Five-star TE recruit Kaiden Prothro stays in-state with Georgia

Georgia and head football coach Kirby Smart added to a vaunted recruiting haul for the Class of 2026 with the verbal commitment on Saturday from five-star tight end Kaiden Prothro.

The rising senior at Bowdon (Ga.) High School decided to stay in-state after making official visits to the Athens campus and his other finalists Florida and Texas as well as to Alabama and Auburn.

Listed at 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, Prothro is ranked the No. 25 player in the country, the No. 3 tight end and the No. 3 player in Georgia, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

As a junior, Prothro primarily played wide receiver and caught 56 passes for 1,203 yards (21.5 yards per catch) and 22 touchdowns as Bowdon won its third consecutive state championship in Class A Division II.

He also played safety and is a standout baseball and basketball player.

Prothro said he was impressed with UGA assistant head coach/tight ends coach Todd Hartley and the players he has met.

"It was really just Coach Hartley breaking down the film and making me feel at home," Prothro told DawgNation following his commitment ceremony. "As well as spending time with a bunch of the players and being around some of the tight ends in the room."

Georgia has the No. 2 recruiting class for 2026, per 247Sports, with 29 commitments, including two five-star, 20 four-star and seven three-star recruits. UGA got its quarterback of the future in five-star Jared Curtis of Nashville Christian School. He is the No. 4 player, No. 1 QB and No. 1 player in Tennessee, per the 247Sports composite.

--Field Level Media