Georgia
BREAKING: Three-Star Offensive Lineman Xavier Canales Commits To Georgia Tech, Yellow Jackets Class Keeps Moving Up
Xavier Canales is your newest Yellow Jacket after committing to Georgia Tech today. His recruitment with Georgia Tech moved pretty quickly for Canales as he picked up an offer just a month ago on May 18th, per his X account. Prior to his commitment, Canales announced his top seven which included Georgia State, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Arkansas, Memphis, and USF. This is Georgia Tech’s second commitment of the day, with three-star running back Isaiah Groves joining the class earlier this morning.
100% COMMITTED‼️Thank you to all my coaches and teammates that gave me opportunities and got me better to this point.🐝@CoachBrentKeyGT @GeepWade @coach_norv @coachspritchett @coach_uzzi @coach_uzzi @CoachWinnjr @AnnaH247 @247Sports @CoachAllen_FDHS @rec_douglass @FDHS_Athletics pic.twitter.com/zspcfhMyGj
— Xavier Canales (@XavierCanal3s) June 18, 2024
After the announcement, Canales took an official visit to the Flats on June 3rd. The following weekend he visited Cincinnati on June 7-9th. It was a two-head race between Cincinnati and Georgia Tech before the ultimate decision between two programs Canales was high on. Georgia Tech offensive line coach Geep Wade has been a key factor in landing this recruitment.
According to 247Sports Composite, Canales is a three-star, ranked as the No. 102 IOL, No. 125 player in Georgia, and No.1,317 nationally. Before the 247Sports ranking, On3 was the only other recruiting service that had him ranked. Since last writing about Canales in May, he is now ranked on every major recruiting platform except ESPN. On the field here is what he is best known for.
Canales is a 6’4 and 240-pound prospect who is a force on the edge. When you roll his tape, you see he is a great finisher of blocks. In the run game, Canales is good at securing the edge and getting to the second level of the defense, opening big holes for ball carriers to go through. Also once Canales gets his hands on you, it is tough to get them off.
Canales had a dominant junior season that led him to being selected first-team all-region by Georgia High School Football Daily. He also was named an honorable-mention on the all-state team by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was part of a Douglass-Atlanta team that made it to the playoffs for the second consecutive season and had their first winning season since 2019.
A thing of note about the commitment of Canales is he plays with standout teammate Jontae Gilbert, who is a heavily coveted player in the country. Canales could try and sway his teammate to stay home to be part of something special brewing at Georgia Tech. Gilbert announced his top seven schools back on May 31st that included South Carolina, Memphis, Georgia State, Michigan, Louisville, UCF, and NC State. The list didn’t include Georgia Tech. Don’t fret Yellow Jackets fans, there is hope. Per Kelly Quinlan of Rivals.com, Gilbert stated things have heated back up with Georgia Tech after his official visit and that they are in his top 4.
With the commitment of Canales, this will be an intriguing storyline to continue to watch throughout the rest of summer and early fall.
2025 Georgia Tech commitments
Four-Star Offensive Lineman Justin Hasenhuetl
Three-Star defensive end Andre Fuller
Three-star quarterback Grady Adamson
Three-star offensive lineman Jimmy Bryson
Three-star Safety Rasean Dinkins
Three-star Running Back JP Powell
Three-Star Safety Fenix Felton
Three-Star Athlete Jamauri Brice
Three-Star Tight end Connor Roush
Three-star offensive lineman Kevin Peay
Four-Star Cornerback Dalen Penson
Three-Star Wide Receiver Sam Turner
Three-Star Edge Carrington Coombs
Tight End Kevin Roche
Safety Jayden Barr
Three-Star Running Back Isaiah Groves
Three-Star Offensive Lineman Xavier Canales
Georgia
High Fire Danger conditions continue through Thursday in Georgia
Dry air and gusty winds are expected to create high fire danger conditions Thursday afternoon into the evening across parts of north and central Georgia.
GEORGIA FIRE WEATHER ALERTS
Relative humidities of 25 percent or less are expected for four or more hours Thursday afternoon into the evening. Winds are forecast to be from the northeast to southeast at 7 to 12 mph, with gusts up to 20 mph. With dry fuels in place, the weather service said high fire danger conditions can be expected.
