Georgia Still in the Mix for Five-Star LB Cooper Witten-Even If Oklahoma's the Favorite
When you're Kirby Smart, the recruiting trail never cools off. And when you're eyeing a player like Cooper Witten-the No. 1 linebacker in the country-you stay in the game as long as possible, no matter how steep the odds may seem.
Witten, a five-star out of Texas, is one of the crown jewels of the 2026 recruiting class. According to the 247Sports Composite, he's not just the top linebacker in the nation-he's the No. 4 player in Texas and ranks No. 21 overall.
He’s got 29 official offers, but most recruiting analysts have already penciled him in for Oklahoma. And there’s good reason for that.
His father, Jason Witten, is a legendary Dallas Cowboys tight end and now the tight ends coach on Brent Venables’ staff at OU. That kind of family connection is hard to beat. Add in the fact that Witten is a Tennessee legacy-though the Vols haven’t made much noise in this race-and it’s easy to see why Oklahoma has the inside track.
But don’t count Georgia out just yet.
Witten recently took visits to both Athens and Norman, and his mother, Michelle, shared a social media post thanking both programs for an “unforgettable 24 hours.” The message was simple but telling: “Elite.
Set apart.” That’s the kind of feedback you want if you’re Georgia, especially when you're trying to pry a top-tier recruit away from a program with deep family ties.
Earlier this offseason, Witten also posted a photo with Georgia co-defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann-one of the best linebacker developers in the country. Schumann’s track record speaks for itself.
If you’re a linebacker with NFL aspirations, Georgia is one of the premier places to be. Alongside Penn State, the Dawgs have a legitimate claim to being “Linebacker U.”
National titles, Butkus Awards, All-American nods-Georgia’s built a linebacker pipeline that’s hard to ignore.
And that’s where Georgia’s pitch gets interesting.
Sure, Witten may be leaning toward Oklahoma. But Georgia’s not just making a token effort here.
They’re playing the long game. They’re staying close, building relationships, and showing Witten what life could look like in Athens-on and off the field.
With Schumann in his ear and Smart overseeing the process, Georgia is doing what elite programs do: staying aggressive until the very end.
There’s also some added intrigue in how the coaching ties intersect. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel is an Oklahoma legend himself, but his relationship with his alma mater is reportedly strained.
Meanwhile, Venables-another defensive-minded coach-played linebacker, just like Witten. And while Georgia isn't expected to win this battle, the fact that they’re still hanging around says a lot.
Even if the Bulldogs don’t land Witten, there’s value in staying in the mix. Recruiting is as much about the long-term chess match as it is about the immediate win. Building rapport, gathering intel, and showing up in big moments-it all matters, especially when you're recruiting against top-tier programs like Oklahoma.
And who knows? The longer Georgia stays in the picture, the more interesting this recruitment could get.
For now, Oklahoma remains the favorite. But if there's one thing we've learned about Kirby Smart and his staff, it's this: they don't back down from a challenge.
Especially when the prize is a game-changing linebacker like Cooper Witten.