Georgia-Clemson may not have the same annual rivalry stakes that a Georgia-Florida or Georgia-Auburn does, but there is still plenty of overlap between the two teams.
Clemson is actually closer to Athens than Georgia Tech is, and the schools often go head-to-head on the recruiting trail. From Trevor Lawrence to DeShaun Watson, Clemson has long had success recruiting the state of Georgia.
So there’s more than a handful of players on both sides who know each other well.
“Being from Georgia, I know more than a few guys on the team and it’s been really just friendly smack talk. Nothing crazy going on,” Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter said at ACC Media Days. “But they’re excited, we’re excited, so just just looking forward to competing against them.”
Carter was a 5-star linebacker in the 2021 recruiting cycle out of North Gwinnett High School in the Metro Atlanta area. Georgia signed 5-star prospect Smael Mondon, from Dallas, Ga., in that same cycle.
Jefferson High School in Jefferson, Ga. has sent 5-star prospects to both schools. Malaki Starks signed with Georgia as a member of the 2022 recruiting class and has become one of the top players in the country.
The Tigers landed Sammy Brown in this past cycle, hoping he would follow in the footsteps of Carter and Starks.
“There’s nothing better than facing a good team. We’ve got a bunch of good teams on our schedule, they just happen to be one of them, so I’m excited to see what we can do,” Starks said at SEC media days. “One of my friends I went to high school with, Sammy Brown, is down there now, so it’s going to be exciting to go back and forth with him.”
Of Clemson’s 21 signees in the 2024 recruiting cycle, eight came from the state of Georgia. The two have battled on the recruiting trail in 2025 for the likes of Bryce Davis, Tae Harris and Christian Garrett.
The two teams will take their recruiting battles to the field this fall, as they open the 2024 season against each other on Aug. 31. Georgia and Clemson last met to start the 2021 season, with Georgia winning that game 10-3. The win proved pivotal for the Bulldogs as it launched a national championship season.
Clemson has not made the College Football Playoff since that loss to Georgia. The Bulldogs are 41-2 since the end of that game.
These two teams have future home-and-homes scheduled for the 2029-30 seasons and the 2032-33 seasons. This year will be the last chance these two have a chance to match up in the regular season for a while, but they’ll continue to do battle on the recruiting trail.
And potentially in the College Football Playoff as well, given the caliber of recruit both programs have proven they can land.
“To open up our season against a high caliber team like Georgia, it’s very exciting because we prepare every single game like it’s the national championship. But Georgia, they’ve arguably been the best team in college football the past couple of years,” Carter said. “So I’m just excited for the opportunity to compete against them and just looking forward to the matchup.”
