The Georgia Bulldogs have secured the commitment of a major target from the junior college ranks.
The Georgia Bulldogs did not have a great run of success in the class of 2027 when it comes to the usual standards of locking up the best players in the nation during this past spring's official visit season.
With signing day still looming after the season though, despite the recruiting focus largely shifting to the class of 2028, Kirby Smart and the coaching staff are still making moves for 2027 as well. They made a huge one this week to address the lack of depth in their group of commits among defensive backs, and they went to the junior college ranks to make that happen.
This week, the top JUCO player in the nation in Modesto College cornerback Alius Mayo flipped his commitment from California to the Bulldogs, and now Smart gets an experienced football player who has already started his development at the college level.
Georgia Secures Commitment Flip from Alius Mayo
Mayo has been committed to the Golden Bears since August, but once the SEC schools like the Bulldogs as well as Alabama, LSU and Kentucky came sniffing around, it seemed like the writing was on the wall that a flip was bound to happen. Ultimately, it's Georgia who wins the race for the California native and secures a potential future cornerstone of the secondary.
The Dawgs are as good as anyone when it comes to developing defensive backs, and this was certainly a huge part of the pitch to Mayo to get him not only to flip from his home state school, but also to stay away from hated SEC rivals who no doubt made strong offers as well.
What Kind of Skillset Mayo Will Bring to Georgia
Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 190 pounds, Mayo likely has some work to do in the weight room, but he has the kind of tall frame that the Dawgs absolutely love to see in a cornerback and the kind of length you can't teach. With some offensive work in high school, speed is certainly a factor here as well as size.
Ultimately, Georgia may not fully know what it has on its hands until Mayo actually gets on campus, but after missing on several cornerback prospects this spring, he adds some much needed depth to be able to fill any gaps there.
Keep an eye on Mayo as someone who could get on the field sooner rather than later in Athens starting next season.
