Alabama coach Nick Saban's retirement from college football has caused numerous top-end recruits to rethink their decision to join the Crimson Tide, and the Georgia Bulldogs and head coach Kirby Smart are taking advantage.
Jaime Ffrench, a 5-star wide receiver prospect, de-committed from Alabama's program following the news about Saban. On Wednesday, Smart visited the Jacksonville, Florida, native.
???? @KirbySmartUGA @coach_thartley @CoachBmac_ pic.twitter.com/ywGBnspODx
— Jaime Ffrench Jr. (@jaimeffrenchjr) January 17, 2024
Playing high school football at Mandarin, Ffrench can be seen above in a photo with Smart that he posted on his X account.
However, Georgia isn't the only team courting Ffrench. In addition to Saban's announcement, wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins' decision to leave Alabama for Texas A&M also is a factor in drawing interest.
"Schools like Georgia are recently hearing about the Wiggins news ... Florida State, Miami, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State ... there's a lot of eyes coming back around and doing a double-check," Ffrench told On3. "There's a lot of schools making their rounds back around."
Florida State also wants in on the in-state wide receiver.
"I love the way he recruits you, it's hard to tell Florida State no, it's hard to tell Coach Norvell no," he laughed. "Tramell jokes around a lot and there's a lot of Florida State stuff that we knick-knack about."
A bit farther south, Ffrench could consider joining coach Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes.
"Definitely the love that Coach Cristobal and Coach (Kevin) Beard shows, they always make group texts and let me know they haven't forgotten about him and have to get me to campus," Ffrench said. "They have my OL committed, so they stay on me a lot."
Another team to look out for is the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are equipped with former NFL receiver Brian Hartline as their wide receivers coach. The program recently got Jeremiah Smith to commit.
"Coach Hartline FaceTime calls me weekly," he started. "It's the SFE Family. They're tied in ... it's like a pipeline to Columbus. They stay on me and tell me they have a spot there reserved. They want me to keep coming to Columbus and hope I end up back at Ohio State."
In 2023, Ffrench caught 62 passes at Mandarin for 1,247 yards and 14 touchdowns. As a freshman, he caught eight balls for 116 yards and two touchdowns in six games. His brother is Maurice Ffrench, who caught 96 passes at Pitt in 2019, setting the single-season school record. As an undrafted free agent in the NFL, he spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers.
We'll see if Smart can lure Ffrench away from the other top competitors that the five-star recruit has spoken highly about.
