Georgia head coach Kirby Smart looks toward the field during the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinals at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart looks toward the field during the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinals at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026.
Jun 1, 2026, 4:46 AM CUT
Kirby Smart Put on Notice as Michigan Works To Flip Georgia Commit
Kirby Smart believed he had already found his quarterback for the 2028 season. Jayden Wade picked the Georgia Bulldogs back in November and has been posting his support for the Bulldogs ever since. Months later, Michigan Wolverines head coach Kyle Whittingham sent his staff to IMG Academy, and things got interesting real fast.
Wade is the number two overall prospect in the 2028 class, according to 247Sports. Five stars, plays at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and is exactly the kind of quarterback Michigan wants.
According to Rivals' Adam Gorney via Wolverines Wire, Michigan is now making the hardest push to flip his commitment. And Wade is not exactly shutting them down either. He confirmed everything when he spoke to Rivals on May 29.
"Michigan came up to IMG, and they were watching me play and they asked me if my options were still open," Wade said. "I told them my options were still open so they wanted to take more of a deeper dive in recruiting me. I'm going to end up taking a visit there soon."
Jan 1, 2026; New Orleans, LA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart arrives prior to the 2026 Sugar Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff against the Mississippi Rebels at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Jan 1, 2026; New Orleans, LA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart arrives prior to the 2026 Sugar Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff against the Mississippi Rebels at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images
That visit has not happened yet, but it is coming. And that is exactly where Smart should be paying attention.
Wade fits what Michigan does on offense perfectly. He runs a ton of RPO looks at IMG, clocked a 4.4 40, and threw for 1,383 yards and 20 touchdowns as a sophomore.
Michigan already proved they can pull off a huge quarterback flip when they stole Bryce Underwood from the LSU Tigers. Underwood committed to LSU in January 2024 and flipped his commitment to Michigan after ten months in November 2024.
Now, Whittingham’s staff is trying to do the exact same thing to Georgia.
Wade cannot sign anywhere until December 2027. There is a long road ahead, and Smart has been here before.
Smart Has Watched This Play Out Before at Georgia
Georgia losing a top quarterback commit has become a pattern now. Jared Curtis was the number one quarterback in the 2026 class who committed to Smart's program in March 2024, but finally chose the Vanderbilt Commodores in December, 2025.
The No. 1 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, quarterback Dylan Raiola, committed to Georgia in 2023. But the son of the former Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive lineman, Dominic Raiola, flipped his commitment to Nebraska.
Wade actually posted a "Go Dawgs" message on social media back on May 4, but now he's telling Rivals his options are open.
This uncertainty led Smart to consider other 2028 quarterbacks as a backup plan, having offered players like 5-star Christopher
Vargas, among others.
Will Kirby Smart find a way to keep Jayden Wade at Georgia, or will the five-star quarterback flip his commitment to Michigan? Let us know in the comments.
Read more at Michigan Football Community.
Written by
Farheen Fathima
Edited by
Soheli Tarafdar