Georgia
Georgia football recruiting: An already mammoth UGA scavenger hunt weekend visitor list now includes 5-star OT David Sanders
This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting breaks down the names that DawgNation has been able to confirm will be in Athens this weekend for the annual scavenger hunt that has developed into a major official visit weekend.
It is a [May] Georgia football recruiting tradition like no other. But it has suddenly morphed into something bigger than we’ve seen up to this point.
Georgia is set to host its biggest slate of official visitors ever for the annual scavenger hunt weekend that takes place every May. DawgNation has been able to confirm the names of four official visitors set for this weekend.
The annual scavenger hunt across the UGA campus hosts has featured pictures (and a subsequent obscure NCAA rule change) with live snakes and an at-times cutthroat competition to win the scavenger hunt that has included pilfered golf cart keys and selfie quests in the past.
Yet it now has another major 5-star visitor added to the guest list.
5-star OT David Sanders Jr. will be in Athens for the first time since a spring practice visit to check out the Bulldogs. DawgNation was able to confirm the news of the planned visit early this evening with a family source, but Steve Wiltfong on On3.com was the first with that news.
Every visit these days from Sanders is big. DawgNation has ranked the 5-star from Charlotte as the No. 1 “top target” on its weekly “Before the Hedges” listing of top prospects since the debut of the 2025 list back in November of 2023.
Sanders now ranks as the nation’s No. 1 OT prospect and the No. 2 overall recruit for the 2025 cycle on the 247Sports Composite scale. The On3 “Industry Ranking”
The Providence Day star won’t be the only 5-star in attendance over the weekend. 5-star 2026 QB commit Jared Curtis is expected to come down from Nashville for all the fun.
The expected guest list now also includes 5-star LB Zayden Walker, 5-star S Trey McNutt and also a key flip target in 4-star EDGE Isaiah Gibson out of Warner Robins. Gibson is currently committed to USC.
Lest we forget, the other major visits of the weekend will be the 48 hours of official visit time with the following prospects:
- 4-star RB Bo Jackson
- 4-star WR Marcus Harris
- 4-star WR Phillip Bell
- 4-star OL Ziyare Addison
Check out the list of names DawgNation has been able to confirm this week.
Name | Hometown | Ranking | Status |
---|---|---|---|
5-star David Sanders, Jr. | Charlotte, NC | No. 1 OT/ No. 2 | decided |
5-star Jared Curtis (2026) | Nashville, TN | No. 1 QB/ No. 8 | UGA commit |
5-star Zayden Walker | Ellaville, GA | No. 2 LB/ No. 21 | Undecided |
5-star Trey McNutt | Shaker Heights, OH | No. 1 S/ No. 24 | Undecided |
4-star Isaiah Gibson | Warner Robins, GA | No. 5 EDGE/ No. 56 | USC commit |
4-star TJ Alford | Fort Pierce, FL | No. 7 LB/ No. 62 | Ohio State commit |
4-star Bo Jackson (OV) | Cleveland, OH | No. 5 LB/ No. 71 | Undecided |
4-star Christian Garrett | Bogart, GA | No. 16 DL/ No. 133 | Undecided |
4-star Marcus Harris (OV) | Eastvale, CA | No. 15 WR/ No. 140 | Undecided |
4-star Phillip Bell (OV) | Los Angeles, CA | No. 16 WR/ No. 149 | Undecided |
4-star Mason Short | Evans, GA | No. 8 IOL/ No. 169 | UGA commit |
4-star Ziyare Addison (OV) | Riverview, FL | No. 22 OT/ No. 211 | Undecided |
There will undoubtedly be a few more names added to this early list. There should be a few big 2026 names that will join Curtis this weekend to start building that class.
Garrett made the list above and it sounds like the 4-star Prince Avenue DL target will make the trip, but a final decision has not been made yet.
These plans are, as always, also subject to change.
DawgNation will continue to update this list as the RSVPs roll in for the week.
Did you know the weekly DawgNation.com “Before the Hedges” program is available as an Apple podcast? Click to check it out and download it.
