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Ten Alabama-Georgia standouts that had wild recruitments
The Georgia–Alabama game has numerous storylines from every angle. Here is a look at 10 recruitments that impact this game as many of the top players in it either flipped to one of those two programs or have backgrounds with both through the recruiting process.
One wonders what would have happened with Beck if he didn’t take a Georgia visit and instead went to Florida as planned. The four-star quarterback from Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin committed to Alabama early on but after some assistant coaching changes in Tuscaloosa and new interest from Florida and Miami, Beck backed off his pledge.
It looked like the Gators were the surefire front-runner to land his commitment but after a visit to Georgia, Beck picked the Bulldogs.
About a week after decommitting from Clemson, Campbell took late visits to Alabama and Texas A&M and decided on the Crimson Tide. The Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout, who’s originally from New Jersey, leads the Crimson Tide in tackles with 28 so far this season.
Many believed Etienne would follow his brother to Clemson or stay home to play at LSU but the four-star running back from Jennings, La., picked Florida out of high school. He spent two seasons in Gainesville before transferring to arch-rival Georgia where he’s now the Bulldogs’ leading rusher. He still hasn’t scored a rushing touchdown but leads the way with 157 yards in two games.
Maybe no one playing in this game has more connections to both programs as Haynes, who is a Georgia legacy and it looked very much like the Bulldogs were going to win out in his recruitment. The high four-star from Buford, Ga., seemed like a Georgia lean heading into his decision but he picked Alabama over the Dawgs and Ohio State in the summer before his senior season.
Haynes has rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Coming out of Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei, Jackson picked USC over Alabama with Michigan hanging around. Then Jackson transferred and it came down to the Crimson Tide and Georgia.
This is where it gets particularly interesting since Jackson was recruited to USC by current Georgia DBs coach Donte Williams. But Jackson still opted for the Crimson Tide.
In another life, maybe Jackson would be playing for the Dawgs in this matchup since he’s known Williams forever.
Other than first-round NFL Draft pick Brock Bowers, Lovett led Georgia in receiving last season and he’s back leading the way in 2024 with 12 catches for 155 yards and one touchdown. It was a wild and circuitous route for the four-star receiver from East St. Louis, Ill., to get to Athens.
Lovett originally committed to Arizona State but then flipped his pledge to Missouri. The four-star played really well for the Tigers before coming to Georgia and contributing in a huge way as well.
Texas went 5-7 in coach Steve Sarkisian’s first season and that prompted the Tyler (Texas) Legacy standout to flip his pledge to Alabama, which came on strong late in his recruitment.
One wonders if Miller would have stayed committed to the Longhorns if they just had a better first season under Sark. The four-star leads the Crimson Tide in rushing with 265 yards and three touchdowns.
In a crazy twist that encapsulates recruiting perfectly, Milroe flipped from Texas to Alabama in the summer before his senior season because the four-star quarterback had a great relationship with then-Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.
About six months later, Sarkisian took the Longhorns job but the Katy (Texas) Tompkins standout stuck with the Crimson Tide.
In the SEC championship game last season that put Alabama in the playoff and kept Georgia out, Milroe threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns.
Alabama was mentioned throughout Starks’ recruitment and even as a finalist but this one came down to Clemson and Georgia. His uncle played for the Tigers years ago and the Bulldogs won out as expected since Starks said he always “felt different” in Athens.
The high four-star, who should have been a five-star prospect, has been phenomenal for Georgia and has 11 tackles with an interception so far this season.
The five-star freshman receiver said on a recent podcast that he promised fans he’d flip to Auburn if the Tigers upset Alabama last season – and that it came down to Alabama’s miracle TD on fourth-and-31 to save the Crimson Tide. The Saraland, Ala., standout, who finished as the second-best receiver in the 2024 class behind Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith, committed to Alabama early and stuck with it.
But when Nick Saban retired, he reopened things and it looked like Auburn could steal him. Then new coach Kalen DeBoer got him back in the fold and he’s been an immediate star, leading the Tide in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns.
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