The most recent installment of DawgNation’s “Before the Hedges” weekly live recruiting program called to attention the five biggest programs in the way for the best possible Georgia recruiting class for the 2021 cycle.

Given how Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs have been going of late, that would mean another No. 1 national class. If so, that reality would match what the Bulldogs did in claiming the nation’s No. 1 class on the 247Sports Team Composite rankings in both 2018 and 2020.

Which schools are in the way? We counted them down on “Hedges” this week.

  • 5. Auburn (Looks to be the biggest rival for the Bulldogs in the chase for 5-star LB Smael Mondon Jr.)
  • 4. Michigan (The Bulldogs are trying to pull 4-star RB Donovan Edwards out of Michigan
  • 3. North Carolina (Tar Heels loom as the top contender to UGA for 5-star CB Tony Grimes)
  • 2. Clemson (Recently offered priority OLB Dallas Turner and are in the final 3 for 5-star S James Williams)
  • 1. Alabama (The Crimson Tide has been the leader for Turner and are major contenders for OT Amarius Mims, LB Xavian Sorey Jr. and 5-star safety James Williams.)

Want more detail? Sure you do.

Check out the full episode of this week’s “Before the Hedges” below.

DAWGNATION “BEFORE THE HEDGES” 

Top Targets for 5/20/2020
  • 8. 4-star OG Dylan Fairchild (West Forsyth/Cumming, Ga. 
  • 7. 4-star OL Terrence Ferguson/Peach County/Fort Valley, Ga. 
  • 6. 4-star ILB Smael Mondon Jr./Paulding County/Dallas, Ga.
  • 5. 5-star ILB Smael Mondon Jr./Paulding County/Dallas, Ga.
  • 4. 4-star RB Donovan Edwards/West Bloomfield/West Bloomfield, Mich.
  • 3. 5-star OT Amarius Mims/Bleckley County/Cochran, Ga. 
  • 2. 5-star S James Williams/American Heritage/Plantation, Fla.
  • 1. 5-star CB Tony Grimes/Princess Anne/Virginia Beach, Va. 

The “Hedges” program extends its weekly “top targets” feature out to 13 names in the embedded video streams above.

2021 Georgia commits

Current national ranking: No. 20 overall (7 commitments)

(All ratings from the 247Sports Composite)

(Includes change in overall ranking from the 5/13/20 edition of “Before the Hedges”)

  • 5-star QB Brock Vandagriff/Prince Avenue Christian/Bogart, Ga.

6-3/205/Nation’s No. 2 dual-threat QB/No. 12 overall (No change)

  • 4-star Micah Morris/Camden County/Kingsland, Ga.

6-5/325/Nation’s No. 7 OT/No. 61 overall (No change)

 

  •  4-star ATH David Daniel/Woodstock HS/Woodstock, Ga.

6-2/193/Nation’s No. 4 ATH/No. 84 overall (Up 3 spots overall)

  • 4-star RB Lovasea Carroll/IMG Academy/Bradenton, Fla. 

6-1/199/Nation’s No. 7 RB/No. 118 overall (Up 5 spots overall)

  • 4-star DE Jonathan Jefferson (Projects to DT)

6-4/270/Nation’s No. 14 SDE and No. 145 overall (Down 1 spot overall)

  • 4-star OLB Elijah Jeudy

6-3/244/Nation’s No. 10 weak-side DE and No. 167 overall (Down 4 spots overall)

  • 3-star DT Marlin Dean/Elbert County/Elberton, Ga.

6-5 and 265/Nation’s No. 35 DT/No. 449 overall (Down 17 spots overall)

DAWGNATION RECRUITING

(the recent reads on DawgNation.com)