UGASports concludes a series we started a year ago in looking at previous Georgia recruiting classes and re-ranking the individual signees based on how their Bulldog careers transpired. The 15th, and final, group we analyze is Georgia’s 2018 class—or what is arguably the program’s all-time top recruiting class in terms of on-paper potential (i.e., how touted/highly rated the class was before its players set foot on a collegiate gridiron). Links to our previous revisionist histories are located at the bottom of the page.

THE CLASS

Georgia’s 2018 class was ranked No. 1 in the country (3,461 points), ahead of No. 2 Ohio State by 269 points, and No. 3 Southern California by 575 points. At the time, it was considered the first time since 1982—and only the second time ever—Georgia’s incoming class was regarded by multiple recruiting services as the tops in college football.

The 2018 class included a staggering eight five-star prospects—or the same number Georgia had signed the previous five years combined (2013-2017). Previously, the most five-star recruits the Bulldogs had inked in a single year was three (2016). The class also included the No. 2 overall prospect in the nation, quarterback Justin Fields (Kennesaw, Ga.). Prior to that, the highest ranked recruit Georgia had ever signed during the Rivals era was No. 6 Matthew Stafford in 2006.

Besides the eight five-star signees, the class also included four additional Rivals100 prospects: No. 38 Quay Walker (Cordele, Ga.), No. 42 Luke Ford (Carterville, Ill.), No. 56 Otis Reese (Leesburg, Ga.), and No. 93 Nadab Joseph (Miami, Fla.). In the 23 years of final Rivals100 prospect rankings (2000-2022), the 12 signed by Georgia in 2018 remains a program high. More so, the Bulldogs had averaged only 4.56 Rivals100 signees annually in the 18 years (2000-2017) preceding the 2018 class.

The 2018 class also included three-star kicker Jake Camarda (Norcross, Ga.), who was Georgia’s first placekicker/punter signee rated at three stars or higher since Marshall Morgan a half-dozen years before.

Below is the original ranking of Georgia’s 2018 class (player listed with position according to Rivals). Note: To rank those signees with identical Rivals ratings, the recruits’ rankings (overall, position, and state), along with the opinions of our recruiting writers, were considered.

RE-RANKING

Before we highlight our re-ranking of the 2018 class, we want to reiterate these rankings are based solely on the signees’ careers at Georgia—not in college in general, the NFL, etc.

Worthy of mention, of the 15 Bulldog recruiting classes which were analyzed by UGASports, we found the 2018 class the most difficult to re-rank, particularly the upper half of the rankings. After slotting two-time All-SEC and 2021 First Team All-American Jordan Davis (Charlotte, N.C.) No. 1, No. 2 through No. 10 were especially challenging to rank and could be essentially interchangeable. In addition, four players from the class remain on the Georgia roster as fifth-year seniors and, therefore, their stock could very well improve: Kearis Jackson (Fort Valley, Ga.), Christopher Smith (Atlanta, Ga.), Warren Ericson (Suwanee, Ga.), and Tramel Walthour (Hinesville, Ga.).

Notably, of the 26 signees, all but three saw playing time at Georgia as true freshmen. Zamir White (Laurinburg, N.C.) injured a knee in the preseason and missed the 2018 campaign, whereas Joseph and Walthour first attended junior college. As indicated, Walthour eventually wound up at Georgia while Joseph played sparingly at Nebraska for two seasons before departing.

Joseph was one of nine signees from the class, including Owen Condon (Oklahoma City, Okla.) who recently entered the transfer portal. Remarkably, of Georgia’s top 12 signees in 2018, six would eventually transfer: Cade Mays (Tennessee), Brenton Cox (Florida), Fields (Ohio State), Ford (Illinois), Reese (Ole Miss), and Joseph (Nebraska).

As far as who could be considered the most overrated signee in the class, excluding transfers, there’s truly no one. That’s a first for this 15-class series. As far as the most underrated, there are two who clearly stand out above the rest of the overachievers: defensive tackles Devonte Wyatt and Davis. Ranked No. 22 and No. 23 in the original rankings, the projected first-round NFL Draft picks were slotted in the top two spots of the re-rankings. Also of note, Camarda went from No. 26 in the original rankings to No. 11 in the re-rankings after becoming only the second Georgia punter in history to be named First Team All-American and ending his career as the Bulldogs’ all-time career leader in punting average and net punting.

The re-ranking of the Bulldogs' 2018 class (player listed with number of games played/games started while at Georgia; the one signee who never appeared in a game at Georgia, Joseph, is designated as last at No. 26):