Historic College Football Program Projected to Have Most Expensive Recruiting Class originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Georgia Bulldogs don’t have the top-rated recruiting class for the 2026 cycle. But as it stands right now, it’s the most expensive one.
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According to On3’s predictions, Georgia is projected to pay $253,000 per player in the 2026 recruiting class.
That has moved the Bulldogs into first place in average NIL value per 2026 prospect. The Miami Hurricanes sit in second place with an average NIL value of $251,000 per player.
Georgia has landed 12 commitments in the 2026 recruiting class. With an average value of $253,000 per prospect, the Bulldogs are set to pay $3,036,000 for the entire upcoming class.
According to On3, Georgia is one of just four schools that is averaging more than $200,000 in NIL value per prospect for 2026. Besides Miami, the other two programs with that high of an average are the LSU Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers.
Georgia Bulldogs football head coach Kirby Smart© Marc Weiszer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
A handful of other schools have average NIL values per prospect exceeding $100,000.
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The list of programs with that high of an average includes the Texas Longhorns, Alabama Crimson Tide, Ohio State Buckeyes, USC Trojans, Oregon Ducks, Maryland Terrapins, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Michigan Wolverines, and Texas A&M Aggies.
The price tag the Bulldogs are set to pay their incoming recruiting class is interesting considering how adamant head coach Kirby Smart has been in the past that he doesn’t want prospects at Georgia who are just trying to land with the highest bidder.
According to 247 Sports, Georgia has the sixth-ranked recruiting class for 2026. While that doesn’t sound all that impressive given how expensive it will be, the Bulldogs sit just outside the top five because they only have 12 recruits.
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The Penn State Nittany Lions, who are No. 5 in the 247 Sports 2026 recruiting class rankings, have 18 commits.
It wasn’t long ago the Bulldogs were outside the top 10 on the list. But the program continues to add high-quality prospects.
If that continues to happen this spring, Georgia is likely to contend for a top three recruiting class.
Related: Georgia Dealt Bad News on Coveted Playmaker in Latest College Football Rumors
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
