In any case, the 2025 college football season is slated to get underway on August 30.