This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting has the latest with 4-star junior Aaron Gregory. He ranks as the nation’s No. 5 WR and No. 31 overall prospect for 2026 on the 247Sports Composite. The On3 Industry Ranking has him as the No. 4 WR and No. 31 overall.
Let’s take a second to turn the hands of time back about two-and-a-half months. That’s when the handwriting was on the wall for Georgia.
It wasn’t good.
The Dawgs were on the way to watching another highly skilled in-state WR get away from the Peach State.
Douglas County’s Aaron Gregory is rated the nation’s No. 4 WR for the On3 aggregate. He’s No. 5 nationally on the 247Sports algorithm. But he wasn’t feeling the Dawgs at all this summer.
That’s because it didn’t seem like the Dawgs were interested in him.
“No contact,” was how Gregory described it.
That was until wide receivers coach James Coley and Kirby Smart stepped in like the popular streetwise “Omar” character in the critically acclaimed “The Wire” television series.
Coley coming.
Kirby coming.
That meant the Dawgs were coming. Finally.
“He got his 2025 class and he came right after me,” Gregory said of Coley. “It’s been on and on and on since. Georgia, they, I’m loving them right now. I’m loving them.”
That’s because he’s going to love who loves him.
“Exactly,” Gregory said. “I’m going to go where ever who shows me love. I tell everybody this. I want to play of course, but if you show me love [I’m going to] show you love. I’m going to go where ever the love is being shown.”
There’s an interesting recruiting situation in Douglasville. The Tigers have not one but two receivers in 2026 that Coley and Smart would dance like Deadpool to N’Sync if they found a way to sign.
Gregory’s update comes today on the pages of DawgNation.com. NFL and FSU legacy Devin Carter’s story is set to go tomorrow.
How did Coley get UGA right back into the mix?
“So I’m right here [in Georgia] and he’s been telling me to come down and we’re going to do this and that and just vibe and just chilling,” he said. “Hitting my phone. Texting me a little bit. Just chilling.”
What does the Augusta native like the most about the Dawgs right now? That’s a good question.
“Ooh,” he said. “I like how they are like, well, everybody thinks that Georgia is a run-run school. But they’ve gotten diverse as the years have gone on. Especially last year and this year. From the practices I have seen, they are definitely going to throw it [this year].”
What can Georgia show Gregory this fall to reinforce that? Does the program need to have a Dawg crack the hallowed 1,000-yard mark in receiving? Maybe two? What about Carson Beck winning the Heisman Trophy as a QB?
It won’t take that much there for Gregory. He’s already seen growth.
“Just the technique of the receivers has gotten way different,” Gregory said. “From coach Coley to BMac. BMac definitely did do a great job but Coley has taken his work and elevated it a lot.”
Where was UGA in his mind before this summer surge?
“They had offered me originally but I still, like I said earlier, I wasn’t getting a lot of contact so they were real low,” Gregory said. “Love is all I need.”
How did they do it? It started with a camp visit and a slight injury of all things.
“It was actually from our 7-on-7 game,” Gregory said. “Coach Coley pulled me aside and talked to me. Kirby pulled me aside and talked to me. They’ve been texting me ever since.”
The Bulldogs are now “up there” with Texas A&M and Tennessee as far as the schools that reach out to Gregory the most.
“Definitely,” Gregory said.
The 4-star wideout said Smart is also playing a role.
“I was originally hurt at their camp,” Gregory said. “I had a quad contusion. I got hit in the back of the end zone. He was just telling me to see the trainers. That ‘they will ice you up’ and he was just showing me love and just talking to me.”
Gregory now feels like a priority to UGA. That’s a big jump. Georgia and Gregory are now in contact several times weekly, including “two or three” times on the weekend.
What was it like before that?
“None,” he said while smiling. “For real.”
That “zero” to “potential 2026 hero” has grabbed his attention.
“Definitely,” he said
That will create a big foothold in the efforts to land one of the most sought-after prospects in the state for the 2026 class.
What will the ideal school have to show Gregory?
“Just the relationship with me,” Gregory said. “That’s one. Then taking care of my parents and my sisters. That’s really it. Just taking care of the fam.”
He has a rough decision timeline in mind.
“I think I want to commit by spring,” he said. “If not, December-ish. I’m definitely going to be an early enrollee on campus to get the playbook down and all of that.”
Aaron Gregory: We interrupt this recruiting update for the real 💯
Reread that part about “family” with Gregory. His inner circle means a great deal.
That’s not just because his six-year-old sister is so stinking cute she could make the saltiest of coaches smile if she came up for a hug during pregame.
That’s exactly how she had Douglas County’s Johnny T. White smiling before that scrimmage when she trotted out to see him with a big white ribbon in her hair.
It was not just the sweet way his mother and oldest sister swallowed him in hugs mid-interview he finished that scrimmage.
It was all of it.
That was evident while checking out the fresh ink Gregory got this summer before his junior season. There are three roses there for his two sisters and his mother.
“It is my little sister Savanna and Trinyty and then my mom Rhonda,” he said.
That body art was his idea to honor six-year-old Savannah and his 20-year-old sister Trinity.
His sisters and mother are his “why” in this great game.
“I want to get my sister’s whatever they want,” Gregory said. “For real. My little sister says she wants a Lambo truck. I am going to get it for her.”
The way he’s playing so far, he just might.
What’s the scouting report on Aaron Gregory?
Gregory is an incredible talent. He’s rated among the nation’s top five receivers in the class, but when I’ve seen him work over the years I always felt he could be a Kyle Hamilton or even an Eric Berry-level talent at safety.
The thinking there was he could play four or five years in the NFL as a receiver, but might play seven or eight years at safety. That’s how diverse his skill set is here.
But that was last year’s evaluation. He might have just leveled up his long-term future on both sides. That was the takeaway while watching him play against Lithia Springs last Friday night in a scrimmage.
Watching what he did to track the football in the air was uncanny. He caught at least four deep balls that all traveled at least 30-35 yards in the air. That said, every one of those was called back.
There was one throw that was clearly out of bounds and he contorted his body like an acrobat to catch it anyway. It was at least two yards out of bounds, but it looked like he snatched it anyway to prove he could.
When asked about it afterward, he had another take.
“Just didn’t want it to hit the track and get scuffed up,” he said. “Our QBs don’t want to see their balls scuffed up.”
That’s some legit ball hawk talk there.
According to MaxPreps, he had 41 catches for 795 yards and eight scores in 2023. Those grabs were good for 19.4 yards per reception. He’s set goals for 1,200 yards and nine TDs for 2024. He wants two interceptions on defense.
“Junior season,” he said. “Just trying to stay healthy and do what I know I can do.”
The 6-foot-3, 178-pounder proved to be a willing run blocker. He’s unselfish and very coachable. When he needed more information on his assignments, he found his coaches and absorbed what he needed.
Check out Gregory’s sophomore film below. That reel from his playoff highlights. It still stretches 4:27 in length.
That says something about his skill set there, too.
SENTELL’S INTEL
(check on the recent reads on Georgia football recruiting)
