Kirby Smart's Georgia Bulldogs lose commitment of elite defensive lineman in the Class of 2025

By Maliha

Modified Nov 09, 2024 12:46 GMT

Follow Us

Share

0 Discuss

Three-star defensive lineman Stephon Shivers decommitted from Georgia's 2025 class on Friday. Just a month after announcing that he was reopening his recruitment, the prospect has now publicly stepped away from Kirby Smart's program.

Shivers received an offer from Georgia last year and gave his pledge on March 22.

“It was like a me coming home type situation,” Shivers told Dawgs HQ following committing to Georgia. "It’s a great place. It’s somewhere I want to be.”

The 6-foot-4.5, 380-pound prospect was one of five committed players along the defensive front for the Bulldogs' 2025 class, joining top-ranked talents like five-star edge rusher Isaiah Gibson, five-star defensive lineman Elijah Griffin, four-star edge rusher Darren Ikinnagbon and three-star interior lineman Jayden-Jamal Hanne.

The program is now left with 24 committed players and ranks No. 3 in the nation.

According to reports from DawgsHQ, Shivers is being heavily pursued by Florida, Texas, Vanderbilt, Alabama and USC. The Gators seem to be emerging as a strong contender for his commitment, as he is scheduled to make an official visit to Gainesville on Nov. 16.

Originally from Humboldt High in Tennessee, Shivers transferred to Brentwood Academy for his senior year. Through 10 games of the season, he has recorded 12.5 tackles, including two tackles for loss.

Shivers is ranked as the nation’s No. 443 overall prospect, the No. 40 defensive lineman in the 2025 class and the No. 14 recruit in Tennessee.

What's next for the Georgia Bulldogs following Stephon Shivers' decommitment?

A major target for Georgia's defensive line is five-star defensive lineman Justus Terry, who decommitted from USC this summer. The Bulldogs are also favorites to land former Rutgers edge rusher commit Chase Linton. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, the school holds a 99.3% chance of securing his commitment, with Linton set to announce his decision on Nov. 20.

Kirby Smart and his coaching staff are also keeping an eye on several other notable recruits who could flip from their current commitments. Some of their targets are Florida State commit Kevin Wynn, Rutgers commit Braxton Kyle, Florida commit Jeramiah McCloud and Florida commit Joseph Mbatchou.

Georgia is interested in three-star defensive lineman Christian Ingram as well, whom RPM favors with a 27.9% chance of committing to the Bulldogs. He is set to take his official visit to the program for the Tennessee Volunteers game next weekend.