Well, Kirby Smart and Georgia Bulldogs might be on cloud nine now. After all, they got the No.1 team recruiting ranking for the 2025 class by 247Sports. But what’s the point of being the recruiting magnate if their Mission Terry fails? Yes, the Dawgs are now eyeing to gain the commitment from the uncommitted recruit, five-star defensive lineman Justus Terry. Given the top rank that Georgia is enjoying now, chances reign supreme to land the recruit. But not to forget that Terry has kept his doors to other schools. One of them is their rival Auburn Tigers who had hosted the DL last weekend, November 23. So obviously the analysts got busy sketching out the chances of who is likely to seal the deal between the two powerhouses.   

After all, it’s the nation’s top uncommitted prospect, folks! Things are bound to get intense. The 5-star DL from Manchester is on his way to make the final call. Before that, he got too busy exploring some options. Terry graced the Joradn-Hare Stadium on Saturday night as Hugh Freeze’s Tigers hosted Texas A&M. With a December decision on deck, the former Georgia and USC commit’s chances are mostly revolving around the two- Georgia and Auburn. To chart out his path ahead, On3 Recruits podcast, host Josh Newberg with co-host Steve Wiltfong, shared their take on the current Terry scenario. Newberg started with an interesting fact, “I realized till this morning that Manchester Georgia where Justice is from is only about 35 minutes away from the Auburn campus.”

So, first things first, in terms of proximity Auburn gets some extra favor. Not just the distance, the relationships of the Tigers officials with Terry also seem to be cordial. Wiltfong highlighted the Director of Recruiting Research & Strategy, Kenyatta Watson, and the defensive tackles coach Vontrell King-Williams being enough to gain Terry’s trust. But most importantly as the analyst pointed out, the recruit “felt at home” in Auburn. So that would also encourage his family to inspire their kid to join hands with the Tigers.

With this, it looked like the analyst is counting on Freeze’s program more than Smart’s when it comes to landing Terry. “My RPM’s still on Georgia but I have an eyeball on Auburn moving forward,” stated Wiltfong. However, another recruiting expert’s opinion seems to differ from this. 

Justus Terry’s final choice is still up in the air

While Wiltfong’s words might leave the Georgia fans running out of hope of gaining Terry’s trust, here enters the Rivals analyst Adam Gorney. To him, Auburn does not even stand a chance in the Terry race. While Georgia has got a ticket to take part, it’s Alabama Crimson Tide and not Freeze’s program. As Gorney stated, “For weeks, the feeling has been that the Manchester, Ga. standout, who has been committed to Georgia and USC earlier in his recruitment, is down to Alabama and Georgia.” Wondering who among the two programs will have an edge in landing Terry according to the expert?

“But digging even deeper, the word has been the Bulldogs still feel very comfortable in this recruitment,” confirmed Gorney. While the analysts might have a clear picture of Terry’s next home, the player himself has arrived at no decision. 

In an interview with Dawgnation, Justus Terry seemed to be only confident about the deciding factor, “I think it is going to come down to where I am most comfortable at and you know I feel comfortable at a lot of places.” However, here the Bulldogs might stand a chance as his dear friend, fellow five-star defensive lineman Elijah Griffin has committed to Georgia. Could Terry’s bond with Griffin tip the scales in Georgia’s favor over other programs?