This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting has the latest with 4-star DL Christian Garrett. He ranks as the nation’s No. 15 DL and the No. 129 overall prospect for 2025 on the 247Sports Composite. The On3 Industry Ranking has him as the No. 10 DL and at No. 128 overall.

There is some “extra” momentum now with Georgia football recruiting.

The program has tacked on four recruits in the last eight days. That’s allowed the 2025 recruiting class to surge from No. 12 to No. 4 in the national rankings. Part of it was volume. The Bulldogs had far fewer commitments than the national leaders had.

But that hot streak is a brief snapshot of the overall strength of the program.

Georgia now has the best coach in college football. The point can also be made without rolling up one’s sleeves that the program is the strongest in college football.

The NFL development is at the top of the mountain. UGA has sent 33 players and 10 first-round picks to that Sunday league over the last three years. The Bulldogs have won 42 of 44 games with two “Natties” since the 2021 season.

That’s a formidable resume. But there is something else there with homegrown recruits in Georgia. Georgia’s class now includes nine recruits from The Peach State.

Those were the standout prospects who wanted to play for the Dawgs back when they were in Pee Wee football. They were pups when Georgia once went 24-16 across three seasons.

But they still dreamed of being Dawgs.

Recent DL commitment Christian Garrett was one of those young fans. That picture atop this story is of his present-day bedroom.

That “Fathead” wall decal went up in his room for Christmas when he was eight years old. Christian’s room got the Bulldog makeover. His older brother got the Falcons.

“When he was younger, he had all the bedding,” his mother Dee Dee Garrett said. “He doesn’t have that now but he had the Georgia bedding, the rug and all that stuff. I’ll never forget that Christmas that I decorated his room.”

It makes one wonder how the Tigers, Vols and the Yellow Jackets can win recruiting battles for blue chips when the Dawgs win like that, develop like that and then guys like Garrett had a “Fathead” in their bedroom.

Did his family know that pledge was likely coming?

“You know, I did,” his mother Dee Dee Garrett said. “I did know that was coming. He has been a Georgia fan since he was a kid. I did I guess and I didn’t. I can say it like that. Because he really was interested in the other three schools that he had narrowed it down to.”

“I think the official visit is what nailed it down for him. In my heart of hearts and I think his Dad’s and his brother’s as well, we pretty much knew that he wanted to play for Georgia. It was just a lot of different variables that the other schools offered, but we went on that official visit that’s what did it for him.”

When players commit to the G and have a lifelong appreciation for the program, it just ... means more.

Especially in the thick of this modern era of NIL inducements to sway decisions.

4-star DL Christian Garrett has a "Fathead" Georgia football helmet wall decal in his bedroom. It has been up in his room since he was eight years old. He got his bedroom decorated out in UGA colors and logs for Chrstmas that year. (Courtesy photo) (Courtesy photo/Dawgnation)

How did the Christian Garrett commitment go down?

The story of his commitment to the G is also memorable.

When he was sitting at the table with Scott around 1 p.m. on the last day of his official visit, he had some news for Scott and his parents.

“This is it,” Garrett said. “I’m going to commit.”

“Of course, the mom in me was like ‘Ok’ and ‘let’s make sure’ and he said he wanted to commit,” his mother Dee Dee Garrett said. “He was actually going to tell them and continue on with the other two visits.”

The Garretts had planned a decision reveal party for a public announcement on July 20. There was an early thought of making a silent commitment and continuing with those officials and those plans.

But that changed while they were sitting at a table waiting to talk with Coach Smart. That came at the end of that official.

“He said ‘Ma I just want to shut it down” and ‘I’m done’ and I said ‘Ok, it is your decision and if that’s what you want and you’re happy with coming here and you know it then there’s no need to waste anybody else’s time,’” she said.

“I want to shut it down,” Christian Garrett said.

The look on his face said everything.

That was right before they walked into Smart’s office. His mother shared what happened there as Smart started talking to them.

“Did you get everything out of the official visit you needed?” Smart said. “Did you get all your questions answered?”

Christian Garrett gave Smart an answer he wasn’t expecting.

“I’m committed Coach,” he said.

Smart immediately jumped up and hugged Garrett.

“That’s how it went down,” his mother said.

The Garretts loved their Clemson visit. His mother said they loved the relationships they built with the coaches at the other schools. She singled out the work that Georgia Tech’s staff had done prioritizing him.

“It wasn’t like he centered his recruiting around the University of Georgia,” she said. “He let it be about going through that process.”

That decision was made in the middle of the official.

“It was definitely spontaneous,” his mother said. “We had no idea. We were all ready for those two other visits. We had already made plans with the other two schools. We wouldn’t waste their time. We didn’t know. We wouldn’t have been setting up car rides and the visits and setting up where we’re going to stay for the official visits if he had known he was going to commit to Georgia.”

“It was that official visit. I think that it confirmed everything that he and Coach Scott had built over time. For me as his mom, it also answered all of my additional questions.”

The Garretts might not have known.

But maybe that “Fathead” graphic on his wall always did.

4-star DL Christian Garrett became the 11th commitment of Georgia's 2025 class with his decision on Sunday, June 9, 2025, after his official visit. (Courtesy photo/DawgNation Illustration) (DawgNation Illustration/Dawgnation)

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What else do you need to know about Christian Garrett’s commitment?

It is interesting to point out that Garrett is just 17 years old. He will not turn 18 until February 14, 2025. He was a Valentine’s Day baby.

For him to be 6 feet, 4 inches and 280 pounds and still be 17 years and four months old says a lot about the type of potential he’ll unlock playing for Tray Scott.

Garrett lives in Monroe and goes to private school at Prince Avenue Christian. While it may be only 15 minutes for him to get to UGA from Bogart, it is an approximate 40-minute drive from his home in Monroe.

While that “Fathead” story has happened before with UGA recruits, the last one I can recall who had that wall graphic up when they chose Georgia was former All-American Chris Smith II.

That career worked well for Smith, the Dawgs and those championship runs.

Here’s another time stamp to consider. The rising high school seniors in the 2025 class were either eight or nine years old when Kirby Smart got the UGA job in December 2015.

Here’s what the Bulldogs have done since they could pay close attention to college football.

Those last three years are pretty telling. This current crop of high school seniors has not seen the Bulldogs lose a regular season game since they have been in high school.

Have you subscribed to the DawgNation YouTube channel yet? If so, you will see special 1-on-1 content with key 2025 prospects like Ethan Barbour, Julian Lewis, Travis Smith Jr. and David Sanders Jr.

SENTELL’S INTEL

(check on the recent reads on Georgia football recruiting)