Three-Point Stance: Texas-Georgia, Elijah Griffin, flip season

Rivals national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman has thoughts on the big game between Texas and Georgia and five-star defensive tackle Elijah Griffin‘s upcoming college decision.

Texas–Georgia was billed as must-see TV as soon as we caught a glimpse of the schedule for the 2024 season. Now, it’s a showdown between the top-ranked team in the country and the big Dawgs on the block that have had a stranglehold on that position for the past few years.

This No. 5 Georgia squad hasn’t had the same dominant feel as some of Kirby Smart‘s championship contenders of years past. We’ve seen the offense click – at times – and more or less the same for the defense. With Carson Beck manning the offense, Branson Robinson and Trevor Etienne in the backfield, and Mykel Williams anchoring the defensive line, the expectations naturally still are sky high for the preseason No. 1.

Texas, on the other hand, has looked the part of a No. 1 team. Whether it’s been veteran Quinn Ewers or future starter Arch Manning, the Longhorns’ offense has been clicking, which has been a theme under Steve Sarkisian since he arrived in Austin. More impressive has been the defense, which in its first season in the SEC has quickly shown it has the star power in the trenches to compete with any team in the country.

This Saturday’s game at home against Georgia is another opportunity for the Longhorns to confirm as much against the team that’s been setting the tempo in the conference for nearly a decade since Smart’s return.

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Elijah Griffin, the No. 9 overall prospect in the Rivals250, is set to come off the board on Friday. Griffin is one of five uncommitted five-stars left in the country. He’ll choose among Miami, USC and Georgia – just days after wrapping up his final official visit in Athens over the weekend, which happened to coincide with his birthday.

Miami has continued to push for Griffin leading into and since his official visit. USC has also made the five-star DL a priority and meeting Aaron Donald was a game-changer for Griffin. However, Georgia has made Griffin and his mother a top priority since extending an offer in the eighth grade, and that consistency has paid off into his senior season as a decision began to set in.

There’s a sense that Georgia will win out for the prized in-state defensive lineman and could be the start of a late-season run on the recruiting trail for Smart and the Dawgs, particularly with the pool of in-state blue-chippers still high on their board.

Much like a traditional calendar, the recruiting calendar has its seasons. As the fall winds down and the weather cools, flip season is increasingly picking up. We’ve already seen massive dominoes fall such as Alvin Henderson, Dakorien Moore and Keelon Russell over the summer, and Deuce Knight, Bryce Davis, Malik Clark and Bryce Davis more recently.

That was a lively start to flip season, and the stage is set for an even faster finish. Five-star cornerback Na’eem Offord, four-star receiver CJ Wiley, four-star offensive tackle Carde Smith, four-star running back Anthony Rogers, four-star linebacker Jaiden Braker and four-star receiver Caleb Cunningham are just a few recruitments that have yet to be shut down to this stage. Cracked doors at this time of the year usually make for late drama.