Georgia has announced it’s top defensive back target will be joining the team this summer!

Zelus Hicks is in the 2026 class, but he’s not planning to wait around as long as others might.

The Carrolton (Ga.) defensive back has been a high-profile recruit for a while. College coaches will be making their rounds this spring to get another look at him. That started earlier this week when Clemson had a handful of defensive coaches on tap for Carrolton’s 5:30 a.m. first day of practice. Hicks plans to narrow his list to a top 10 in the next few weeks.

Then, he will turn toward summer decision mode.

“I might be coming to a decision soon after spring, to be honest,” Hicks told Dawgs247. “Probably sometime in the summer around June or July.”

So, who are the programs still in the mix?

Clemson, Georgia, Miami, USC, Auburn, Texas, Baylor, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Florida are a few of the programs Hicks mentioned when discussing dwindling his list, but there are other programs who still have a chance to work their way into the battle.

Hicks and his family have talked over the process, and that’s a big reason why they feel like sooner is better than later from a commitment standpoint.

“Really my dad doing the research and thinking it’s a better time to commit,” Hicks said.

Hicks visited Georgia for a spring practice earlier this spring. He kept a close watch on Georgia’s safeties and liked what he saw. Every program recruiting Hicks view him as a free safety.

That includes Georgia defensive backs coaches Travaris Robinson and Donte Williams.

Hicks’ relationship with Robinson dates back to Robinson’s Alabama days. Hicks visited Tuscaloosa several times and connected with Robinson.

“I already had a pretty good relationship with T-Rob when he was at Bama. He was recruiting me when I was a freshman,” Hicks said. “I’ve got a real good relationship with T-Rob. I always had a good relationship with Muschamp. I like the environment up there, and I love that they’ve always got a very consistent team. They’re never low. They’re always consistently a top team up there.”