Sentell's Intel representative said: Georgia football recruiting Findlay High School 4-star QB Ryan Montgomery details the recruiting decision he just made.. He is ranked as the No. 14 QB in the nation and the No. 170 overall 2025 prospect by the 247Sports Composite. On3 industry rankings place him as the No. 15 QB and No. 184 overall.
The entire Georgia football coaching staff did their job recruiting Ryan Montgomery. Mike Bobo did, as did analysts Montgomery Van Gorder and Brandon Streeter.
All of those things, including former offensive coordinator Todd Monken's great initial gesture before and when he offered Montgomery.
All staff, current and former, were powerful. That being said, perhaps the biggest catalyst for him becoming the “Dawg” he is today is the Georgia football program itself.
Montgomery committed to UGA at the last minute in a final group that included Florida and South Carolina.
He stayed true to what he kept seeing on the practice field. His future NFL organization. competition. blood, sweat and tears.
Let's also not forget that Kirby Smart occasionally barks into the microphone like he's in an Ivory Soap commercial.
The four-star QB from Ohio State, who has an older brother on the OL, knew what he wanted in his college football fit. As he watched the Dawgs storm around the practice field, his ideal vision was always Georgia.
It took both sides time to get to where they are today.
Montgomery was one of three ideal targets in Georgia's 2025 recruiting class. This position group has become more important in this recruiting cycle due to the transfer of five-star QB Dylan Raiola to Nebraska in late 2024. Georgia went from not needing a QB in his 2025 class to having a powerful recruiting machine in full swing to land one of his three names.
- 5-star Julian Lewis (continues to commit to USC)
- 4-star Matt Zollers (he selected Missouri State earlier this month)
- 4-star QB Ryan Montgomery
To be honest, there was a time when Montgomery and his family weren't sure where they fit in the Athens hierarchy.
With so many moving things happening these days, with transfer portal action and name, image, and likeness (NIL) being such a big factor in driving college decisions, Georgia probably didn't even know about the time. There was also.
Montgomery and his family had hoped the execution would be carried out by February. And they recently set a timeline for a decision in early May. They decided they didn't want to wait any longer to find the ideal university.
Georgia eventually landed in Montgomery. More on this in this space. All I can say here is that it's debatable whether Montgomery is the most talented prospect for UGA out of the three.
Lewis and Zollers are talented and all-around promising prospects with high ceilings.
It's easy to evaluate Montgomery's skill set, perhaps the best male collegiate passer to come out of Ohio State. Let's combine that with his mental makeup. These two qualities make him a great fit for the program.
Montgomery fits Georgia State as well as any of those three names. That's my opinion here.
He is willing to wait and develop for his turn in Athens. He also had no intention of asking for a large NIL payout to play for the “Dawgs.” Some wondered this winter if the Dawgs would change their approach in order to acquire a suitable quarterback prospect this spring, but the decisions Montgomery has made here suggest that won't be necessary.
That last paragraph will get a lot of attention, but there's also the fact that Georgia's staff has drawn comparisons to Montgomery, including current starter Carson Beck. That applies to both their intelligent approach to preparing to win and their play at the quarterback position.
The words Montgomery spoke in January pretty much summed up his approach to a potential career at UGA.
“My mindset is that no matter where I go, I'm going to compete for the starting job,” he said in January. “I'm going to be a freshman. Obviously, it's going to be very difficult to do that as a true freshman. You know that's not likely to happen at a place like Georgia.”
“But it's all about my mindset and if I don't start year two, year one, year two, I know Georgia is going to be the place in the end. I hope we keep winning.” Knowing that, I think I'm totally fine.'' I'm going to develop and practice and practice and when my number is called and my time comes, I'm going to go out there and perform really well. ”
Montgomery also wanted to play in the SEC. His final group of schools reflects that.
But Georgia was always on his mind.
“Those are the standards of college football. I know that if I go there, I'll probably grow more under Coach Bobo and coach than anywhere else. [Kirby] It’s smart,” he told DawgNation in January.
His father shared his perspective on it all.
“Things happened quickly here,” Mike Montgomery said. “From our perspective, we’ve always valued Georgia State very highly.”
But no one in the Montgomery family would have predicted in March that he would be playing for UGA this week. I'm just being honest here.
“I don't want to speak for the Georgia staff, but I know they have their processes,” Mike Montgomery said. “Obviously, they didn't take one quarterback, right? So for us, it's just a matter of doing our due diligence and finding the next best option as we narrow things down.” That was a problem.”
“Most people knew in recent months, if not more, that it was South Carolina, Florida and Georgia State. And if Georgia didn't want to take Ryan for some reason, What's our next best option, and we thought we had two really great options behind Georgia. But if Georgia State comes in and really says 'all for Ryan'. I knew that if I did, Georgia would probably jump at the chance because of what was going to happen. ”
“That's how it played out. It's so amazing how God has a plan and things work out for a reason. But if you had called me a month in advance, we would have I wouldn't have known if it was going to go to Georgia or not. It would have been up in the air.”
