ATHENS — When you finish with the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the 2024 cycle, odds are you had some assistant coaches putting in overtime to pull and keep a class together.

Georgia did that with its 2024 class, as the Bulldogs signed a total of 28 prospects. Per the 247Sports Composite rankings, 10 of them rank inside the top 100 and five of them are 5-star recruits.

It wasn’t just Kirby Smart pulling all the strings, as multiple assistants earned national recognition for the jobs they did during the 2024 recruiting cycle. Rivals named Georgia defensive line coach Tray Scott its Recruiter of the Year, while former Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown earned the honor for 247Sports.

Georgia Director of Recruiting & Player Relations David Cooper was also recognized by 247Sports for being one of the best off-field recruiters.

Scott inked five defensive linemen in this cycle, with Joseph Jonah-Ajonye being the biggest win. Jonah-Ajonye, who is already on campus, finished as the No. 25 overall prospect in the class.

Given how past Georgia defensive linemen like Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Travon Walker have developed, it’s no surprise that Scott is able to land some of the top defensive line prospects in the country.

As for Brown, he helped pull together an elite crop of defensive backs. Prior to leaving for the Syracuse job, Brown earned commitments from 5-star cornerback Ellis Robinson, 4-star cornerback DeMello Jones and 4-star cornerback Ondre Evans.

Brown also helped Georgia ultimately land 5-star safety KJ Bolden, even if Brown was gone by the time Bolden signed with Georgia.

All four Georgia defensive back signees are top 100 prospects.

“Fran was unbelievable. He came here with a purpose,” Smart said in December. “He told every kid he recruited he wanted to be a head coach, said, ‘I want to be at Georgia until I’m a head coach, and I want to be a head coach, and if I get to be a head coach, then I’m leaving Georgia, but I’m going to leave Georgia in a better place than I found it.’ He did everything he said he was going to do, and we did everything we said we were going to do in terms of preparing him for that and giving him the pedigree of a National Championship and the way to run a program.

Georgia replaced Brown with USC defensive backs coach Donte Williams. Georgia also had former Alabama cornerbacks coach Travaris Robinson step in for Will Muschamp this offseason. Like Brown, both Williams and Robinson are regarded as some of the top recruiters in the country.

Glenn Schumann, Dell McGee, Todd Hartley and Stacy Searels also brought in strong positional hauls during the 2024 recruiting cycle. Georgia signed the No. 1 overall player at four different positions and signed a top 100 overall player at running back, tight end, offensive tackle, defensive line, inside linebacker, cornerback and safety.

Since Smart became Georgia’s head coach, the Bulldogs have consistently been one of the best recruiting programs in the country. In addition to Smart himself being a legendary recruiter, he understands you need great assistants as well.

Georgia clearly has that, as the Bulldogs put together another elite signing class in the 2024 cycle.

“A lot of credit goes to our staff,” Smart said. “Our coaches have done a tremendous job in what is an extremely difficult time. But most of our class was done. I think this might’ve been the earliest class we’ve ever had the numbers committed. I’m really proud of them and looking forward to kinda indoctrinating these guys into our culture and getting them better.”