Georgia Recruiting: June Heat Wave + Learfield Partnership

Kirby Smart may have never wanted June to end. At the start of the month, Georgia was ranked in the #5 to #7 range in recruiting. That is acceptable at most schools, but it falls far short of the standard Smart has set at Georgia. He closed with one of the most impressive recruiting weeks in recent memory. For eight straight days, he typed the words “Go Dawgs !!!” and Georgia fans celebrated as big-named recruit after big-named recruit came in. The commitments moved Georgia recruiting to #1 or #2 as we head to July. Let’s take a look at Smart and Georgia’s big recruiting wins and what that could tell us about the 2025 season.

Georgia Recruiting: June Heat Wave

Let’s take a look at the Georgia recruiting hall for June. Smart ended the month with nine commits in the last eight days.

In-State Recruits

Georgia captured two four-stars and added some depth with some nice three-star talent.

1. Khamari Brooks
   High School: North Oconee H.S.
   Star Rating and Position: 4-star EDGE
   Sorry, Bama, Smart and the Dawgs beat out the Tide for the 6’4″ 235 lb. EDGE from Bogart, Georgia.
2. Jae Lamar 
   High School: Colquitt County H.S.
   Star Rating and Position: 4-star Running Back
   Georgia bested Miami for the running back from Moultrie, Georgia.
3. Craig Dandridge
   High School: Cambridge H.S.
   Star Rating and Position: 3-star Wide Receiver
   Dandridge has a great first name. The 6’1″ 175 lb receiver from Milton, GA chose the Bulldogs over SEC rivals Tennessee, Florida, Oklahoma, and ACC foes Georgia Tech and Stanford.
4. Zykie Helton 
   High School: Carrollton H.S.
   Star Rating and Position: 3-star Interior Offensive Lineman
   The 6’3″ 290 lb tackle stayed home with Georgia, picking them over Alabama, Georgia Tech, and Florida State.
5. Zachary Lewis 
   High School: North Gwinnett H.S.
   Star Rating and Position: 3-star Interior Offensive Lineman
   Lewis is a big kid, the 6’5″ future tackle chose Georgia over Georgia Tech, UNC, and South Carolina.
6. Corey Howard 
   High School: Valdosta H.S.
   Star Rating and Position: 4-star EDGE
   Howard is another monster. The 6’6″ 245 lb EDGE from Valdosta should be a disruptive force in the years to come for the Dawgs.
7. Wade Register 
   High School: Trinity Christian H.S.
   Star Rating and Position: 4-star Punter
   Register gives you strong Rodrio Blankenship vibes with his spectacles. Regardless of the look, Register is the #1 ranked punter in the country.

Big Time Defensive Recruits

Smart and the Dawgs turned up the heat by bringing in some of the top defensive talent available in the Class of 2026.

1. James Johnson 
   High School: Northwestern H.S. (Miami, FL)
   Star Rating and Position: 4-star Defensive Tackle
   Johnson may be the star of the June Georgia recruiting heater. Johnson is Georgia’s second #1 recruit at his position in the class, joining quarterback Jared Curtis. Johnson is ready to make a significant impact for the Dawgs. He told On3 that he was “Going to be a great Dawg. Dominant. Better than Jalen Carter.”
2. Chace Calicut 
   High School: North Shore H.S. (Houston, TX)
   Star Rating and Position: 4-star Defensive Back
   The crystal balls pointed Calicut to Texas, but Smart and the Dawgs got another win against the Longhorns. The decision came down to preparing players for the next level, as he told 247. “You’re playing for Kirby, you’re playing for Donte, T-Rob, you’re going to the league.”
3. Shadarius Toodle 
   High School: Cottage Hill Christian Academy (Mobile, AL)
   Star Rating and Position: 4-star Linebacker
   Thanks, Auburn. Toodle was a late June flip from The Plains. It was his recruitment that sparked Georgia’s nine commits in eight straight days.

Other Notable Commits

1. Ekene Ogboko 
   High School: South Garner H.S. (Garner, NC)
   Star Rating and Position: 4-star Offensive Lineman
   Ogboko is ranked in the Top 10 in the country and is the brother of current Georgia defensive lineman Nnamdi Ogboko.
2. Harran Zureikat 
   High School: Fox Chapel Area H.S. (Pittsburgh, PA)
   Star Rating and Position: 4-star Kicker
   Depending on the recruiting service, Zureikat is either the #1 or #2 ranked kicker in the Class of 2026. His and Register’s recruitment kicked off a special week for Special Teams Coordinator Kirk Benedict.
3. Caden Harris 
   High School: Haywood H.S. (Brownville, TN)
   Star Rating and Position: 4-star Defensive Back
   Merry Flipmas, Vanderbilt. Harris is a Top 10 defensive back from the Volunteer State.
4. PJ Dean
   High School: West Forsyth  H.S. (Clemmons, NC)
   Star Rating and Position: 4-star Defensive Tackle
   Another one that broke the heart of South Carolina and the Gamecocks. It was a two-school race between South Carolina and Georgia for Dean. It is rumored that there was a last-minute conversation with Tray Scott and Glenn Schumann just before his announcement. Dean is a Top 5 defensive tackle recruit and has all the makings of a Damn Good Dawg.

Don’t Count Out the Dawgs

In January, we may look back on June as the start of a special year for Smart and the Dawgs. Unlike last year, Georgia is not getting a lot of the preseason press and accolades. Those are staying with Texas and LSU. Smart has his head down and is in the lab. You can bet he will be playing the “nobody believes in you card.” It may be the necessary edge that gives Georgia the fight it was missing in 2024.

Learfield Partnership Impact on Future Georgia Recruiting

The calendar turning to July also ushers in a new era of college football. The House settlement is bringing student-athlete payments into the athletics departments across college campuses. While we don’t know exactly what the future holds, Georgia has announced an important partnership that will help shape its future recruiting efforts. On Tuesday, in a joint press release, Georgia’s Athletic Department and Learfield announced it was creating a partnership to help guide and shape student-athletes’ future NIL revenue opportunities. “This cutting-edge collaboration will function independently from the University as a comprehensive marketing and NIL agency, leveraging Learfield Impact NIL services to provide student-athletes with unprecedented tools to build their personal brands, connect with sponsors, and earn income beyond traditional revenue-sharing models.”

Learfield is a sports and entertainment company whose mission is  “to be the most advanced media and technology company in sports and entertainment, building brands and captivating fans.” Learfield also reached a similar agreement with the University of Texas. These types of partnerships should continue to elevate the big brands of college football, like Texas and Georgia, and continue to put them at the forefront of recruiting.

Main Image: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images