The Georgia Bulldogs are so close they can almost taste it. Since head coach Kirby Smart took over in 2016, UGA has earned a trip to the College Football Playoff Championship and played in the Sugar Bowl in back-to-back seasons.
While Bulldog fans await their first national championship since 1980 and the days of Herschel Walker, one thing's for sure: they can't knock Smart and his coaching staff's recruiting abilities. They've reeled in three top-five recruiting classes in each of the last three years and they don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
That's right, Georgia has officially locked in the nation's No. 1 recruiting class in 2020. The Bulldogs edged out the Alabama Crimson Tide, Clemson Tigers and LSU Tigers for the top spot this year.
It's the second time in three years that UGA has turned in the No. 1 class. Georgia finished first in 2018 and second in 2019. Four-star defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson's commitment to Texas A&M over Alabama officially ensured Nick Saban's team wouldn't leapfrog the Bulldogs this year in the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings.
Despite losing starting quarterback Jake Fromm to the NFL, Georgia added the country's top transfer quarterback and should be fine moving forward thanks to its most recent group of incoming high school players.
Georgia's No. 1 Recruiting Class
Signed ✔️
Welcome @millionairemov3 ‼️#GoDawgs #ATD pic.twitter.com/FaCc0jQNVJ
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) February 5, 2020
Georgia will welcome four five-star recruits in the 2020 class to Athens. They include the nation's No. 1 cornerback Kelee Ringo, No. 2 offensive lineman Broderick Jones, No. 4 defensive tackle Jalen Carter and No. 23 overall athlete Darnell Washington.
The Bulldogs' 2020 class also includes 15 four-star prospects, including outside linebacker Mekhail Sherman, offensive tackle Tate Ratledge and running back Kendall Milton.
What's impressive about Georgia's class is that it doesn't just feature players in the school's backyard. UGA signed 10 of the top 60 players, including from states like Arizona, California, Nevada and Florida.
Georgia faced stiff competition from other SEC programs as well as Clemson and Ohio State.
Alabama secured four five-stars, including the nation's No. 1 player in quarterback Bryce Young. Clemson reeled in No. 2 overall player in defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, one of the Tigers' five five-star recruits. LSU signed three top-25 players, one of which was No. 1 tight end Arik Gilbert. Ohio State inked two top-10 players in wide receiver Julian Fleming and offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr.
The 2020 team rankings still have to be finalized as National Signing Day winds down. Here are the top 50 NCAA recruiting classes according to 247Sports:
2020 Recruiting Class Rankings
1. Georgia
The New Breed is Here 🦴🐾#ATD #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/GkUewqnEIS
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) February 5, 2020
2. Alabama
Javon Baker, Welcome to BAMA’S #NEXXTWAVE@javondbaker7 #NEXXTWAVE #RollTide pic.twitter.com/5PZXl9n6MI
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) February 5, 2020
3. Clemson
#We2Deep20: The class so good, we made a movie about it.
🚨World Premiere of "𝙏𝙬𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝙏𝙬𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙮" tomorrow at 10amET🚨
The most in-depth, exclusive look into Clemson Football recruiting ever made, told through the story of the 2020 class.
Get your popcorn ready. 🍿🎞️ pic.twitter.com/aFG09YybZ0
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) February 5, 2020
4. LSU
Hold That Tiger!
Welcome to the family, Alex Adams! #GeauxTigers pic.twitter.com/AwXD6VtGnY
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) February 5, 2020
5. Ohio State
The 2020 Class 😤#XXclusive #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/cMCadx7QzP
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) February 5, 2020
6. Texas A&M
Mississippi’s man in the middle.