SENTELL’S INTEL
(check on the recent reads on Georgia football recruiting)
Georgia
Jimmy Carter Christmas ornament now available at Georgia stores
ATLANTA – The White House is honoring former President Jimmy Carter this Christmas with his own ornament, and Georgians can get their own for their tree.
The ornament is in the shape of an anchor, a symbol of hope that also represents Carter’s service in the U.S. Navy.
It also features historic moments from Carter’s life and presidency and comes with a keepsake box and illustrated booklet on Carter’s presidency.
“It is a great honor to offer the Official 2024 White House Christmas Ornament at Home Depot stores for the first time in Georgia,” said Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association. “This year we pay tribute to President Jimmy Carter’s remarkable life and enduring legacy as he continues to be a fixture in our country’s ongoing history.”
Shoppers can find the ornament at around 60 Home Depot stores across Georgia and in the Washington, D.C. area.
You can also buy the ornament on The Home Depot’s website.
Georgia
Georgia Senate study panel considers restrictions on trans women’s college sports participation • Georgia Recorder
A Georgia Senate study committee that bills itself as tasked with protecting women’s sports met Thursday for the last time before it is set to release recommendations before next year’s legislative session, and transgender Georgians are bracing themselves.
At Thursday’s hearing, transgender women and allies argued that vanishingly few transgender women participate in school sports, and those who do are largely not at the top of the competitive heap. Many said the national focus is making life difficult.
“It’s so hard to face this kind of opposition,” said Aaron Baker, a transgender woman and activist. “It’s so hard to be at a hearing like this and hear the language. It’s so hard for you to hear people describe me as a biological man because it’s not
true. I am hormonally female, I’m phenotypically female, I’m psychologically female, and that is a gross oversimplification of who I am and my identity, and it hurts.”
Committee Chair Greg Dolezal, a Cumming Republican, told members he would spend the next week or so reviewing testimony from the committee’s three hearings and plans to announce the date for presenting recommendations shortly after. Study committee recommendations could take the form of proposed legislation in time for the 2025 General Assembly, which is set to begin Jan. 13.
Dolezal indicated he is interested in considering regulations for college sports. A previous hearing featured testimony from cisgender women college swimmers who said they were placed at an unfair disadvantage when they had to compete against a transgender woman at a competition at Georgia Tech.
“A few years ago, I believe it was three years ago, the General Assembly passed a bill essentially prescribing the control to make decisions around transgender participation in sports to the Georgia High School Association, they passed a resolution that stated that participation in sports, high school sports, in the state of Georgia was based on the sex prescribed on a birth certificate. The law is currently silent on the collegiate competition level. So right now, we just have a law as it relates to high school associations,” he said.
Other Republicans on the committee suggested they would like to see legislation in K-12 schools, especially surrounding restrooms and locker rooms.
“As a father of two young daughters, we’ve got to protect women,” said Gwinnett Republican Sen. Clint Dixon. “We’ve got to protect their sports, we’ve got to protect them in changing rooms from what we heard from many of those athletes who testified, four or five of them who testified in the first committee hearing, having to change, which took 20, 30 minutes at a time, in front of a transgender female, but still had the genitalia of a male, which was horrific for them to witness that, some of them ended up changing in a storage closet, some of them waited until that athlete left the room, having to miss some of their competition, and that’s just at the college level, we’re not even talking about minors in K-12.”
Some activists indicated that they would oppose any kind of restriction on transgender participation, while speakers like Lambda Legal attorney Sasha Buchert urged the lawmakers to take a nuanced approach over a blanket ban, which could mean a committee including medical experts to consider safety or competitive concerns on a case-by-case basis. Others said such decisions should be left to athletic associations and leagues rather than politicians or political appointees.
“Sports are already managed by expert organizations like the NCAA, the International Olympics Committee, and professional leagues,” said Delfina Booth, a former Georgia Tech student and high school athlete who said she has lost transgender friends to police violence and suicide.
“These governing bodies have developed policies over decades that analyze fairness based on unique needs of each sport,” she added. “Contact sports have different rules than non-contact sports, children’s sports focus more on teamwork and development than adult sports, et cetera. These nuances cannot be addressed through broad government legislation. Additionally, decisions about athletic ability involve multiple complex factors, including the signs of physical development and the specific demands of each sport. These aren’t matters that lend themselves directly or easily to blanket rules.”
