3/1/2021 football Edit

Mixed bag for UGA commitments in recent Rivals rankings

Patrick Garbin • UGASports

Team & Research Writer

The latest Rivals rankings for the 2022 class were revealed last week—and, as far as Georgia’s commitments for next year, it’s a mixed bag of results.

First off, six of Georgia’s eight current commitments are ranked in the Rivals250—tied with LSU and Texas for the second-most in the nation. Ohio State is the leader with a staggering nine players in the Rivals250. Following the Bulldogs, Oklahoma and Texas A&M each have five commitments, Notre Dame and Penn State have four, five schools have two, and 11 schools each have one commitment in the latest rankings. Notably, of the 250 prospects, 184, or nearly three-fourths, have not committed and remain undecided.

Of Georgia's eight commitments for its 2022 class, six appear in the latest Rivals250 rankings—tied for the second-most in the nation.

Specifically for Georgia, its top two players in the Rivals250—five-star defensive tackle Keithian Alexander (Denton, Tex.) and five-star quarterback Gunner Stockton (Tiger, Ga.)—both climbed in the rankings. From No. 5 overall in December’s rankings, Alexander was boosted one spot to No. 4 when Denver Harris, an undecided cornerback from Houston, Texas, slightly dropped from No. 3 to No. 5 overall. Stockton’s climb of 15 spots from No. 30 to No. 15 is the largest increase in ranking of any prospect currently ranked in the top 20.

Georgia’s other four commitments appearing in the Rivals250 dipped in the rankings, although most only slightly, as other players were added to the list. The Bulldogs’ third five-star commitment, defensive tackle Tyre West (Tifton, Ga.), went from No. 14 from No. 16.

Four-star Deyon Bouie (Bainbridge, Ga.) dipped five spots from No. 62 overall to No. 67, while four-star Marquis Groves-Killebrew (Snellville, Ga.) came in at No. 130 from No. 126 previously. Taking a bigger dip, four-star defensive end Darris Smith (Baxley, Ga.) dropped 24 spots from No. 201 to No. 225.

Regarding the two Georgia commitments for next year not appearing in the latest Rivals250, four-star athlete Cedric Washington (Cedartown, Ga.) took somewhat of a tumble in the state rankings, dropping 14 spots from No. 15 in December to No. 29. On the other hand, the Bulldogs’ lone three-star commitment, outside linebacker Donovan Westmoreland (Griffin, Ga.), jumped up two places in the state rankings from No. 59 to No. 57.