If you want proof that context matters in NFL Draft evaluation, look no further than Christen Miller’s career arc at Georgia. He arrived in Athens as a four-star recruit and spent his first two years buried behind first-round picks Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt, and Jalen Carter — three players who all heard their names called on Day 1.
Georgia
The recruits have shared 5-star reviews of Georgia football spring practice
This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting shares an overview of what recruits have told DawgNation about spring practice so far this month.
Recruits can get a 5-star ranking. That’s the same set of evaluation criteria that was often used for hotels, movie reviews and restaurants, among other things.
When it came to the big screen, the 5-star ranking for a movie was reserved for the elite. Those were the masterpieces.
That’s a convenient connection here with what DawgNation has heard from the elite recruits who have visited Georgia football practices so far this month.
They are very much like a focus group invited in for a private screening of the 2026 Georgia football team.
While DawgNation has to wait for G-Day to get their first looks, several prospects have now seen UGA for multiple practices, including back-to-back sessions. Not even Magill Society members have seen that much of the Dawgs.
What are they saying? What were their movie reviews? Here’s a listing of several breakout quotes we’ve heard so far.
We were listening for the stuff that would have been at the top of all those movie theatres at the Cineplex.
The program culture at the UGA “Pro Day” workout
“That was the underlying thing you saw today. All the other Dawgs that have already been able to succeed, then want to see the next ones go.”
— 3-star OT commit Ty Johnson (Mount Pleasant, SC)
Does the physicality of spring practice at UGA stand out?
“100 percent. I feel like Georgia is just different. The way they run stuff. The aggression they play with. The tempo they play with. I feel like all of that leads up to the game. I think a cool thing Coach Smart does, and he really emphasized it, is giving everyone reps. Giving freshmen reps. Giving a fifth-year senior reps. He’s a big big coach on just getting people reps.”
“I think that’s a big reason why Georgia develops so well because they play everyone. You can’t get better if you’re on the sideline watching and I think that’s why Georgia emphasizes getting people on the field. That’s why they’ve been so successful over the past couple of years.”
— 4-star OL Jimmy Kalis (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
“Georgia’s practice is like no other I’ve seen. They were hitting like they had pads on and they didn’t have any pads on. That’s just straight development at its finest.”
— 3-star IOL Elijah Morrison (Dacula, Ga.)
“I watched a kid on a one-on-one rep. I saw one of their O-lineman slam the D-lineman to the ground and I was like ‘I want some of that’ and ‘I want some of that work’ because it was crazy to see.”
— 4-star DL Karlos May (Birmingham, Ala.)
“I want to play for a team that physical. I’ve never seen a team practice that physical. It looked like a gameday. Like a rivalry game. Georgia is the most physical team in the country.”
— 4-star DL Marvin Nguetsop (Oakdale, Conn.)
The meetings have also stood out to recruits
“Man, just the meeting itself did it for me, honestly. You are ready to go for our spring ball. Very high energy over there. Tight-knit group. Everybody’s like family there, so it’s very fun to be there at practices and watch them go throughout the day and it’s very exciting when you watch them practice and hit. I was there for the first day with full pads on, so you know the energy was there.”
— 4-star LB Jalaythan “JJ” Mayfield (Lincolnton, NC)
“We sat in a pretty long meeting. I took an entire notebook full of pages and I filled the entire thing up. It was actually pretty cool. Coach Smart, he looked at my notebook and he was really impressed with my note-taking skills. So that was a pretty cool memory, too.”
— 4-star OT Jimmy Kalis (Pittsburg, Pa.)
Junior OT Jah Jackson has attracted a lot of attention
“Jah Jackson is probably the tallest tackle I’ve seen. He’s 6-foot-11 and probably seven feet with cleats on.”
— 4-star OL Jimmy Kalis (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
“He’s a big dude to watch. For sure. He’s definitely exciting to watch on both sides. The left side and the right side. He’s definitely a top guy. For sure.”
— Class of 2029 OT Landon Ghea
“Jah is a leader in my eyes. That’s what I see right now. I feel like he’s figured it out.”
— 3-star IOL Elijah Morrison (Dacula, Ga.)
“The kid’s name was Jah, I think. Man was huge. I’ve never. He is humongous. I couldn’t believe it when I first saw him, I was like ‘Damn’ for real.”
— 4-star WR Khalil Taylor (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Georgia offensive lineman Jahzare Jackson (64) blocks against Austin Peay defensive lineman Davion Hood (17) during their game at Sanford Stadium, Saturday, September 6, 2025, in Athens, Ga. Georgia won 28-6. (Jason Getz / AJC) (Jason Getz/AJC Freelancer)
What Kirby Smart adds to every UGA practice visit
“There’s just a standard that everybody is held to. Coach Smart was on the microphone. Just pointing out everybody’s mistakes. Just making sure everybody is locked in.”
