Georgia Bulldogs land another elite running back pledge. What’s next for the class?

About six weeks remain until Georgia’s 2021 football season kicks off. The recruiting side of the Bulldogs’ operation, however, has never taken a moment to rest.

It’s the hyperactive business that runs for 365 days without a break. It’s the lifeblood of programs across the country. It’s Georgia’s gold mine, too, as the Bulldogs have finished in the team recruiting ranking Top 10 each season under head coach Kirby Smart.

Georgia — No. 6 in the latest team rankings — has put itself in a strong position for another top class. The Bulldogs have 12 commits as July nears its end. Ten of those prospects are four-star recruits while one is a five-star, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings that factor in all networks. Georgia’s class, however, features a bit of a late-developing mold with only five-plus months remaining until the early signing period.

After a slow couple of months on the trail, Georgia responded massively with the addition of four-star running back Branson Robinson out of Mississippi. He is a five-star and the nation’s top-ranked running back, according to Rivals, and recruiting top backfield prospects should be no surprise under position coach Dell McGee.

Branson chose Georgia over Tennessee, and his pledge follows the likes of D’Andre Swift, Zamir White, Kendall Milton and others in the Smart era.

The Bulldogs have the second-best class in the SEC, but six other schools in the league have more pledges than Georgia — including 14 commitments to top-ranked LSU. Due to the pandemic that forced a year-long dead period for on-campus recruiting, Georgia and other schools across the country have only been able to host prospects since June.

“We have a great recruiting base (within) a five-mile radius,” Smart said in March prior to the 2021 spring season beginning. “We should be able to recruit the top players from around the country and outside of that radius as well. This is a great university.”

The somewhat-dizzying blend of having to keep up with the team’s on-field performance and how the Bulldogs are building for the future is near. Let’s focus on the recruiting trail and take a look at what Georgia has on board for the 2022 class and what’s to come.

Top 3 UGA football commitments

Robinson: He’s got the muscle of former Georgia running back greats Nick Chubb and Todd Gurley. He’s got similar credentials as a top prospect out of high school, too. Robinson, a powerlifter and Georgia’s second addition of a top Mississippi product in three seasons, joining Nakobe Dean (class of 2019).

Robinson recorded 1,179 yards and 15 touchdowns in his 2020 season at Germantown High School in Madison, Mississippi — on just 121 carries. He also received heavy interest from Tennessee, Clemson, Southern Cal and other top programs, but McGee honed in on his target and won another recruiting battle.

“They finished what they started,” Robinson told UGASports.com. “There were too many risks at Tennessee and too much talent, too many playmakers and too good of an O-line at Georgia.”

Quarterback Gunner Stockton: It nearly feels like clockwork. In each class, the Bulldogs have an elite signal caller at the top of its recruiting class. It’s no different for 2022 as Gunner Stockton follows Brock Vandagriff as a local product to headline the group.

Out of Rabun County, Stockton originally committed to South Carolina with plans to play under Will Muschamp — who is now an analyst at Georgia after his tenure with the Gamecocks ended in 2020. Stockton is a four-star prospect and the No. 6 ranked quarterback nationally, according to 247Sports. In 2020, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound signal caller threw for 3,128 yards and 45 touchdowns.

Stockton’s competition for playing time will be tightly contested next season, especially if J.T. Daniels returns. Vandagriff and Carson Beck will enter the quarterback race with another year of experience backing up Daniels.

Athlete Malaki Starks: Smart could have thrown a dart a few miles up US Highway 129 and it could’ve landed near Starks at Jefferson High School from Athens. Georgia locked in on its five-star hometown product, and Starks became one of the Bulldogs’ first 2022 pledges.

He gave his commitment in late March and has been a class leader since making his decision. Starks is a two-way player and triple-option quarterback in high school, but translates to a linebacker or safety at the Division I level. Starks is ranked as the top linebacker nationally and the No. 8 overall prospect, according to 247Sports.

Future Bulldogs?

Tight end Oscar Delp: Georgia recently went all out in its pursuit of the premier tight ends of the 2022 recruiting class. Smart asked a plethora of his players, past and present, to post their support of five-star Oscar Delp — a local product out of West Forsyth (Cumming, Georgia) — becoming a Bulldog. They all did so with the hashtag “#DelpIsADawg.”

The pursuit of Delp as a priority target holds its weight. He’s ranked as the No. 3 tight end prospect nationally, according to 247Sports, and stands at 6-foot-5. He caught 43 passes for 730 yards and nine touchdowns in his last high school campaign.

Meanwhile, other schools have made pitches for Delp, too. Some of his other recruiting interests haven’t been afraid to subtly entice Delp on the big stage, like at SEC Media Days in Hoover, Alabama.

“We are going to throw to the tight end,” South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said. “We want the premier tight ends in America, and that’s the way we’re recruiting now as well, to go get those guys as well.”

Safety Kamari Wilson: Georgia has become known for its consistent success with recruiting out of IMG Academy. Its next target from the Bradenton, Florida powerhouse might be the next star safety-in-waiting for the Bulldogs after the likes of Lewis Cine and Christopher Smith depart.

Wilson is favored to land at Georgia while LSU, Texas A&M and Florida also have heavy interest. Wilson is ranked as the nation’s best safety, according to 247Sports, and carries a 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame.

Along with 21 tackles, the premier prospect recorded four pass breakups and two interceptions in 2020.

One costly loss to Georgia class

Defensive lineman Bear Alexander: Georgia got some of its best news for the 2022 class when landing a prized defensive lineman with an All-American name. Unfortunately, for the Bulldogs, the hopes of having a premier prospect in the fold lasted only four months.

Alexander, who stands at 6-foot-3, 325 pounds, had plenty of interest from Texas A&M while committed to the Bulldogs. Aggies’ head coach Jimbo Fisher had the advantage of Alexander as a local product out of Fort Worth, Texas.

Alexander, according to 247Sports has a five-star rating and has the highest interest in Alabama and Texas A&M as the summer comes to an end. Alexander said the opportunity to play at Georgia would remain open, and the Bulldogs haven’t stopped their efforts. Recently, Stockton hosted Alexander at his home on Lake Rabun to try and help Smart recruit one of the program’s priority targets.

This story was originally published July 23, 2021 at 5:11 AM.