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Georgia, Kirby Smart 'Set The Bar' For Elite Recruit During Weekend Visit

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By J.C. Shelton | Last updated May 18, 2025 6:05 PM ET

Head coach Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs made a notable impression on one of the top players in the country over the weekend.

The Bulldogs are coming off an SEC championship season that also witnessed Smart's fourth College Football Playoff appearance since taking the helm in 2016.

Much has been made about Georgia's winning trend and for good reason, as the back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022 make UGA the only program with more than one national title this decade.

Flying largely under the radar is the recruiting efforts by Smart and his staff. Georgia has signed nine straight top-five classes and is in the hunt for another top class in 2026.

The Bulldogs know how to host valuable recruiting events like the annual "Scavenger Hunt" that took place over the weekend. Multiple highly-touted recruits were present in Athens, including four-star linebacker Nick Abrams.

Abrams (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) plays for McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Maryland. He is rated as the No. 8 linebacker and the No. 164 player in the 2026 class, per On3.

Georgia is battling for Abrams alongside Alabama, Michigan and Oregon.

After his visit to Athens, Abrams spoke highly of Smart and co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Glenn Schumann.

“For me specifically I got to be myself around the coaches and players which is important to me," Abrams said via On3's Steve Wiltfong. "The big take away was how good Coach Schumann is. He has three Butkus Award winners at the age of 35. It was great talking to him and listening about how much he cares for his players. It also great to talk to Coach Smart, his outlook on life and his vision for the next chapter of Georgia football.”

The Bulldogs have "set the bar" for Abram's official visits ahead of trips to Alabama and Michigan on June 6 and Oregon on June 20. The highly-coveted recruit is slated to commit on July 16.

“Like I’ve said before, all the schools in my top four have a 25 percent chance of landing my commitment," he said. "Georgia set the bar high for these official visits.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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