Days before a much-anticipated visit to No. 6 Alabama, Georgia secured its first defender in the 2028 cycle Thursday with a pledge from in-state recruit Nick Carroll, ESPN's No. 4 safety in the class.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound defender from Lyons, Georgia, is the No. 61 overall prospect in the SC Next ESPN Junior 300. He announced his pledge to the Bulldogs on Thursday following visits with multiple SEC programs over the past month and picked Georgia from a group of finalists that also included Clemson, Florida, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee and Texas Tech.
Carroll, the No. 10 recruit in the state of Georgia in the 2028 cycle, is a two-way standout at Georgia's Toombs High School, where his teammates include 2027 Auburn linebacker commit Kareem Palmer (No. 225 overall), three-star NC State pledge Alex Scott and defensive tackle Jamarcus Johnson, ESPN's No. 37 overall prospect in the 2028 class.
Carroll lands as the third pledge in Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart's 2028 class. The group is headlined by No. 1 overall quarterback Jayden Wade, who has been committed to the program since November 2025. Asa Wall, a four-star tight end from Milledgeville, Georgia, remains Georgia's longest-tenured pledge in the cycle. The Bulldogs' 2027 class sits at No. 12 in ESPN's latest rankings for the cycle, led by No. 1 running back Kemon Spell (No. 7 overall).
Smart and No. 2 Georgia (5-0, 3-0 SEC) hit the road Saturday for a clash of SEC heavyweights at Alabama (5-0, 3-0 SEC). Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.