By: Robert Craft

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

It was hardly the kind of news that moved the recruiting world: Late last week, Nnamdi Ogboko, a nose tackle from Garner, N.C., committed to Georgia.

Ogboko is a three-star prospect and the 94th-ranked nose tackle. His overall national rank is 934th.

Hmm. A three-star nose tackle from North Carolina committing to Georgia? Is there any precedent for that?

Ogboko’s commitment reinforced how much Kirby Smart and his staff have earned the benefit of the doubt.

The Georgia recruiting colossus was built, not just on five-star prospects (and there have been plenty), but on the likes of Jordan Davis (same background as Ogboko), Ladd McConkey (three-star prospect ranked in the 1,000s of his class) and Stetson Bennett (his story is well known).

These solid-but-not-star role playing recruits are an area of need, and so far defensive line coach Tray Scott is coming through. (There’s a reason he’s a position coach earning $1 million.)

In early June, Jordan Thomas and Justin Greene gave the program two four-star commits, and since then, Quintavius Johnson and Ogboko have been added. (Johnson could end up playing more on the edge than the traditional defensive line.)

The hallmark of the Smart era has been a blend of winning big recruiting battles, trusting the coaches’ evaluations and developing.

As the 2024 class takes shape — and things are far along — Georgia again seems to be combining the usual array of blue-chip players with lesser-heralded players like Ogboko.

There may be two national championship trophies in the building pulling in top talent, but the formula is staying consistent. Some thoughts on where things stand at this point:

There are 21 commitments — one reason the class is ranked No. 1 in the 247Sports Composite. (It measures quality as well as quantity.)

So far, the only power conference teams with more commitments were Stanford (24) and Michigan and Minnesota (23 each).

Among those hanging back is Alabama, with only eight commitments — one reason it’s only ranked 28th. But both those numbers will improve before December.

Ohio State, another program that regularly competes for the top ranking, has 16 commitments and is ranked second.

Dylan Raiola, the top overall recruit in the country, is now technically an in-state commit for Georgia, after deciding to play his senior year at Buford High, about 50 miles from Athens.

Meanwhile, Ryan Puglisi is giving all outward signs he’s holding on to his commitment. The four-star player from Avon, Conn., committed to Georgia in October, and Smart and Bobo seem eager to keep him in the fold despite Raiola’s addition.

Only two offensive linemen are committed to UGA: three-star players Marcus Harrison (Hamburg, N.Y.) and Malachi Toliver (Cartersville, Ga.). That means there’s room to add.

Returning to the size of the class, Georgia is in a good position. Why? Signing limits don’t exist anymore. Other schools can’t recruit against it and say, “Look, Georgia is already at the 25-man limit.”

Schools only need to be under the 85-scholarship limit, and Georgia can tell recruits — as can any school — that it expects attrition after the season, either via the portal or the NFL Draft. Things are changing in the NCAA.

There’s still time for subtractions and additions to Georgia’s list. Kirby has established himself as an ALPHA recruiter.