The biggest game of Week 5 of the college football season will take place in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, this weekend. It’s No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 4 Alabama. Both teams are undefeated. It doesn’t get much better than that. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN.
Five-star recruits among the elite talent headed to campus
Headlined by Alabama five-star quarterback commit Keelon Russell, the No. 10 overall player in the class of 2025, there is an elite group of recruits expected in Tuscaloosa this weekend. With over 100 prospects likely gathering for this matchup, the Crimson Tide will look to put on a show for the likes of Alabama commits, including five-star offensive tackle Ty Haywood, five-star cornerback Dijon Lee, and five-star receiver Caleb Cunningham. So much for the supposed dropoff in recruiting after Nick Saban retired. The Tide’s class ranks No. 2 nationally.
In addition to the loaded list of commits, Alabama is looking to break out its spatulas and flip a few class of 2025 prospects committed elsewhere. You’ve got Tennessee four-star linebacker commit Jaedon Harmon headed to town. Auburn four-star safety commit Derick Smith will check out the Crimson Tide. Alabama will look to impress four-star safety Ivan Taylor, who is committed to Michigan. There will be nearly a dozen recruits committed elsewhere in Tuscaloosa. If the Tide make a great impression on the field, it could have quite the impact off it.
Alabama looking to surge with ridiculous group of underclassmen set to visit
In the class of 2026, prospects currently playing their junior year of football, the list of expected visitors is loaded. Xavier Griffin and Tyler Atkinson, the top two linebackers in America, are coming to town. Bralan Womack, the No. 1 safety in the country, is visiting. Cederian Morgan and Tristen Keys, two of the most elite pass-catchers in the nation, will be in Tuscaloosa. Double-digit recruits from 247Sports’ Top 100 list in 2026 will be at this game.
Moving on to the class of 2027, recruits participating in their sophomore season, Alabama will host plenty of other elite prospects. You’ve got the No. 1 overall player in town in quarterback Elijah Haven. Coming all the way from California is Mark Bowman, the No. 1 tight end in his class. Antwoine Higgins, the No. 1 linebacker in America, is headed to Tuscaloosa. Due to his positional flexibility, the No. 1-ranked athlete is Xavier Sabb. He, too, will be at Alabama on Saturday. No surprise here, but there are many more special talents in that class expected in T-Town as well.
Top-five on the field, but also top-five in recruiting
Not only are Alabama and Georgia rivals on the field, but they are rivals on the recruiting trail as well. If you’re an elite football player, you’re going to hold scholarship offers from the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs. Georgia signed the No. 1 class in 2024 for the third time in Kirby Smart’s tenure and with the exception of Jimbo Fisher inking the No. 1 class for Texas A&M in 2022, Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide otherwise had a vice grip on the No. 1 spot.
This game could play a big role in eventual decisions from many of the prospects listed above. As it stands now, Alabama has 20 commits in the class of 2025, and the group is listed at No. 2 overall in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings. Georgia has 21 commits in total and is currently listed at No. 5 overall, according to those team rankings. Don’t be surprised to see movement on both of those commit lists in the days following this high-profile matchup.
All eyes on Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer
This is it. This is the game that everyone will be watching. All eyes are going to be on Alabama and Georgia this weekend. Most notably, a lot of attention will be on Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer. After season-opening wins against Western Kentucky, South Florida, and Wisconsin, this is his first SEC matchup as the first-year leader of the Tide. What an opportunity it is for DeBoer to set the tone, not only for this year’s Alabama football team, but for the future of the Crimson Tide. A win on Saturday won’t bring a national championship to Tuscaloosa, but it’s going to quiet any critics who may have questioned his hire from Washington this offseason. A win Saturday could be massive for this program moving forward.
Pressure is on Georgia when the two teams square off
Remember when the Bulldogs got off to a sluggish first half to open the season against Clemson? Well, they bounced back in the second half and won convincingly, 34-3. The following weekend, Georgia dominated Tennessee Tech from start to finish and cruised to a 48-3 victory. Prior to last week’s bye, Georgia was nearly upset on the road against Kentucky. They were able to pull out a 13-12 win, but there was a lot of worry coming from Bulldogs fans after that close call. With so much chatter about this year’s squad and how good this team truly is, it seems there is a lot of pressure on head coach Kirby Smart and his team to get a victory in Tuscaloosa this weekend. If things don’t go well for the Bulldogs, it’s not like it’s going to get any easier over the final eight games to close out the regular season.
Georgia hosts Auburn next weekend, and despite the Tigers’ struggles at times this year, that’s a rivalry game you cannot truly predict, regardless of how well a team is playing. The Bulldogs have Mississippi State at home, but after that, they have to go on the road and face Texas. If both teams are undefeated, you will be looking at a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. Buckle up. Georgia then faces Florida before heading on the road once again to face Ole Miss, which is currently ranked No. 6 in the country. Talk about a tough road schedule for the Bulldogs this season. Oh, and it doesn’t get easier at that point.
Before wrapping up the season at home against Massachusetts and Georgia Tech, Georgia will take on Tennessee in Athens. No big deal — just another top-five opponent for the Bulldogs. You don’t want to look too far ahead on your schedule, but it’s hard to argue against this game being critically important for Georgia as it looks to get back to the College Football Playoff.
