It’s the first of the month: Three Georgia storylines for October

‘Wake up, get up it’s the first of the month’ (well, second) and Georgia is 5-0 on the football field and No. 1 in the 2024 Industry Football Team Recruiting Rankings and No. 2 in the 2025 edition.

The Bulldogs are still atop the AP poll as the top-ranked program in college football after a daring escape from Jordan Hare Stadium.

Things have begun getting interesting on the recruiting trail. There are multiple storylines to follow as Georgia continues to retool for the future.

I’ve been mulling over three major storylines going into the month on the recruiting trail. Here they are.

Who lands five-star defensive linemen LJ McCray and Aydin Breland?

Georgia is considered a contender for both. There are other options for both. McCray will travel to Tallahassee this weekend.

The No. 8 overall prospect in the On3 Rankings is set for his official visit to Florida State on Saturday.

Florida State and Mike Norvell have proven to be a formidable foe once players get on campus. The on-the-field product is intriguing as well. Florida State is the fifth-ranked team in America right now.

What happens after will be interesting. A conversation with McCray last month pointed toward the mid-fall as decision time and a potential return visit to Georgia being possible. That hasn’t happened yet. He won’t be in Athens this week so that puts his next potential stop in Athens in November when Georgia hosts Missouri.

That will also be a development to watch. McCray expressed that he’s still really feeling all five of the programs on his board.

“I definitely like Georgia, there’s not too much to not like about Georgia,” McCray said. “They’re super detailed and they’re winning. Those are two important things that I see out of Georgia…Georgia is definitely up there, but I feel like I’m kind of in love with all five of my top five schools right now. It’s going to be a super hard decision. I have relationships with all the coaching staffs. It’s going to be super hard to pick one of them.”

There are a few more knowns with Breland. He will commit on Oct. 14. Georgia, Oregon and Miami are the contenders.

Coincidently, he has already made his way to campus this fall. His relationship with running back commit Nathaniel Frazier, the opportunity to develop and compete for titles are things that make Georgia a real contender for the five-star from Mater Dei.

On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine favors the Dawgs at the moment. Georgia has a 26.7 percent chance of landing the five-star according to RPM.

Michai Boireau is also a name to keep in mind as well. His recruitment is also expected to go deeper into the fall. Georgia will be heavily involved here and has already gotten him on campus once since he decommitted from Florida.

How many more times will five-star safety KJ Bolden be back in Athens?

A lot.

“I’ll probably be up there one more time, two more times or three more times, you never know,” Bolden said on Friday night.

Bolden already teased that he could be in town a few more times before the season is over which means he’ll see the Bulldogs a few more times before the early signing period opens.

That’s not bad news. Bolden also continues to hear from Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and the respect has been mutual for years. Bolden may actually end up in Tallahassee but Georgia will remain a part of the narrative all the way up to that signature hits the paper.

New names becoming factors

High school seasons are in full swing around the country. There are also some new names that have become hot in the Georgia recruiting circles.

Two of them are in the class of 2025. The first, former Penn State offensive lineman Jaeylne Matthews. The four-star tackle was in town two weekends ago to watch Georgia host UAB.

The Dawgs have also been heavily involved since and before he decommitted from the Nittany Lions. RPM has Georgia out front comfortably at the moment.

The other new name has been Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove running back Bo Walker. Walker added an offer at the first of last month and has been on campus twice since he picked it up.

RPM has Georgia as a runaway leader at the moment.

Georgia also lost the commitment of four-star Ny Carr last week. That also could mean more wide receivers could be in play.

It’s unclear who that will be. Sources have indicated that Georgia hasn’t popped back into the recruitments of five-stars Mike Matthews (Tennessee commit) and Cam Coleman (Texas A&M commit) yet. That could also quickly change.

Georgia hasn’t offered any new 2024 wideouts yet. The class of 2025 could also see an intensification. Names like Caleb Cunningham, Talyn Taylor, CJ Wiley, Thomas Blackshear, Travis Smith and Edward ‘Doopah’ Edwards could become that much more vital over the next few months. All of those pass catchers have been on campus this season with the exception of Blackshear and Edwards.

What to watch

This weekend is the biggest recruiting opportunity for this month. Georgia hosts Kentucky with a stranglehold in the SEC East on the line.

It will also be a nationally televised night game. Georgia has a chance to get multiple major targets on campus this weekend. Coincidently, they opened the season with four home games. As a result, games in Sanford Stadium will become scarce over the next month.

The recruiting staff will look to come in hot on Saturday.

The post It’s the first of the month: Three Georgia storylines for October appeared first on On3.

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