Ohio State four-star QB prospect Ryan Montgomery, who is scheduled to graduate in 2025, has UGA in his final three schools along with Florida and South Carolina. He is currently rescheduling his official visit plans, hoping for an appointment sometime in May. (Provided photo) (Provided photo/Dawg Nation)
Sentell's Inter time: Why is he so well suited?
It makes sense since Montgomery is a very talented QB who wanted to be in Athens after seeing the program's DNA.
He didn't have to be persuaded or scouted to play at UGA.
History has shown that when the going gets tough in Athens (and they always will), players with this mindset usually persevere and eventually rise to the top.
That's especially true in the quarterback situation.
Check out highlights from Montgomery's junior year below.
Check out his 2023 stat line below.
- 2023: He completed 71 percent of his passes for 3,377 yards and 38 touchdowns. He led the team to 8 wins and 3 losses. He also ran for 257 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Montgomery is excited about the sudden change in recruiting.
“It's been fun as a parent to see him work through that, and now he seems to have a little bit more energy,” said his father, Mike Montgomery. “Ever since that moment. It's obviously fun to call a coach smart. We called Mike Bobo. We called our long-time friend 'Gummy' Van Gorder.” Also, there's a great side story with Brandon Streeter. That's a big deal too. ”
“Brandon highly recruited both of my sons when they were at Clemson University. I have great respect for Brandon and am grateful that he is still at Georgia. ”
The early May timeline changed to today because of his top choice. If the staff wants him back, he would be happy to return to Athens for another weekend in June.
“I know Ryan is excited to dig into the current commits there, build relationships, and support the staff in any way he can toward the goals they are pursuing in the classroom. ”
His high school coach, Stephen Adams, summed up Montgomery with the Toledo Blades in November. That was after he was named Cover Area All-Blade Player of the Year.
“He's hooked in the best sense of the word,” Findlay coach Stephen Adams said. “Sometimes we have to tell him to relax. This is not a hobby for him. This is a lifestyle and he takes it very seriously. He takes it very seriously. He has a high football IQ and is very good at predicting, allowing him to fine-tune defenses. Of course, his arm is special, but his obsession with game preparation is what makes him the best on Friday nights. I can do my best.”
That fits the type of player Montgomery has always strived to be. He wanted to put relentless effort into an elite program.
“I would say Ryan has an elite mindset,” said his father, Mike Montgomery. “I think he's very talented too, but I know people distinguish the talented side of it. But between the ears, I'd put him up against anybody. I think it's mainly his work ethic and his God-given smarts.”
In our Toldeo Blade Player of the Year article, we detailed some important characteristics. There were two games against rival schools, but Findlay was trailing 14-0 early on.
Montgomery brought them back and had “fun” doing it.
When Georgia recently reached out to his family about his interest in being a quarterback in this class, the family received and considered the information.They were starting to warm up to the idea of playing as one of his other two finalists
It didn't take long. Maybe just a few days. Then they sat down and discussed it.
“I want to go to Georgia,” Ryan Montgomery said. “The transaction is complete.”
That is why this story is brought up today.
Did you know that DawgNation.com's weekly “Before the Hedges” program is available as an Apple podcast? Click to review and download.
Ryan Montgomery and Georgia Football: Here's the inside story you need to know
Montgomery received his first college offer from former University of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh after the 2021 summer camp. It was as he was heading into his first year of high school. He had not yet played high school football.
That got him noticed, but it also took a long time to recruit a two-sport athlete at Findlay High School in Ohio.
He is currently the eighth quarterback anchor of the group in Georgia's 2025 class. He will take his official visit to UGA from May 31st to his June 2nd weekend to help build the class. The only other school he will visit is going to Ohio State to support his older brother with the Buckeyes.
What does Georgia gain here? His father, Mike, shares the best possible explanation here.
“What they're going to find out about Ryan is that he's a very, very hard worker,” his father said. “He'll fit in very well with the culture. He's very talented. He's always been talented. He's a jack of all trades. [sports] Like most quarterbacks do. All different sports. Super competitive. So they'll be impressed by the way he conducts himself when he gets to campus and the time he puts in. ”
“He will be a great fit with the company culture and is looking forward to building trust with the new hires who are equally enthusiastic and follow suit.'' He's not a very boisterous kid. He'll do it when he needs to, but he'll speak up for the people who need to speak up, and just know that he's going to be one of the hardest workers on the team. I want you to stay. I can say that with great confidence. ”
From Montgomery to Georgia, we'll have more to share on DawgNation.com.
Already subscribed to the DawgNation YouTube Channel? If so, get exclusive 1-on-1 content with key 2025 prospects like Ethan Barber, Julian Lewis, Travis Smith Jr., David Sanders Jr. You can see.
Centel's Intel
(Check out our recent article on Georgia football recruiting)
