The January recruiting ‘Contact Period’ is nearing its end, with February set to bring a full ‘Dead Period.’ Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall and his coaching staff are pulling out all the stops to make the most of it. However, when it comes to four-star wide receivers out of Florida, Kirby Smart is going a step above Sumrall in the recruiting race.

Kirby Smart is going all in to land four-star wide receiver Amare Patterson, even flying a helicopter directly to his high school in South Carolina this week. Smart is making it clear that Georgia is serious about “locking in” Patterson, especially since the Bulldogs weren’t originally on his visit schedule for January. By showing up in person and keeping tabs with the South Carolina native, Kirby Smart had won the heart of this 4-star over Jon Sumrall and his Florida Gators.

“I learned a lot more yesterday sitting down with Coach Smart,” Gregory said earlier this week. “Just hearing how high his opinion was of ‘AP’ was obviously really impressive. The way that coach Smart talked about him, it is clear that Georgia wants him a lot.”

Jon Sumrall didn’t trip over the pressure. In fact, Sumrall even followed Smart’s lead by taking his helicopter trip to visit Patterson just a day later. After a successful “Junior Day” in Gainesville last weekend, Patterson admitted that Florida is “up there for sure” in his rankings. He’s already set an official visit with the Gators for June 11-13, 2026.

To counter Florida’s momentum, Georgia set up an impromptu visit for Patterson this weekend, January 30-31, 2026. Instead of just a standard tour, the Bulldogs are giving him a “day-in-the-life” experience where he’s shadowing current player Sacovie White-Helton. Georgia is leaning hard on their reputation for developing NFL talent, reminding Patterson that it has produced a couple of multiple first-round picks who share his background.

Amare Patterson has established himself as one of the most explosive targets in the Class of 2027, following a massive junior season at Bluffton High School. As a senior, he ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash. When you look at his stats, it makes sense. Over the course of the 2025–26 campaign, he hauled in 51 receptions for 912 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging a dominant 17.9 yards per catch.

The finish line for this recruiting battle is approaching fast, as Patterson plans to announce his final decision on July 25, 2026. Between now and then, he’ll be narrowing his list down to a top five. He will also be taking more official visits this summer. While Florida is currently a strong contender, Georgia’s recent full-court press makes it clear they are determined to keep him from heading to the Swamp.

On the flip side, Kirby Smart couldn’t contain his excitement after the Todd Monken news.

Kirby Smart gives props to Todd Monken

The Cleveland Browns made a big move earlier this week by hiring Todd Monken as their new head coach. Monken is a familiar face in Cleveland, having served as their offensive coordinator back in 2019, but this time he’s returning to take the top job after a successful stint with the Baltimore Ravens. The team is putting their faith in his 4 decades of coaching expertise in both college and the NFL. Nonetheless, nobody was happier than his former boss.

“Todd brought an exceptional level of professionalism and creativity to our program,” Smart said to ESPN. “His ability to develop quarterbacks and craft game plans tailored to our players’ strengths was instrumental to our success. What we accomplished wouldn’t have been possible without his impact. We’re incredibly excited for Todd and Terri.”

Smart worked closely with Monken during Georgia’s back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, averaging over 38 points per game in 2021. Following his time at Georgia, Monken spent three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens before accepting the head coach position with the Cleveland Browns.