The Georgia-Texas game this weekend features two powerhouse SEC programs who are good enough to win the national championship. Here is a look at some wild recruitments that will shape this game Saturday in Austin.
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Early in his recruitment, Banks was committed to Oklahoma State but he backed off that pledge and then in the summer before his senior season the Houston (Texas) Summer Creek standout picked Oregon in a surprise move since Texas and Texas A&M were so highly discussed in his recruitment.
When Mario Cristobal left Oregon for Miami, Banks decommitted from the Ducks and then picked Texas over Texas A&M as Alabama also tried to work in. The Hurricanes made a run at him with Cristobal in Coral Gables.
Banks has become one of the best offensive tackles in college football and is expected to be a high first-round NFL Draft pick.
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 instead of heading down to Gainesville, Beck picked the Bulldogs. He waited years mainly behind Stetson Bennett for his shot instead of hitting the transfer portal and he’s put together two great seasons in Athens.
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 and one big reason was because his brother, Trevor, plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Etienne spent two seasons in Gainesville before transferring to arch-rival Georgia where he’s now the Bulldogs’ leading rusher. The former four-star and second-best all-purpose back in 2022 has 335 rushing yards and four scores so far this season.
It feels like a million years ago but Ewers was first recruited to Texas by former coach Tom Herman and former assistant Mike Yurcich, and the five-star quarterback committed to the Longhorns shortly before his junior season. That pledge lasted only two months (Herman was fired a few months later) and then Ewers committed to Ohio State in November.
He redshirted for one season in Columbus and then announced a transfer back to Texas over Texas Tech. He’s found elite success in Austin under coach Steve Sarkisian. Ewers and fellow five-star Arch Manning form one of the best quarterback duos in America and Ewers is a likely first-round NFL Draft pick.
In the summer before his senior season at Denton (Texas) Ryan, the five-star linebacker committed to Texas A&M over Texas and called it the better fit. But the Aggies struggled that season going 5-7 under former coach Jimbo Fisher and in November, Hill backed off his pledge to the Aggies.
Leading up to the Early Signing Period, Hill committed to Texas and he has been stellar ever since getting to Austin. The five-star linebacker leads the team with 42 tackles (8.5 for loss) along with a team-high 4.5 sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery.
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 27 catches for 302 yards and two touchdowns. It was a 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 being the top target in the Bulldogs’ offense.
The No. 1 prospect in the 2023 Rivals250 took an unorthodox approach to his recruitment where he didn’t talk about every offer or every visit and basically narrowed it down to Texas, Alabama and Georgia, with Clemson hanging on early as well.
After a round of official visits to his top three in June, the New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman standout committed to the Longhorns. He also spurned a well-worn tradition of the top player in the state of Louisiana picking LSU since nearly every No. 1 prospect there in Rivals’ history dating back to 2002 has played for the Tigers.
Georgia and Alabama went all-in on Manning as the Bulldogs didn’t sign any high school quarterback in 2023 and Alabama got Eli Holstein and Dylan Lonergan. Holstein transferred to Pitt and is now the starter there.
Simmons’ recruitment was not exactly wild and crazy; it’s just that Texas was not considered the front-runner for most of it.
The five-star defensive end from Duncanville, Texas, ended up taking official visits to Texas, Miami, Alabama and SMU but it was actually LSU that was the biggest threat to any other team in his recruitment. Teammate Caden Durham was already committed to the Tigers and it wouldn’t have been a shock if Simmons joined him in Baton Rouge.
But as decision day drew closer in August before his senior season, Simmons battled with staying closer to home (and closer to family) by picking the Longhorns or heading to LSU which drew a lot of his attention as well. The five-star picked Texas.
He’s had a phenomenal start to his freshman season as Simmons has totaled 23 tackles (7.5 for loss) with four sacks already. He also has four quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.
Alabama was mentioned throughout Starks’ recruitment and even as one of three finalists but his decision came down to Clemson and Georgia. His uncle played for the Tigers years ago but 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 a real opportunity to be a first-round NFL Draft pick after this season.
Wingo’s recruitment took some wild twists and turns with constantly changing front-runners and a decision that literally came down to the final minutes.
The four-star receiver from St. Louis (Mo.) University had Tennessee as an early favorite and then Georgia and Texas A&M emerged as the front-runners.
After that slowed down, Texas was the leader and then Missouri entered the picture and it looked like the Tigers would win out as signing day got closer. The word was even as his decision day arrived, Wingo was still torn between the Longhorns and staying closer to home and playing at Missouri. Texas won out toward the end of his senior season.
So far in his freshman season, Wingo has caught 13 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns.
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on Rivals.com, the leader in college football and basketball recruiting coverage. Be the first to know and follow your teams by signing up here.
