Georgia
Where does Georgia football’s recruiting class rank? Best players, biggest steals, more
WATCH: Kirby Smart on the Texas Longhorns vs. Georgia Bulldogs rematch
Kirby Smart on the SEC Championship Game, Texas Longhorns vs. Georgia Bulldogs rematch.
There was no actual Bulldog to emerge during a Georgia football signing day announcement Wednesday.
It was more substance than sizzle for this 2025 signing class, which was largely lined up before the first day of the early signing period arrived.
Georgia signed six five-star players, according the 247Sports Composite, led by defensive lineman Elijah Griffin, edge rusher Isaiah Gibson and linebacker Zayden Walker, but made no additions and lost four-star running back Ousmane Kromah to Florida State. There was drama there because that school didn’t announce his signing until some five hours later.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart, busy preparing his team for an SEC championship game against Texas on Saturday, didn’t even hold an afternoon press conference as usual, but this early signing period is moved up on the calendar this year.
The Bulldogs missed out on Appling County linebacker Tavion Wallace, who stuck with Arkansas, and Lee County defensive lineman Jeramiah McCloud, who signed with Florida but held onto quarterback Ryan Montgomery.
Georgia football recruiting class 2025 rankings
Georgia’s place in the national team recruiting rankings slipped some on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs fell to No. 3 in the 247Sports Composite and the 247Sports rankings behind Texas and Alabama and No. 2 behind Oregon in the Rivals.com rankings. Georgia dropped to No. 4 in the On3 Industry rankings behind Texas, Alabama and Oregon.
Ranking Georgia football’s best signing day recruits
We aren’t going simply in order of the rankings here, but looking at who was needed.
The easy answer is Elijah Griffin, the nation’s No. 2 ranked overall player from Savannah Christian. The Bulldogs haven’t had a dominant defensive lineman the last couple of years, but this could be the next guy. Another could be on the way Friday when 5-star Justus Terry announces.
Yes, four-star QB Montgomery from Ohio is coming off an ACL injury and won’t be ready until preseason, but a year after losing Dylan Raiola fending off Florida for Montgomery was big.
Georgia needs dependable, playmaking receivers. They may have found some in a group that includes 5-star Talyn Taylor and 4-star CJ Wiley.
Given the defection at running back, 3-star Bo Walker may be one of the most valuable pieces in this class.
Georgia football’s signing day steals
If we’re talking steals, we have to go in the 3-star bucket and speedy wide receiver Landon Roldan from North Oconee fits that bill. His coach, Tyler Aurandt, has called him a “great fit,” for the Bulldogs.
Georgia has had good success with Atlanta-area offensive lineman so maybe there’s a diamond in the rough with Dontrell Glover from Langston Hughes and Dennis Uzochukwu from Suwannee.
Georgia
Why Southern Living is spotlighting serene coastal escape in Georgia
22 sea turtles released into the ocean at Jekyll Island
Mystic Aquarium, a Connecticut-based aquarium and animal rescue organization, released 22 sea turtles into the Ocean at Jekyll Island.
A quiet stretch of the Georgia coast is back in the national spotlight.
In a recent feature, Southern Living highlighted the Golden Isles as one of the South’s most serene escapes, praising the region’s undeveloped marshes, barrier islands and slower pace compared to other East Coast beach destinations.
Located roughly halfway between Savannah and Jacksonville, the Golden Isles include Brunswick, Sea Island, St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island and Little St. Simons Island.
Here’s what to know.
What makes Georgia’s Golden Isles different?
Unlike more densely developed beach towns in neighboring states, Georgia’s coastline is defined by tidal creeks, salt marshes and wide stretches of protected land.
“The coast of Georgia is quite different than the shores of North Carolina or South Carolina,” Southern Living wrote. “It’s wilder and quieter, and it’s much less populated with beach towns.”
While the islands offer modern resorts and vacation homes, much of the natural character remains intact.
One of the most photographed spots is Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, known for its haunting remains of a maritime forest scattered along the shoreline.
Where are visitors staying?
The publication pointed to several well-known properties across the islands:
- The Cloister at Sea Island
- Jekyll Island Club Resort
- St. Simons Island: The Grey Owl Inn and the St. Simons Lighthouse.
