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Georgia football continues to draw an embarrassment of riches each recruiting season, and the 2025 class is on track result for more of the same. Especially if the Bulldogs can woo three-star Florida Gators commit DL Jeremiah McCloud to take his talents to Athens, Georgia. In May, he committed to the Gators but has since made unofficial visits to Florida State and, most recently, Georgia for their game against Tennessee Tech. An offer from the Bulldogs could mean a lot in switching up his commitment, according to McCloud, who spoke with Jeff Sentell of Dawn Nation.
“That Georgia offer means a lot to me,” McCloud said. “Because I’m from Georgia. I grew up a Georgia fan. That was the best team growing up. Like watching them with Todd Gurley and people like that. With coach Kirby Smart from Bainbridge, having a coach from Georgia coaching Georgia so that just means a lot knowing that’s the best team in the nation that wants me and wanted to offer me.”
McCloud appreciates coach Smart, and the young man also seems to have a good relationship with defensive line coach Tray Scott.
“That’s the biggest thing with Georgia,” McCloud said. “I know their development. Coach Scott is like totally open. He’s going to tell you. All freshmen just don’t see the field early. But you actually see the development those freshman had when they are sophomores, it is totally different. When you do get on the field at Georgia, somehow, and someway, guys get drafted.”
The Bulldogs have the No. 4 2025 recruiting class, according to 247 Sports. They've already secured three five-star recruits and 12 from 247's Top 200.
Georgia football's dominance starts with Kirby Smart's recruiting
It's not enough to recruit well. Players also need to be coached to maximize their potential. The University of Miami and Florida State both consistently have top recruiting classes, yet the Seminoles have only won one conference title since 2014, and the Hurricanes have never won the ACC since joining in 2004.
Smart explained his approach to Nick Kosko from On3 as addressing what players need between recruiting and the transfer portal.
“Every kid’s different, every kid’s in a different spot,” Smart said. “Like, what age am I? How much am I playing? Do I like an opportunity somewhere else? What’s going on with my family, my family dynamic? I don’t think there’s a cookie-cutter answer to that question. I wouldn’t delve into specifically each kid that I deal with. I think that’s relative to me and the kid, not for public consumption, but certainly there’s conversations.”
“And you know, the transfer portal is an option for some guys to think about going somewhere else. And you know, it’s unfortunate, because the feedback we get from the NFL is there’s nowhere they’d rather have players than here developing.”
Georgia football lost a recruit, safety Rashad Johnson, earlier in the week. The four-star prospect is rated as the 34th-best safety by 247 Sports. So with a spot available, Smart and Co. will have many recruits at their disposal to fill this class.
