Georgia, Kirby Smart Catching Heat After Losing Top In-State Recruit to Major SEC Program originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Georgia Bulldogs recently found themselves in a heated recruiting battle for linebacker Tyler Atkinson, who Rivals Recruiting Rankings has as a five-star recruit, the No. 1 linebacker, the No. 1 player in Georgia and the No. 9 player in the nation.
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It was a big opportunity for head coach Kirby Smart to register a nice in-state recruiting win, as Atkinson’s hometown of Lawrenceville is nearly an hour’s drive from Athens.
However, they were fighting against some big programs, as the linebacker was choosing among the Bulldogs, the Oregon Ducks, the Clemson Tigers and the Texas Longhorns.
In the end, things didn’t work out in their favor, because on Tuesday, Atkinson announced his commitment to Texas.
Of course, once the announcement was made, many fans took to social media to express their frustrations toward Smart and Georgia for missing out on the state’s top prospect.
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“COMMON GEORGIA WHIFF,” said one comment.
“Why can’t Kirby recruit the state of Georgia?” said another.
“LOL Kirby Smart and @GeorgiaFootball can’t even keep the #1 linebacker in the nation in their own state! LOLLLLL,” a third added.
A fourth stated, “Kirby whiff!!!”
“Texas football has once again landed one of the top recruits out of the state of Georgia Bad look for Kirby Smart and the bulldogs,” a fifth continued.
“Kirby in a locker once again, what else is new?” said another.
Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart lost out on linebacker Tyler Atkinson.Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
However, it’s not as though Georgia and Smart have had any trouble putting together their own impressive 2026 recruiting class, already landing a total of 29 commitments for a group that ranks No. 1 in the nation.
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That also includes three top-15 in-state recruits in the form of five-star tight end Kaiden Prothro (No. 3), four-star safety Jordan Smith (No. 7) and four-star running back Jae Lamar (No. 15).
Related: Nation’s No. 2 QB Issues Four-Word Warning After Texas’ Massive 5-Star Recruiting Win
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
