This Sentell’s Intel rep has the latest with 4-star Ohio QB Ryan Montgomery. He ranks as the nation’s No. 19 QB and the No. 242 overall prospect for 2025 on the 247Sports Composite. The On3 Industry Ranking has him as the nation’s No. 16 QB and No. 206 overall recruit.
Ryan Montgomery was 14 years old when he took his first trip to Georgia. That was many moons ago in the summer of 2021. It was the summer before his freshman year at Findlay High School in Ohio.
He’s fresh off his most recent trip earlier this week to Athens. It is safe to say that things have changed considerably since that first connection to the University of Georgia. That came when his older brother, Luke, was an All-American OL prospect in the 2023 class.
His older brother signed with Ohio State as the nation’s No. 5 IOL and the No. 120 overall prospect on the 247Sports Composite scale.
This Athens trip was important because the 2025 signal-caller is not far from a decision. He could have his decision made by March, but that timing could fluctuate.
The visit to Athens, to put it simply, let him know where he stands with the Bulldogs after a period of uncertainty.
“I definitely am a lot more comfortable with them now,” he said. “Things kind of - I wouldn’t say dropped off - but I wasn’t in too much communication with them prior to the visit. But after the visit, I got a lot of questions answered and now they’re definitely in a very good spot with me right now.”
What was the biggest question they answered?
“Just where I kind of was on their board and if they really wanted me,” he said. “I could tell they did just by how the whole staff prioritized me during my time there.”
Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo now plans to go up to Ohio to see Ryan play basketball on January 30. His high school team is 12-0 right now and ranked No. 3 in the state.
It sounds like he’s down to a final three of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. That’s a bit of a contrast to his fall 2023 list of top five schools which went Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Penn State and South Carolina.
That’s why his trips to South Carolina and UGA over the last week matter. That’s why his trip to Florida in the first week of February will also matter.
The 4-star QB established a top 5 in August that included the likes of Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Penn State and South Carolina.
That was when it wasn’t likely for the Bulldogs to take a quarterback in the 2025 class. But that changed with the flip of 5-star Dylan Raiola to his Nebraska roots.
That has changed up.
The huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan had a series of things to say about his visit on Monday. He was initially recruited by Todd Monken. That’s the UGA staff member that he threw in front of. He hasn’t thrown yet for Bobo, but he described the current OC as “more chill” than Monken.
Montgomery was impressed last fall by “no dropoff” for Georgia under center from Stetson Bennett IV to Carson Beck. Beck went from sitting for three seasons to completing 72 percent of his passes in his first season in the SEC.
“That’s just kudos to the development that’s going on in Georgia,” he said. “Especially at the quarterback position.”
The string of a few pull quotes serves well to tell the story on their own:
- “I had a lot of questions going into the visit,” he said. “Like I said, I just feel really good now. I feel like I’m in a really good place with Georgia. They’re definitely up there on my list for sure.”
- “They are the standard in college football. I know if I go there I’m going to get developed probably better than anywhere else under Coach Bobo and Coach [Kirby] Smart. Like I said, I just feel really really good about them right now.”
- After the visit with Georgia and spending time with Coach Bobo on the board and you know learning more about their offense I do really think they do a great job of developing quarterbacks there and obviously, you can see with Carson Beck. I do really think I’d fit their offense great.”
- “One thing I would say is I’m not worried about anybody that’s ahead of me or anyone that is going to come behind me. I’m just going to look into competing with the best. Obviously, going to a place like Georgia I know I am going to compete with the best there each and every day.”
- “There’s definitely a lot of mutual interest.”
- My ideal timeline would have been the end of February or early March. But I don’t know if it is just going to be coming to a feeling of comfort. I could end up waiting and take some more spring visits. That is a possibility. But as of right now, I don’t have a clear-cut date in terms of a commitment date in terms of a commitment. Just when it feels right.”
- They’re reloading every year. Talent is not going to be an issue at Georgia and also on the defensive side of the ball. Obviously, they’re going to have a top 5 defense each and every year. So that also helps with, you know, you don’t have to be a superhero as a quarterback. You don’t have to make every single play, right?”
- “I mean [the SEC] is the best conference in college football. There’s no week off like every week honestly is going to be a rivalry week. It is the best conference in college football.”
- “NIL doesn’t really factor on me. Obviously, I want to take advantage of it but that’s not going to be a factor in my decision whatsoever. I just want to go to a place that is going to develop me the best and where I think I can be the most successful at. That’s really what goes into my decision. NIL really doesn’t factor at all for me.”
- No matter where I go, my mentality going in is I’m going to compete for the starting job. I’m going to get the starting job. Obviously, that’s going to be super hard to do as a true freshman. You know it is more likely that’ll not happen at a place like Georgia. But that’s just going to be my mentality going in and I know if Georgia ends up being the place if I don’t start year two or year one or year two I think I will be perfectly fine knowing that I am going to keep getting developed and keep getting those practice reps and when my number is called and the time is right I’m going to go out there and perform really well.”