— Class of 2029 OT Landon Ghea (Milton, Ga.)
“He was just telling me you’ve got to be ready to come here and play. Like I can’t be weak. He’s going to test me mentally and physically and just to be ready. It makes me want to turn up even more. I love being coached hard. It lets me know that he wants me to be great.”
— 4-star WR Sean Green (Kingsland, Ga.)
“He’s a very genuine guy and you can tell that he’s got a real sense of that he’s going to win. I think that’s definitely something that he and I both see eye-to-eye on. We both value winning. He clearly values winning and he does it at a high level.”
— 4-star IOL Carter Jones (Poquoson, Va.)
“A Georgia practice is different. It definitely is. The energy level is way higher. When Kirby gets on that microphone, it just changes something in the atmosphere and there aren’t many places that do that. There are some coaches that try to replicate that, but they don’t do it at the level that he does.”
–4-star LB Jalaythan “JJ” Mayfield (Lincolnton, NC)
Do they look elite?
“I can just see why Georgia is just so elite in what they do. They take a pro approach to everything. They are very serious about what they do. They are passionate about the way they do it. Georgia is going to have a great year.”
— 4-star OL Jimmy Kalis (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
“I feel like it is a factory for the NFL. Their pipeline is and that’s what the end goal is for every athlete of my caliber. So why wouldn’t you check out a place like Georgia?
— 4-star LB Jalaythan “JJ” Mayfield (Lincolnton, NC)
“When I think of Georgia, I just think of relentlessness. Just the way they play. The whole team. It’s not like they got a couple of dudes on there that are Dawgs. Like, literally the whole team is Dawgs. They all want to win and pretty much every single year they’re in the running for a national championship.”
–4-star LB Kenneth Simon II (Brentwood, Tenn.)
“Georgia is different. Like, SEC ball is different. They’re very aggressive, and with the attention to detail, they are very focused. is like you can definitely tell the difference between the Big Ten and the ACC and the different conferences and stuff like that. They’re huge. They’re very aggressive, and with the attention to detail, they are very focused. They’re on their ‘Ps’ and ‘Qs,’ and they know what they’re doing. Everything down there was just great.
— 4-star WR Khalil Taylor (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
2026 breakouts: The names we’ve heard that have impressed the recruits so far this spring
- LB Chris Cole
- QB Ryan Montgomery
- WR Craig Dandridge
- OL Juan Gaston
- DL Elijah Griffin
- IOL Zykie Helton
- OT Jah Jackson
- TE/WR Kaiden Prothro
- OL Mason Short
- DL Valdin Sone
- WR Talyn Taylor
- WR Sacovie White-Helton
- TE Elyiss Williams
Have you subscribed to the DawgNation YouTube channel? If so, you will see special 1-on-1 content with key 2027 recruits like Chance Gilbert, KJ Jackson, Kemon Spell and Donte’ Wright.
Check out this week’s “Before the Hedges” weekly Georgia football recruiting special on YouTube below
Wildfires burning across the south-eastern US intensified on Wednesday across parts of south-east Georgia, where 50 homes were destroyed, and across north-east Florida, forcing evacuations and school closures in some communities.
The Georgia forestry commission issued its first mandatory burn ban in the state’s history, effective across 91 counties in the lower half of the state, due to worsening drought conditions and rising wildfire activity.
“My office and I are working closely with the Georgia Forestry Commission to respond to the increasing threat of wildfires in South Georgia,” Governor Brian Kemp wrote on X. ”If you are in a directly affected area, please adhere to guidance from your local officials to keep you and your family safe.”
Smoke from the fires drifted to Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, as well as Jacksonville, Florida, while air quality in parts of south Georgia declined to the unhealthy category.
Smoky conditions were expected to linger in the Atlanta area throughout the day, according to the Atlanta-Fulton county emergency management agency, as the worst blazes burned more than 200 miles from the city.
Some of the biggest blazes are reported to be along Georgia’s coast and around Jacksonville, Florida. They have been exacerbated by a long drought, low humidity and strong winds in the area.
Georgia’s two biggest wildfires together have burned more than 31 sq miles, and at least four other smaller fires have been reported.
Drought in the contiguous US has reached record levels for this time of year. More than 61% of the lower 48 states are in moderate to exceptional drought – including 97% of the south-east and two-thirds of the west – according to the US Drought Monitor. It’s the highest level of drought for this time of year since the drought monitor began in 2000.
Florida, the area where the worst fires are burning, is in exceptional or extreme drought, according to the monitor. Firefighters are battling 131 wildfires that had burned 34 sq miles, mostly in the state’s northern half.
Firefighting equipment was being staged across the state so resources are closer to the fires, the Florida commissioner of agriculture, Wilton Simpson, said.
“Florida has got one of the worst fire seasons in maybe the last 30 or 40 years or it’s turning out to be that way,” Simpson said. “We’ve been in drought for 18 months now all across the state.”
