Just a day after Georgia football took a hit, losing a 5-star to Texas and seeing a defensive lineman flip to the Longhorns, the Bulldogs bounced back in style. On his 17th birthday, a four-star linebacker from Reisterstown, Maryland, gave Dawg Nation something to cheer about. He chose Georgia over powerhouses like Michigan, Alabama, and Oregon. The big news dropped live on 247Sports’ YouTube channel.
Standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing 220 pounds, Nick Abrams isn’t just built for the spotlight; he’s earned it. Ranked No. 14 among LBs and No. 238 overall in the 2026 class by 247Sports, Abrams is climbing fast. However, his coach at McDonogh School, Hakeem Sule, knows exactly why. “He’s a very long, rangy kid,” said Sule. “His superpower is his smarts. Right away, he’ll be one of the smartest guys on the team just because he’s a student of the game. He picks up stuff real easily. He sees things a lot of people cannot see.” However, Nick Abrams could’ve stayed home and suited up for Maryland.
He could’ve followed the Big Ten path. The four-star linebacker broke it down in a conversation with On3’s Chad Simmons: “With Georgia, I am staying closer to home, I will be in a room with a bunch of first-round talent guys, I will be learning from two of the best to do it in Coach Smart and Coach Schu and I will be in a place that knows success.” In fact, his bond with the coaches made all the difference in the move.
“With Georgia, I am staying closer to home, I will be in a room with a bunch of first-round talent guys, I will be learning from two of the best to do it in Coach Smart and Coach Schu and I will be in a place that knows success.”
https://t.co/vTbpHT7xoV via @on3sports
— Jed May (@JedMay_) July 16, 2025
Nick Abrams has become Georgia’s second LB pledge in the 2026 class, teaming up with 4-star Shadarius Toodle out of Mobile. Both are big gets for DC Glenn Schumann, who’s building something special. “His relationship with Coach Schu, Coach (Kirby) Smart, being a defensive player, being a linebacker, he really fell in love with those guys and also with university,” shared his coach, Hakeem Sule. Following that, Georgia’s LB room just got even deeper. However, Georgia took a couple of hits on the trail Tuesday.
Five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson chose Grayson, and four-star DL James Johnson flipped to Texas just weeks after pledging to the Dawgs. However, Nick Abrams is here to flip the script. the versatile defender racked up over 80 tackles at Robinson (Little Rock) while lining up mostly at strong safety. At 6-foot-2 with an 83-inch wingspan and a 4.57 40-yard dash, Abrams brings freaky tools to the table. So, his tape? It pops. Forget the ranking, he’s in that Nix/Williams conversation for a reason. Now, while choosing Georgia was a bold statement, it also raises a question: does Nick Abrams’ decision expose a crack in Dan Lanning’s recruiting armor?
Georgia commit’s decision sparks another headline
Nick Abrams gave more insight into his decision while speaking with Jeremy Johnson of DawgsHQ. “It’s an environment where I can see myself thrive and be my best self,” he said. “I also want to continue to build relationships with all of the coaches and really see how they’ve made advances to take care of your body with rest and recovery.” After missing on a couple of top targets, Kirby Smart made timely response by landing Abrams, and gave a strong reminder that Georgia still knows how to close.
Here’s the thing, Nick Abrams’ decision may have been a win for Georgia, but it also shines a light on a lingering issue for Dan Lanning at Oregon. While Lanning has stacked talent in every class since arriving in Eugene, the elite LB still eludes him. Sure, names like Kamar Mothudi, Brayden Platt, Gavin Nix, and Dylan Williams bring upside. But only Williams has cracked the Top 200 in the 247Sports Composite, landing right at No. 199. So, the Ducks are close, but not quite closing at the top tier.
However, Dan Lanning made his name coaching LBs at Georgia, even helping lead the Dawgs to a national title in 2021 as defensive coordinator. But when it comes to landing elite linebackers at Oregon, his old position from his playing days at William Jewell College, he’s been off the mark. The 2026 cycle hasn’t been kind. Lanning has now come up short on Tyler Atkinson, Nick Abrams, and Talanoa Ili. So, for a coach with linebacker roots, the misses are starting to stand out. Now, with the addition of Abrams, let’s see how Kirby Smart’s Georgia boosts its linebacker depth.
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