WATCH: Georgia Bulldogs HC Kirby Smart arrives on a helicopter to attend Tyler Atkinson's high school football game

By Viraj Mali

Modified Oct 26, 2024 17:57 GMT

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Tyler Atkinson, a five-star linebacker in the Class of 2026, is being courted heavily by Kirby Smart's Georgia. The Bulldogs are the current favorites to land the 6-foot-2 prospect, as per On3. Smart made his intentions apparent by flying on a helicopter to Atkinson's latest game against South Gwinnett.

Smart's trip saw him visit multiple prospects from the Class of 2025 prior to flying out to watch Atkinson in action. On Thursday, Georgia's coach attended the game of Christian Gass, a four-star linebacker, before heading to Greensboro to watch four-star defensive lineman Kevin Wynn the following day.

The 48-year-old coach arrived in Snellville, Georgia in a red helicopter to watch the game on Friday, as per Chad Simmons' Twitter.

The post stated:

"Georgia HC Kirby Smart has arrived at the South Gwinnett vs Grayson game."

Atkinson and the Rams did not disappoint as the team recorded an easy, 41-7 win over the South Gwinnett Comets and improved the record to 6-1 this season.

Atkinson is a top-10 prospect in the Class of 2026 and is the best player at his position in the country, as per On3. Through five games this season, Atkinson has recorded 51 total tackles and 5 sacks while also grabbing one interception.

Tyler Atkinson had high praise for the Georgia Bulldogs

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs are in play to land the commitment of Tyler Atkinson, a Class of 2026 linebacker. The 6-foot-2 athlete from Grayson High School was in Athens to watch the Bulldogs beat the Clemson Tigers on opening day this season.

Per On3, Atkinson had positive comments after the game:

"The Dawgs know how to fight! I really like the way Coach Schu (Glenn Schumann) runs the defense and how the linebackers play!... I think the defense looked very strong and stingy... It was a good first game for the Bulldogs."

Tyler Atkinson received an offer from the Bulldogs on March 8, 2022. Apart from Georgia, Atkinson has fielded offers from top programs such as Alabama, USC, Auburn, Florida State, Ohio State, Texas, Oregon and Penn State.

Georgia's Class of 2026 is currently ranked No.22 in the country, as per 247Sports. The program has acquired four-star recruit Dominick Kelly and three-star cornerback Jontavius Wyman so far from the Class of 2026 and is poised to add even more talent to the roster. Smart will hope to sign Atkinson as quickly as possible to give Georgia the team's first five-star recruit from 2026.