Wednesday’s signing day marks a much different time than before the December signing period. Unlike on the February signing days of old, Georgia announced no new signees.
The first Wednesday in February once was reserved for hourly decision timelines, big headlines and program-shaping decisions.
School auditoriums were packed, and every blue-chip recruit had three or four fan bases on pins and needles, sweating their news in their offices or tavern of choice until the last minute.
Those days are gone. When the first early signing day took place in December 2018, things started to change. Initially, about 20-30% of the class waited until February to sign, but the transition to the new normal of today proceeded swifter than D’Andre Swift once covered ground in Athens.
The big-time programs wanted their blue chips to sign in December, graduate from high school in December and enroll in January to increase their chances of getting freshman playing time.
Those were the pre-portal and NIL days. Now, the most important months for recruiting high school players seem to be June for visits, July for commitments and December to sign.
While a reclassification decision has the Bulldogs still recruiting one player in the Class of 2025, cornerback J’Vari Flowers from Miami, the hay for this cycle was in the barn the week after that big SEC Championship game win Dec. 7, four days before recruits could sign.
As it stands, the 2025 signees ranked second nationally in the 247Sports Composite. That’s just behind Texas.
This class provides a lot of talking points. Perhaps the most intriguing one will be to tout that Kirby Smart can look at his defense and see one player at each of five positions that was ranked No. 1 nationally by at least one service in their respective recruiting class.
Defensive tackle: Former 5-star Elijah Griffin (2025).
Edge rusher: Former 5-star Isaiah Gibson (2025).
Linebacker: Former 5-star Justin Williams (2024) and former 5-star Zayden Walker (2025).
Safety: Former 5-star KJ Bolden (2024).
Cornerback: Former 5-star Ellis Robinson IV (2024).
It is important to note that this year’s early enrollees have been on campus for almost a month now. Gibson and Walker were with the team for Sugar Bowl practices.
That 5-star haul in 2025 also added another No. 1 prospect at TE (Elyiss Williams) and even the first 5-star signee at WR (Talyn Taylor) since the Bulldogs flipped Pickens from Auburn in February 2019.
The Bulldogs had not signed a top-100 overall national prospect at WR since 2020. That’s when the Bulldogs signed Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Arian Smith and Jermaine Burton. Taylor and the 6-foot-4 CJ Wiley both check that box in this class.
Also, the Bulldogs signed four of the five highest-rated prospects in Georgia. That trend extends to five of the top 10, seven of the top 15 and 10 of the top 30 recruits from the Peach State this cycle, per the 247Sports Composite.
This group includes more QB signees (2) than the Dawgs brought in at RB (1) for this cycle. The last time Georgia signed a pair of high school QBs in one class was back in 2009 with Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger. That wrinkle, just like the signing success at WR, reflects what Georgia needed to add to its 2025 roster based on the way last season ended up.
That part, at least, has remained the same about signing days.
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