The Georgia Bulldogs have signed five five-star quarterback recruits since 2000.
Three of the five five-star quarterbacks that signed with Georgia since 2000 played during the Mark Richt era. All three of these players had very successful careers.
During the Kirby Smart era, Georgia has signed two five-star quarterbacks. Both of them ended up transferring away from the program. These former Bulldogs both had successful college careers.
Georgia has landed a commitment from five-star class of 2024 quarterback recruit Dylan Raiola. Raiola is considered the highest-rated quarterback commit that the Bulldogs have ever had.
None of the five-star quarterbacks won as much as Stetson Bennett, who is a former three-star recruit. Recruiting rankings don’t mean everything.
Here’s a look at every five-star quarterback Georgia has signed since 2000:
1
D.J. Shockley (2001)
Recruit ranking: nation’s No. 7 recruit, third-ranked quarterback
Quarterback D.J. Shockley signed with the Georgia Bulldogs during the start of the Mark Richt era. Shockley backed up Georgia legend David Greene for much of his career, but got an opportunity to start as a senior. Shockley helped the Bulldogs defeat LSU in the 2005 SEC championship game.
Career stats: 41 total touchdowns, nine interceptions, and 3,555 passing yards
2
Matthew Stafford (2006)
Recruit ranking: nation’s No. 6 recruit, top-ranked quarterback
Quarterback Matthew Stafford arrived at Georgia with a powerful arm. Georgia’s Mike Bobo recruited Matthew Stafford. The duo helped Georgia land a commitment from five-star class of 2024 quarterback recruit Dylan Raiola.
Matthew Stafford helped Georgia defeat Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl. Stafford went on to be the top pick of the 2009 NFL draft.
Career stats: 57 total touchdowns, 33 interceptions, and 7,731 passing yards
3
Aaron Murray (2009)
Recruit ranking: nation’s No. 20 recruit, third-ranked quarterback
Aaron Murray is one of the best quarterbacks in Georgia history. He started for the Bulldogs from 2010-2013. Murray put up big numbers in all four years of his Georgia career.
Aaron Murray and Georgia came painfully close to winning the 2012 SEC championship against Alabama. It would have been fun to see Murray paired with one of Kirby Smart’s defenses.
Career stats: 137 total touchdowns, 41 interceptions, and 13,166 passing yards (most in Georgia history)
4
Jacob Eason (2016)
Recruit ranking: nation’s No. 4 recruit, second-ranked quarterback
Jacob Eason started at Georgia during the 2016 season, but went down with an injury early in 2017. Jake Fromm took over as the starting quarterback and never looked back. Eason stuck with the team as the Bulldogs advanced to the national championship in 2017, but ultimately he transferred to Washington.
Eason threw 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions in his one season with Washington before entering the 2020 NFL draft.
Career stats (at Georgia): 17 total touchdowns, eight interceptions, and 2,458 passing yards
5
Justin Fields (2018)
Recruit ranking: nation’s No. 2 recruit, second-ranked quarterback
Only Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence was ranked as a higher recruit in the class of 2018 than Justin Fields. Fields spent just one season with Georgia before transferring to Ohio State.
Fields went on to have an excellent college career with the Ohio State Buckeyes before being selected as the No. 11 pick of the 2021 NFL draft. Fields threw 63 touchdown passes and nine interceptions during his two seasons at Ohio State.
Career stats (at Georgia): eight total touchdowns, zero interceptions, and 328 passing yards
6
Dylan Raiola (2024)
Recruit ranking: nation’s No. 1 recruit, top-ranked quarterback
Dylan Raiola is arguably the best recruit in Georgia history. He still has to sign with Bulldogs, but the five-star Georgia commit is expected to keep his verbal pledge to Georgia.
Interestingly, Matthew Stafford played a role in landing Dylan Raiola. Stafford played in the NFL with center Dominic Raiola, who is Dylan’s father.
Georgia could have a potential 2024 quarterback room of Brock Vandagriff, Carson Beck, Gunner Stockton, and Dylan Raiola. There’s a strong chance that Carson Beck enters the NFL or one of these quarterbacks enters the transfer portal if Georgia’s quarterback room actually looks like that in 2024.
