Georgia
Georgia football early enrollees hope ‘to get the call’ for bowl practices
This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting details how the Bulldogs will tweak the use of its early enrollees in Sugar Bowl practices this month.
College football has made roster management much more complicated these days. The latest is Georgia football’s annual December tradition of bringing in a horde of its latest signees for bowl practices.
That now intersects with the new 105-man roster management landscape, among other things.
While it seems like almost all of Georgia’s 29 signees will be early enrollees in January, there won’t be quite that many in Athens for Sugar Bowl practices. DawgNation has confirmed that several members of the 2026 class are expected to practice with the Dawgs for the first time on Saturday.
While the entire class of 2026 can ball, not all of them will get the call.
Bowdon High School’s Kaiden Prothro, who has been ranked by Rivals as a 5-star, shared a little bit about what that now looks like earlier this week. When asked about his short-term plans after his Red Devils won their fourth straight state title, Prothro said he wasn’t sure.
“I’m planning on enrolling early and then hopefully going for some bowl practices,” Prothro said. “If I can make it in time.”
Prothro would normally be a given, considering his elite size, frame, and skill set. But he wasn’t sure about that earlier this week.
“I have no idea,” Prothro said. “It is kind of weird. They have got to call you up or whatever. A spot has got to open up.”
If he got the call, Prothro said he would take advantage of those extra early reps.
“Just practicing with them would just be amazing at the next level,” he said. “Great coaching and [tight ends] coach [Todd] Hartley is a great coach. Coach [Kirby] Smart is going to coach you hard, but you are going to get better in practice. So obviously, I just want to get better and just see what my next step is.”
Georgia signed a pair of Carrollton Trojan seniors in this class. Both confirmed they would move to Athens today and practice with the SEC Champions on Saturday.
“I am one of those guys that got called up,” 3-star IOL Zykie Helton said after the 6A state title game. “I will be in Athens on Friday.”
“I’ll be there Friday,” Mosley said. “Going up there early. Getting experience. Learning the playbook so I’ll be set by the time [next] fall comes around.”
The 4-star WR walked out of the Carrollton locker room for the last time at 1 a.m. on Wednesday. He graduated and had his last day of high school on Thursday, and will be practicing with a program on Saturday that is hunting its third national title this decade.
“That’s what you want,” Mosley said. “Being an athlete, a turnaround like that comes with it. I just want the Georgia fans to know that they are getting a beast. They are getting a real beast.”
Buford ATH Tyriq Green told DawgNation he planned to practice in Athens on Saturday, too. He was quite excited to go from winning a Georgia state championship and a national high school title to strapping it up for a UGA practice this weekend.
Green said this might just be the best week of his life.
“I think so,” he said. “Last week of school. About to graduate, so everything is good.”
Graham Houston, his Buford High teammate, also signed with UGA. He’s the third-highest-rated OL in this UGA class, but he plans to move to Athens next month.
“I believe I am going on January 8th,” he said after the state title game.
Houston knew Green would be going up early. The AJC Super 11 selection has been an impact running back, safety and kick returner during his Buford career. “Ty Boogie” was also named MVP of the state title game after his 184 rushing yards and two scores on just 11 carries.
If there’s one thing to look for in terms of who gets the call with limited slots available, it will be elite talents like Green. Especially at a position like safety, where Georgia is banged up and could use more talented practice bodies.
“He could play any day,” Houston said while laughing. “He might play this year.”
While Green could likely help the Dawgs in some capacity at The Sugar Bowl, he’s not able to suit up for the game under NCAA rules. That hasn’t changed from the annual postseason protocol. DawgNation should not expect to see 20 or more of the new signees wearing a UGA jersey over athleisure attire on the sidelines at the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day this time.
DawgNation has been able to confirm that 5-star OT Ekene Ogboko will also be up for early bowl practices, but won’t make it until Christmas Day. 4-star Maryland LB Nick Abrams II is also expected to practice with the Dawgs on Saturday, among others.
Twitchy DL Valdin Sone, a 5-star prospect for 247Sports, was also set to be moving to Athens today for bowl practices this weekend.
The Intel this week suggests that 4-star RB Jae Lamar and 4-star WR Craig Dandridge could also be in Athens this weekend for bowl practices. Prothro is another strong candidate to join the team this month, too.
Have you subscribed to the DawgNation YouTube channel yet? If so, you will see special 1-on-1 content with key 2026 signees like Ty Green, Zykie Helton, Tyreek Jemison, Lincoln Keyes and Kaiden Prothro.
Have you seen this week’s “Before the Hedges” weekly recruiting special on YouTube yet? Check it out below.
SENTELL’S INTEL
(Check on the recent reads on Georgia football recruiting)
Midterm elections could bring a generational shift to Georgia’s delegation in Washington.
U.S House candidate Jim Kingston at an automotive construction site in Savannah, Ga., on Jan. 7, 2026. (Sarah Peacock for AJC)
The graying halls of Congress don’t usually evoke images of youthful ambition, but a record number of lawmakers are calling it quits in 2026.
And in Georgia, their replacements may look very different.
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Georgia State Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, is seen in the House of Representatives in Atlanta on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
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A family name
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Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Savannah, served in the U.S. House for 11 terms, leaving to mount a failed U.S. Senate run in 2014. His son Jim is now seeking Jack’s old seat. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
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Pintail Inc. CEO/Owner Kevin Jackson Jr. shows U.S House candidate Jim Kingston around an automotive construction site in Savannah, Ga., on Jan. 7, 2026. (Sarah Peacock for AJC)
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From student government to the U.S. House?
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Georgia Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, spoke at a rally titled “Make Athens Safer” at City Hall, Tuesday evening, March 5, 2024. (Nell Carroll for the AJC)
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A new normal?
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State Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, who plans to run for the congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, speaks to the news media at the Capitol in Atlanta on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
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tI“ htiw ew ,evitatneserper yllaer fo wen wen wen wen wen deen ”.pihsredael pihsredael saedi noitareneg ,thgif raelc emaceb dna a a
Adam Van Brimmer is a journalist who covers politics and Coastal Georgia news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
Georgia
Georgia politicians react along party lines to Minneapolis ICE officer shooting, killing US citizen
Two-time Democratic nominee says she’ll focus on fight against ‘authoritarianism’ instead.
Former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams speaks at the Georgia State University Convocation Center in Atlanta on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, for a Kamala Harris campaign rally. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
Stacey Abrams won’t be on the Georgia ballot in 2026.
The two-time Democratic nominee for governor definitively ruled out another run for Georgia’s top job this year, saying Thursday she’ll instead continue her work fighting what she sees as the nation’s lurch toward authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.
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Georgia Gubernatorial Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams and Republican candidate Brian Kemp greet each other before a live taping of the 2018 Gubernatorial debate for the Atlanta Press Club at the Georgia Public Broadcasting studio in Atlanta, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. (Alyssa Pointer/AJC)
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A broader battle
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Rev. Martha Simmons wears an “election protection” badge during election day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, as a part of the New Georgia Project’s Faith Initiative. (Christina Matacotta for the AJC)
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Democratic candidates for governor include (top row, left to right): Keisha Lance Bottoms, Geoff Duncan, Jason Esteves. Bottom row: Derrick Jackson, Ruwa Romman and Michael Thurmond. (AJC file photos)
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ll’ehs dias no peek reh sucof redaorb .elttab a yadsruhT tuB smarbA
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Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
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