Little St. Simons Island, accessible only by boat, was highlighted for its all-inclusive lodge and thousands of acres of protected marshland and upland habitat.
What can you do in the Golden Isles?
Southern Living emphasized simple, immersive experiences:
- Biking under live oaks
- Kayaking through marsh creeks
- Horseback riding along the beach
- Watching sunsets over the water.
Public beaches like East Beach on St. Simons Island remain open to visitors, while golf courses on Jekyll Island and St. Simons offer year-round play.
The region’s history also plays a major role. Visitors can climb the St. Simons Lighthouse, explore historic districts in Brunswick or learn about Gullah Geechee heritage through local organizations.
For more information, visit southernliving.com/georgias-golden-isles-11906085.
Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.
Georgia
Gov. Kemp signs amended FY 2026 budget, delivering $2B in Georgia tax relief
ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp on Tuesday signed HB 973, the amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
The amended budget includes $2 billion in income and property tax relief, alongside investments in education, public safety, mental health, transportation and rural development.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones praised Gov. Kemp, saying the budget…
“Makes critical investments in middle-class families, mental health services, healthcare workforce development, transportation and Georgia’s veterans community.”
Key allocations in the amended budget include:
- Education and Workforce Development: $325 million to endow the DREAMS Scholarship, a new needs-based scholarship program; $6 million for a Career Navigator tool; and funding for new and expanded programs at University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia institutions.
- Public Safety: $150 million for Department of Corrections bed space, $9.7 million for additional corrections officers, $15 million for a new K-9 training facility, and $50 million to help communities address homelessness, including among veterans.
- Mental Health: $409 million to design and construct a new Georgia Regional Hospital to expand mental health bed capacity.
- Transportation: More than $1.6 billion to extend and expand I-75 express lanes in Henry County; $185 million for SR 316 interchange conversions; $100 million for rural bridge rehabilitation and replacement; and $250 million for local maintenance and improvement grants.
- Rural Georgia: $15 million for rural site development grants; $35 million for a new natural gas infrastructure program; and $8.9 million for the Georgia Forestry Innovation Initiative.
Governor Kemp says the state’s conservative budgeting approach has allowed Georgia to provide tax relief while making “generational investments.”
Georgia
Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’
MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — Middle Georgia Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has issued a statement regarding the U.S. and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran over the weekend.
According to other WGXA articles, based on reports as of early March 2026, the United States and Israel have launched major, coordinated military operations against Iran, labeled in reports as “Operation Epic Fury” and “Operation Midnight Hammer”. This follows months of failed nuclear negotiations and escalating regional tensions.
RELATED | Hegseth insists US-Israel strikes on Iran are ‘not Iraq, not endless’
WGXA asked Middle Georgia DSA, the largest activist organization in Middle Georgia, for their opinions on the strikes, and they responded with this:
The strikes on Iran, carried out by the United States and Israel, mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal act of aggression. The Iranian people do not deserve to live in fear of American bombs and of the instability of regime change. Americans do not want our tax dollars and the lives of our people to be wasted on opening up a new war in the Middle East, or on bombing girls’ elementary schools. We want relief from the affordability crisis. We want peace. Middle Georgia DSA unequivocally condemns these attacks and any politicians who cannot do the same. We do not want this, we do not deserve this.
DSA added that they are not currently planning any protests at this time, and that they “remain focused on improving the conditions of people who live within our communities directly, and do not feel a protest is the best strategy to deliver on that.”
Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’, March 2, 2026 (Image is meant to say 2026 instead of 2025, Courtesy of GCSU Mutual Aid)
However, GCSU Mutual Aid, a grassroots, community-led initiative focused on collective care and resource sharing within the Milledgeville and broader Middle Georgia area. While not an official department of Georgia College & State University (GCSU), it frequently operates in coordination with student-led groups and local residents to address gaps in traditional social safety nets.
RELATED | GCSU encourages peaceful expression ahead of national ICE walkout
GCSU Mutual Aid is planning a protest for Wednesday, where they will be “Marching for Democracy” in retaliation to recent events in the U.S.
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