Four Predictions: Georgia, Auburn, Florida, five-star flips
National Signing Day is just days away and the next few days should be electric on the recruiting trail. Get the week going with a few predictions from national recruiting analyst John Garcia, Jr.
GEORGIA WILL AGAIN SIGN THE TOP-RANKED CLASS
We’ve hinted at this at several points over the last few weeks, and it looks more reasonable than ever as December opens. Georgia is close to No. 1 Ohio State in the team rankings and the Bulldogs continue to look like the favorite to add at least one more five-star recruit to the class of 2025 by Wednesday. Other blue-chippers are certainly possible, with prospects like Turbo Rogers and Lagonza Heyward back on the market in recent days, but all eyes should be on Justus Terry.
Not only is the one-time UGA commitment the top available recruit in the Peach State, but he has been at or near the top of Kirby Smart‘s board since the 2025 class hit its stride. The program doesn’t miss many up front with that type of resume, though Alabama, Auburn and even Florida State are trying to stay in the game for the big-man from Manchester, Ga.
AT LEAST FOUR FIVE-STARS WILL FLIP IN DECEMBER
Should we have led with this? There is always drama the week of and rolling into the actual National Signing Day and this time around won’t be any different. We have already seen a few prospects near the top of the rankings have a change of heart — none bigger than Bryce Underwood and Julian Lewis in November — but even more splashes with the nation’s best appear on deck. We’ll take the over in comparing the five-star flips from November versus December, and potentially by a wide margin.
The final call is still up in the air with many top recruits, wrapping up visits on Sunday and fielding updated NIL numbers into the week all while the coaching carousel starts to spin. It will lead to considerable change, though it’s easier to see with certain recruits weighing one program against the other like David Sanders (committed to Tennessee, considering Ohio State) or Michael Carroll (Alabama, Colorado).
The next group of elite recruits holds three or more programs somehow still battling this late in the game. Offensive linemen Solomon Thomas (committed to Florida State, considering LSU, Florida) and Michael Fasusi (Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M), No. 1 athlete DJ Pickett (LSU, Georgia, Miami, Oregon) and cornerback Na’eem Offord (Ohio State, Auburn, Oregon) check this box, among others.
Then there are those elites who truly move the needle with the surprise, to the point few knew other programs are in the mix at this stage. This could be the tier Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin High School teammates Hylton Stubbs (committed to Miami) and Jaime Ffrench (Texas) lay in. We know several programs haven’t slowed down the pursuit of either though each reports solidity to their current program at last check.
AUBURN WILL VAULT ALABAMA ON WEDNESDAY
Fresh off of the Iron Bowl and the end of what perhaps both fanbases would consider disappointing regular seasons, Alabama and Auburn are neck and neck against one another on the recruiting trail. Going into the week, the Crimson Tide hold an edge in the team rankings but it is by the slimmest of margins. Of course each is working to hold onto top recruits, Carroll at Alabama and quarterback Deuce Knight among others on the Auburn side of the coin. Assuming each is able to, it could come down to which program adds a head-turning recruit late in the game.
Alabama is working on flipping wide receiver Derek Meadows from LSU. Auburn would splash even more if it is able to pull off the in-state flip of the aforementioned Offord. Both remain in the running for fellow five-star Terry, too, so the narrow margin between each class figures to continue. Where each fanbase should find solace, however, is that the margins being considered in one versus the other are to determine where in the top five of the overall class ranks each haul would finish at. It may help quell some of the current on-field let downs UA and AU presented during the season.
FLORIDA WILL FINISH WITH A TOP-10 RECRUITING CLASS
Keeping it in the SEC, the program that should run away with the best close is none other than Billy Napier and Florida. Since mid-November, the Gators have flipped an astounding nine recruits and the run is far from over. Florida has not only hosted considerable flip targets, the program remains in play for like five-stars Thomas, Stubbs and recently-back-on-the-market Lagonza Heyward, they have also been able to stay in the game for others like Rashad Johnson (Texas A&M), Dallas Wilson (Oregon), Jaime Ffrench (Texas), Joseph Mbatchou (Texas) and Onis Konanbanny (Tennessee), among others.
Momentum can come in a variety of ways and for Florida it has been a combination of several. That vote of confidence for Napier changed the fate of several prospects and the subsequent on-field success towards a seven-win season pushed those numbers even higher. Combine it with underperformances at LSU, Florida State and others in the recruiting region and the Gator commitment list will look both bigger and stronger than even a lifelong fan could have projected for this cycle. UF sits at No. 14 as of this writing, but the climb into the top 10 could be complete in very short order, as sources have indicated an even higher ceiling with some top talent going into the final hours of the cycle.
