Assessing Top 10 national recruits Georgia football landed over the years
McClain Baxley
Arch Manning, the top player in the 2023 recruiting class was in Sanford Stadium Saturday night as the Bulldogs upended South Carolina.
The highly-touted quarterback took in the atmosphere, from the sold out crowd to members of UGA's student section painting "We want Arch" on their backs, as he went on his first official visit of this fall.
The son of Cooper Manning and nephew of Eli and Peyton, Arch still has time to make a college decision. Just one game into his junior season, Manning is expected to take trips to Alabama, Clemson, Mississippi and Texas for different games this fall.
More:No. 2 Georgia football flying high, but there are areas to address & warning signs elsewhere
Being on the list of No. 1 overall recruits is becoming the norm for Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs. In August, 2022 No. 1 overall Walter Nolen, a defensive tackle from Tennessee, placed UGA in his Top 3 with Tennessee and Texas A&M. The senior phenom said that he'd make a commitment when he reached a certain follower count on Instagram, which he reached the next day.
Regardless of when Nolen makes his college decision, it’s an impressive, but not an unfamiliar feat. Under Smart, UGA has had the No. 1 recruiting class twice and a Top 5 class five out of six years. UGA has had two other No. 1 players come to Athens in the last six years.
More:What to know about Carlton Madden and the rest of the 2022 UGA football recruiting class
Since 2004, the Bulldogs have had 12 Top 10 players in their respective recruiting classes sign with UGA.
Here’s a quick look at those 12 players
Justin Fields, QB
Composite recruiting ranking: .9998
National recruit ranking: No. 2 overall in 2018
High school: Harrison (Georgia)
How they panned out: As a freshman in 2018, Fields played in 12 of 14 games in a backup role to Jake Fromm and was named to the freshman All-SEC team. The dual threat quarterback completed 27 if 39 passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns and also rushed for four scores. Fields transferred to Ohio State after his freshman year.
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Nolan Smith, DE
Composite recruiting ranking: .9994
National recruit ranking: No. 1 overall in 2019
High school: IMG Academy (Florida)
How they panned out: A native of Savannah, Smith is Smart’s lone No. 1 overall recruit thus far. In his sophomore season in 2020, Smith played in all 10 games for UGA finishing with 22 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He had a career-high six tackles against Arkansas and is expected to be a leader for the Bulldogs defense in what could be his final season in Athens.
Trenton Thompson, DT
Composite recruiting ranking: .9992
National recruit ranking: No. 1 overall in 2015
High school: Westover (Georgia)
How they panned out: Thompson put up 94 tackles in 26 games for UGA with five sacks. He had seven starts in his sophomore year, which ended up being named overall MVP and Defensive MVP of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against TCU. After the 2017 season, Thompson entered the NFL Draft and went undrafted. He signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns and has floated around the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League since being waived in July 2018.
Brandon Miller, DE
Composite recruiting ranking: .9980
National recruit ranking: No. 6 overall in 2004
High school: Miller County (Georgia)
How they panned out: Miller started in 15 games at linebacker and appeared in 37 games for UGA. Over that span he posted 98 tackles, 7.5 of them for loss, and a sack. In 2007 as a senior, Miller had an interception. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons in 2008 and spent the first 10 weeks of the regular season on the Falcons practice squad. Later that season, Miller was picked up by the Seattle Seahawks and appeared in one game, recording one tackle.
Kelee Ringo, CB
Composite recruiting ranking: .9976
National recruit ranking: No. 4 overall in 2020
High school: Saguaro (Arizona)
How they panned out: The talented cornerback from Scottsdale missed the 2020 season after having labrum surgery. Fellow defensive back Christopher Smith said a few weeks ago after a practice that Ringo had “grown a lot.” Smart has also said that Ringo has a lot of confidence.
Jacob Eason, QB
Composite recruiting ranking: .9975
National recruit ranking: No. 5 overall in 2016
High school: Lake Stevens (Washington)
How they panned out: After making the cross-country trip, Eason started 12 games as a true freshman and threw for 2,430 yards and 16 touchdowns. Eason was named to all the preseason watch lists after his strong first year in Athens. The following year he made just one start and played in six games, but only threw seven passes for 28 yards due to injury and Fromm's emergence. He then transferred to Washington.
Matthew Stafford, QB
Composite recruiting ranking: .9975
National recruit ranking: No. 6 overall in 2006
High school: Highland Park (Texas)
How they panned out: One of the favorite players in recent UGA history, Stafford played in 39 games for the Bulldogs, throwing 51 touchdowns and 7,731 yards. In 34 games as the starter, Stafford posted a 27-7 record. He holds a number of UGA passing records and was named the 2008 Capital One Bowl MVP, All-SEC Second Team honors from both the league’s coaches and the AP. Stafford was the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by Detroit, where he led the team for 12 seasons. This offseason he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams.
A.J. Green, WR
Composite recruiting ranking: .9973
National recruit ranking: No. 7 overall in 2008
High school: Summerville (South Carolina)
How they panned out: In three seasons with the Bulldogs, Green caught 166 passes for 2,619 yards and 23 touchdowns. He had 10 100-yard games in 32 games. After his 963-yard, eight-touchdown freshman year, Green was named SEC Freshman of the Year and earned First-Team All-SEC honors from the AP. Green was drafted fourth overall in 2011 by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he spent the first nine seasons of his professional career. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals in March.
Isaiah Crowell, RB
Composite recruiting ranking: .9959
National recruit ranking: No. 6 overall in 2011
High school: Carver-Columbus (Georgia)
How they panned out: In his freshman season, Crowell played in 12 games and rushed for 850 yards and five touchdowns. He also caught eight passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. Crowell was dismissed from the team ahead of the 2012 season and enrolled at Alabama State, where he rushed for 1,964 yards and 30 touchdowns in two years with the Hornets. Crowell signed as an undrafted free agent with Cleveland in 2014 and floated around the league until he was placed on injured reserve by the Raiders in May 2019.
Zamir White, RB
Composite recruiting ranking: .9957
National recruit ranking: No. 9 overall in 2018
High school: Scotland County (North Carolina)
How they panned out: As a redshirt sophomore in 2020, White started all 10 games at tailback and led the Bulldogs in rushing with 799 yards and 11 touchdowns on 144 carries. He had three 100-yard games in 2020, following his 408-yard 2019 campaign. White entered the 2021 season on the preseason Second-Team All-SEC and scored his first touchdown of the season against South Carolina.
Jamaree Salyer, OG
Composite recruiting ranking: .9956
National recruit ranking: No. 10 overall in 2018
High school: Pace Academy (Georgia)
How they panned out: An immediate impact for UGA, Salyer has played in 36 games and gotten more opportunity as his career has gone on. Salyer was on the field for 92% of the offensive snaps in the 2020 regular season and played all of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl win. Ahead of his senior year, Salyer was named to the preseason All-America First-Team by Phil Steele and Second-Team All-American by AP, Pro Football Focus and Walter Camp. At 6-foot-4, 325 pounds, he’s expected to get drafted in the 2022 draft.
Amarius Mims, OT
Composite recruiting ranking: .9956
National recruit ranking: No. 8 overall in 2021
High school: Bleckley County (Georgia)
How they panned out: Mims enrolled in January and started at left tackle during the G-Day spring game. “He’s going to grow into a really talented player,” Smart said. Mims saw action in a reserve role against UAB after dealing with offseason back issues.