Georgia’s 2025 Class Lacks a Defensive Five-Star Star, but Offense-Heavy Haul Shows Kirby Smart’s Evolving Recruiting Priorities
Georgia football under Kirby Smart has built its modern dynasty on dominant defense. From the historically elite 2021 unit that sent nearly an entire starting eleven to the NFL, to relentless, deep, and disciplined defenses in years since, Georgia’s identity has been largely forged on that side of the ball. So, it’s unusual—almost jarring—to look at Georgia’s 2025 recruiting class and find not a single five-star defender among the Bulldogs’ commitments. Instead, the headliners of the class are all offensive players: quarterback Ryan Montgomery, tight end Elyiss Williams, and wide receiver Jaime Ffrench.
This isn’t a class lacking talent overall. Georgia’s 2025 haul still ranks among the top in the nation, loaded with blue-chip recruits, especially in the trenches. But the spotlight, for once, is not on a game-changing linebacker or a freakish edge rusher. Instead, it’s centered on the skill positions—an area where Georgia has historically been productive, but not necessarily elite, when compared to the likes of Ohio State, Alabama, or LSU.
Ryan Montgomery, the highest-rated commit, is a highly touted quarterback out of Ohio with one of the most polished games in the cycle. While he may not have the freakish athletic upside of a Dylan Raiola, his floor is considered extremely high, and he’s seen as the type of cerebral, poised field general Smart can trust to run the offense at a high level. He’s been heavily involved in peer recruiting, connecting with wide receivers, offensive linemen, and even running backs in Georgia’s orbit.
Then there’s Elyiss Williams, a massive, physically imposing tight end from Georgia who could be the next in line behind Brock Bowers and Oscar Delp. He’s already drawn comparisons to Darnell Washington due to his size and blocking ability, but he moves well enough to suggest he could also become a true receiving threat. Georgia has revolutionized the tight end position under Smart and Todd Hartley, and Williams looks like another foundational piece in that evolution.
Jaime Ffrench, a wideout from Florida, may be the most exciting of the group. Georgia hasn’t always been known as a wide receiver factory, but Ffrench brings true WR1 traits—size, route running, and suddenness after the catch. His flip from Alabama was a major recruiting win, not just in terms of roster construction, but in optics. Taking a Florida-native, five-star wideout away from Nick Saban’s former program sends a message that Georgia is positioning itself to be as dangerous on offense as it has traditionally been on defense.
The absence of a defensive five-star, however, invites natural questions. Is this simply an aberration in one cycle? Is Georgia falling behind on the defensive recruiting trail? Or is this more a case of shifting strategy or prioritization?
It’s important to note that Georgia is still recruiting defense at a high level. The class includes a number of top-100 defensive players, including cornerback Na’eem Offord, who flipped from Alabama, and defensive lineman Isaiah Gibson. Neither are five-stars at the moment, but both could rise by the time signing day arrives. Additionally, players like linebacker Jadon Perlotte and safety Myles Johnson are strong blue-chip prospects who fit the Georgia mold: physical, smart, and versatile.
The real distinction lies in the fact that Georgia’s best-known commits are now offensive players—and that is a shift. It reflects a broader trend in college football: the increasing importance of explosive offense, elite quarterback play, and game-breaking pass catchers. The last two national title games have been offensive showcases—Georgia blowing out TCU behind a 65-point onslaught, and then Michigan outlasting Washington in a balanced but offensively competent display. Even Alabama, during its 2020 national title run, was defined more by DeVonta Smith and Mac Jones than by its defensive stars.
Kirby Smart isn’t abandoning defense. That would be a wild overstatement. He and his staff continue to prioritize defensive depth, versatility, and development. But he may be responding to the reality of the game’s evolution. You can’t win national titles with defense alone—not anymore. You need balance. You need dynamic playmakers. You need a quarterback who can make things happen off-schedule. And you need receivers and tight ends who can stretch the field and win one-on-one matchups against the nation’s best corners.
In this light, the 2025 class begins to make more sense. It’s about gearing up for the future of college football—a future where Georgia doesn’t just win with suffocating defense and efficient offense, but with firepower on both sides of the ball. The idea is to be able to go blow-for-blow with the USC’s and Texas’s of the world without having to grind every game into a 24–13 slugfest.
There’s also the NIL factor. It’s no secret that offensive players—especially quarterbacks and wide receivers—tend to attract the most attention and the most dollars in the new era. Georgia’s ability to land top offensive talent, particularly Ffrench, is a sign that its NIL operation is functioning well and that the program is evolving in step with the marketplace realities of recruiting.
And yet, questions remain. Will Georgia be able to land a true defensive headliner before signing day? There are still targets on the board—top-tier edge rushers and defensive backs who could join late. Georgia has made late pushes in past cycles, often flipping or securing high-level defenders near the end. This cycle may yet see a five-star defender added to the fold.
Even if they don’t land one, it might not matter in the short term. Georgia’s defense isn’t built around one dominant player—it’s built on depth, coaching, and continuity. Players like Smael Mondon and Malaki Starks weren’t always the most hyped recruits, but they developed into stars. The pipeline remains strong, and the coaching staff remains among the best in the country when it comes to turning four-stars into All-SEC defenders.
What makes this class particularly interesting is how it contrasts with prior cycles. In 2024, Georgia landed five-star linebacker Justin Williams and five-star corner Ellis Robinson IV—both seen as foundational defensive pieces. The 2023 cycle brought in high-ceiling edge rushers and hybrid safeties. But in 2025, it’s the offense that’s carrying the star power.
That doesn’t mean Georgia is changing its identity completely. What it means is that Kirby Smart is doing what great coaches do: adapting. He’s building a roster that can win in any type of game—defensive struggle, shootout, or anything in between. And that means leaning into the offensive side more heavily when the talent and opportunities align.
It’s also worth mentioning that Georgia has been inching toward this kind of class for a while. The 2024 signing of Dylan Raiola, even though he eventually flipped to Nebraska, signaled a clear intent: land elite quarterbacks and surround them with weapons. Even without Raiola, Georgia adjusted, brought in Ryan Puglisi, and has now locked in Montgomery for the future. This year’s offensive trio is not an anomaly—it’s the next step in a deliberate shift.
Georgia fans may grumble about the lack of a headliner on defense, but that may just be a sign of how spoiled they’ve become. After years of watching first-round picks fly off the defensive line and secondary, the expectation is that there’s always a superstar defender coming through the pipeline. And most years, there is. But this year, the five-star sheen is on the offense.
That might not be a problem—it might be the plan.
In a college football world where the playoff expands to 12 teams, and where the path to a national title requires not one, but three or four postseason wins against elite competition, versatility and balance will become paramount. The ability to beat a Michigan with toughness, then beat a Texas with speed, and then beat an Oregon with quarterback play—all in a month’s time—requires a complete team.
Georgia’s 2025 class, though lacking a five-star on defense at this stage, appears built with that long view in mind. It’s a class that’s less about fitting a mold and more about diversifying the toolbox. If the past few years were about dominating with defense, the next few may be about outscoring people—without compromising the physical, disciplined backbone that has always defined Georgia football.
In that sense, the lack of a five-star defender isn’t a warning sign—it’s a signal that Kirby Smart is playing chess while others are still playing checkers.
