Video: Georgia's record National Signing Day
MaxPreps national football editor Zack Poff breaks downs Georgia's amazing day. On National Signing Day 2018, Georgia appeared on everyone's mind.
According to MaxPreps football editor Zack Poff and
247Sports recruiting experts, the Bulldogs will unseat seven-time winner Alabama as the recruiting champion for the Class of 2018.
And that declaration came before noon on the West Coast.
Under coach Kirby Smart — the former longtime Alabama assistant — the Bulldogs swayed five blue-chip recruits to flip on Wednesday, including 5-star linebacker
Quay Walker of
Crisp County (Cordele, Ga.) from Alabama and 4-star linebacker
Otis Reese of
Lee County (Leesburg, Ga.) from Michigan.
That pushed Georgia over the top to best Ohio State, Texas, Penn State and Clemson among the top five schools.
To start the day, 5-star cornerback
Tyson Campbell of
American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) announced he will sign with the Bulldogs, giving them seven 5-stars in their class.
Four of those are already enrolled, including the nation's second-rated quarterback
Justin Fields of
Harrison (Kennesaw, Ga.) and top-rated running back
Zamir White of
Scotland (Laurinburg, N.C.).
Can you say jackpot? Poff said it might be the best recruiting class ever.
Smart, the second year coach, said the late flips weren't a result of applying pressure late.
"Flips aren't last minute," he told a national television audience on ESPN. "We didn't just develop relationships with kids last week. We have a consistent message and these relationships are developed over time."
Georgia went both in-state and beyond to claim the No. 1 class. The Bulldogs secured five of the top six recruits in Georgia, but Smart said his staff did an even better job recruiting outside of the state.
"You have to do your homework," he said. "You have to know what drives and motivates these young men. We went outside of Georgia and got the best player in North Carolina, Illinois, South Carolina and Tennessee."
That said, Smart pointed out that 23 Georgia high school football natives started on the four teams in the College Football Playoff last season. No other states, according to Smart, had more than 11.
As of 3 p.m. (EST),
247Sports team rankings had Georgia with 323.31 points, followed by Ohio State (317.06), Texas (300.09), Penn State (285.92) and Clemson (283.67). National champion Alabama, which had won the last seven recruiting titles, is ninth at 274.50.
