Georgia football coach Kirby Smart knows exactly how to recruit, better than everybody. After all, Smart is a regular member of the “top 3 recruiting class” club. While hosting five-star defensive lineman and Ohio State’s No. 1 target Marcus Fakatou on an official visit to Athens, Smart used the team’s photo shoot setup to take a direct jab at Ohio State. It turns out that when you are fighting for the top players in the country, even the number of camera stations you have can become a major flex.

The whole thing started when Smart and Fakatou were casually chatting about how the visit was going. Smart asked the young star what his favorite photo station was so far, and Fakatou admitted he really loved the vintage setup:

“My favorite station was probably the first one with all the phone booths and everything… I liked the one that looks old, has a desk in it.” Made by Taeg posted on his YouTube.

Smart smiled, completely agreed, and immediately used that as the perfect opening to put down his big-time rivals in Columbus.

With a grin, Smart told the recruit, “Everybody’s using these themes. I was asking them at Ohio State how many stations they had, like one and then a picture.”

Fakatou laughed and agreed, saying, “That’s true.”
That is when Smart dropped the hammer and proudly boomed, “But we have four!” He explained that when you have 14 elite recruits visiting at the exact same time, having only one camera setup makes the whole place feel like a crowded and chaotic “dang club” just trying to push kids through.
The Bulldogs vlogged Marcus Fakatou’s trip, where they rolled out four different photo room stations for him.

First, there’s a construction site-like scenario room. Then, they have a luxury trophy room with a literal throne surrounded by national championship hardware. Finally, there’s a gear room where players can mix and match custom jerseys and helmets.

With four separate photo stations running at once, there is no waiting or rushing. Each player gets their own VIP space and plenty of time to enjoy the experience. That way, nobody gets bored waiting in a long line.

Although it may not feel like a big deal, these are the small details where Kirby Smart does his magic. However, Marcus Fakatou is the type of player you pull out all four stations and all the stops for. At 6’7” and 275 pounds, the Sierra Canyon High School product can run a sub-4.79 40-yard dash. He’s the second-best defensive line prospect in the country.

He visited Ohio State first, just two days before his trip to Athens. The Buckeyes were heavily favored to land him. But Smart stayed glued to his side the entire weekend in Georgia to make sure the Bulldogs had a chance. The question is, is it enough for Georgia to win his recruitment? Not really. On3’s RPM gives Ohio State a 90% chance of locking him up. Steve Wiltfong also gave a Crystal Ball prediction to the Buckeyes.

Right after his trip to Athens, Fakatou officially chopped his list down to a final three of Georgia, Ohio State, and Texas, while completely canceling his upcoming trips to Oregon and Notre Dame. Now, it is a three-team race to the finish line.

Where does Kirby Smart rank in the 2027 recruiting class?

For the upcoming 2027 class, Georgia is currently sitting at the No. 13 spot in the national rankings. It is still super early in the cycle. Right now, the Bulldogs have 17 players locked in for this group. Inside their own conference, the SEC, they are sitting at No. 4 overall. They are currently trailing just behind Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Florida, but knowing how Georgia recruits, they will definitely make the top five by August.

Ohio State has a tiny lead, sitting at the No. 11 spot in the national rankings. In fact, if you care about pure quality over quantity, Georgia actually has a slight edge. The Bulldogs’ average player rating is 92.85 out of 100, compared to Ohio State’s 92.72.

End of the day, there is still a massive amount of time left before these high school kids actually sign their official paperwork. Ohio State grabbed a lot of momentum by landing the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit, David Jacobs, but Georgia is actively trying to flip him back to his home state. Expect both of these programs to easily cruise into the top five by the time National Signing Day rolls around.