Welcome to Aggieland, @macFresco99!#GigEmGang20 ✍️🎞️ pic.twitter.com/LYLLx13IiO
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) February 5, 2020
7. Auburn
Time to put the finishing touches on the 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ class! #WarEagle x #AUNSD20 pic.twitter.com/LoWvj9IMIF
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) February 5, 2020
8. Florida
Let's go!! ✊#GatorGangXX 🐊 https://t.co/MaG4phnYi1 pic.twitter.com/wDz7vTdLPB
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) February 5, 2020
9. Texas
CloUT2020. Who’s next? 🤫#ThisIsTexas #HookEm pic.twitter.com/jRkTPPuGdf
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) February 5, 2020
10. Oklahoma
Here's what the #Sooners are getting in ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ OLB @iamreggiegrimes.https://t.co/UIEQKy7GzE | #20Deep#DareToBeDifferent pic.twitter.com/2tRaBZ4kbw
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) February 5, 2020
11. Oregon
.@coach_cristobal and the coaching staff are live breaking down the 2020 recruiting class.#GoDucks | #20regonhttps://t.co/h11sZHIRhp
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) February 5, 2020
12. Miami
ESPN's No. 1 safety in America is headed to Coral Gables.
Welcome to the U, @SlowDownBoy7! #Category20 pic.twitter.com/MnEDwp0q4b
— Canes Football (@CanesFootball) February 5, 2020
13. Michigan
Inside the building of Michigan's 2020 recruiting class. From A.J. Henning turning around to commit, to finding Dan Villari late in the process, the background on the recruits and their stories.https://t.co/EfTn6oH8NW pic.twitter.com/Cqq6w0zW5z
— Allen Trieu (@AllenTrieu) February 4, 2020
14. Penn State
🎙 Tune in live for @coachjfranklin's #PSUSigningDay press conference at 12:30 PM!
Facebook Live: https://t.co/DmOxSqGRRb
LionVision: https://t.co/cfwOdyzgO5#WeAre pic.twitter.com/VpaPiuiboN
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) February 5, 2020
15. Tennessee
Can’t wait to start coaching this group. #2THET0P #PoweredByTheT pic.twitter.com/9bRO1tpiBb
— Jeremy Pruitt (@CoachJPruitt) February 5, 2020
16. Washington
These Dawgs showed out and made their case.@shrinebowl@NFLPABowl @seniorbowl @AllStarFBall #PurpleReign pic.twitter.com/oJukQ0mt95
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) February 3, 2020
17. Notre Dame
The newest members of our #NDFamily made it official on National Signing Day. #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/jMS8TVVTLO
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) February 5, 2020
18. South Carolina
Football City, USA to The Capital City!
Welcome to the family, @GercariC5! #GarnetGang20 pic.twitter.com/F9Nj1imNFZ
— Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) February 5, 2020
19. North Carolina
Let's take a look at @BEAU_JANGLES12's 2019 season:
1️⃣3️⃣ games played
1️⃣1️⃣ starts
4️⃣0️⃣ receptions
5️⃣7️⃣5️⃣ yards
6️⃣ TDs#CarolinaFootball 🏈 #BeTheOne pic.twitter.com/zttetKNuou
— Carolina Football (@TarHeelFootball) February 5, 2020
20. Florida State
🍢...🍢...🍢...🍢...🍢...🍢. Welcome to the #NoleFamily DJ Lundy!!!
📝: https://t.co/Zs7e3rucGv pic.twitter.com/onftEH72Tt
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) February 5, 2020
The Best of the Rest
21. Nebraska
22. Stanford
23. Arizona State
24. Kentucky
25. Wisconsin
?26. Georgia Tech
27. Mississippi State
28. TCU
29. Utah
30. Maryland
31. UCLA
32. Purdue
33. Iowa
34. Colorado
35. Arkansas
?36. Minnesota
37. California
38. Ole Miss
39. West Virginia
40. Cincinnati
41. NC State
42. Louisville
43. Michigan State
44. Pittsburgh
45. Oklahoma State
46. Iowa State
47. Northwestern
48. Missouri
49. Texas Tech
50. Kansas State
MORE: The No. 1 QB in America Stays Home, Commits to Georgia
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