Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs Pick up 4-Star Commitment

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ATHENS - Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs picked up a commitment on Friday. 

JaCorey Thomas‍, a consensus four-star prospect who is considered an athlete by most recruiting services, but will likely end up on the defensive side of the football, picked the Bulldogs Friday over offers from Auburn, UCF and others. 

Thomas’ decision comes a few weeks after he visited Georgia for an official visit, which included time being spent at the Bulldogs’ new $80 million football facility. Georgia now has 11 commitments for the class of 2022. While Thomas is considered a four-star prospect, he is not considered a consensus top 300 prospect in the country. 

"It is another good pickup from Kirby and Georgia," Dawg Post recruiting analyst Matt DeBary said of the commitment. "I don't think a lot of folks saw this coming, but, again, you look at what Kirby has done with off-the-radar guys like Tae Crowder, Jordan Davis and others, and you just have to think they totally know what they are doing here because Thomas isn't a guy folks would immediately think of."

Thomas tweeted on June 4th that he had received an offer from Georgia. That was the first week recruits could get back on campus at colleges after a year-plus long break due to the pandemic. 

Thomas ended his junior season with 36 solo tackles, 24 assisted tackles, two forced fumbles and an interception. He played both running back and receiver his junior season, which culminated in more than 560 yards and seven touchdowns. 

The Orlando Sentinel named him to that outlet’s so-called Super 60. 

Thomas’ commitment sends the Bulldogs into the final recruiting weekend of the month of June with momentum. It remains to be seen what fallout will come from the new landscape of college football recruiting post-pandemic, but July will feature a focus shift from nearly exclusively recruiting in June to preparation for the season that comes soon thereafter. SEC Media Days are scheduled for middle July in Hoover, Ala. The Bulldogs will then start practices in preparation for the 2021 season in early August. 

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