5-Star OT Immaneul Iheanacho’s Inclination Confirmed After Kirby Smart Suffers Another Blow

Georgia continues to lose targets. But come on, you can’t always blame NIL, right? I mean, the unruly allurement of money undoubtedly created a lot of complications in the athlete’s flips and recruitments, but when it comes to Maryland native Immanuel Iheanacho, he probably keeps academics over the money in which Georgia reportedly falls flat to Penn State and some other competitors. For context, Georgia and Oregon tended early for the top recruit of 2026. But guess what? The real show-stopper isn’t any of the schools mentioned above.

So, who did the Georgetown Preparatory School offensive lineman laid his eyes on? Well, before we spill the beans, here is a pretty generic hint: the prized Big 12 comes off a huge recruiting weekend.

Immanuel Iheanacho’s latest visit to the power conference school wipes out confusion

The 6-foot-7, 320-pound prospect mounted a premium record in his high school, leading to a collective 8-2 in 2023. His epic skill set and impromptu actions at times of dire need made him one of the most sought-after prospects among the schools. No wonder he did full justice to his No.1 offensive tackle in the nation’s top tag. He already had offers piled up on his table from the big conference giant. But in a dynamic competition, it seems Mike Elco and the Aggies are outdoing the other top dogs. At least they had a super strong impression on the 16-year-old kid.

”Texas A&M looks like they’re giving him a lot to think about regarding a potential official visit down the road and then this was Manny’s first visit in College Station, you know, the point toward the dominance of football that you see in the ACC, in the Big 10,” said Steve Wiltfong ”had some great conversations with Mike Elko, coach Cushing, likes the way they develop offensive linemen, pointed towards A&M having three offensive line coaches on their staff led by coach Cushing obviously, but getting all those coaching points that were attractive to him so Texas A&M putting itself in position to get him back to campus down the road.”

Coach Elko was a standout recruiter. Although he failed up to his title-winning dream, 2026 seems to be in the bird’s-eye. So, he is not leaving any stone unturned to grace the roster. Iheanacho was able to relate to his vision, which was a major green flag of its own.

Well, it’s not just Immanuel Iheanacho. He visited the camp alongside fellow five-star recruit Jackson Cantwell, who was equally blown away by the coaching crews. Iheanacho had already listed the Aggies in his top-16 finalists earlier this year, alongside Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers, Tennessee, USC and Virginia Tech.

But until the visit, Georgia and the Ducks held a greater weight. Kirby Smart possibly can’t sustain the war with the Aggies anymore amidst the ongoing transfer portal mess.

Kirby Smart seems to be in the hot seat in the recent portal catastrophe

Kirby Smart has lost a hoard of talents in the recent transfer portals. Carson Beck and Jaden Rashada are the two big names among them.

Beck hit the portal after a lot of back and forth in a non-productive season. He committed to Miami with a higher NIL offer and a strong family tie, after taking a U-turn from the previous NFL decision. Smart continues keeping an eye on filling up the void in the new portal picks. But David Pollack sees no hope.

“I would be shocked if you don’t get to 30. I think you’ll get to 35 like that is the kind of action you’ll get in the portal,” Pollack dropped a bombshell over Smart’s recent portal woes. So far, nearly a dozen Bulldogs have already hit the transfer portal, and Pollack is not delusional either. Smart isn’t in a place to sit back and relax. He needs to be dynamic and strategic to decide whom to retain, whom to swoop in, and everything in between to beat the competitors.

It’s a new era of college football. Players are less likely to deal with any of the academic shortcomings or any less exposure on the field. They will come and go like a lavender moon. Retaining their interest and keeping them hooked at Athens is going to be the most challenging task for Smart and co if they want to shake it up better in 2025-26.