Recruiting: Georgia lands No. 1 tight end in 2024 class
Recruiting: Georgia lands No. 1 tight end in 2024 class
After Georgia landed its first commitment in the class of 2024 on Tuesday, the Bulldogs added another one less than 48 hours later with the addition of five-star tight end Landen Thomas.
Thomas’ high school teammate, Colquitt County High School four-star wide receiver Ny Carr, gave his pledge on Tuesday. The pair both helped lead the Packers to an 8-3 overall record in 2021.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound tight end had offers from all over the country, but mainly chose the Bulldogs over Alabama, Michigan, Florida, Ohio State and Oklahoma, among others.
Thomas is rated the nation’s No. 24 overall prospect in the class of 2024, the No. 1 tight end and the No. 6 player in the state of Georgia, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.
The Moultrie, Ga., native hauled in 31 passes for 516 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore. Thomas also earned GHSA Region 1-AAAAAAA honors for his on-field performance last season. He’s slated to have an even bigger year during his junior campaign.
In the past several years, Georgia tight ends coach Todd Hartley has landed several top prospects, including Darnell Washington, Brock Bowers, Arik Gilbert and Oscar Delp. The Bulldogs already have a pair of four-star tight ends currently committed as a part of their 2023 recruiting class in Pearce Spurlin (South Walton, Fl.) and Lawson Luckie (Norcross, Ga.).
Hartley’s ability to recruit and develop talent combined with the commitment of Carr helped the Bulldogs land the five-star prospect. Thomas and Carr both traveled to Athens when Colquitt County attended a 7-on-7 camp on June 23, which was hosted by the UGA coaching staff.
The Bulldogs now have the country’s No. 5 recruiting class for 2024 with just those two commitments on July 5 and July 7, respectively. More is to come in the following weeks, per a source.
Scouting Report:
A potential difference-maker at the tight end position. Spent much of his freshman season flexed out in the slot, but was utilized more and more as an in-line blocker as a sophomore in a single-back spread attack. Aggressive and athletic for a youngster that’s still figuring out how to balance pass-catching and pass-blocking duties. Creates a bigger catch radius with his snappy hands. Creative route runner that knows how to mix gears and find green grass. Competitive after the catch and will use a nice burst to pull away from defenders. Not afraid to take a hit or deliver a hit. Will need to eventually need to fill out in both the upper and lower halves, but play strength seems to already be there for some that are believed to be hovering right around 6-foot-4, 225 pounds heading into his junior season at the South Georgia power that is Colquitt County. Should be viewed as one of the top tight-end prospects in the 2024 cycle given his early body of work. Will need to keep progressing and learning, but looks to have what it takes to make plays for a College Football Playoff regular given foot speed, ball skills, overall flexibility, and growth potential. Likely to thrive in a pro-style attack that gets creative and moves its tight ends around.” - Andrew Ivins, 247Sports