The defending national champions are in the month of July with some news that surrounds their 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes.

Ryqueze McElderry 

The Bulldogs are known for producing NFL level talent on the offensive line in the Kirby Smart Era. There have been nine offensive linemen drafted from Georgia in the Smart era. Guards Justin Shaffer and Jamaree Salyer were the recent linemen taken in the draft.

The Bulldogs anticipated more linemen committing to Georgia, but that all changed when Ryqueze McElderry recently decommitted from the Bulldogs. McElderry attends Anniston High School in Anniston, Alabama. He stands at 6 foot and 3 inches and weighs 340 pounds.

McElderry is the No.25 ranked interior offensive lineman and the No.22 ranked overall prospect from Alabama, according to 247Sports. After decommitting from the Bulldogs, McElderry has shown heavy interest from in-state school, the University of Alabama.

Besides Alabama being in the running for McElderry talents, Tennessee and Georgia may have a chance to land McElderry to help boost their offensive line.

He primarily played right tackle in high school but will most likely transition to the interior of the offensive line in college. McElderry shows versatility by playing right tackle and being able to play guard as well, and he is a very physical run blocker, according to his junior season highlights.

“Right now, I’m still debating things a little bit,” said McElderry when discussing the recruiting process to On3. “Just going through my mind and evaluating everything.”

The Bulldogs are now down to 12 commits in the 2023 recruiting cycle.

Antione Jackson 

Over in the class of 2024, the Bulldogs lost a commitment to the University of Miami.

Safety Antione Jackson recently decommitted from the Bulldogs to only commit to the Hurricanes on Jul. 2. Jackson is the No.9 ranked safety and No.83 ranked overall player in the 2024 recruiting rankings, according to 247Sports.

Jackson is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and is 6 feet and weighs 175 pounds. He attends Dillard High School.

As a sophomore, he amassed 31 tackles and four interceptions for Dillard High School, which competes in the second-highest classification in Florida football. 

Jackson’s uncle, Dwayne Wimbely, played basketball for the Hurricanes in the late 1990s, and Jackson also runs track and plays in the 7v7 circuit for Defcon based out of south Florida.

He displays a “high football IQ” that may be a problem for opposing quarterbacks, according to Andrew Ivins, who evaluated Jackson on Jun. 25.

The Bulldogs currently have zero commits from the 2024 recruiting class, and they are hoping to land some commits in the near future.

Jayden Wayne

The Bulldogs have produced some of the best edge rushers/outside linebackers in recent years in players like Azeez Ojulari and Lorenzo Carter. The edge rushers/outside linebackers at Georgia refer to themselves as the ‘wolfpack,’ and new outside linebacker coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe plans on adding Jayden Wayne out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Wayne stands at 6 feet and 5 inches and weighs 245 pounds. He is currently the No.30 ranked overall player in the 2023 recruiting ranking and the No.5 Edge player in the nation, according to 247Sports.

Wayne has 42 offers from major schools across the country. He has set up his commitment date to be Jul. 9. The other schools in the running are Alabama, LSU, Miami and Oregon.

He also plays both sides of the ball as a junior. Wayne played a little receiver and racked up 269 yards and five touchdowns on 18 catches. On the defensive side of the ball, he had 44 tackles and nine sacks as a junior. He is also putting work on the hardwood when he is not playing football.

Chris Singletary, a national recruiting expert, evaluated Wayne on Feb. 22 and said Wayne “shows a good motor and has want-to in chasing plays with nice lateral movement.”

Wayne spoke to DawgNation.com to express what he liked about Georgia, and he said, “It was just an amazing atmosphere. Felt like family, really.”

The Bulldogs could use Wayne if they want to keep the wolfpack thriving in the next couple of years.

Printed with permission from the Red & Black independent student media organization based in Athens, Georgia; redandblack.com/sports