Georgia’s wait for a recruiting win may stretch a little longer.
Four-star offensive lineman Nate Carson has set his commitment for Friday, July 3, with Clemson, Colorado, Georgia and South Carolina still in the mix. Carson, one of the top uncommitted offensive linemen in the class, said, "It's really a business."
Carson’s recruitment has played out over a busy summer of official visits. Clemson got the first look on June 5, Georgia followed on June 5, then Colorado and South Carolina rounded out the four finalists as he worked through his decision.
For Georgia, the timing matters. The Bulldogs have gone two weeks without a commitment, and June has been the key month for players across the country to announce. Georgia’s last pledge came on June 16, and that dry spell has only added to a rough stretch on the trail.
The Bulldogs already have five offensive linemen committed, so landing Carson would give them a sixth and likely close out their pursuit at the position. But the signs here are not pointing Georgia’s way.
This has already been a difficult run for Georgia. The Bulldogs recently lost a five-star recruitment to Ohio State, and before that a four-star defensive back who had looked heavily favoring Georgia ended up choosing Clemson.
Carson could stop the slide, but the current buzz suggests otherwise. 247Sports does not have a prediction in yet, while On3 is strongly leaning toward South Carolina and gives the Gamecocks more than a 90 percent chance to land him.
That leaves Georgia with a slim opening, but not much more than that. Anything can still happen before Friday, yet the Bulldogs would need a major shift to pull Carson into their class.
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Georgia fans also have a built-in reminder that rankings and commitments are only part of the picture. The 2018 class looked one way on paper and ended up producing a far different mix of outcomes, with some elite recruits taking divergent paths while lower-rated signees grew into the backbone of the 2021 national championship team. In an era shaped by NIL and the transfer portal, the Bulldogs are managing more moving parts than ever, and the real story usually takes longer to reveal itself than the recruiting table suggests. [Read more 🡒]