The fast-moving Brantley county fire in south-east Georgia is threatening more homes on Wednesday after destroying 47 a day earlier, according to the county manager, Joey Cason, who said the fire grew roughly six times in size over a half day. Nearly two dozen fire agencies called in to help fight the blaze, Cason said at a news conference. At least 800 evacuations have taken place in the county and five shelters have opened, as the fire threatens 300 more homes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.
The Brantley county sheriff, Len Davis, warned residents to be ready to evacuate, noting that the winds could shift rapidly and unexpectedly.
Another large fire that started in Clinch county had also forced evacuations, which were underway in multiple communities, the Georgia forestry association said.
“This is a serious and evolving situation,” said Tim Lowrimore, president & CEO of the association.
(WSAV) — The man accused of shooting and killing three people in Dekalb County April 13 was found dead in his jail cell, officials confirmed Monday night.
Olaolukitan Adon-Abel was found unresponsive in his jail cell at 6:48 p.m., a Dekalb County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said. Life-saving measures were performed, according to officials.
He was pronounced dead at 7:17 p.m.
Adon-Abel was charged with malice murder, aggravated assault and firearms counts in connection to the shooting deaths of Prianna Weathers, Tony Mathews and Lauren Bullis.
In 2025, Adon-Abel plead guilty in Chatham County Recorder’s Court to multiple misdemeanor counts of sexual battery for groping women in Chatham County under the name Adon Olaolukitan.
According to court documents, he was banned from Savannah for four years and ordered to undergo a psychosexual evaluation.
The official cause will be determined by the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office, and a standard internal review has been launched, according to officials.
At this time, the sheriff’s office said there are no indications of foul play. No additional details were released.
The defensive tackle assembly line at Georgia is nothing short of extraordinary, and Miller patiently waited his turn. By 2024, his turn had arrived, and what NFL scouts saw was a prototypically built interior defender who carries his 321-pound frame with impressive athleticism and natural leverage.
Miller’s greatest asset is his run defense. He is a solid anchor — quick to press his hands into blockers, disciplined about maintaining gap integrity, and stout enough to hold the point of attack against double teams that would cave lesser prospects — but he’s not dominant.
His lateral mobility is a genuine differentiator for a man his size; he can scrape down the line to close on outside runs or loop inside on stunts without losing his footing or pad level.
That combination of power and movement is why Georgia trusted him on the field for passing downs, and it’s why scouts project him as an immediate contributor against the run at the NFL level.
The legitimate questions surrounding Miller center on his pass-rush production and his still-developing anticipation skills. Over his entire collegiate career, he accumulated only four sacks — never cracking two in a single season.
Still, Miller’s athleticism stands out immediately — he carries his size well and shows the lateral quickness you don’t always find at his frame. His hands have some pop, and he’s flashed the ability to jolt interior linemen off their spot. But he’s a prospect defined more by his floor than his ceiling.
No single trait rises above average, which means his pass-rush production will hinge on technique and motor rather than any physical advantage. He also needs to improve as a finisher — getting close isn’t enough at the next level.
The traits for pass-rush development are present: he has good first-step quickness, flashes as a one-gap penetrator, and showed enough in stunt packages to keep offensive linemen honest. But he has yet to build a consistent, go-to counter move when his initial rush is neutralized. Against better competition, his reaction time to the snap can be late, and he can drift out of his gap assignment when he tries to freelance for a big play.
What Miller offers any franchise is a high floor with a realistic upside trajectory. He comes from one of college football’s most technically demanding defensive line programs, coached by coaches who regularly develop NFL talent.
He plays with a motor that never stops. He competed in SEC trenches for two-plus seasons and was named to the All-SEC First Team as a senior. The experience and winning culture he brings — two state championships in high school, a national championship at Georgia — will matter to coaches who value locker-room character.
The ceiling here isn’t flashy, but it’s tangible: a reliable, two-down starting defensive tackle who keeps blocks clean and lets linebackers run free. In a league that increasingly prizes versatile, multi-technique interior linemen, Miller’s ability to play the nose or the B-gap makes him a schematic asset for even-front and two-gap systems. Don’t sleep on him because his sack totals are modest — evaluating him solely by that metric would miss the forest for the trees.
Miller’s fit in Green Bay is an interesting one. The Packers are switching to a 3-4 base defense under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, and they lack a proven run-stuffing nose tackle while being long overdue for a meaningful investment on the defensive interior — which is exactly the profile Miller fits.
The team brought him in for a pre-draft visit, signaling genuine interest, and his skill set maps cleanly onto what Green Bay needs. His calling card — an elite run defense grade that ranked second among all FBS defensive tackles — translates directly to what Gannon will ask of his interior linemen, and his versatility to play nose in an odd front or kick out to three-technique in sub packages only adds to the appeal.
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