Less than a month after title clash, Saban and Smart battle for Middle Georgia recruits

Two of the biggest names in college football visited schools in Middle Georgia on Tuesday in an effort to lure talent from the area.

Less than two weeks after Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and Alabama head coach Nick Saban met in the national championship game, the two were seen at Warner Robins High School recruiting players from the 5A state champion football team, albeit at different times.

The top recruit from the Demons is Victor Burley, a 5-star defensive end, with offers from top programs including Georgia, Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State. He is ranked as one of the Top 40 players from the 2023 recruiting class and is the third-ranked recruit in the state of Georgia.

In addition to his visit to Warner Robins, Smart also went to several other schools in the area including Jones County, Tattnall, Northside and Peach County.

A key player in the class of 2024 is Jones County wide receiver Zion Ragins, a 4-star recruit with offers from Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas and Florida. Ragins is one of the fastest players in the state and broke track and field records as a freshman at Jones County in 2020.

Tattnall boasts a 4-star defensive end in Zavion Hardy. Hardy is the No. 15 ranked recruit in Georgia in the 2023 class. Hardy has received offers from programs like Georgia, USC, Michigan and Florida State.

These are three of the most highly sought-after recruits in Georgia at some key positions the Bulldogs will be looking to fill over the next couple of seasons as members of their national championship team leave for the NFL.

Smart, Saban and members of their staff along with other top coaches are likely to make more trips to the area of the next few months as the 2023 recruiting cycle begins to heat up.

This story was originally published January 26, 2022 at 3:02 PM.