"Being able to stay home at one of the best teams in college football": Four-star ATH gets passionate about Kirby Smart's Georgia

Four-star athlete Tyriq Green is emerging as one of Georgia’s top prospects in the 2026 class. The Buford High School standout has a strong connection to his home state Georgia Bulldogs, which has given Kirby Smart’s program an "edge" in his recruitment.

"Being able to stay home at one of the best teams in college football has them high on my list," Green said on Wednesday, via On3's Chad Simmons.

On Saturday, Green announced his top eight schools: Georgia, Auburn, Ohio State, Florida State, USC, Florida, Miami and Tennessee. In an interview with 247Sports last month, he mentioned that the Bulldogs had "separated themselves a lot" in his recruitment.

Georgia’s excellent 11-3 record in the 2024 season helped solidify its standing with several in-state recruits. According to On3, the Bulldogs lead Green’s recruitment with a 48.8% chance of landing his commitment, followed by Georgia Tech (7.7%), Tennessee (6.6%), USC (5.5%) and Auburn (5.5%).

Tyriq Green shares what he loves about Georgia

Tyriq Green is the No. 8 athlete in the 2026 class and the No. 22 prospect in Georgia, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. His commitment would mark another huge recruiting victory for the Bulldogs' 2026 class, which ranks No. 10 in the nation and No. 6 in the Southeastern Conference. It is headlined by blue-chip prospects like wide receiver Vance Spafford and safety Zech Fort.

Kirby Smart and his staff have already built strong momentum in Green’s recruitment, with the key being sustaining that progress.

"Really just being able to put me anywhere on the defense," Green said on Tuesday, via 247Sports. "Just going up there, it's family up there. Our relationship's strong. I'm comfortable around them. I can be myself. It's just relationships. It's somewhere I can go be myself and be comfortable and just be me."

Green hopes to follow in the footsteps of Georgia players like KJ Bolden, who played in all 14 games as a freshman in the 2024 season and earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team.