Everyone is urged to check with local burn permitting authorities about whether outdoor burning is allowed. If burning is permitted, use extreme caution.
MIDDLE GEORGIA FIRE WEATHER ALERTS
The statement covers a wide area of Georgia including the following Middle Georgia counties: Butts, Jasper, Putnam, Hancock, Upson, Lamar, Monroe, Jones, and Baldwin.
Georgia
Georgia football knew it couldn’t make same mistake twice with Khalil Barnes
The Bulldogs initially missed out on the defensive back, but the Clemson transfer is expected to make an immediate impact.
Clemson transfer Khalil Barnes — pictured taking part in the second day of spring practice in Athens in March — has spent most of the spring starting at the STAR position despite Rasean Dinkins playing there late last season after Joenel Aguero was injured. Aguero transferred this offseason. (DawgNation staff)
ATHENS — Landing prospects out of the transfer portal is often a dart throw.
And after bringing in three defensive back transfers for the 2025 season and another four this offseason, Georgia finally seems to have hit the mark with former Clemson standout Khalil Barnes.
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Elijah Griffin takes part in the second day of spring practice in Athens, Georgia, on Thursday, March 19, 2026. (DawgNation staff photo)
Georgia
Republicans win Georgia race — but Democrats post largest swing yet in special House elections
Republicans padded their slim House majority with a special election win in Georgia on Tuesday night. But the race also marked the biggest swing against the GOP compared with the 2024 presidential results out of seven House special elections in President Donald Trump’s second term.
It’s the latest sign of an encouraging political environment for Democrats, though the results in lower-turnout special elections never translate exactly to November. Democrats hope to mobilize voter frustration with Trump and his party to break the Republicans’ unified control of Washington this year.
Republican attorney Clay Fuller, Trump’s pick to fill the seat vacated by GOP former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation this year, is projected to defeat Democrat Shawn Harris and hold Georgia’s 14th Congressional District for Republicans. But the results Tuesday look nothing like in 2024, when Trump won the district by almost 37 points and Greene won by about 29 points.
Fuller led Harris by 55.9% to 44.1% with 99% of the expected vote in, according to NBC News’ Decision Desk. That’s a 12-point margin — and a 25-point swing from Trump’s margin.
The previous biggest swing in a House special election during Trump’s second term came about a year ago, in Florida’s 1st District. There, Democrat Gay Valimont lost by about 15 points, a 23-point improvement on Trump’s 37-point victory margin, even as Republican Jimmy Patronis won the seat. In another special House election the same day, in the state’s 6th District, Democrats improved on Harris’ 2024 margin by 16 points.
And in a December special House election in Tennessee, the Democratic candidate lost by 9 points about a year after Trump won the district by 22 points.
The trend across those House special elections has also extended to other special elections, helping Democrats flip 11 state legislative seats in special elections since the start of last year. And there are signs the party isn’t doing that just by turning out more Democrats while Republicans stay home: An NBC News Decision Desk analysis found that Democrats’ most recent state legislative wins in Florida came despite the fact that more registered Republicans voted in those races than registered Democrats.
Harris’ overperformance in Georgia stands out from the other Democratic congressional candidates in Republican-held seats because he spent the least amount of campaign funds on ads, according to the tracking firm AdImpact.
Harris spent $1.1 million on ads in the race, including $298,000 since the first round of voting March 10. Fuller and Republican outside groups spent a combined $4 million, including $1.1 million since March 10.
Harris’ most recent campaign finance report, which detailed spending through March 18, showed that his campaign spent heavily on digital fundraising and building his donor list and on running a field program.
In both Florida special elections, the Democratic candidates, Josh Weil and Gay Valimont, outspent Republican groups and their respective GOP opponents, Randy Fine and Jimmy Patronis, on the airwaves. In Tennessee, Democrat Aftyn Behn spent $3.5 million on the airwaves. Republican Matt Van Epps and his GOP allies ultimately spent $7.5 million, thanks to a late spending push from Republican groups.
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