“You couldn’t live with your own failure, where did that bring You? Back to Me.” October 17th, 2024: ESPN, On3, Bleacher Report were all hands on deck to drop a massive bomb that could change Kirby Smart‘s plans for the 2026 Bulldogs roster—five-star quarterback Jared Curtis reopened his recruitment. This came as a surprise, as Curtis’ run with the Dawgs was pretty written in stone. So what went wrong? “I still love Georgia, but would like to take some more time to explore all my options,” was what the No.1 QB of the 2026 class had to say, and while times have changed and there is a positive wind blowing bearing the news of a Curtis x Kirby Smart relationship, it’s all still smoke and mirrors.

Why is that? You ask? Well, we took a stroll through Curtis’ IG account, and we found a different program there. On the QBs latest story, he uploaded a small vid of Oregon. Yep, the  2026 class prospect is in Eugene and meeting up with Dan Lanning‘s squad. After his de-commitment from the Bulldogs, the first program on Curtis’ list was the Ducks, and it won’t exactly be surprising if he decides to ditch Athens for a chance to run with Lanning.

However, that doesn’t mean Smart is stuck in limbo. Steve Wiltfong reported, “He’ll (Curtis) arrive in Athens on Wednesday night and stay the next three days.” This will give the staff some much-needed leeway and time to woo Curtis to the dark side.

Bulldogs also get another +1 over Oregon because Mike Bobo‘s involvement with the recruitment promise and the overall “promise” that UGA offers outweigh what Ducks have in store. As Wiltfong puts it, “The caliber of play and players in the program all excite Curtis.”

And that ain’t all. Other than Curtis, Smart has also managed to snag 8 amazing targets for Georgia’s conquest. Could we finally see UGA make big money moves?

8 players on a dime: UGA is eating good

Let’s dive into the in-state star first; Tyler Atkinson (No. 1 LB as per On3’s rankings) is coming on his 3rd visit to UGA. The problem here is Clemson and Ohio State already have a massive high on him. The chances of Tyler sticking to either of these 2 programs are much higher than the scope of a UGA romance.

Still, all hope is not lost as we have WR Ryan Mosley from Carrollton coming in. At this point, Carrollton gives the “cream of the crop” when it comes down to players; just look at Julian Lewis over at Colorado. Another big name is Jaden O’Neal. While the QB is still committed to Oklahoma, we could see a potential flip.

Up next are WR Calvin Russell from Miami and then RB Jae Lamar from Jacksonville. For Russell, Syracuse and Miami are still favorites. Still, Smart has a HUGE chance of flipping him away. And Lamar, on the other hand, has been marked as a UGA favorite since the get-go.

Finally, we have Safety Simeon Caldwell, EDGE Dre Quinn, and Safety Blake Stewart. 3 promising prospects for the D-line with Caldwell have the highest shot at landing at UGA. For the other 2, Miami and Clemson are in the lead.

Regardless, Smart has made some big moves, and this could lead to a big potential payoff in 2026.