Ryan Montgomery: Why the ‘Dawgs have his full recruiting attention
There was a visit last May. The back-to-back defending national champions were eating off the floor of the practice field that day.
That has stayed with Ryan and his family. They’ve never seen a college football team get after one another like they saw the ‘Dawgs do that day.
And they’ve seen a lot between the recruitment on the Montgomery brothers.
The way that Georgia goes about its business every day sticks with him.
“When we visited for that spring practice I mean it was the most intense practice we’ve ever seen,” he said. “Coach Smart was just ripping into people all practice. That’s going to get the best out of your players. That’s definitely something that impresses me a lot. At the time, they were back-to-back champions and they were still practicing as if they hadn’t won a national championship. They were practicing super hard and that’s something that really impresses me.”
Montgomery said he relished the chance to “talk ball” with the UGA staff. Coach Bobo and offensive analyst Montgomery Van Gorder were with him the whole time he was in Athens.
“My favorite thing to do on these visits is to just talk ball with my position coach,” he said. “I was super impressed and you know he definitely saw a lot of similarities between Carson and I and that’s just pretty cool.”
He said the UGA staff didn’t talk about any plan for how many QBs they will take in 2025. Or what that might mean if another talented QB wants to join the program.
The recruiting puzzle for Montgomery could potentially be complicated in Athens. The recent reclassification of newly-minted 5-star Julian Lewis of Carrollton High School to the 2025 class is something the Bulldogs will have to give a good look to. He is a special talent, but he is also still committed to playing at USC.
Lewis will now be able to enroll early in January 2025.
Without mentioning Lewis, he said he did speak with Smart about Georgia’s QB plans in the next cycle.
“I had a conversation with Coach Smart about it,” he said. “I won’t really go into detail about that. Just going to keep it with me and my family. But we’ll see where it goes from here. I know that they do really like me and I’m super interested in Georgia. We’re just going to have to see where it goes from here.”
Montgomery also feels Florida and South Carolina have earned the significant consideration they carry in his recruitment.
“They’ve been true to me since the day they started recruiting me,” he said. ‘They have been super awesome to be in contact with. Obviously, I’m super close with [South Carolina offensive coordinator] Coach [Dowell] Loggains and coach [Shane] Beamer at South Carolina. I can say the same about coach [Billy] Napier and [offensive analyst] coach [Ryan] O’Hara at Florida. They’ve been in contact with me a lot. We are probably on the phone like once a week. They’ve never wavered. I definitely feel very comfortable with those two programs as well.”
Ryan Montgomery: How his high school offense has prepared him
Montgomery’s game found a new gear this past fall. The rising senior clicked with a new offensive coordinator and an offense that was geared to mainline what he does best with his skill set.
He completed 71 percent of his passes for more than 3,300 yards. He threw 38 touchdowns and scored another 10 times on the ground. He broke former Pittsburgh Steelers great Ben Roethlisberger’s school record for passing yards in a game with a 491-yard effort.
That’s something, right? His high school has Roethlisberger jerseys and pics all over the trophy cases.
The 2025 4-star prospect said he grew up watching “Big Ben” and Tom Brady as big pocket passers who just carved up defenses. He also said he studied NFL rookie C.J. Stroud a lot over the past year.
“How he carries himself on the field and off the field is super impressive,” Montgomery said.
His high school team was in “Empty” sets for about 90 percent of the snaps last fall.
“That’s the best thing we can do offensively here,” he said. “Just with the talent we have and under my circumstance with our team. I do really enjoy it. There is a lot of - I wouldn’t say pressure on me - but everything kind of falls on my hands. Every single play, right? I’m giving line calls. I’m giving signals to receivers. I can check plays. I have the right to do that in the offense.”
“It has been pretty fun. I really do like going five wide and getting to sling it around 40 to 50 times a game, right? But obviously, that’s not realistic at the next level. I know that. What I am looking for offensively at the next level is more of a Pro-Style offense, you know? Meaning you can run and pass the ball. An offense that will get me to the next level after college to the NFL which is also my dream.”
Montgomery said he measured at 6 feet, 3.5 inches without shoes for the UGA staff. He weighed in at 210 pounds with a hand size of 9.75 inches.
He was asked a question about fit with Georgia. How did he think Georgia fit him? The answer here was probably one of the most revealing of the entire interview.
“I will just say like my mindset and their mindset,” he said. “I think obviously their mentality like I kind of explained earlier. Just how intense their practices are and how, you know that whole program just carries themselves. Like we are going to outwork everybody. That’s kind of how I am, too. I’m never going to be satisfied. I’m going to work harder than anybody. I’m going to put a lot of time into the game. I just think that’s definitely huge and that’s kind of something that fits really well with me and Georgia.”
“We’re going to outwork anybody. I don’t care who I’m up against. I’m going to be the most prepared of anybody. I would say that’s the biggest thing.”
Check out his junior year with his Findlay Trojans below.
SENTELL'S INTEL
(check on the recent reads on Georgia football recruiting)
