On Saturday, the No. 1 Texas Longhorns (6-0) will face the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs (5-1) in one of college football’s most anticipated games.
The winner will be in the running for the top place in the College Football Playoff and a chance to play in the SEC Championship Game.
This will be Kirby Smart’s Dawgs’ second top-five road game after facing previously No. 4 Alabama in September. Georgia’s difficult schedule is certainly the primary focus of Smart and the UGA coaching staff, but recruiting efforts have not slowed.
Georgia received a commitment from five-star recruit Elijah Griffin, the nation’s top defensive lineman, on Friday. Griffin is the fourth-best overall talent in the 2025 class, according to 247Sports.
Griffin (6-foot-5, 285 pounds) has been a long-time Bulldogs recruit. After visiting Athens earlier this week, the Savannah, Georgia native narrowed his decision to Georgia, Miami, or USC before committing to UGA.
Just announced: 5-star DT Elijah Griffin has committed to the University of Georgia.
Griffin is the nation’s top defensive lineman in the class of 2025.
A huge Georgia-grown product for Kirby Smart.@ElijahGriffin95 | @GeorgiaFootball pic.twitter.com/WMv1wKF5fO
— Jeff Roberts (@JeffRoberts__) October 18, 2024
Smart and company place a high value on scrimmage-based talent recruitment. The Dawgs, who have the country’s No. 3 recruiting class, already had five-star edge defender Isaiah Gibson committed before adding Griffin. Georgia is also in the running for five-star defensive tackle Justus Terry, the nation’s second-best player at the position.
The Bulldogs obtaining an excellent talent like Griffin while preparing for a major SEC clash exemplifies how the college football grind never stops. Whether Georgia pulls off the upset on Saturday night or not, the Bulldogs will be in contention for years to come.
Texas-Georgia is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC).
