Kirby: We Had to Stay Alive for 5-Star WR George Pickens

ATHENS - Kirby Smart knew where he stood with George Pickens‍ , and it wasn’t at the top. 

But the Bulldogs stuck with it, and eventually landed the 5-star receiver from Hoover, AL on Wednesday. 

“(George) was very honest with us,” Kirby told ESPNU reporters. “He told us where we stood. And it was a case of staying alive and keep working, and he felt like it was the best fit for him.”

The Bulldogs trailed Auburn until the end, when it mattered most. According to the UGA coach, the official visit might have been what turned the recruiting battle towards the Dawgs. 

“George is a kid who visited here multiple times. He came to our game against Auburn as an unofficial visitor. I thought we had a tremendous official visit with him a couple of weeks ago when he came over to campus, and we didn’t have a lot of other kids here,” Kirby said. “We didn’t have a lot of spots. We were narrowing our focus. I thought we had a very good in-home visit.”

Pickens is the Bulldogs’ 9th overall Top 100 signee in the class of 2019. Georgia signed the consensus No. 2 class in the country.