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Georgia
NC State football vs Georgia Tech score: Live updates, highlights from ACC game
The N.C. State Wolfpack and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets play in primetime on Thursday (7:30 p.m., ESPN) at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Week 13 of the college football season.
Coming off an idle week, the Wolfpack (5-5, 2-4 ACC) needs to win one of its final two games to become bowl eligible for the fifth straight season. But it won’t be an easy task taking on the Yellow Jackets (6-4, 4-3) in Atlanta, where N.C. State has lost 11 of 15 games in the series.
The Wolfpack hasn’t won at Georgia Tech since 2010.
NC State vs GT preview, prediction
Keep this page refreshed and bookmarked for live updates for N.C. State vs. Georgia Tech.
NC State vs Georgia Tech score
Live scoreboard:
What channel is NC State vs Georgia Tech today?
TV Channel: ESPN
Livestream: Fubo (free trial), ESPN+
Watch NCSU vs. GT on Fubo
N.C. State vs. Georgia Tech will be broadcast nationally on ESPN in Week 13 of the 2024 college football season. Matt Barrie and Dan Mullen will call the game from the booth at Bobby Dodd Stadium, with Harry Lyles Jr. reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers. Matt Chazanow, Johnny Evans and Tony Haynes will have the radio call on the Wolfpack Sports Network.
NC State vs Georgia Tech start time
Date: Thursday, Nov. 21
Start time: 7:30 p.m.
Buy NCSU vs GT tickets here
The N.C. State vs. Georgia Tech game starts at 7:30 p.m. from Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
NC State vs Georgia Tech history
Series record: Georgia Tech 20-11
NC State’s last win: 2020 (23-13)
Georgia Tech’s last win: 2019 (28-26)
NC State vs Georgia Tech prediction
Georgia Tech 30, N.C. State 23: The Yellow Jackets will remain undefeated at home behind a big effort from quarterback Haynes King. The Wolfpack will head to Chapel Hill for the regular-season finale, needing a win to play in the postseason.
NC State vs Georgia Tech spread, betting odds
Game lines and odds from BetMGM will be posted as they become available.
Spread: Georgia Tech is an 8.5-point favorite
Over/under: 52.5 points
Moneyline: N.C. State (+270), Georgia Tech (-350)
NC State vs Georgia Tech weather
Temperatures for kickoff will be around 44 degrees under clear skies in Atlanta, Georgia. Winds will be between 8-16 mph, with gusts up to 38 mph.
NC State vs Georgia Tech injury updates
This section will updated in the pregame.
NC State schedule 2024
- Aug. 29: Western Carolina (W, 38-21)
- Sept. 7: Tennessee (L, 51-10)
- Sept. 14: Louisiana Tech (W, 30-20)
- Sept. 21: at Clemson (L, 59-35)
- Sept. 28: Northern Illinois (W, 24-17)
- Oct. 5: Wake Forest (L, 34-30)
- Oct. 12: Syracuse (L, 24-17)
- Oct. 19: at Cal (W, 24-23)
- Oct. 26: OPEN
- Nov. 2: Stanford (W, 59-28)
- Nov. 9: Duke (L, 29-19)
- Nov. 16: OPEN
- Nov. 21: at Georgia Tech (Thursday)
- Nov. 30: at UNC
Georgia Tech schedule 2024
- Aug. 24: Florida State (W, 24-21)
- Aug. 31: Georgia State (W, 35-12)
- Sept. 7: at Syracuse (L, 31-28)
- Sept. 14: VMI (W, 59-7)
- Sept. 21: at Louisville (L, 31-19)
- Sept. 28: OFF
- Oct. 5: Duke (W, 24-14)
- Oct. 12: at UNC (W, 41-34)
- Oct. 19: Notre Dame (L, 31-13)
- Oct. 26: at Virginia Tech (L, 21-6)
- Nov. 2: OFF
- Nov. 9: Miami (W, 28-23)
- Nov. 16: OFF
- Nov. 21: NC State (Thursday)
- Nov. 29: at Georgia
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
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